Show #244 – May 2, 2015

Guests: Emma O’Rielly; Rob Gusky

As you know, I review a lot of books and have the unbelievably wonderful opportunity to interview a lot of great people.

This week is no exception! My first guest is honest, brave, and tough. In what has to be one of the best books I’ve read all year, Emma O’Rielly, Lance Armstrong’s soigneur and the only whistleblower to allow her name to be used in David Walsh’s L.A. Confidentiel, tells her story from beginning to end.

The Race to Truth: Blowing the whistle on Lance Armstrong and cycling’s doping culture is the story of Emma’s journey.

In the beginning there was cycling and the love of the sport. In the middle was the opportunity to be a soigneur for U.S. Postal, which became the most famous (and infamous) pro cycling team in the world; and, in the end, Emma graciously forgave all those who tried their damnedest to make her the scapegoat in what is arguably the biggest sports’ scandal ever.

After our news we head on out to Wisconsin to speak with Rob Gusky about the 2015 National Bike Challenge.

Rob, who began as the liaison between his company Kimberly-Clark and the NBC got hooked and now is not only a board member of the LAB but also the president of the Fox Cities Cycling Association in Wisconsin.

May is National Bike Month and Rob tells us how to get involved in the National Bike Challenge and add your miles to the national goal!

Show #165 – October 19, 2013

GUESTS: MARLA STREB, CHARLES PEKLEY, RICHARD FRIES

We’ve probably all said at one time or another, “I love my job, but it gets in the way of my biking.” I said that a few times just this week. Our first guest on today’s Outspoken Cyclist acted on that sentiment by leaving a scientific research career to become a downhill mountain bike racer. Marla Streb has worn many hats over the years, and currently she’s a wife and mother, coach, and writer, as well as the proprietor of Streb Trail Systems, a mountain bike park design company in Costa Rica. Clearly, Marla is a woman who loves all of her jobs.

Filming started yesterday on the new movie Seven Deadly Sins, based on Irish journalist David Walsh’s book about Lance Armstrong. Chris O’Dowd has signed on to play David Walsh, and Ben Foster will portray the “seven deadly sinner”. Friend of the show Charles Pelkey figures into this story as he was part of the entourage that included Walsh, Rupert Guiness, and John Wilcoksen during the 1999 Tour. Pelkey will be played by Nathan Wiley, and he’s on this week’s show to talk about that and much more.

Lastly, Diane catches up with Providence Cyclocross Festival director Richard Fries to talk about how “holy week” went, and the festival’s unique tribute to the late Amy Dombrowski.