Colorado Cycling and Bicycle Colorado Merge

Via Andy Johnson President, Board of Directors for Colorado Cycling / BRAC

Dear Colorado Cycling Community,

Forty-nine years have passed since the Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado was established. As I reflect on almost five decades of work, it’s fascinating how much racing and our organization have changed since the 1970s. Recently, the board of Colorado Cycling / BRAC has grown to understand that as cycling in this state continues to evolve, we must evolve with it.

With this in mind, we have been exploring a variety of strategic shifts, each with its pros and cons. We’ve identified a path forward that will benefit race promoters, clubs, and riders and will help cycling grow far into the future.

Beginning in January 2023, Colorado Cycling’s brand will be retired, and our operations will become part of Bicycle Colorado. Bicycle Colorado is a thirty-year-old advocacy and education nonprofit focused on getting more people of all ages and abilities on bikes. They’ve passed numerous laws and secured millions in public funding over the years to make biking safer and more accessible, and they’ve educated over 100,000 people on riding bikes and driving safely around cyclists. They’ve also been a dependable and effective champion of bike events, providing advocacy and promotion services.

What’s apparent from working with Bicycle Colorado over the past few months is that they are eager to explore and implement new approaches to supporting event promoters, teams, and riders. Bicycle Colorado has begun and will continue to solicit feedback from the riding community to craft a 2023 and long-term plan to respond to the changing Colorado bike events landscape. Information that will impact the 2023 season will be shared in January.

A number of Bicycle Colorado’s team members will support the Bike Events Program, and they recently hired Chris McGee, who will work full-time leading this program starting on January 3. Until Chris starts work on January 3, feel free to reach out to me (andy@coloradocycling.org) or Deborah Armstrong (Deborah@bicyclecolorado.org) with questions.

We are proud of Colorado Cycling’s many contributions to bike racing. With Bicycle Colorado playing an expanded role in supporting bike events moving forward, we are excited about the future of racing in Colorado.

Andy Johnson

President, Board of Directors

Bicycle Colorado’s focus is to get more people of all ages and abilities to ride bikes for recreation and transportation. For over thirty years, we have advocated for laws and funding and provided education services ranging from learn-to-ride to driver training to make biking safer and more accessible for everyone.

One key to Bicycle Colorado’s success is building the bike advocacy movement. The larger and more engaged our membership, the greater the impact we can have on behalf of bicyclists. Many of you—10,000-plus—are members of Bicycle Colorado, and your support through donations and volunteer time is critical to our success. You support us because you know how much our work benefits you as a bicyclist in Colorado. However, the vast majority of the roughly two-million Coloradans who ride bikes in Colorado are not members and don’t know who we are or what we do. Many of these riders participate in bike events and races.

To connect with the thousands of riders who participate in competitive and noncompetitive bike events in Colorado, Bicycle Colorado will be acquiring the nonprofit Colorado Cycling (formerly known as the Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado). Beginning in January 2023, the Colorado Cycling brand will be retired, and its operations will become part of Bicycle Colorado’s expanded Events Program. Established in 1975, Colorado Cycling plays a critical role in supporting amateur road and cyclocross racing and is the “local association” of USA Cycling.

Colorado’s 200-plus competitive and non-competitive bike events make our state a special place to be a bicyclist, and events contribute to local economies and nonprofits. The importance of organized events is why we publish an events calendar, promote events, and advocate on their behalf with government agencies when needed.

Today, Bicycle Colorado partners with over 40, mostly non-competitive, bike events. Colorado Cycling represents a logical expansion of our existing events program that will bring Bicycle Colorado into the road and cyclocross racing scene. Road and cyclocross have long benefited from our advocacy and education work, and it’s time we make a stronger connection with these riders and provide them with opportunities to support our work.

We’re honored and excited to be able to build on the rich history of Colorado Cycling and expand our support of bike events and the broader cycling community. To meet our advocacy goals and the needs of our riding community, we’ll be identifying ways to engage more people in our advocacy and education work and will significantly increase the type and amount of support we provide event organizers, clubs, and riders.

