Stressing About Sea Otters 🦦

My 4 (5) roles at Sea Otter Classic

I have a feeling that the event will make me feel like I’m on a long, never-ending dirt road at times. Photo: Dan Hutchinson

Sea Otter Classic is one of those events that evoke various emotions amongst others when you mention it. Stressful and hectic are comments that come from brand staff. Pressure and excitement come from athletes racing in the first Life Time Grand Prix Event of the season. Media tend to find it wearing as well. If there’s one theme, it’s stress.

This will be my first time at Sea Otter, and I am bracing for four relentless days. It will not be a relaxing experience. At the same time, I’m excited. There is a lot of opportunity for me at this event across the various goals I have there, and it has been on my list to attend for a few years.

Four Hats

Let’s first get this straight. I’m going to Sea Otter as part of the media, as an athlete representing my sponsors, as a rider networking with potential new sponsors, and as a racer in the Fuego XL. That’s a lot of hats to wear at one event.

The “Journalist”

I’ll be an official member of the media (with a media pass and everything), and I am hopelessly underqualified.

Have I written a single journalistic piece outside of opinion articles? Not really.
Have I been to a trade show to document new tech releases? Nope!
Am I nervous? You bet!

I’m writing for Pro Gravel Magazine, and thanks to editor James Ion, I have been connected with various brands and their PR agencies. So far, I have four official meetings booked with Poc, Mavic, Shift Active Media (who handle PR for Conti, Pinarello, and a few other brands), and Thorpe Marketing, the PR agency for Topeak, Velo Saddles, and Xpedo. I blocked off the second half of my Thursday for these meetings. I’ve had numerous other invites from PR agencies, but am quickly realizing I can’t do it all.

Outside of these official meetings, I will wander the expo searching for new tech and stories, particularly from brands others may not focus on. I’ve received a few embargoes so far, but honestly, I want to do some digging on the following topics:

• How are Asian brands, which are starting to release their own products in the US instead of manufacturing solely for others, positioning themselves, and how competitive will they be?

• How are tariffs impacting brands’ product cycles, specifically?

• What cool new tech, large or small, might be missed?

• What does Sea Otter mean to athletes, brands, and the media?

I am not sure whether I’ll be able to get this information or how much “hidden” tech there will be, or whether I will accomplish my goals, but thankfully, this is not a paid gig. I want to do my best, of course, but I am doing this on a freelance basis, literally.

The Sponsor’s Athlete Representative

My second role is as a representative for my current sponsors. This is a very fun one since it essentially involves hanging out with friends. Before events where brands will have a presence, I aim to contact my sponsors and ask if they need anything. This could include content, time at the booth, help with photo shoots, or, in one case, at Sea Otter, facilitating a meeting between two sponsors. I am not a Keegan Swenson, so generally, there is far less urge to have me at the booth meeting with visitors, but even if they don’t ask for me to be there, I will still stop by and help as needed, or at least chat with them.

The Athlete Cold Caller (errm cold visitor)

My third mission is to network with new sponsors. I have a target list of companies I want to connect with, and in many cases, I’ve already reached out to them. One strategy I find effective is asking friends I know if they will introduce me to a brand they have a strong connection to. Just as in the business world, or really any aspect of life, that introduction turns an interaction from what is essentially a cold call into a referral. Being introduced elevates your credibility. In return, I will introduce my friends to my sponsors.

The reality is that I’m targeting 2026 with these conversations, but it’s never too early to start. I want to demonstrate my interest in working with these brands and get in front of them more than once and in multiple ways. For example, I might want to email them, call them, and connect with them in person at every event I go to. Even if this in-person element only involves stopping and saying hi at their tent, it helps to build familiarity and outwardly demonstrate my feeling that I genuinely want to work with them.

I’ve also created athlete “business” cards for Sea Otter. While they may not always keep these, I hope that this helps me stand out. Even if they don’t keep the card, when I email or call them in the future, my name will ring a bell because: “Oh, you’re the guy who had the business card.” It has a QR code that links to my website and blog. I want to demonstrate that I’m organized, easy to reach, and will benefit to their brand.

One challenge with this role is that I may be approaching a brand as both a member of the media and as an athlete looking to chat about sponsorships. I’m nervous about this. Is this acceptable? I’m not really sure, but I’ve already mentioned in emails about media appointments that I’d like to chat with them from an athlete's side as well. I think the key will be separating these two roles as much as possible while at the booth. When I enter, I will get my media work done, then either shift to the athlete side or come back later for that role. Just as I’m blocking my schedule to fit everything in, I need to set specific times for my media role and my athlete role.

The networking element scares me, but I am reminding myself of one thing: the worst they can say is no. I know I have value to offer these brands. If they want to work with me, that is awesome! If they don’t, I can’t take it personally. It’s a tough time in the industry, and frankly, most of the people I will interact with have been in my shoes. They know what it’s like to stand there asking for a job or sponsorship.

The Racer

For the first time in my career, I am going to a race with that part of my trip being the least important. I’m not in the LTGP, and not even racing the LTGP event. The Fuego XL mountain bike race is their marathon event that takes place on Saturday. In a way, it’ll be a reward for getting through the most stressful part of the event.

Typically, I worry about every detail when it comes to the lead-up to a race. Am I wasting too much energy? Am I nailing my fueling? Have I seen all the parts of the course I should? How am I going to get feeds?

Sea Otter scares me because I will absolutely not be preparing in an ideal way for the race. I will be on my feet for all of Thursday and Friday, stressing about appointments and sponsor interactions and trying to check off my long list of to-dos.

While I’m nervous, I think this is a good thing. It will push me out of my comfort zone as I engage in more human interaction in 2 days than I normally do in a month. It will help me get comfortable with not having an ideal lead into a race, which I hope will help allow me to relax more before other races in the future. I have no idea how my legs will be, but I have one big advantage: I have zero pressure, and that often helps me perform well.

The Bonus Role: Career Networking

I know I told you I was wearing four hats, but I think I’m actually wearing five. As you know, cycling is not really a viable career path. That’s why I work in marketing outside of racing. Just as all of these contacts I am developing are great for Chris, the athlete, they are also great for Chris, the marketer. I have a spreadsheet on brand and PR agency contacts, and the lead-up to Sea Otter has likely helped contribute to its largest growth spurt yet. All of the people I interact with as an athlete work in marketing. All of those contacts are potential job connections in the future. The same goes for the PR agencies. I first met my current boss in high school when I worked at a bike shop and he was a brand rep. I never expected to be working for him eight years later. The moral of the story: keep those contacts. You never know when they will come in handy.

Conclusion

Sea Otter will push me to my limits in various ways. It’ll lead to more first-time conversations than one has during a wedding reception, infinitely more time spent working as a journalist than ever before, and, of course, will end with a nice, hard race.

I’m anxious about all of these stressors, but also excited. I don’t know what the event will lead to, but I hope a few doors open up on the sponsorship side, in particular.