Classic Cycling.com - a plug!

one of the Hincapie/Gary Fisher/Barkley riders, Shane Martin, has launched a great online store for cycling gear/bikes/accessories: Classic Cycling. go check it out - you'll get sucked in and hopefully spend a few bones on some of the great deals/sale items, and even collector jerseys. my birthday's in a few months...i'm sure the 2005 Disco team Champes Elleyse kit would look good on me. just saying....

great launch of a valuable site, Shane.

knock knock

seriously, i'm here. have been, just intentionally blacked out the Woolard Speak for a while. not sure i want to be back on the blogger train, but it's depressing to realize how long it has been since i've really posted. so here goes.

i've been twittering a lot more lately, basically due to its ease and my propensity for shorter engagement. i like following friends and inspiring stalk-ees via twitter and have been updating frequently.

frankly, i think i've just been overwhelmed by other things and in order to keep my head in one piece, i've re-prioritized. both work and life have organically moved me toward the real world. real people, face-to-face conversations, sweat, tears, sounds. and i think i prefer it to capturing thoughts here.

work has been nuts to say the least. staff changes, new business and increased client responsibilities. i've been drained, and i'd like to say it's in a good way. i think it is in most instances. the other instances make me want to close the laptop at the end of the day and not open it back up until i have to. might be one reason for the lack of blogging.

i've also been overwhelmed by an Achilles injury that occurred after the Dallas Marathon. i'd planned to run four marathons in TX this winter, but only got through two - and an ultra (keep forgetting that little 31-mile trail jaunt). being unable to run most of the winter has been good and bad. good, in that i've focused on strength training and cycling. bad, that i feel my normal outlet for stress (see above paragraph) has been eliminated. good news is, after doing everything according to the recommendation of my massage therapist and chiropractor, the running hiatus has paid off and i'm back on the road and trail, feeling like a complete man.

probably the most overwhelming happening was my dog Monk being diagnosed with two different types of cancer. Lymphoma and Mast cell. two surgeries and much recovery later, he's doing quite well all things considered, although we're dealing with a very real prognosis of months, not years.

as the temps hit 60 today and i reflected while at the dog park (a place a few months ago seemed like a fantasy trip) i realized it was a long winter in my life.

a few more updates before i turn my attention to the DVR'ed Paris Nice race (yes, i caved and got cable):
Interwoven Threads is keeping on keeping on. Just made another donation to an increased stable of great partners: reStart, Thresholds, Feeding America, USD 500 Homeless Liason Office . sales have slowed since the economy has tanked, which is concerning, as the recipients of Interwoven customers' kindness are those who are hardest hit when the economy goes south.

though work has been busy and my island of planning has been lonely of late, it's good work and things that i enjoy. additionally, i've been involved in a few pitches and new clients that fit my real-world interests perfectly. i'm ushering Barkley's cycling sponsorships again this year. look for hot new team kits racing across the US and abroad this year! i love this stuff and am honored to be part of two talented efforts. check them out: Hincapie/Gary Fisher presented by Barkley
Hincapie Development Team

what else? i moved from auto-drip to French press. i'm drinking more wine than beer. and maybe with the help of both, i'll try to post more often.

where brand planning happens

one of many reasons I came back to Barkley was to be part of its Active Lifestyle focus. as a planner, our discipline is tasked with staying on top of workout, nutrition, culture and gear trends within this category. part of my involvement includes getting into this category first hand. as a cyclist and runner, it's easy for me to pull insights and relate.

i'm spending labor day weekend in Greenville, SC for the US Pro Cycling Championships. if you've followed my facebook or twitter, you'll know that i've had a blast interviewing pros, fans, trainers, wrenches - anyone within a 10 mile radius of the action. this is the second trip i've taken to film cycling and running events and as i import hours of film right now, i'm stoked to see where these insights and learnings end up.

i'll share more about the active lifestyle initiative in a future post - we have an online community in beta right now. for now, here's a pictorial diary of my weekend.

this is actually how i ended my weekend - at the Hincapie after party - but a picture with Christian Vandevelde and George Hincapie deserves to be on the top. i didn't get the "no undershirt" memo.

one of the many yellow jerseys Lance dedicated to George. kind words.

Press conference. Fred Rodriguez (rock racing), George Hincapie (columbia), Ted King (bissell), Craig Lewis (columbia), Christian Vandevelde (garmin chipotle)

US Pro Time Trial Championship podium: Vandevelde, Tom Zirbel, and winner David Zabriskie (3rd consecutive TT win)

i call this "water bottles in red."

George before a vendor ride up Paris Mt., Hincapie Barkley U23 team kit.

the start line of the road race.

Byron from bikehugger.com - got to hang out a few times with the guy I've read for a long while. check out the blog - it's great.

Tyler Hamilton sips victory bubbly, while Garmin Chipotle's Danny Pate and Blake Caldwell look on.

Hincapie Sportswear's new line show, and premium denim launch party.

Scottie and Shane, two members of the Hincapie Coca-Cola Barkley Cycling Team. with their better halves at the after party.

what a weekend. in addition to interviewing tons of spectators, i was able to sit down with some big, big names in the sport: Vandevelde, Hincapie, Dave Zabriskie (who'd like you to know about his new product), Noel Dejonckheere, Fred Rodriguez, Ted King and Jonathan Vaughters, to name a few. also important was the time i got to spend chatting with riders from the Hincapie Barkley U23 and Pro teams.

the Pro team racked up a huge weekend. team manager Adam Little just phoned me to let me know Chris Harkey got 3rd in today's 100k Classic, which is a big-time NRC race in Atlanta. huge podium finish for the team within a very tough field of riders. this podium finish came just days after Scottie Weiss (above photo) placed 1st in the South Carolina State Road Race Championships. i couldn't be prouder to have the Barkley name associated with not only these talented riders, but even more impressive individuals. the team personality is about as good as one could wish for. congrats guys.

so i'm headed to the Atlanta airport in a bit, but feel completely satisfied and energized with what i'll be taking back to the ranch. what a weekend.

