This blog is discontinued, please enjoy what’s there
by Malindy
Hello! Normally, a free blog of this size halting operations wouldn’t need an announcement, I just want to several people who asked me about the future of this blog know what’s happening in one place.
You might notice that this blog has a different name from the one it had when we started it. That’s because the Substack was run by, and a reflection of, a private community of people. When someone was nice enough to shout out this Substack, some people became uncomfortable with a public source linking back to a space that tried to remain private. I understand these privacy concerns, so I changed the domain. By the time you read this I will also have gone through any mention of the old community in the posts here and removed them.
Furthermore, running a fan project with several members is just really difficult. I personally think I’ve chosen the hardest form of fan project right out the gate – this would have been a lot of effort to do in something like a fanzine format, too, but then you have a fixed, one-time project to complete. Editing a publication on the other hand is a full-time job, one that I eventually couldn’t handle in addition to my actual full-time job.
For a while, I just wanted to delete the Substack altogether, because it’s emotionally difficult for me to leave tangible evidence of both a failed project and a community I’m no longer part of. However, a few of the people who have written for this Substack, provided their lovely art and put effort into promoting the project have asked me to preserve this space. This was their work as much as mine, so if they’re asking me not to, I don’t have the right to delete it – I am not the creator of that work, after all.
Once I feel better, I will be glad I made this attempt, not only for the writing it produced and put out to people, but also for what it taught me about communication and feedback in a space outside the industry I am used to. I’ll keep writing about cycling elsewhere, because I can’t not, and I would encourage any of you who worked on this Substack with me to do the same – you have a unique view on the sport and the sport needs that, which is another reason I can’t just delete the work here.
Thank all of you for your hard work, and thanks to everyone who read it. Now do like Wout van Aert and enjoy the rest of the season in whatever way you choose.