Challenge Hires New Bicycling Group Associate Publisher

LOS ANGELES, CA (BRAIN)--Challenge Publications named Tim Baudler associate publisher of its cycling group and hired several editors to fill out the staffs of Mountain Biking, Road Biking and Flow magazines.

Baulder, who has a degree in advertising, has worked at Better Homes & Gardens magazine, AOL/Time Warner Publications and Weider Publications.

Dave House, Mountain Biking and Flow's former associate publisher, and three editors left Challenge last month to start H3 Publishing and launch three new magazines. The four men are currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Ed Schnepf, Challenge's president and publisher.

Challenge also named Alan Davis, a former aerospace engineer, editor of Mountain Biking. Assisting Davis are Dave Alden, a former Mountain Biking editor, who lives in Salem, Massachusetts, and Phoenix-based Steve Medcroft who joined Challenge as a feature editor and contributor.

Chris Firth, an East Coast-based photojournalist and former assistant editor for Mountain Bike Action magazine, is handling photography duties.

Charles Pickett, Schenpf's nephew, will be managing editor and publishing consultant for the cycling group. Pickett has 19 years of publishing experience in publications ranging from the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the Associated Press.

"We are building a unique team of contributing, associate and regional editors, each of whom bring well-honed skills and editorial maturity to the audiences of our magazines," Schnepf said, adding that he plans to "make Challenge the number-one publisher of niche biking periodicals in the world."