We have all seen them. Groups of weekend warriors, wrapped in brightly colored spandex (often too stretchy), sipping latte in a café filled with what looks like a slightly overweight version of a pro cycling peloton. The familiar click-clack of studs on polished concrete is all too familiar in most city center cafes on weekends. Mixed with the usual brunch conversations, you’ll hear serious discussions on topics like average watts, the aerodynamic benefits of shoe covers, and the best leg waxing techniques.
While MAMILs (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) have long been teased and dismissed as prone to some sort of identity crisis, many are now realizing the very real business benefits of travel. group weekend.
For the past three decades, golf has reigned supreme as the business networking activity for the discerning executive. Many high-profile corporate deals were sealed on the fairways of the world’s golf courses or over a post-game drink at the country club. These days, cycling has firmly established itself as the networking event of choice for the modern business person.
Golf and cycling share many similarities, and it’s easy to see why an increasing number of corporate players hit the roads every weekend. Fashion options are notoriously dubious, with plaid pants or tight-fitting pink Lycra as commonplace. The obsession with having and wearing the best and most expensive equipment is also prevalent in both sports. It’s not uncommon to see a $ 20,000 bike on a suburban group ride through Melbourne. Carbon wheels, power meters or carbon axle sticks. It really is all the same.
However, it is the social aspects of shared physical activity that are the key to cycling’s popularity among our business leaders. Rather than the serious, formal, and structured interactions that prevail in our boardrooms, cycling offers a relaxed, fluid environment along with a very real sense of shared accomplishment and camaraderie. The group trip also allows participants to evaluate their comrades on a pure and primal level without the masks and characters of normal business meetings. Not only fitness, but also the will to work for a team goal, self-sacrifice, aggression and resilience are all in sight and impossible to fake when faced with a strong headwind with 40km still to go. To go. Sometimes it is the collective suffering of a hard journey that brings the participants together. The shared bottle of water, the warm bag of “fruit” flavored energy gel, was passed on to a weakening colleague.
The post-ride ritual of cake and coffee (or a full greasy fry) is where the magic really happens. Sharing stories of real (or slightly exaggerated) driving highlights, powers, average speeds, and Euro-Pro fashion tips. The bond that develops on a group trip creates the perfect environment for making business deals. Information is shared, opinions are requested and given, and contacts are made. It makes sense. Of course, you would do business with someone you travel with for a stranger.
As someone working in a sales-based role, I have found cycling invaluable in building and cementing not only real social friendships, but mutually beneficial working relationships as well. Not only do I enjoy the fitness and social elements of the trip, but I find that my work benefits so much from the open network of social cycling.
The great thing about cycling instead of golf is that it doesn’t take time to reach a level of competition that allows you to participate. You don’t have to do endless practice shots for years not to humiliate yourself, you just need a bike, some spandex, and a vague level of fitness.
If you’re starting a business, looking to expand your network, or just want to make new friends, cycling is a great way to meet people. See you on the way. I’ll bring my business cards.