The Pinkbike Podcast: Episode 191 - Getting to Know Alicia Leggett

 There's not a single "where's levy" comment on this article

 @therealnobody: You sure about that?

 @therealnobody: there are, and it's every damn week

 @TheR: ... Look at the timestamps

 @therealnobody: I did. There were several “Where’s Levy”-type remarks more than a few hours before your comment. You can’t tell now because it’s been more than 24 hours. Hell, even now there’s one listed as “2 days ago,” which is one day earlier than your comment. It doesn’t say “where’s Levy,” exactly. It’s asks for a “getting to know” with Levy. Which is the same thing, in spirit. You know what they were getting at.

 @TheR: so what you're saying is: there aren't any "where's levy" posts. Things like it, yes. But "where's levy?" No

 @henryquinney has been doing a great job with the podcasts lately.

 Sure thing - Alicia's the best. @BobbyHillbomb - thanks! Work in progress and getting more comfortable anchoring them as they go. Cheers

 It's great to have Alicia back in the regular rotation

 I'll take it.

 Excellent crew, feels like I'm hanging with the homies. Dario is a great addition as well, gives excellent and informed feedback

 Yep, we know it's a good sign that people care this much. Still makes it tough at times.

 the only correct answer to "Where's Levy," is abducted by aliens driving a Mini with performance capabilities not possible with conventional technology

 @brianpark: Honestly, just saying "taking care of personal matters" probably would have prevented all the questions. Personal could be "he wants to sit on the couch for the next 6 months" or "his mom died", and just about everything in between.

But no word just leaves people to fill in their own blanks.

I honestly thought he was fired. Which is a turn off to using a publication as a resource for information that fires without reason.

Extra edit: In the normal working world where I come from, you can't take time off like that. If I take anything outside of my allotted vacation time, then I have abandoned my job and will be fired. So the idea that someone can do such a thing is absolutely bizarre to me. Hell, my last two employers would fire me for taking vacation time during spring through fall, vacation (my whole one week) was only allowed during winter. Great that you guys allow for such a thing, but you can see why I just assumed he was fired.

Back to fixing HVAC...

 @JSTootell:

Totally agree.

I think its mostly the full on 1984 treatment that nothing has happened here, nothing going on, mention nothing. Leaving the full on vacuum people wonder, and with the internet it's easy for us to then fill in the vacuum with lots of stuff for others to see and pile on.

I'd bet that if there had just been the simple, "he's taking some personal time" like 95% of the response would have been "right on, wish Levy the best"

While both Henry and Alicia did touch on that they appreciate that people care, they both seem to pretty much assume every single request is coming from a perspective of invasion of privacy and also as a slight to them because we all care more about Levy than what they are doing.

So I'd say, handle it better in the beginning by not completely failing to address it and save everyone confusion and trouble down the line.

 Hey - thanks for the comment. I mean, I think that's fair, and I don't disagree in some manners, but it doesn't really paint the full picture in my opinion. Firstly, there isn't a way to announce these things, which is the point I'm trying to make. Pinkbike is our/my employer and it's not really on them to discuss things that I may not want for them to discuss. That's not a PB thing but rather about privacy and employment law.

I really think it's great that people were expressing genuine concern, which is just kindness and I don't have a problem with that. However, there were some people that took it too far, in my opinion, and it became more about them considering that there was something being withheld from them, rather than the truth which is that life is complicated and people aren't always justified in wanting to know somebody else's business. That's the point that I was trying to make - after Alicia had her crash, and there were some ideas of some kind of coverup or neglect on PB's side, I think collectively we're all a little sensitive to it. Thanks for listening, but it was that that I was there to rally against - not people's genuine concern, and I kind of stand by that to be honest. Levy/Alicia/PB are my friends, and I can't help but go into bat for them, even if I come off an arse while doing so.

 @henryquinney: I get your point about not being easy/feasible to announce, but maybe someone at PB should have made that comment earlier to stop the spread. I know it's not easy and I've never dealt with those issues with well known people, especially not online. Some people probably took it too far in the comments (to be frank I don't really read most comments, sorry), and I am also on your side on that, but it all stems from the lack of communication on the situation.