When sponsorship works

if you follow my twitters or facebook updates, you know i was in hog heaven this past weekend: North Carolina, three days of cycling, talking with spectators and racers and most importantly, hanging out with the elite team Barkley sponsors. Barkley is a presenting sponsor of the Hincapie Coca-Cola Cycling Team, a team of elite pros chock full of talent and true class. it was a joy to hang out with the team, and team manager Adam Little, who played host/educator during the various criterium races we watched.

(Jeremy pushes the pedals in the Presbyterian Invite Crit in Charlotte)

(Scottie at the line for the Presbyterian Invite Crit in Charlotte)

Barkley is also a sponsor of the Hincapie Development Team - a U-23 group that's kicking hind-quarters at races across the country. The New York times wrote a story about that sponsorship - check it here.

being that our elite team is so strong (both men and women riders were winning and front-of-pack at each of the races), i heard our agency's name quite consistently. but that's only one part of a successful sponsorship. the true measure of success was found talking with spectators, other racers and local cycling leaders who had looked up the Barkley website and also had stellar things to say about the character and talent on this team. the similarities in both organizations personalities was powerful.

(Blair moving the pack in the Hanes Park Crit)

much of why i was traveling to these races was to do my planner duties and talk to people. i took hours of video interviewing folks about what makes them tick in relation to sports and healthy lifestyle. from 5-year-olds on training wheels to professional cyclists, the insights were valuable and the conversations were a lot of fun to be part of.

the other thing i realized is how advanced that part of the U.S. is in terms of active lifestyle. the cycling culture there is insane. the average small-town spectator knew the teams - even some of the racers - and could rattle off the ins and outs of a criterium race easily. you don't see that in Kansas City.

big thanks, again, to Adam for rolling out the red carpet. kudos to the team for some big wins and great sustained effort during a long week of racing.

check out the team blog here for more. they have a nice post on the weekend here.

Tour de France "Brand New Start" spot

if you're watching the Tour de France (and why the heck wouldn't you?) you've surely seen an emotional spot in which everything moves in reverse. the peleton retreats. a time-trial goes backwards. the traditional look-ma-no-hands kiss to the crowd in reverse, a winner steps down from the podium and, if you haven't yet caught on, Floyd Landis' jersey is removed.

this is one of the powerful anti-doping, clean-slate advertisements Versus created for this year's Tour. it's the only commercial i'm not sick of watching during three rounds of recaps today.

check it:

Tour de France - Brand New Start


you see the laundry list of accused dopers (and from quite a while back). a quick message board search will reveal a lot of mixed emotions on whether this strategy is a) moving the tour forward or b) holding it back and beating a doped-dead horse. the spot comes in :60's and :30's and i love it.

my vote is that it is the emotional accompaniment to the Take Back the Tour campaign and is strategically brilliant. Why? Because the Tour and the overall racing community has been blamed repeatedly for NOT closing the book on even banned athletes. sure, Landis loses his appeal, and Millar ate crow and came back clean to be a leader. but, we've yet to have someone say, "They are dead to us." "They are not winners." this is a way of drawing a line in the sand. those tour victories don't matter. the stage wins are empty. the last-minutes sprints meant nothing. i believe it's ballsy and brilliant.

at Barkley, we have a strong position on cause branding. that when you stand for something greater than your bottom line, people stand with you. Versus is standing for something huge here. sure, its advertisers might have hoped the doping would have been talked about briefly, then swept back under the rug. sure, its viewers might have mixed feelings about repeated dialog on this sore subject. but this campaign stands for something, and i believe it's a much-needed step.

Planet Fresh launch!

one of the perks of working at Barkley is the tapped kegs. oh, and then there's the new green initiative that launched on this earth day. most of all, it's the forward thinking and entrepreneurial spirit that many of our coworkers take on.

it's 1:16 and my Ozark team is kicking some serious ass on a presentation we'll surely give with minimal sleep. and as jump drives are being loaded and i'm waiting for new images, i surfed my bloglines to find a great recap of Barkley's green launch by Risley (back on U.S. soil).

really sorry i missed the roll out today, but our group will be home on Thursday, just in time for the green team's party on the rooftop deck. that'll be fun.

kudos to Susan Shank and many other green-thinking partners for dreaming, innovating and making our space and company better stewards of our surroundings.

ok...time for more coffee and some Keynote magic.

blurring the lines

i'm headed to a little Ozark retreat with some folks from Barkley today to blur the lines. Barkley started sending a smattering of its employees - from all disciplines - to the Ozarks a few years ago. each time collaboration is king and ideas come from everywhere to address specific "assignments" launched on day one and presented on day four.

i didn't get a chance to go when I was previously at Barkley, so i'm absolutely stoked to head out today. this is just one of a number of efforts Barkley offers to inspire its employees and keep fresh thinking front of mind. can't wait.

according to Ozark legend (now would be the time to cue the Deliverance music), we work and play pretty darn hard - not sure i'll have a chance to update WoolardSpeak while there. but i'm sure i'll have some thoughts to share once i return.

Risley has a good recap from his time in the MoSouth here.