Driveway Series Race Director Chris Tolley Presents, TOLLEYWOOD

01/15/24 • 82 min

If you’re racing bikes in Austin, TX, welcome to Tolleywood. The timing of this episode could not be more opportune given the slate of projects Chris Tolley has planned for 2024, and what I love most about this race promoter, is that he understands the value of branding, not just for individual races but for the sport of cycling on the whole. Chris’s background is firmly entrenched in BMX riding, where style, technical ability and strength are all required. “Style” is the component that is frequently missing from road races and Tolley has vowed to take the extra steps to make his races look good by anyone’s standards. These branding and digital marketing skills have come through years of cultivating an egocentric online persona that both mocks influencer culture while it effectively influences culture. All of these qualities on top of elite crit racing accolades make Tolley a VERY effective hype man, and one that Austin is lucky to have. Tolley is the race director of Driveway Series, America’s most prolific race series, and he has a burning desire to deliver an exceptional experience to all parties that seems to be driven mostly by the challenge of making it as good as it can possibly be. This is not an episode about business so much as passion for culture, two wheel motion and community.

Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.

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Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.

Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer

www.hill-climbers.com
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Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik

Previous Episode

The Meteor co-founder Doug Zell Is Expanding his Bike Cafe Concept to Your Town_Part 2/2

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Interview Part 2/2 takes all the context that we collected in Part 1 - Doug's upbringing in a creative household, brief flirtation with a serious cycling career, and epic journey pioneering the craft coffee industry - and gets to the good part. That is, how Doug rediscovered bikes after a decades long hiatus and hatched a brand that blends his flare for hospitality into a cyclist's haunt. The Meteor's path to a delightful multifaceted space has been circuitous, but as Doug points out, every misstep has helped his team focus the mold. This model was always meant to be a repeatable one, and The Meteor has ambitious plans for new locations across the country over the next couple years. Don't miss the finale when Doug shares how hard bike racing mirrors the seemingly insurmountable challenges in entrepreneurship.
Doug Zell is the cofounder of various businesses including Intelligentsia Coffee, Allied Cyle Works, and of course, The Meteor, where you can find him fastidiously attending to the smallest details of the cafe, bike shop and wine bar.

Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.

Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer

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Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik

Next Episode

Our Logo's Origin: Sub Zero Skateshop founder Schane Von Hartleben Built a Business AND a Family

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Our branding was borrowed from Sub Zero, THE preeminent Philadelphia skate shop of the 90s, where I spent a lot of time and a little money when I was a kid. The shop’s owner, and one of my childhood heroes, was kind enough to give me his blessing for the logo AND to share his incredible story.

Schane Von Hartleben started Sub Zero as a response to his passion for skateboarding, a knack for pre-internet guerrilla marketing AND an innate urge for extended family. Schane’s family history is unconventional, and what he lacked in structure, he made up for in motivation to build his own. At 17 years of age.

This isn’t an episode about cycling per se, but I guarantee you’ll appreciate Schane’s thoughtful messages and clear perspective on living life with purpose. Along the way we have a great time discussing some of the similarities between the two sports and how Schane got his business going as a teenager. In the name of community and family, please enjoy,

Hill Climbers is more than just a podcast, it's a growing business network for cyclists. You can tap into our event by following our Linkedin and Instagram, and subscribing to our newsletter.

Startuplandia.io Sponsors Hill Climbers Content & Free Beer

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Theme Music: Summer Vibes by Rizik

Hill Climbers - Driveway Series Race Director Chris Tolley Presents, TOLLEYWOOD

Transcript

00:00:00.479

I've I've rolled my ankles playing soccer for Yeah. For 10 years. And and, and so I started riding when I was, like, 30, but there's, like, no there's no way in hell I would have started, you know, riding or racing when I was a teenager. No. Like, there was Oh, dude. I didn't even know it existed. I didn't even know it was a thing. I didn't know anything about it. Like, no nothing. Didn't even know. I remember when I lived in Columbus and, like, oh, yeah. There's a cr