RSS
Home
Meet Andrew Messick; Pres of AEG and the Amgen Tour of California race director
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
As the 2009 Amgen Tour of California draws to a close, what better way to get the inside scoop than from the race director/promoter himself. Andrew Messick is the head of AEG sports, which puts on the ATOC. (AEG also brings us fun things like the Grammys, but with less chamois and more sequins). Not only is Messick a mega multi-tasker, witty dude, and all-around good guy, but he’s a cyclist himself which makes for a great race director. The world runs a little smoother when the movers and shakers actually know what they’re moving and shaking, and it seems the future of the Amgen Tour of California is building a strong foundation on Messick’s savvy and knowledge.
Messick answered my questions via blackberry from amidst a peloton of team cars in yesterday’s stage. There may have been a few distractions, like roads full of pro cyclists, so we’ll be understanding of brief responses and skipped questions...
Kathryn Bertine [KB]: Andrew, the ATOC is no small event. How did you come into this role of putting on the race?
Andrew Messick [AM]: I left the NBA in June of 2007 to move to Los Angeles to become President of AEG Sports. AEG has a great array of sporting properties and it has been really enjoyable to try and help them perform at a higher level.
KB: You and I went for a training ride from NYC up to Nyack a few years ago. Was it my fine skill as a beginner cyclist that inspired you to put on a women's race at the ATOC? Seriously, how did the idea come about?
AM: AEG is pretty deeply involved in women’s sports. We own the East West Bank Classis WTA tennis tournament and the LA Sol of the new Women’s Pro Soccer league, so we are pretty active in that area. Also, we feel strongly that ATOC should leave a legacy of supporting bike riding for everyone, but especially kids. Little girls ride bikes and need inspiration, too.
KB: Along the same lines, you're a great supporter of women's cycling. This year, your hopes of
making the women's race a three day event were sidelined due to sponsors allocating more attention to the men's race. Was that due to the economy, or general interest in women's cycling?
AM: We are going to do all we can to expand the women’s race. We think that the US needs to have one of the world’s great races for women, too.
KB: Indeed! Messick for President! As race directors and cyclists, what can we do to help turn more sponsorship attention to our sport?
AM: People need to support all aspects of the sport: the television broadcasts, our sponsors, and
the races.
KB: If you can't get the sponsors for a women's stage race next season, do you mind if I ride with the men?
AM: If you can get signed by a men’s Continental team, I will consider it.
KB: “Consider”, huh? Alas, you know better than to doubt me! I will remember that. Moving on. Andrew, you’re a quick thinking dude. At dinner the other night, you solved an upcoming race-related media problem by sketching the Golden Gate Bridge (with pen, not crayons) onto the restaurant’s paper placemat and finding an alternative solution. What exactly does it take to put on a nine day event, and what's been the biggest challenge so far?
Weather
KB: Ok. I respect brevity. So, we've still got a few days to go before the ATOC finish, but from your standpoints as a race director and a cycling fan, what have been the most memorable moments for you so far?
AM: Levi’s attack on Bonny Doon, the entire Gold Country stage, the fans in Paso Robles and Solvang, the reaction of people to Lance. Great people and beautiful countryside. What a state.
KB: Time to put away your neutral nice guy ways and get biased: who is your pick for the overall win on Sunday? Also, who is your favorite female pro cyclist? (You don't have to say me, I'll still print the article in a mostly favorable way).
AM: Levi will be hard to beat. As Zabriske said during the press conference tonight, Astana will really have to screw up to keep Levi from winning.
KB:.I’m going to assume you hit a pothole and forgot to answer the second part of that question. I also will conclude that, by omission, I am your favorite female cyclist. Now, please summarize, for our readers new to cycling, what exactly are all those cars doing behind the peloton? For our readers familiar to cycling, does Michael Ball's giant Cadillac Escalade of Rock Racing block the view at all?
AM: We have 200+ credentialed vehicles in the race – team cars, media cars, Commissar (“Comm”) cars, VIP vehicles, etc. All are either running the race, supporting the riders or showcasing the event. It is a big undertaking.
KB: Other than less rain, what are your hopes for the future of ATOC?
AM: Greatness.
KB: Not a bad goal, except for the fact that you’ve already reached greatness. Thanks for your time, Andrew, and for all you do for the sport of cycling.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
“Says here your number was folded,” the head referee tells me.“I don’t fold my numbers,” I say, turning to show her the …
.jpg)
Colleen Whealdon-Haught, 30, of Tucson, AZ has raised over $30K for the Lance Armstrong Foundation while battling breast cancer. In early May, my …
