Velonews becomes Bicycling magazine

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Velonews is no more. The print edition will now be called Velo Magazine. Look at the example pages at the end of the article and tell me it does not look like Bicycling or any of the other low content cycling magazines. Then think back to when it used to be printed on oversized newsprint.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/introducing-the-all-new-velo-magazine_183235

 

[DirtyWorks]

Velonews is no more. The print edition will now be called Velo Magazine. Look at the example pages at the end of the article and tell me it does not look like Bicycling or any of the other low content cycling magazines. Then think back to when it used to be printed on oversized newsprint.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/07/news/introducing-the-all-new-velo-magazine_183235

I'm not very nostalgic. Back in the big-format days they heavily downplayed the doping (and deaths) selling Hein and Pat as doping enforcers...

Important note: Bicycling has much larger circulation than sleepy-old VeloNews. Whatever entity owns the brand now wants a part of Rodale's circulation. They'd do better having a how-to PED's via TUE column. The monied Master's racers are already doing it. And it's in keeping with their editorial slant.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

The purge has begun. Charles Pelkey and Ben Delaney have been forced out.

How long before they hire Zap to complete the magazine's destruction?

 

[Cal_Joe]

The purge has begun. Charles Pelkey and Ben Delaney have been forced out.

How long before they hire Zap to complete the magazine's destruction?

I always liked Pelkey's view on things, and will miss the LUG (live update guy) on GTs. FYI, Pelkey tweeted today about imminent cancer surgery - hope all goes well.

 

[ElChingon]

Smello-News was dead years ago, surprised it still exists or well just recently died. Who of you actually read that thing?

 

[simo1733]

Living in Asia I am exposed to British,American and Australian Bike mags.American are undoubtedly the worst, though I did read one recently called "Pave" which was a bit pretentious but was A very good read.Not a fanof Bicycling although I enjoy the vids on their website.

 

[ExRower]

The only mag worth reading is ProCycling, and Cycle Sport (except for the 2-3 pages they give that fat b@stard Graham Watson). I wish Charles the best, and hope to see him in one of these two publications.

 

[usedtobefast]

Smello-News was dead years ago, surprised it still exists or well just recently died. Who of you actually read that thing?

i read it online nowadays.i had been a paper subscriber for years, but just decided no more magazines of any kind now. they have a pretty good web page
and have a lot going for them that other publications don't offer. their forum is not that good, but that is not really their fault.

 

[fatandfast]

I remember when Bob Babbitt started the thing and you could get it at Fleet Feet Triathlete and a 100 bike shops in S.Cal. I hope they don't purge all the people that know about bike racing. Now that Charlie Sheen has taken over "Winning" that title will never be brought back

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Both magazines are crap. It's only natural that they merge into one massive turd. Maybe they'll do us all a favor and print the thing on toilet paper. At least I'll have a reason to keep it in the bathroom.

 

[no crostis no party]

A long time ago Style Man (in Bicycling) was really funny. Who was he (real name?)

 

[ExRower]

He was probably Bill Strickland on PEDs

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

i read it online nowadays.i had been a paper subscriber for years, but just decided no more magazines of any kind now. they have a pretty good web page
and have a lot going for them that other publications don't offer. their forum is not that good, but that is not really their fault.

I never visited the velonews website much either, let alone reading the magazine. But their website is still running and is up-to-date on news.
http://velonews.competitor.com/

But what's up with Pelkey and Delaney? I thought they were with Bicycling Magazine. They were decent.

 

[Fausto's Schnauzer]

VN: A shadow of its former self.

Back in the pre-internet days the arrival of VN in the mailbox or the local shop was always met with anticipation---especially during race season. Back then we relied on mainstream newspapers for daily TdF results (and little else beyond results) and VN for the details, albeit a couple of weeks later. VN also did a great job with racer interviews. mountain bike coverage, technical articles, etc.

