With her polished prose offering a nicely nuanced balance of insightful critique and creative flair, freelance writer Hailey Moore is a regular and well-respected contributor to The Radavist. And speaking over a call from her home in Boulder, Colorado, Hailey is happy to let our conversation wander as we take in her East Coast suburban childhood, how words became the tools of her trade, and her ever-evolving relationship with riding. A story that is testament to the transformative power of pursuing diverse interests, and her unwavering willingness to embrace change.
Coffee cup to hand, measured in response to my questions, but quick to smile and laugh, Hailey Moore has taken time out from packing for a month-long trip that will see her and partner Anton Krupicka ride bikes and climb rock faces before she takes another tilt at Unbound.
The bikes we get to a little later in our conversation but Hailey’s love of climbing—or more specifically bouldering—goes back to when she studied Psychology with a double minor in French and Entrepreneurship at Appalachian State in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“That particular community was super welcoming. Which I guess explains why I pretty much climbed exclusively throughout my college years. And then after graduation and together with my college boyfriend at the time, we took off on a six-month climbing road trip around the US which proved to be a real eye-opener.”
Cris-crossing the western states in a Honda Element—not exactly aerodynamic, Hailey points out, but the boxy shape allowing for a little bed platform in the back—although particularly captivated by Colorado and the outdoor lifestyle it afforded, following the trip Hailey instead chose to settle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Click image to enlarge
“I guess that growing up in North Carolina meant that pulling the band-aid off in terms of familiarity proved too much of a risk. And perhaps pointing to my fairly sheltered upbringing in the city of Greensboro? Kind of a mixed bag in terms of classically suburban but with some of the culture of a university town. And I do remember when I was 14 or 15, my Mom would drop me off at one of the campus coffee shops so I could meet up with friends to do our homework or listen to music. So there were just enough cultural experiences to make me consider wanting something a little bit bigger.”
As things sometimes have a way of turning out, one of the multiple jobs Hailey was working happened to be on a contract basis with an outdoor media platform. Very click-baity stories—Hailey cites best kissing spots in Chattanooga as a prime example—but it was a job as a writer and encouraged her to apply for an editorial internship at Climbing Magazine. With the publication based at that time in Boulder, she packed up her things and made the move west in October 2016.
“I’ve called Colorado home for going-on seven and a half years, but when I look back at my 24-year-old self, it still amazes me how I made such an impulsive decision at what was a relatively young age.”
Having dwelt on Hailey’s early years, I’m curious to what extent bikes played a part in her upbringing? This question prompting Hailey to reminisce over riding round the neighbourhood and commuting by bike when she started high school.
“Partly because I would occasionally get into a little bit of trouble and be grounded from my car,” she adds with a wry smile. “But also because I just enjoyed the sense of freedom it offered. That feeling of going under the radar and bending the rules with fewer consequences?”
Click image to enlarge
Initially a means of getting from A to B—Hailey doubting whether she even oiled her chain—there followed a period during and after college when she barely rode at all.
“But with the move to Colorado, I wanted to pick it up again and had this brief period of riding road on a garish Cervélo that would get beat up on all the local trails. That coincided with meeting other riders who were curating their own bikes and the realisation that you can allow for wider clearances and it doesn’t need to be so stripped back that performance is the only goal.”
Referencing a recent article Hailey wrote for The Radavist that recapped all the various build iterations of her Crust Bombora, I ask whether she also changed as a rider over the same period?
“One of the reasons the Bombora evolved was because I was acquiring other bikes. Which probably points to how I’ve become a more diversified rider. My touring preferences have seen me drift more towards a hardtail with drop bars and I don’t set myself the goal of riding super hard on every ride. Comfort, also, can have its own benefit; even if your bike weighs a couple of pounds more.”
This mention of The Radavist prompts another amusing anecdote as Hailey recalls her time working as a pastry baker.
Click image to enlarge
“I would clock in at 4:30am and spend the majority of each shift on my feet before going riding when I finished at twelve. And on top of all that, it’s not as if I was making a lot of money. So I was already considering going back to my writing, I’d been submitting the occasional article to The Radavist, and then when The Pro’s Closet took over control, John and Cari* had the wherewithal to advertise for an editorial position which I applied for but didn’t get!”
*Founder of The Radavist, John Watson, and his partner Cari Carmean
Quick to point out that the opening definitely went to the right person, the application process did allow Hailey to meet John in person. So when, subsequently, the editorial team needed more help with copy-editing, formatting and product testing, Hailey’s name immediately came to the fore and she was offered a freelance position.
“You do, largely, feel like you’re working for yourself. And when I look back to the pretty standard office job I got after finishing the internship that brought me to Colorado, the people were great but it was 9-5 and the rigid structure made me want to tear my hair out. I just feel that being stuck behind a desk for 30 to 40 hours a week doesn’t reward efficiency. And as it was a marketing position, if you don’t feel inspired? But at The Radavist, John is very trusting and I have the freedom to pitch whatever I want and if he believes it will make a good story, then it’s given a green light.”
