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The winter season is when most bicycle retailers go into hibernation mode by cutting staff, turning the heat down, and liquidating products that haven’t sold. Another fixture of MN Cycling has recently went into hibernation mode.

SmithersMPLS.com has gradually dropped the amount of cycling coverage over the past few months and does not seem to be all that interested in picking it back up.  Just yesterday, he posted about the possibility of dropping his blog altogether, a move which one commenter called out as a little melodramatic. At one point, Smithers was the darling of the local cycling blog community with his feisty material. He was an early blogger and posted frequently, often using provocative subjects to stir up his readership in the comments. Although he often reported on a much broader subject matter than the local cycling scene, his loyal following never complained about his political or family “wanderings”.

SmithersMPLS.com and Adversity

In the last year, many local blogs and online publications have sprung up with more specific coverage of the local cycling scene. Smithers seemed to sense his readers getting a little anxious and looking for new hangouts. At first, he used lots of gimmicks (such as a poll for the best commenter which he personally propped up his highly unsuccessful guest blogger JimR) and meaningless games. These tricks obviously have not been enough to float the SmithersMPLS.com boat through the new dynamic and challenging waters that he is encountering on the local cycling blog arena. His content lacks the punch and style it used to bring and this columnist believe his days at the top are numbered, regardless of whether he retires his blog.

I’m a traditionalist at heart when it comes to most things. I hope he stays around, if only to provide people with a glimpse of that relic from the past, an old war ship sitting in a pleasant harbor offering tour rides.