Unattached

For the first time in 15 years, I am a man without a cycling team.

When Pedal Moraine announced its closure last September, it was clear that there would be big changes for Team Pedal Moraine. No team loses its title sponsor or its bike shop sponsor without a shakeup, and Pedal Moraine was both of those things to TPM. Team leadership, which itself has undergone many changes since September, worked diligently to find new sponsors/partners. It shared those details with rank-and-file members yesterday when it announced the rebranding of the team as Kettle Moraine Cycling.

I joined Team Pedal Moraine in 2011 and I served as its captain from 2016 through 2021. For most of those years, TPM was the only USA Cycling club based in Washington County. My affiliation with TPM was equal parts bonds of friendship and community pride. Reincarnated as Kettle Moraine Cycling, the team now has no local links, and many of my friends have moved on from competitive cycling. Some have moved on from Washington County! I’m still here, of course, but I don’t know if I’m still a bike racer. I didn’t do any races in 2025. The benefits I might have derived from Kettle Moraine Cycling seemed out of balance with the commitments to which I was asked to agree.

All the best to Kettle Moraine Cycling, but I am now unattached. And I’m not looking for a new team. I surely don’t need to be part of one unless I return to racing … and perhaps not even then.