Dispatch from hiatus and update on the future

Hi! I’ve missed you! I am grateful for your support and hope you’re enjoying Bike Summer — or just summer even if it doesn’t include as much “bike” as you’d like. It’s been a minute since my last check-in and it’s time to share an update on what I’ve been doing and thinking since I announced a hiatus from BikePortland.

But first… thanks for coming to the 20th anniversary party! It was a night I’ll never forget and I truly appreciate each and every person who was there. Nice things were said, hugs were given, food was eaten, and we sold 10 cases and two kegs of (very delicious) Bike Happy Pale Ale! Migration hit it out of the park with that beer and I highly recommend trying it before it’s gone (4-packs still available at their various locations).

In some respects, that big party felt like closure. It tied a bow on 20-plus years of hard work and a part of me felt like, “OK, that was great. I did something special. Now I can move on.” And in some ways, this hiatus is a trial run of what it would feel like if I did move on.

It’s the first time in over two decades I’ve completely turned off BikePortland. And oh, what a feeling! Yes, I’ve been on a few vacations where I didn’t actively post or create content, but the work remained in the back of my mind: Not turned off, just turned to a lower volume. This time has felt very different. And it has felt good. It has given me the space to breathe, to let other things into my life, and to get a more objective read on my relationship to BikePortland and the community.

I’ve also listened to and read a lot of feedback from you. I’ve heard loud and clear that the platform, leadership, and information provided by BikePortland remains vital and necessary. In recent weeks I’ve also met with a bunch of people. They’ve been sounding boards and advice-givers. They’ve helped open some doors and close others.

Those meetings, along with having time to think, has helped me discover that being “the BikePortland guy” was amazing and wonderful in many ways; but it has also extracted a lot out of me and it’s no longer my preferred state of being. I want to be more than BikePortland, but my previous relationship with it didn’t leave room for that. Going forward, I want to find someone else to take the reins — or at least share them with me. I want BikePortland to relaunch; but with me playing a different role. Whether I become BikePortland’s publisher (sort of like CEO), editor in chief (final decision maker in charge of editorial direction), just a contributor, or something else, remains to be seen. It all depends on what grows from the seeds I’ve already planted, and what might yet still bloom in the near future.

On that note, you should know that I’m exploring other opportunities. I’ve loved building BikePortland; now I want to build something else. Whether it’s on my own or (preferably!) with a team of other passionate people doing cool things. I’ve already started building a place for myself in the local basketball world, and that’s an area I plan to continue pursuing. And while I take a shot at basketball, look for help with a BikePortland relaunch, I’m also open to something different. On that note, I might have an exciting opportunity in the local media. If that opportunity materializes, and if I choose to take it, it would solidify my path considerably.

As to all the questions about Bike Happy Hour: That weekly gathering continues (and makes its first reappearance at Gorges Beer Co. on Southeast Ankeny Rainbow Road today from 4:00 to 7:00 pm!), but with a new host at the helm. I’m stepping back and letting the folks from BikeLoud PDX take over as organizers.

To recap: A BikePortland relaunch, a second career as a basketball coach, a new job unrelated to BikePortland — if my path still seems unclear, that’s because it is! And that’s O.K. Having options is the point. And taking time to consider them is the right move for me.

So like I mentioned above, if you want to be a part of BikePortland’s next chapter, please contact me! And if you or your business/organization is doing something cool and could use someone with my unique set of skills and experiences, let’s talk. The best way to reach me is via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com.

I appreciate your ongoing support.

Stay tuned, and I’ll see you in the streets.