Adam races on our 38mm carbon tubularsLate September, an opportunity presented itself to add an athlete to my 2009 Cyclo-Cross sponsorship program. It’s like finding an extra present to handout at Christmas because it truly feels better to give than receive. So, in my excitement, I built my sponsor needs list:
- Great Athlete
- Respected by his peers
- Involved in the sport beyond just showing up to race
- A good person
- Respects the needs of the sponsor
- Consistently stays in touch with the sponsor via email or phone.
- Offers constant feedback as to the performance of the product they are using
Well, after working through the above list, the choices were few and for me, one name rose to the top. This athlete is Adam Myerson, and this is his resume:
- Pro Cyclist
- Cycle Smart Founder and President
- Member of the UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission
- Management committee of the International Association of Cyclo-Cross Organizers (AIOC-Cross)
- President of the New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series
- Organizer of the Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, the oldest UCI event in North America.
You get my point here, this was a no brainer! Luckily, we hooked up and the rest is history.
Adam has exceeded my expectations as a sponsored athlete. His performance on the bike as been exceptional, his communication is great, his face time in front of the camera exposing Williams Wheels has been huge.
Who is the guy you ask? Well, I put a couple questions to him and here is his response.
1. Who is Adam Myerson?
Gah. This is really difficult. How about this: "I am large, I contain multitudes." - Walt Whitman, Song of Myself.
I have my hand in so many different things, who I am depends on who I'm talking to. Music? Cycling? Beer? Literature? Politics?
2. Tell us about your road career to date?
I started racing when I was 15, and got serious about it when I was 17. I became a cat. 1 when I was 19, and raced full-time as an amateur until I got married and semi-retired in 1998. I finally got the chance to turn pro in 2003 at the age of 30 for Sportsbook.com, and have been enjoying what I can only describe as a "second career" since then. In 2009 I'll be returning as the captain of the team formerly known as Time Pro Cycling.
3. I consider you one of the most important names in American Cyclo-Cross today. Tell us about your involvement in the sport?
Early in my racing career, I always had a sense of what I thought could be done better or differently, and unfortunately a compulsion to act on it. I organized my first 'cross race when I was 19 - it continues today as the Cycle-Smart International 18 years later, and is the oldest UCI race in North America. I was the collegiate national champion in 1997, and spent the winter in Europe in 1996-97 and 1999-2000. I've been the president of the Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series since 2000, and am currently a member of the UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission, and on the management committee of the Association of International Cyclo-Cross Organizers. Sometimes I sleep, too.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Focused on my business, racing regionally for pleasure, and putting more effort into growing 'cross in New England as much as I do now nationally and internationally. I want to do more work where I live, in conjunction with what I'm doing on the national and international level. I would also really like to start writing more again, about cycling, perhaps about beer, but always about life through whatever tool I'm using to tell the tale.