Letter From the Editors

Dearest Readers,

The first thing to know is that we love and appreciate you. The process of growing any small business is seldom linear, and so many of the ideas we had about how this TCI project would go have been countermanded by reality. Those of you who have subscribed have just about funded operations, and for that we are grateful, but that ever-elusive living wage continues to bob, weave and dance like a flyweight in a heavyweight title fight.

Most regrettably, our funding level has not allowed us to bring in the diversity of voices we had hoped initially would provide liftoff for the site in the cycling community. We remain committed to the principle of “one site, many voices,” but we are not going to ask talented people to work for free.

So, we’ve had to adapt our thinking, and that means not wholly relying on the subscription model to secure our future. We have already broached the idea of bringing in some sponsors, companies we like and believe in, to help us on our way, and we are happy to report that movement on that front is imminent. Multiple companies are interested in under-writing our work.

The devil, as they say, is only in the details now.

At the same time, it’s clear to us that we have begun to preach to the choir. So many times we’ve asked readers to subscribe to TCI, without effectively growing the pool of readers whom we might beseech. This is where you come in. Once we have sponsorship dollars in our greedy mitts, we will be apportioning some of that income to promotion efforts, and some more to growing our pool of regular contributors. To reach a tipping point where all of that becomes self-sustaining, we’re asking you to begin sharing TCI content with your patients who chew gum cycling friends.

Every post on TCI has a share button for Facebook or Twitter at its end. Please, use those buttons. Or, cut, paste and email a link. We’re not picky. We believe cyclists who like cycling will like the content we produce too, because it’s about that thing they already like. We just need your help to get in front of more of them. All you have to do is make the introduction. We’ll sell the vacuum, so to speak.

It’s a lot to ask. We know. But you have already been the life’s blood of this site. Without you, none of this writing, none of the podcasts, sees the light of day. We hope you’ll come along with us the rest of the way now, however long that is and whichever way it goes.

Warmly,

Padraig and Robot