Dirt Rag Magazine hires industry veteran as new editor

Dirt Rag Magazine—the independent voice of mountain bike riders for more than two decades—is excited to announce Mike Cushionbury has joined the staff as Editor. He brings 20 years of industry experience to the role as the magazine continues to grow.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Dirt Rag family. I’ve always been a friend and fan of the publication since day one so this is a truly great honor to be leading a group of core mountain bike riders who also happen to be the best and most creative people in the business,” he said.

In Southern California, Cushionbury earned his pro mountain bike racing license but found the printed word was his true calling. He began his career at cycling magazines immediately after graduating with a degree in journalism. He is a true industry veteran, having worked for some of the largest cycling magazines in the world and in marketing roles for major brands. Now he resides in Eastern Pennsylvania and vows to never move away from the East Coast, no matter how bad the weather.

Dirt Rag is enjoying another banner year in 2012, and continues to expand its readership and staff. This year the magazine incorporated a new parent company, Rotating Mass Media, to oversee Dirt Rag, its sister magazine Bicycle Times, as well as other business interests.

“The growth Dirt Rag has experienced in the past few years is phenomenal, yet not surprising because it is one of the very few magazines in the world that truly captures the heart and soul of mountain bike riding,” Cushionbury said. “I’m very excited to carry on that tradition not only by satisfying our current readers, but also increasing our readership as we move forward.”

“We’re honored to have such an experienced industry journalist and veteran on board,” said Publisher Maurice Tierney. “Mike has worked all over the industry and we’re going to tap into his wealth of knowledge and new perspectives.”

New Tech Editor

In addition to Cushionbury joining the staff, Eric McKeegan has transitioned to the role of Tech Editor, overseeing product testing and tech coverage coverage, and will act as the liaison between the magazines and brands. With more than a decade of experience in bike shops, training at both United Bicycle Institute and Barnett Bicycle Institute, and years of experience riding a huge range of bikes, McKeegan understands both the theory behind new technologies and they’re real world applications.

“Yes, this really is a dream job for an all around bike geek such as myself,” said McKeegan. “I’m excited about the opportunity to evolve my role at RMM, and manage our reviews and tech coverage to continue to lead the way in the ever-changing mountain bike media environment.”

“Business here at Dirt Rag and Rotating Mass Media has been moving up and to the right for the past few years and we’re confident our new staff is going to keep that going,” Tierney added.