By his own admission, Jason Kayzar is terrible at golf.
“I suck,” he says. “It would be OK with me if I never played it again in my life.”
But as a business owner, that could put a handicap on his career. How’s a guy supposed to wheel and/or deal if he can’t hack it on the links?
That’s one reason Jason founded the Midwest Cycling Network. In doing so, he merged his passion for cycling with networking – and he gets a workout at the same time.
“I’d heard that cycling is the new golf,” he says.
Jason, who opened MC² in 2000, started this group back in March with just three or four people. Now he has an email list of about 50 for the monthly rides. Jason explains his motivation for the rides while we biked together from his 5th Ward storefront to his Brookfield home.
For Jason, cycling always provided an escape. His parents were divorced when he was young and he found freedom and solitude on his bike. He raced BMX before switching to mountain bikes in the late ‘80s. But eventually the time commitments of family and owning his own business cut into cycling.
“For quite a few years I hardly rode at all,” he says.
Then he realized that when he rode, he could deal better with the pressures of work. He started getting up early to ride and teach a 6 a.m. spin class at the Wisconsin Athletic Club.
“The excuse of not having enough time just rings false,” he says. “I’ve been on a roll this year, so I’m hoping to take it up a notch in winter – maybe get some running in and do a few mountain bike races next year.”
Now having established his specialization in business-to-business wireless, he has biking jerseys and helmets emblazoned with his company logo. He also has a year-old Trek road bike, and he wants to put them all to good use.
“For certain guys our age,” says the 39-year-old, “getting together for these bike rides has a feel of ‘Let’s get the band back together.’“
Make no mistake, these are no lolly-gagging social strolls. The next ride is through the challenging hills of the Kettle Moraine area on Wednesday, Sept. 10. There won’t be a golf cart to pick up the stragglers.
While networking may be the focus, the health benefits are clear. At traditional networking mixers, most people feel the need to down a drink or three as a social lubricant as they stand around eating hors d’oeurves. Meanwhile, these cyclists are sweating out stress while pumping their quads instead of their hands.
The criteria for joining is simple: You have to be an avid, enthusiastic cyclist and you have to come ready to share ideas. Sometimes they talk biking, sometimes business strategy, sometimes just family and life.
It helps to know everyone already has at least one thing in common, Jason says. Because of this, no one feels out of their element.
Al Krueger, owner of marketing start-up Comet Branding and one of the regulars on these rides, feels the same way.
“Everyone’s equal,” he says. “You could be a CEO or a young punk branding agency owner, but if you can ride a bike, you get the chance to connect, network and learn.
“It’s another example of rethinking the way networking is carried out. To me, it has to be authentic and honest. And when you’re on a bike, you can’t fake anything. Especially when you’re in spandex.”
And after the rides, the group usually stops at a pub for a well-earned pint or two. Some networking traditions still aren’t meant to be changed.
If you’re interested in taking part in the next group ride, email Jason at jasonkayzar@mc2wi.com or join the Midwest Cycling Network on LinkedIn.com.
Training with Tim is arguably Milwaukee’s third most underrated fitness blog. It’s updated semi-daily at trainingwithtim.com.
