The End of an Era

Yes… it’s been 10 months since I last posted an update here. I will try to do better going forward. I felt like I wanted to express myself again. For the first time in a while. So let me ramble on.

I’ve been working my way through my Next Chapter for 8 years now and started planning if three years before that. My first bicycle race photos were published to a few places starting in 2008. One of those early places was pedalmag.com and the print version of Pedal Magazine followed not long after. It took quite a lot of work to build up those relationships and I felt up to the task.

So the news I, and the rest of the Canadian cycling community, received last Monday (Aug. 12th 2019, a date to mark in my calendar going forward) was saddening. Pedal Magazine has closed down for good. Effective Aug. 12th 2019.

The Final Issue

I was honoured a couple of months back to get a fourth cover photo on the print edition of Pedal. The first was magical, as it should be. The second (an issue about MSA!) and third were a delight and all three were very different from each other. The fourth was of a person who probably never imagined he would be on a cover. I’m glad he was though! Little did I (or he) know that it would the last ever cover for this Canadian magazine.

The final Pedal Magazine

The irony that the issue included an article about the end of Dukes Cycle (written by Michael Cranwell) isn’t lost on me. Nor is the fact that an article I wrote about ICA was in there as well. There were more pieces in the works. I’ll have to see what comes of them now.

Going Forward

I will take the time to reflect on all of this over the days and weeks ahead. For now I’m scrambling to sort out my next steps. The first step being the MTB World Championships that are coming back to Mont-Sainte-Anne! I had media accreditation and accommodations all set up. Based on going as a photographer for Pedal. You did read that right, World Championships. This will only be the 4th time I’ve gotten to cover Worlds. It’s a big deal! And I, along with the other people who were going to provide Pedal with coverage, had the rug pulled out.

I have been able to make alternate arrangements and fortunately the years I’ve spend building a reputation have paid some dividends. So I will have media access and will publish updates from the events. Look for info here and on social media under my @kraikerphoto handle. I’m going to freelance it and see what comes of it all! Perhaps some guest journalists will join me!

After this event, well I don’t know. I will see what strikes my fancy and what opportunities cross my path. The next events would normally be WorldTour road races in Quebec and Montreal. Then cyclocross World Cup action at the Trek headquarters in Wisconsin followed by more CX action in Ontario. For now… who knows!

But know that I’m back 🙂

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