This week is a little nuts.
I wrote that while moving one more Wahoo conversation into the following week.
I was barely a month into the job. The Atlanta apartment had keys, my name was appearing on more calendars, and the loose collection of introductions was turning into actual work.
One morning I received a public email announcing the return of Zwift Racing League. Instead of deleting it, I forwarded it to the Wahoo team with a quick teardown:
Good calls to action. Clear explanation of what it is. Clearly defines who it is for. Outlines price. Simple, effective.
I was still learning the category. This was easy homework: use the products, read what customers read, and look at how the other companies explained themselves.
The calendar filled up with Wahoo X, virtual racing, support, sports science, and subscription conversations. I was still learning who did what and which questions belonged where.
There was still a normal life wedged around it.
Amanda and I got out on the bikes in New York. A few days later, I considered joining the North Brooklyn Runners long run and gave the honest warning: “I do not excel in the heat :).”
The bike ride was the clean part of the week. The camera roll has the two of us beside the river with the bikes and a bridge behind us, then a bunch of nearly identical selfies. We looked much less complicated than the calendar.
I also had an extremely specific Citi Bike problem. I do not always run with my phone. I wanted the credit card attached to my account to release a bike when I needed one, but the kiosk kept denying the rental. This generated a longer support conversation than a person should need to have about paying for a bicycle.
Then came Atlanta.
I blocked Tuesday through Thursday on the shared calendar and flew down for the first substantial working trip after joining. This was not another interview visit. I had a job now. There were product sessions, team conversations, company planning, and a growing list of things I was responsible for moving.
The teams were spread across several time zones, which meant the calendar became its own product problem. A useful conversation with somebody in Europe could land early. Another with the West Coast could stretch the other end of the day. Moving one meeting usually created a collision with two others.
Apply kept sending its daily reports too. The Drive was full of new line sheets, packing slips, product files, and museum work. Starting the Wahoo role had not removed the other company from my inbox.
Thursday's camera roll ends with me back beside the indoor bike, grinning like this schedule was completely reasonable.
It was not. There were already more meetings waiting the following week.