We also want to introduce you to our newest team member, Chris McGee, a veteran in the bike industry with experience leading and supporting bike events in Colorado. Chris will be leading our Bike Events Program starting January 3.

Please keep an eye out for updates in the months to come.

THE ORGANIZATION
Bicycle Colorado is a membership-driven 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1992. We envision a Colorado where riding a bicycle is always safe and convenient for everyone, where bicycling is the top choice for recreation and everyday trips, and where the benefits of bicycling are experienced and valued by everyone in our state. We are recognized as one of the nation’s most prominent organizations of our kind.

We advocate for bicycle-friendly policies and infrastructure and provide educational support to help kids and adults safely and confidently ride a bicycle. We also educate drivers to safely operate their vehicles in harmony with bicycles on the road.

Bicycle Colorado’s Denver advocacy arm, the Denver Streets Partnership, works to reclaim Denver’s streets for people walking, rolling, biking, and using transit and to build safe, healthy, and equitable communities. The Denver Streets Partnership believes in an equitable and vibrant Denver that guarantees our public spaces are designed for people.

We collaborate with various constituent groups, including elected officials, government agencies, bike industry organizations, bike event directors, community leaders, and other nonprofits.

THE BIKE EVENTS PROGRAM
Bicycle Colorado has provided marketing and advocacy support to bike events for almost three decades. Today, the team partners with and is supported by 43 events produced by 33 organizations. Since the early 1970s, Colorado Cycling (formerly Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado) has operated as the “local association” for USA Cycling and has provided marketing and race day logistical support to primarily competitive road and cyclocross events. Today, the team partners with 72 events produced by 29 organizations.

In 2022, the two organizations will merge, and in early 2023, Bicycle Colorado will launch a revamped Events Program to support the success of competitive and non-competitive events and the clubs and teams that participate (the Colorado Cycling brand will be retired). As part of the revamped Events Program, Bicycle Colorado is considering offering the following services:

Event Advocacy: Help secure access to public land, including trails and roads, and secure other services from local governments, at a reasonable price. Perform other advocacy activities as needed to help create an environment that is conducive to bike events.

Marketing and Promotion: Execute a marketing plan that drives participation in events and bike clubs and teams. This includes publishing a comprehensive events calendar.

Operating Best Practices: In collaboration with event directors, adopt shared best practices that will result in high-quality events accessible to a variety of riders. Included in this support is an intentional effort to attract new riders from historically underrepresented groups.

Operating Costs: Bundle demand for event services and supplies to secure volume discounts.

Education: Provide — or support bike clubs in providing — learning experiences that are onramps for people to participate in competitive and non-competitive events, especially for underrepresented groups.

Competition Support: Provide race officials and course marshals; manage and publish results of races and points competitions; provide course infrastructure and materials (e.g., podiums, course tape, number plates).

POSITION OVERVIEW
The Bike Events Program Manager is a full-time position responsible for the success of the Events Program. This individual will manage a small team of contractors and staff to provide services to event organizations and clubs to support their success. This individual will work closely with Bicycle Colorado’s Membership and Development, Communications, and Policy teams and the Executive Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES
There are six main categories of work:

Deliver race event operations support. This work will be supported by a part-time employee or contractor.
-Maintain an inventory of quality race equipment and supplies (i.e., “race kit”), including race number bibs, awards for State Championships, course tape, and other Bicycle Colorado branded event collateral Manage a system to enable the pick-up and return of this equipment and supplies from events.
-Support training of race officials provided by USA Cycling; assign officials to races.
-Review and publish results from races and series points competitions.

Deliver services to support the success of event organizations.
-Build and maintain strong relationships with event directors and their staff.
-Facilitate regularly scheduled meetings with event directors.
-Work with event directors to establish and adopt operating best practices.
-Work with event directors, state and local government agencies, and other key stakeholders to create conditions that support bike events across the state.
-Secure volume discounts from vendors that deliver services and supplies to events.
As needed, support event directors in troubleshooting challenges.
-As needed, support the creation of new events.
Identify future services that support the success of event organizations.
-Maintain a strong relationship with USA Cycling.

