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Guests: Caron Whitaker; Andy McGrath
I have a bit of housekeeping before we get to our two great guests today.
First – it’s WJCU’s annual fundraiser – RADIOTHON! This year’s theme “Carrying the Torch for College Radio,” is particularly pertinent as another well-loved local college station was recently sold and converted to our local NPR affiliate for a jazz format, much to the disappointment of Cleveland State University!
But WJCU – 88.7on your FM dial here in NE Ohio, is alive and well. The station is the on-air voice of John Carroll University and has been the gracious host for The Outspoken Cyclist since our very first show in September of 2010.
At that time, we produced the podcast as a companion to our one-hour radio show. Eventually we phased out the radio show and continued to offer the podcast. Now, 16 years and 683 shows later, we are so honored that WJCU has seen fit to continue to partner with us.
Here’s just a little bit about why I’m so proud to be a part of WJCU. The station is the reigning International Student Broadcasting Championship People’s Choice Radio Station and College Media Association Pinnacle Awards Small College Audio Outlet of the Year. It has established itself as a worldwide leader in college radio.
SO – All of this is said in the hopes that you will help support their work, which in turn gives me the platform I am so honored to have.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the station. All the money raised during Radiothon goes directly to the station – not the University.
Just log on to WJCU.org and click the pledge button. Make sure you let them know you are an Outspoken Cyclist listener too! And, thanks!
Item #2 is about my conversation with Maynard Hershon and his new book, The Dysfunctional Cycling Club. I neglected to give you a way to contact Maynard directly: You can find him at buymeacoffee.com and search for Maynard Hershon.
Okay – let’s get to it.
My show this week includes a conversation with Caron Whitaker, the Deputy
Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists.
With the upcoming re-authorization of the Transportation Bill this fall – well, the supposed re-authorization – there is the opportunity to include a bill that would require automobile manufacturers to incorporate automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that reliably detect pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users in real-world conditions — day and night.
Its goal is simple: ensure lifesaving technology that actually works for everyone, before crashes happen.
Caron also walks us through the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act along with information on the upcoming National Bike Summit.
Caron gives us a Cliff’s Notes Course on that bill and what else is happening in Washington as well as how we can help.
My second guest is Andy McGrath. Andy is an award-winning freelance
journalist, and he began our conversation with a super fun fact – he’s a triplet!
I’ve only ever known one other set of triplets; their Mom was a client of ours. Such a cool fact!
Andy McGrath’s career as an author pretty much began with an award winning book – Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire, which won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2017.
Anyway, Andy has written a biography of Tadej Pogacar titled “Unstoppable.” An apt title if there ever was one, yes?
And I think our conversation has to be one of my all-time favorites. Andy is thoughtful, forthright, and has truly done his due diligence in authoring this book. I think you’ll agree.
He’s a former editor of Rouleur magazine, worked at Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport, and has written on cycling for the Guardian, the Telegraph, and Financial Times.
Hi new book, Unstoppable, is the first biography of the cycling sensation, Tadej
Pogocar. Deeply and carefully researched, Andy covers the champion and his development over the years from Tadej’s beginnings as a small child in Slovenia to his meteoric rise as the 4-time winner of the Tour de France.

My guest today is an old friend and perhaps someone many of you might consider your friend too.
observations and experiences, were fiction, this book describes the real people he’s met, the actual rides he’s done, and his candid thoughts about the many changes that he’s experienced in today’s bike club culture.


As many of you know, I have a real soft spot for traditional steel frame bikes and so I always feel somewhat justified in my “curmudgeonly-ness” when I have the opportunity speak with a master frame builder who is still practicing the art of building steel bikes.
build lugged, steel frames as well as keep the long heritage of the craft alive and well.
In my
stand alone, I think the book is a must-have if you are a collector of bicycle related keepsakes.
The first is not new to TOC, and in fact has been someone I’ve not only spoken with in the past but have also referred to many times on episodes where he doesn’t even appear.
those days, Chuck was beginning to show the way cities and towns could become financially viable, putting people first and debunking decades of municipal planning that wasn’t working then and certainly wouldn’t work today.
In the second half of the show, I speak with
him a much wanted and needed break from the sufferings of ADHD, he decided to put his philanthropic leanings to work to pass on what he was discovering.
Every time I think our issues with cars vs cyclists are getting so much worse, which of course they are, I come across something that is even more dreadful!
shows up to speak at club meetings, litigates anti-racism in the courts, sides with survivors of sexual violence and assault, and helps to feed the needy.
And, he did indeed meet up with our Oshawa Bike Club Friends that Saturday.
segments with
This episode was going to be an audio with commentary for my Substack. But, as often happens when I speak with
We read or hear about corruption from a lot of places and when I came across a story from
planner for the City of Cleveland.
Scott Tong is one of my favorite NPR hosts. Most days, along with Robin Young and several other
that parking in general is poorly managed by most cities?
For more information about the organization and ways to get involved in improving parking, transportation, and equitable options in your area, log on to