Month: February 2014

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Show #183 – February 22, 2014

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Guests: Ian Cleverly & Robert Wyatt from Rouleur; Mick Walsh

There isn’t much to say about a week in northeast Ohio which included several inches of snow, followed by rain and a very quick thaw, except, “look out for ice jams” and “how far are we riding?” Here’s hoping you are high, dry, and happy as we say goodbye to February.

Our show today takes us to the UK, and to the Pacific Northwest in search of great reading material, and a particular Irish ultra-distance racer.

Our first stop is in the UK to speak with Ian Cleverly and Robert Wyatt, who are but two of the people behind a very different kind of cycling magazine called Rouleur. If you’re a bit jaded by publications that focus on equipment, nutrition, bikes, and training tips, this publication is for you. Ian and his staff cover bike racing the way Merckx intended, and their stories might even appeal to the discriminating non-cyclist.

In the second half of the show, after a quick trip through the news, Diane catches up with Irish transplant to Seattle, ultra-distance racer Mick Walsh. Mick blames none other than George Thomas for infecting him with the ultracycling bug, and his list of accomplishments includes notable races like Race Across the West, and Race Across Oregon. Careful, Mick’s enthusiasm could be contagious in audible form!

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Show #182 – February 15, 2014

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Guests: Michael Carroll, NY Times Travel Show; Carolyn & Guy, Ohio to Erie Trail Maps; Peter Vos, Tulip Cycling

Radiothon 2014 continues on WJCU, with online pledging open until noon on Tuesday, February 18th. There is still time to support locally-produced, commercial-free radio that serves up what you want to hear, so pledge now!

Winter is a great time of year for plotting and planning the rides and cycling trips we want to take in the upcoming season. This white stuff isn’t going to be on the ground forever, so now is the time to map out your adventure calendar for 2014. This week on The Outspoken Cyclist, we have three guests who will get your mental gears turning.

First up is Michael Carroll, Director of Travel Advertising for The New York Times, to talk about the upcoming NYT Travel Show at the Javits Center, February 28th through March 2nd. This year’s show focuses on adventure travel, and will feature a climbing wall and a bungee jump, in addition to 500 exhibitors. The Saturday and Sunday sessions are open to the public as well as travel professionals.

Here in our own backyard, we have the Ohio to Erie Trail, connecting Cleveland to Cincinnati. Guy and Carolyn rode the full length of the trail in 2012, and again in 2013. What started as a long bike tour has turned into a set of professionally illustrated maps (which are free) and an interactive PDF trail guide (which is not free, but still pretty cheap). Guy and Carolyn are with us today to share their passion for this Ohio treasure.

To wrap up our “adventure daydream” episode, we connected with Peter Vos, proprieter of Tulip Cycling in the Netherlands. Peter is a land surveyor by trade, hence his fascination with maps, which led him to ownership of a bicycle touring company. Peter is said to know nearly every street in The Netherlands, and Tulip’s tours are designed for all ages and abilities.

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Show #181 – February 8, 2014 – RADIOTHON!

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Guests: Richard Fries, Cyclocross Worlds; Mark Livingood, Tandem Geek; encore storyteller Maynard Hershon “Nice Wheels”

This week at WJCU is our annual Radiothon, which among other things, gives us something to talk about besides the weather. This year, WJCU’s Radiothon theme is Thrive and Survive, which is a sentiment we as cyclists can relate to. Some days on the bike, we’re just surviving, and other days we’re thriving.

For 52 weeks every year, WJCU brings you independent, commercial-free music and talk programming, created by actual human beings with a passion for serving you, the listener. One week out of those 52, we ask you to make a donation to help ensure that WJCU can continue to bring you great shows like The Outspoken Cyclist. Pledge your support online through Sunday, February 16th. 100% of your donation goes to WJCU, and it’s tax deductible!

Now, on to this week’s show. Richard Fries has been announcing at bike races for decades, and recently he’s been promoting Cyclocross in New England. He’s just back from the 2014 Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, and he has a full report, along with some upcoming plans for ‘cross racing here in the U.S.

In the second half of the show, Diane and Tim bring you the week’s news, and then check in with The Tandem Geek himself, Mark Livingood. Mark brings news of changes at the Tandem Club of America, including a revamped website.

And we wrap up with an encore presentation of a story by one of the great cycling writers, Maynard Hershon. First aired in November, 2011, Maynard’s story “Nice Wheels” is ripe for another spin.

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Show #180 – February 1, 2014 (WOW!)

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Guests: Liz Jose, WEBikeNYC; Don Walker, NAHBS

 

Everybody seems to have their favorite season of the year. I like any season in which I can go for a bike ride (which turns out to be all of them, if I’m dressed right and sufficiently motivated). But looking out my back window today it occurred to me that without leaves to block the view, we can see the true structure of trees much more clearly. Currently, the Grey Squirrel Acrobatic Company is putting on a fabulous show for an appreciative audience of one.

So, in the spirit of the season, we get right to the heart of a couple of folks doing interesting things in very different areas of cycling. First up is Liz Jose, founder of WE Bike NYC. The “WE” stands for “women’s empowerment”, and the organization grew out of Liz’s day job as a bicycle mechanic in Manhattan’s East Village, and a desire to get more women riding and working on their bicycles. Liz was also featured in a recent article in Bicycling magazine.

In a very different region of the country, and a different part of cycling, Don Walker is getting ready to produce the tenth annual North American Handmade Bicycle Show, March 14-16 in Charlotte, North Carolina.Don joins us in the second half of the show to talk about the evolution of NAHBS, what to expect this year, and what he’s been up to lately.