Asked whether there’s a flip side to working on a freelance basis, Hailey confirms that it kind of conforms to what everybody says. How there’s the constant hustle and the need to set boundaries but with the understanding that these are choices she herself made.
“I’m hesitant at coming across as complaining,” she adds.
Click image to enlarge
Maybe complaining is a little strong, I suggest. And that we’re just exploring the realities of one particular way of working. A lifestyle that some people might assume is all roses?
“It’s definitely not!” laughs Hailey. “And because both my partner and I work on a contract basis, there’s a hint of insecurity relating to what we’ll make each and every year. Which makes working out how to buy a home just that little bit harder. Firstly, housing here is so expensive, and secondly, I don’t know that many people my age who have been able to get on the property ladder. But with the bike industry still having difficulties post-pandemic, I’m not sure full-time positions are any guarantee either. There were several companies I continued to work with just after the pandemic that were simultaneously making massive layoffs.”
Setting aside these financial uncertainties that many are now facing, when it comes to Hailey’s day-to-day routine she allows how she’s pretty good at turning off Slack by 6:00pm and keeping the weekends free for the numerous outdoor activities she enjoys.
“I find it interesting how the core tension of my personality is that I love routine. But I’m also very planning-focused so I want to be the one determining what that routine looks like. I’d be quite happy spending the next six months in Boulder, writing for a few hours each day before going out to exercise, and then working on the garden until it’s time to cook dinner. On the other hand, I feel strongly that it’s important to prioritise new experiences and embrace opportunities. Short-term this might mean a bit of stress or a lot of travel but the rewards are well worth all that.”
When it does come time to travel, Hailey references routine in the shape of her pre-breakfast rituals.
“Every morning Tony and I drink coffee and read our books before we do anything. And because we’re both pretty introverted—with our own goals—most days at home we’ll get out by ourselves and maybe once a week go climbing or for a ride together. And I’ve noticed how Colorado has this sense of familiarity that extends to wherever I’ve travelled previously with Tony; like those memories are keeping me company and I don’t feel alone. But I really couldn’t see myself riding the Italy Divide—which we did last summer—without Tony for company. We have our systems down to a tee. We’re very dialled in.”
Click image to enlarge
This ability to roll with the punches proved useful when the couple needed to wait out a torrential rainstorm on a trip through Nebraska. Spying a parked-up school bus and discovering it was unlocked, they hauled their bikes inside and slept head-to-toe in the aisle.
“It was a Friday night,” qualifies Hailey. “So we weren’t worried about being woken up in the morning and shooed away.”
Happy to share her experiences of travelling in articles for The Radavist, Hailey also contributes product reviews with one recent example featuring a bike trailer. Referencing commuter woes and society’s increasing reliance on the car, I ask whether she feels these concerns are important to address when we take a step back from our daily lives?
“I believe it’s important to recognise your personal values and try to live in a way that embodies what these are. But there’s also a need to be realistic and not judge people too harshly for just trying to make their way in the world. And maybe give yourself a little grace in that regard too. I probably travel more than the average American so what right do I have to start pointing a finger?”
Suggesting that her article was very balanced and maybe it’s a case of taking the wins where we can—those little one percents that, when totalled, can and do make a difference—I can’t help but mention how a fair proportion of The Radavist content is about stuff. Trends coming and going over the course of a season.
“I struggle with this as well. John struggles with it. And to some degree it’s a paradox that, to be totally honest, I don’t know how to reconcile. At The Radavist specifically, we try to balance this with stories that aren’t product focused—that have place or human interest at their centre—but we all kind of understand how the internet rewards product reviews in its SEO.”
Click image to enlarge
Returning, once more, to her riding, Hailey explains how by nature she’s happier to get caught out rather than set off when it’s pouring down. That’s when, she suggests, she’s more likely to choose running, as the clean-up after a wet ride is just so off-putting. This duality of activity going some way to explore her motivation to get outside but with the bike perhaps edging its way as a preference?
“Aside from pretty basic commuting, my first rides definitely had an element of wanting to get better. Whereas now I ride simply because I enjoy it. And though I love to run, cycling allows me to have a wider range of intensity levels. There’s no escaping the inherent musculoskeletal impact of running so it can be really nice to start a ride super easy and, if the mood takes you, gradually increase the effort. Or not, if that’s what you decide to do. And something else I’ve noticed about my riding, is that when I’m coming out of winter and perhaps not feeling quite as fit, I’m more hesitant at doing a ride that puts me further from home. But come summer, I want to go out there [Hailey points to the horizon].”
And for seeing new places, I ask?
“I think the bike is the ultimate tool.”
Not too slow, not too fast?
“Exactly,” Hailey confirms with a smile. “You can carry whatever you need and stop whenever you like.”
Photography with kind permission of Hailey Moore / Feature image by Josh Weinberg / All other imagery individually credited
cyclespeak 