Show #141 – May 4, 2013

GUESTS: JENN DICE, LARRY PIZZI

 

My itchy eyes and constant sneezing tell me that spring has finally arrived in NE Ohio. But here’s the crazy thing: I only have symptoms indoors at home or work. I was totally fine on a 6-hour ride today. I think nature is trying to send me a message.

Besides my spring allergy update, you might want to know who’s on The Outspoken Cyclist this week. Well I’ll tell you…

First up, we have Jenn Dice , Vice President of Government Relations at Bikes Belong. Jenn directs Bikes Belong’s Bohm Strategy Center and leads Bikes Belong’s lobbying team and government relations program. She’s also a bonafide adventurer, having completed the Leadville Trail 100 on several occasions, and climbed up and biked down Mt. Kilimanjaro!

The second half of today’s show is dedicated to electric-assist, or E-Bikes. In the automotive world, we have the Toyota Prius as the best known example of the hybrid car, and now the “hybrid bike” is beginning to get attention in the United States. Larry Pizzi of Currie Technologies is on hand to give us a thorough and insightful explanation of what E-Bikes are, and why they may fill a gap between fully-motorized and fully-human-powered transportation. A device that provides a constant tailwind? Yes, please!

Show #118 – November 24, 2012

GUESTS: MARY MCCONNELOUG, MIKE BRODERICK, TIM BLUMENTHAL, DREW GULDALIAN

If you’ve been hibernating for the past couple of days in order to avoid Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, it’s safe to pop your head out for an hour and enjoy some non-commercial, zero-calorie bicycling entertainment and enlightenment.

This week’s Outspoken Cyclist features interviews with husband and wife mountain bike racers Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick of Team Seven-Kenda-NoTubes, Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong, and Drew Guldalian of Engin Cycles.

Interbike – Day #1 – September 19, 2012

Throngs of people filed into Ballroom G at the Sand’s Convention Center to partake of a breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, juices, potatoes, coffee, tea, and an outrageous number of great lookong pastries!   Free food always attracts cyclists! But, this was about getting people to listen.

The presentations by Fred Clements of the NBDA , Tim Blumenthal  of Bikes Belong, and John Burke CEO of Trek Bicycles, were filled with stats, ideas, and encouragement to grow the industry,grow the sport, and get involved with bicycling on the local level.

I think there was some cyniccism (really?) on a lot of levels:

1. Trek just wants to sell more bikes – which of course would be true, but is that bad?

2. The industry is on the wrong track about how to go about getting more people on bikes – and of course there are always several sides of that questin.

3. Why cna’t we all get along? – wow, solving that problem would be earth shaking!

I will say that I found all the statistics very interesting; changing them for the better?  Daunting!

The presentation ended right on time and the show opened.  It’s BIG!  And, confusing; the numbering system seems so strange this year. The media center has been moved to a good place though.

I’m about to write a short “”story”  about the radio show – there’s a chance to win a prize!  Wish me luck and I’ll update you soon.

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

Show #81 – March 10, 2012

Diane’s back from NAHBS this week, and fired up with a show that runs the full spectrum.

First up is Tim Blumenthal, President of People for Bikes. Tim is here talk about the recent bombshell announcement that the three major bicycling organizations in the U.S.: The Alliance for Biking and Walking, The League of American Bicyclists, and People for Bikes intend to unite to form a single, consolidated entity to promote and encourage cycling. There is still a lot for the leaders of the three groups to discuss and decide, but it appears that cyclists will have a unified umbrella after more than 30 years of wishing and hoping. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this, especially after the Bike Summit toward the end of March.

Argyle Armada
After a refreshing dip in the pool of cycling news, and a much needed rest stop, Diane welcomes Mark Johnson, the author of a new book about Team Garmin-Cervelo. Mark was lucky enough to be invited to embed with the team during the 2011 racing season, and talented enough to write and photograph a book about it. The book is titled The Argyle Armada!