Enter the interwebs---early on I mostly went to VN for daily race results and live updates. In those early days VN was among the best at quickly providing cycling fans with info and results. Then other sites (particularly this one) improved and surpassed VN. In recent years the one thing that VN had during TdF that I looked forward to was Pelkey's TdF live updates. My morning routine during TdF would have live streaming video going on my desk-top and Charles on my laptop to provide a bit more background.

VN has been floundering direction-wise for a while. Now with Delaney resigning ("to spend more time with his family" ) and Charles being "laid off" you gotta wonder who's next. John Wilcoxson, while I respect his experience, has his nose so far up Armstrong's patoot that JW has a testical imprint on one cheek. Charles on the other hand, has been openly skeptical and critical of LA, which likely put him on VN management's poop-list and may have had some role in their choosing him as the means to easing their payroll burden.

The only other remaining old guard is Leonard Zinn and Patrick O'Grady. If they go take it a sign that VN is surely circling the drain.

Sad, so sad.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I agree with everyone else. I was a subscriber some 25 years ago and too remember the anticipation of it's arrival, and combing through every page as it listed results from what seemed every race across the planet.

I too am not surprised by this. It's been dead for years in my eyes. If they are going to try to compete with Bicycling, good luck. This should really kill them off. Bicycling has a firm lock on the Fred's of this world making $50k a year and up.

 

[Boeing]

bicycling mag had some of the better video journalism this past tour for what it is worth

 

[ElChingon]

bicycling mag had some of the better video journalism this past tour for what it is worth

What? ..........

 

[biker77]

Bicylcing.com actually had quite a lot of tdf video coverage that beat VN and CN.

I hope that VN survive but having read Zinns adverts for specialized, fear that they have lost all credibility.

CN has always been the best until the redesign. Hope they see Velos distress as a wake-up.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I find it bizarre and sad that Velonews is owned an event promotion company. The tail wags the dog.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I find it bizarre and sad that Velonews is owned an event promotion company. The tail wags the dog.

The money isn't in journalism. It's in the independent events.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I just read that Wilcockson has been fired.

It looks like a complete purge of the old staff is underway. Will Zinn be next?

 

[Captain Kirk]

I just read that Wilcockson has been fired.

It looks like a complete purge of the old staff is underway. Will Zinn be next?

Very sad

That was my first thought too.

 

[cawright1375]

I used to get both VeloNews and Bicycling. The thing with Bicycling is that the articles or rather the cover blurbs rotate on a semi annual basis. Thus if you get the January 2010 issue, the cover probably has the same writing on it as the January 2008 issue - I believe Rodale was called out on this with Men's Health.

As for VN - the problem there was they were always behind the times on race coverage. And their North American rider focused, much like Versus, which can lead one to have a misconstued view regarding how "good" American teams/ riders are.

For the money, Procycling is hands down the best. I do miss the snarkiness of the older format, but the big glossy photos that adorn it now, more than make up for it. And becaues of my subscription I get it so that the Giro preview comes out before the Giro not during like CS. Cycle Sport (or Team Sky monthly) is alright as well, but again at least in the State the race coverage is usually a month behind.

 

[ksmith]

Well I'm going to stick my oar in for the Australian mag Ride. It works out cheaper than Procycling and Cycle Sport (America) in the long run. It's quarterly, I don't mind the wait. Current news I can get here. I will only buy the other ones if there is really something I like.


Velo news has been going down hill for years. I think the final nail was going monthly,and putting nothing in it. What I can see of the new mag, big pictures, big print, lots of white space, might be the same old, under a new title.

 

[Rouetheday]

Back in the '90's I was going to the VeloNews website to follow the European scene. In June of '98 I was frustrated that they weren't reporting on the Dauphine. Instead, they had a piece on the marriage of two domestic pros whom I'd never even heard of. WTF! I fired off an e-mail complaint, but just got the runaround. It was then that I went to Google and typed in the phrase 'cycling news'. And the rest...is...history...