Life During Lockdown: Mark Satkiewicz

Mark (@marksatkiewicz) and I both lived in LA — riding bikes, working for consumer brands — during the same time frame. Unfortunately, we didn’t know each other then. It was not until I rode his fantastic SBT GRVL event (co-founded with Ken Benesh and Amy Charity) in 2019 that we got to meet in person. Mark brings years of experience working with consumer brands (Nike, SmartWool, TOMS) to his event as well as a deep passion for riding bicycles. I respect his commitment to including as many female participants as possible in SBT, along with equal prize money for the men’s and women’s pro fields. Equality and inclusion in any field or endeavor does not happen without intentional action like this. In that way, Mark and his partners are moving cycling into the modern era, where it should be. Mark lives with his family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

1. Give me some highlights and lowlights from your first month and a half in lockdown mode

There have been both highlights and lowlights but overall our family is safe, and we have not gotten sick so that right there is significantly positive. I would say on the positive side of all of this our family is together and under the same roof and, though it is sometimes challenging with our two daughters (Olivia, 18 and freshman at TCU and Mia, 13 and in 7th grade middle school) having to work hard and stay engaged with school on line and from home, we are having many more meals together and overall time together as a family. Another positive is that my wife and I are not traveling at all and are learning with the rest of the business community how to become effective, and maybe in many cases more efficient using virtual tools such as Zoom. A tool that was used on occasion is now used for the majority of the day and each day we get a little better at it. On the flip side, it is hard not to have that real time social engagement and connection with people. You realize how much you thrive on positive, consistent interaction with people where you can look at someone and have a real connection and support them. A handshake, a pat on the back or just being able to say hello without someone being fearful of getting sick is something I truly miss. Not being able to connect with people face to face and in person has been a big void and something that the phone or FaceTime just doesn’t replace.

2. How have you grown personally and professionally during this disruption?

I have actually grown a lot over the past 2 months. I am reading more and consuming information about how to help my family or my community stay safe, act responsibly and do our part each day so we all hopefully come out of this as soon as possible. I am also working hard each day on my overall patience at home with a full house and lots of opinions on why we have to watch Outer Banks or Keeping up with the Kardashians vs Anchorman or Game of Thrones. Professionally my network is certainly continuing to expand as I am trying to talk to people from across many industries that I am currently not a part of; think concerts, professional team sports, and conventions as well and other endurance event companies from running and triathlon to better understand how they are assessing where we are currently at and share ideas and hurdles we are all encountering. All of us want large group events and gatherings to happen as soon as possible, and speaking with real smart people across many industries is teaching me a lot everyday.

3. Has your relationship with bicycles and your community changed as a result of being limited due to the pandemic?

My relationship with bicycles is the same: I ride most days and the only big change is I was riding inside a lot more that I would have liked and when I have been riding outside it has been solo. I do miss riding with people and sharing stories and pushing each other during rides, so I would say that I am enjoying my rides a little less than I otherwise would but I still love riding and don’t take it for granted ever. When you think of community I look at it from a few angles. The community of Steamboat Springs is our home and core default, and my relationship there is as strong as ever. My family and I are proud that we are doing what is being asked of us and trying to keep as many people as safe as possible. But my other community, that defined by endurance or cycling or gravel cycling, has been impacted for sure. I am unfortunately only connecting with most of those people right now through watching activities on Strava and missing what is going on in their lives and in some cases probably missing an opportunity to help some people solve problems that they might be having or need some support with. The great thing about cycling with people is you get to ride and stay fit, but more importantly you catch up on each others lives and solve problems real time. That is not happening right now for me and it is unfortunate.

4. Can bicycles create positive change in the world during a crisis like this?

Bicycles can absolutely create amazing positive change in the world right now. Bicycles allow people to get more healthy and provide a very immediate feeling of freedom from being stuck inside. Even if you are just riding around your neighborhood streets and sidewalks you just feel better. There is some current sales data out there that shows more people are getting out on bicycles, especially at the entry level or with kids bikes. Hopefully the silver lining on this crisis is that when we come out of it we have more people that are making bicycles a consistent part of a healthier post Covid-19 lifestyle. Maybe wishful thinking but isn’t that what we are all striving for anyway?

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