Anyone else read about this yesterday in fairfax?
Australian Cycling Executives | sustainable business connections via a shared passion
Apparently 2500 people have applied and failed to meet requirements, so theyre thinking of a Australian Cycling Professionals group, too.
These guys ride together, networking, then finish up a cafe, where their coffees are already made and waiting, then listen to a presentation on business stuffs by a corporate sponsor. Apparently business card exchanges are VERY common. They also have a bunch of ambassadors, pro and up n coming cyclists, who I guess go along and ride with them and maybe they get some sponsorship out of it.
I don’t have a problem with this idea (though i do feel sick in the guts about it, so actually, i do), here are my thoughts:
- If it helps Aussie cyclists get financial sponsorship, awesome!
- I feel sorry for these people. They are apparently busy and important at work, and probably spend a lot of time there, and now their cycling is being turned into a quasi-work engagement too. I know they aren’t foreced to join, but some probably see it as an opportunity lost and feel that they should join.
- Limiting memebrship to (as the article states) decision makers in medium to large sized businesses (which as I understand it, means 20 or more employess) seems like a bad idea. Since when was networking something that should be stratified by number of employees?
- Bunches on the road who try to remain exclusive gives me the irrits. I remember once on beach road (years ago)someone told me to drop off as I was in the middle of a training session. I think it was John Kennedy (the other one), and eventhough he is a tiny waife who I could smash, I obliged. It’s not a nice vibe, to have these moving zones of exclusion.