Oversee all marketing and communications of the Events Program. The majority of the below activities are performed by a part-time team member and/or contractors who will report to this position and work closely with Bicycle Colorado’s Communication team.
-Implement the annual marketing plan to promote Colorado events and drive participation.
Fulfill paid sponsorship contracts.
-Maintain the Events section of Bicycle Colorado’s website, which includes, among other content, the events calendar, posting results of races and points competitions, and events news.
-In partnership with the membership manager, develop strategies to promote Bicycle Colorado at bike events.
-Implement other communications strategies to promote Bicycle Colorado’s advocacy and education programs to event directors, clubs, and people participating in events.

Deliver services to support bike clubs/teams.
-Facilitate periodic meetings with clubs/teams.
-Establish and distribute club management best practices; facilitate sharing of event best practices among club/team members.
-Develop and implement a marketing plan to support participation in clubs.
-Create and manage a club events calendar.
-Deliver technology to enable clubs to manage their membership.
-Identify future services that support the success of clubs.

Generate revenue and manage expenses to ensure the events program is, at minimum, break even. The Events Manager will lead the below activities in close partnership with the Membership and Development team.
-Identify and implement strategies to grow annual paid event membership. This includes creating a pricing structure and soliciting or renewing memberships.
-Identify and implement strategies to grow annual paid memberships from bike clubs and individual riders.
-Secure paid sponsorship from organizations in the bike industry, including manufacturers (bikes, parts, clothing, etc.) and retailers. Create and deliver reports on the execution of sponsorship deliverables.
-Manage all expenses of the events program to achieve annual budget targets.

Program Planning and Management.
-Plan and facilitate meetings with Bicycle Colorado’s Events Advisory Committee.
-Maintain essential technology within budget to support the events program.
-In collaboration with the Director of Finance and Executive Director, create an annual budget for the events program and review monthly financial statements.
-In partnership with Bicycle Colorado’s leadership team and with input from the Events Advisory Committee, adopt an annual plan that includes measurable goals and strategies.
-Attend Bicycle Colorado weekly team meetings, membership and development team meetings, and other meetings and events as requested or needed.
-In partnership with the Membership Manager, recruit and manage volunteers.

REQUIREMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE
We are seeking a leader who is a bike advocate at heart with a passion for supporting competitive and non-competitive bike events. A successful candidate will have the following skills and experience:

-An understanding of and preferably experience in bike advocacy
-Exposure to producing or supporting competitive and non-competitive bike events is preferred
-Relationship-driven with experience building and facilitating coalitions
-Sales and marketing experience, including selling sponsorships
-Highly collaborative and able to thrive in a team setting with cross-departmental interdependencies
-Ability to work independently to achieve milestones and goals on schedule
-Experience managing a profit-loss statement

Compensation
The starting annual salary for this position is $60,000 – $70,000, depending on experience. Health insurance, vision, dental, major holidays, four weeks of vacation, and retirement plan match are included in the compensation package. Additionally, staff members who have worked for the organization for 5 years are eligible to participate in our sabbatical program. Relocation expense for out-of-state candidates is negotiable.

Work Schedule
The ebb and flow of work may require some longer days or weeks, including some evenings and weekends. Staff is encouraged to take comp time as needed to achieve an average of 40 hours per week over the course of a year.

Other
Our team has adopted a hybrid work model. We meet every Monday in person at our downtown Denver office, which is easily accessible by transit and bike. Accommodations will be made for team members living outside the Denver metro area. Additional in-person meetings are scheduled as needed.

Bicycle Colorado and the Denver Streets Partnership are dedicated to equal employment opportunities in any term, condition, or privilege of employment. Bicycle Colorado and the Denver Streets Partnership prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by state or local law.

How to Apply
Email resume and cover letter to jobs@bicyclecolorado.org with email subject line: First Name Last Name – Events Program Manager. We also invite all applicants to complete this optional and anonymous survey to help us learn more about who is applying for positions on our team: https://bit.ly/BCDSPcandidates

Application deadline: Oct 31, 2022