The FredCast has been ‘off the air’ since Interbike without explanation. I can now finally tell you why, and assure you that the show will return very soon.

On the first day of Interbike’s Outdoor Demo, I took part in an all-hands conference call with the entire staff of the company for whom I work. We were told that the company would be drastically restructuring its operations and that as a result, we would be losing our jobs effective October 31. Happy Halloween, right?

Although I went about my usual activities at Interbike, I did so without the usual excitement, enthusiasm and joie-de-vivre that typically accompanies my visit to the show. Hopefully none of this affected the tone of my shows from Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, between my interviews, bike tests, press conferences, and TV appearances, I was constantly on the phone with potential future employers, trying desperately to find a new day job.

After Interbike, I devoted all of my time to the day-to-day responsibilities of my job and to my pressing need to find a new one. I knew that this meant that I would have to suspend production of The FredCast, but I was unable to communicate this to you in a podcast, via Twitter, in a newsletter or on Facebook because my wife and I didn’t want our children to find out about the loss of my job. I always felt confident that I would find something that would start either immediately after my current job ended, or certainly before the meager severance ran out.

I am pleased to tell you that today I accepted a new job with a new company. Once again, my job is outside of the bicycle industry but it is with an excellent company, great products and top-notch people. I finally told my kids last night that I lost one job, but gained another and I think they were glad that they hadn’t spent the last month-and-a-half wondering whether Daddy was going to have a job.

I am humbled and blessed by the fact that in this economy not only was I able to find a job so soon, but that I had multiple offers from which to choose. On Monday, I will settle into a new, exciting job. As soon as the dust clears I will have a FredCast on its way to your ears and continue doing so for many months and years to come.

In the meantime, the weather in most places is still fantastic, so go out and ride your bike. Thanks for understanding and riding with me.