People don't always have a place to express themselves directly to their "idols" or publicly known figures, but Pinkbike is kind of special in this way that there can be exchanges with both parties. That doesn't make things easy for A)The employees of Pinkbike and B) The commenters/fans when something like that happens.

It's just that if Pinkbike knows that (again, not naming anyone here, because I don't think it's anyone's fault in particular at all) and are aware of this issue, then maybe don't call out the fans who are looking for answers as if it they were annoying and unrespectful. Because I think it's not only the fans' fault, and by calling them out I don't think it's doing anything positive to anyone on the situation.

Still, thanks for the podcast episodes and for explaining how it's not all business and HR office jobs at Pinkbike. It must not be easy to steer that ship without any kind of "boss" or HR person handling those delicate situations.

 Hadn't heard the Fred Again @ Tiny Desk, so good!!! Thanks.

 I this point, either he doesnt work there anymore and it wasnt a nice departure, or he is having some health issue and they are staying discrete about it. I miss him on the podcast.

 I saw him running out of a Canadian Tire last week followed by a paparazzi of people clad in baggy shorts and full face helmets screaming “Levy Levy!!! Will you sign my Tim’s mug?!?!?”

 @Philrattlehead: he said in a comment thread a bit back he had accrued a bunch of leave (and presumably lots of employer good-will) so is able to take a bunch of time off. I guess like a mini-sabbatical?

Good for him anyway, enjoy your holiday @MikeLevy!

 @alexhyland: Maternity leave?

 @Philrattlehead: I think he's just been working on the impossible climb for 3 months.

 Not sure. It worked for me on the computer (laptop). While I listen to a few podcasts, none of them are through any "normal" podcast distribution networks. Usually via computer or my phone via a website app.

 @IanJF: works on the phone (but there i also have spotify) but on the laptop it doesn't work. Aswell as the spotify webplayer that doesn't play this podcast when i try to. Just jumps to a random bike podcast (sometimes even another pinkbike podcast episode) but doesn't play the chosen pb-pod episode. Other podcasts work though.

Sometimes i hate current tech...

 Also new soundtrack was the right touch

 I've been thinking about this since listening to the podcast the other day.

First, Henry and Alicia are thoughtful people and I appreciate their perspectives. I'm not a celebrity of any sort, and don't have any personal sense of what it's like to have people intruding into my private life.

We all deserve privacy in parts of our lives. That's true for celebrities on the front-pages of magazines, and minor mountain bike media celebrities. And whether Levy is taking time away to pursue his sim racing career, deal with a personal or family health issue, raise an army of molepeople to overthrow the government or craft a lifesize sculpture of Abraham Lincoln out of butter, that's his business and not ours if he doesn't want to publicize those aspects of his life.

On the other hand, you can't be surprised when your media outlet capitalizes on the personality of a presenter for years, and then people become interested when that presenter disappears from that media outlet without explanation.

Absolutely much of the conspiracy theory stuff is bad taste. But it could have all (or at least mostly) been avoided with a post as simple as, "Levy's taking some time off. We hope he has a good time and look forward to his coming back when he's ready."

Until the guy posted basically that on his profile, and Alicia and Henry mentioned it in this podcast, the audience he's helped to cultivate didn't know if he'd been fired, quit or (sigh) been abducted by aliens. And the absence of any information is always going to result in speculation.

So, Henry has every right to get annoyed with people being a*sholes about it. But it's silly to pretend that Pinkbike's total lack of any info as to the disappearance of one of their most popular presenters from the site wasn't bound to generate speculation. And it's disingenuous to pretend like the only options were, "We don't tell the audience Levy has cultivated anything at all" or "we violate Levy's privacy."

 @atourgates: That's fair. Thanks for the comment. I might well have overstepped the mark in my frustration. I think it's a hangup of Alicia's situation as much as anything.

 We can disagree. She’s the one PB personality I will actively avoid. Too much overdone bro-vibe for me. But different strokes for different folks. Glad she’s loved.