Ken McAlpine was taking a writing class in the mid 1980’s and one of his assignments was to pitch a newspaper or magazine a story. Luckily, Ken reached out to me with his story idea and the rest is history. When I look back at Competitor Magazine, one of the writers who helped make the magazine GREAT was a young man who would end up as an award-winning author and one of the best storytellers around.

“Here is the story of four lives inextricably intertwined by a single love. A love that involves pain and laughter, solitude and fame, a love that has brought anguish and glory, self-respect and self-incrimination. A love that extends far beyond a paycheck and the end of a career, a love that has forced them to turn inward into corners both dark and light.”

-Excerpt from The Big Four, by Ken McAlpine, Competitor Magazine, April, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[box style=”media”] You can read Ken’s wonderful commentary on Southern California life in his column for KCET here: WEST IS EDEN  [/box]

“It has been a long time since I chased the back ends of my fellow riders on Team Eddy (named after cycling legend Eddy Merckx). Now, pedaling Ventura County’s lovely roads and trails at a more leisurely pace, I witness the myriad beauties, large and small, that make our county such a breathtaking  place. Cocooned in an automobile at 65 miles an hour, you are apt to miss some of these nuances: the delicate bob of California poppies before an approaching rain; how cloud shadows wander the oak-pocked hillsides; how the fallen leaves from said oaks chase each other like happy puppies in the wind.”

-Excerpt from Bike to Work Week, Ventura County Style, by Ken McAlpine, for KCET,

May 16, 2014

[box style=”media”] Read the full column here: Bike to Work Week, Ventura County Style [/box]   Ken said that he was happy to move into Babbittville and contribute from time to time to our site as long as we could guarantee him a house with an ocean view. We did and he is. Welcome to Babbitville, Ken. We’re excited to have you with us!   [box style=”media”] Check out Ken McAlpine’s website here: Ken McAlpine [/box] [box style=”media”] Read Ken McAlpine’s Blog here.[/box]