Make friends, save money, and have a bundle of fun, all for being a loud mouth.
Ambassadors receive amazing benefits, and all they have to do is let their love show.
You can hear radio ads and read billboards all day long, but if your best friend Eustace is on his way to a bike race, if he whips out his camera and shows you pics of what a great time he had last year, and if he invites you to join him, you are much more likely to say, “Heck yeah, dude! Count me in.” Even if you’ve never raced before.
That’s the power of word-of-mouth, and it’s the heartbeat of the MAD Racing Colorado Ambassador Program. Ambassadors are passionate racing geeks, who, in exchange for freaking out about how much they love racing, get lots of love back from John Klish, owner of MAD Racing Colorado. Ambassadors enjoy great perks like free race entrance for a friend, jerseys on the cheap, savings on MAD Racing Colorado bling, entry fee discounts, and reduced fees at partner organizations.
So who are some of these Ambassadors?
For Bill Ehler, being an Ambassador means keeping alive the spirit of a sport he adores: cyclocross.
Bill Ehler is a 64-year-old Ambassador originally from Pittsburgh. A newbie to the Grand Valley and a cyclocross addict for over two decades, he hunted out MAD Racing Colorado as a way to join the local biking community. It didn’t take him long to decide to join the MAD pack and become and Ambassador for two reasons. First, it adds depth to Bill’s love of biking, especially cyclocross. Not only does he spread the word about upcoming racing events on social media, he joins with other Ambassadors to organize non-competitive bike tours throughout the year, like the Gravel Grinder last June. Having a group to train with keeps everyone’s skills sharp for race days, and the tours give new riders a chance to train before they commit to a race. “New riders can get frustrated that an old guy like me can ride faster and stronger than they can at first,” Bill chuckles. “But if they make a weekly commitment, they’ll be surprised at how fast they can improve.” Secondly, being an Ambassador means keeping alive the spirit of a sport he adores. “Back east, cyclocross is a big deal. It’s very popular. I know if we keep at it, it’ll catch on here, too.”
Stephen Glass loves being an Ambassador because it puts him smack in the middle of the community he values.
Stephen Glass is an Ambassador living in the somewhat remote town of New Castle, which is located about an hour
away from Grand Junction. Even if his town is small, Stephen is the kind of guy who thinks big. He loves to be challenged in lots of ways, and MAD Racing Colorado’s frenetic passion for skill variety is ambrosia for him. He loves challenging himself with road biking, mountain biking, and running events, and not just for the exercise, but for the romantic competition he has with his wife, who races with him. Being an Ambassador for Stephen is all about community, meeting up with people face-to-face and swapping stories. “You can find your people,” he says of other Ambassadors at MAD Racing Colorado events.
Cyclocross races consist of many laps around a short course featuring varied and challenging terrain like grass, mud, and obstacles. Part of the strategy is to quickly dismount, carry the bike over obstacles, and then quickly resume riding. Hecklers in the audience keep the race lively and hilarious.
Bil Pfaffendorf is an enthusiast who became an Ambassador in 2016 when local cyclocross was just beginning to catch fire. He knew John Klish from “the old days” on the front range, so when Bil returned to the Grand Valley, the reunion of like-minded biking geeks was fated. Yes, he and John are buddies, but Bil is also an Ambassador because he loves to share his technical knowledge as an assistant in John’s autumn cyclocross clinic series. “We cover topics like how to fall without hurting yourself, the physics of leaning and turning–everything you need to know.” Like Stephen, Bil appreciates the MAD Racing Colorado community, especially when races take place far from home. “We stay at each other’s houses or get a room together. Saves money, and it’s fun.” They take turns heckling each other during races, and the goofing off is in perfect balance with the spirit of competition. Other perks he loves? Ambassador discounts. “Those race discounts over a series really add up; it’s a great deal. And I like getting the discount at the gym, too.”
It’s tempting to think you must be a cyclocross junkie to be a MAD
Ambassador Bil Pfaffendorf appreciates the discounts he receives on racing fees and partner organizations.
Racing Colorado Ambassador, but MAD offers so many exciting sports, it’s hard to pop them all off the top of my head: enduro racing, mountain biking, triathlon, fat biking, winter sports, every sort of running race you can imagine… Check out the line-up and you’re sure to find a sport you’ll want to shout about on the mountain top. If you love outdoor sports and you love sharing your stories with your community, you need to be a MAD Racing Colorado Ambassador. It’s free to sign up! And leave your story here! What’s your outdoor sport? Why do you love it? What events do you like to attend and where? Spill it, darlin’. We want to hear it.
