>From the Cap Times
Schmoozing from the bike saddle Bike tours have become the new way to network Mike Ivey <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - 8/20/2008 5:32 am When Associated Bank senior vice president Tom Dott schedules business meetings this time of year, he often asks clients to bring along the bike. And when Dott talks bicycling, he's doesn't mean a ride around the block. Rather, he's thinking a three-hour tour of 40 miles or so along the backroads of Dane County. "We've been holding rides with clients about every month," he says. "They've been really popular." Indeed, for a growing number of fitness-minded business people, bike tours have become the "new golf." Where deals were once cut on the country club fairway, more and more are getting done from the saddle of a high-end road bike with a carbon fiber frame. Corporate bike rides are already a big deal in California and are increasingly catching on in Wisconsin. Given the number of bike-related businesses in the state, that's not surprising. While location or size of the rides vary, they're pretty similar: men and women, some on bikes costing upwards of $5,000, ride on a fixed route at their own pace, ending the day with a dinner or beer bash. Riders get to network, talk shop, sweat some and even flex their cycling muscles. Often, the rides include a charity fundraiser, with business and employees raising money for a good cause. The biggest such ride in Wisconsin is sponsored by Eppstein Uhen architects, with more than 260 riders pedaling through intermittent showers last Wednesday on a 83-mile spin from Milwaukee to Madison. Starting at State Fair Park in Milwaukee and ending at the Alliant Energy Center, the ride netted over $50,000 for charity. The Milwaukee-based firm first used the bike ride concept in 2005 to help launch the opening of its Madison office at 222 W. Washington Ave., which has about 20 employees. "We road from our Milwaukee office to our Madison office as a way to kick off our presence there, bring together and network with business leaders from both cities and promote sustainability," said Rich Tennessen, executive vice president at Eppstein Uhen. "It was so well received that we decided to make it an annual event, with different Madison and Milwaukee charities every year." The first ride benefitted WasteCap Wisconsin and the Bike Federation of Wisconsin. This year's ride raised money for the Eppstein Uhen Foundation, UW-Madison's Movin' Minds program and UW-Milwaukee's College for Kids Program. Among those participating in the "Beyond Design Tour 2008" was Mary Wright, a senior executive at Johnson Bank in Madison and an avid cyclist. Wright said the growing popularity of bicycling, especially among women, has helped break down some of the "old boys network" that traditionally surrounded the business golf meeting. "I've got clients in the Chicago area who make a special point of coming up to Madison so they can ride their bikes," said Wright. "It's a great selling point for the region and a great way to network." The concept of corporate biking events started in Silicon Valley's high-tech sector years ago. Sponsors would give away water bottles instead of golf balls, with pedaling replacing riding in a cart. Riding in a pack, taking turns breaking the wind, helped to promote teamwork back at the office. The EUA ride has grown in just four years to one of those "can't-miss" events for fitness-minded business people in southern Wisconsin, from top executives to lower-level staffers. There is no office hierarchy since everyone is wearing tight black cycling shorts and matching white stretch jerseys. EUA provides team jerseys for all participants, who each raise at least $200 in donations or just donate the money themselves. Dave Hepner, a salesman with Milwaukee-based Blueprints Inc., did the ride on a tandem with fiancee Lisa Parent. The couple lives in Dodgeville, which Hepner said helps keep their biking legs tuned. "We hadn't been riding much in the last month so I was little worried," said Hepner. "But it's not too hilly between Milwaukee and Madison so were able to keep up." Riders on the EUA tour started in groups based on their expected average speed. The front group of about 40 riders, which included a handful of women, averaged just under 20 miles per hour and completed the ride in under five hours, counting rest stops. Others took a more leisurely pace, taking longer breaks while dodging rain showers. In the front pack all day was Troy Thiel, a sales agent with First Weber West Towne who narrowly lost a bid for the Madison City Council in 2007. "I tried to sit in the back and do some networking but the ride was going so hard I didn't have much time to chat," said Thiel. The growing popularity of road biking among professionals has been a boon for retailers like Colin O'Brien, owner of Cronometro Bicycles at 1402 Williamson St., which specializes in custom bikes and bike fittings. "I'd say half of the fittings we do now are for women" said O'Brien, who acted as a volunteer ride leader on the EUA tour. The Eppstein Uhen Foundation was established in honor of EUA's 100th anniversary and is focused on improving the quality of life in the communities in which it works. The proceeds from the Beyond Design Bike Tour are now divided evenly between the foundation and its grant recipients. In 2006, the ride raised more than $10,000 each to two charities: Atwood Community Center in Madison and Notre Dame Middle School in Milwaukee. The architectural firm helped design the new $12 million Atwood Community Center now known as the Goodman Community Center in the former Kupfer Ironworks. It is currently working on Allied Drive redevelopment design plans, an effort that is starting to look like it's going to cost the Community Development Authority more than has been budgeted. In 2007, the foundation donated $50,000 to Milwaukee's Safe and Sound program, which fights crime and violence in low-income areas of the city. Steve Meiers Safety educator (608) 267-1102 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
_______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
