Show #578 – October 23, 2021

Guests: Steve Maxwell & Spencer Martin: Brian Chapman (encore presentation)

Oh, it’s a long one today… but worth the listen!

As promised, we are going to wrap-up the weird pro racing year that was 2021 with Steve Maxwell and Spencer Martin from the Outer Line. Beginning with Paris-Roubaix, which is normally a spring classic but of course, things being as they are, ended up a fall event and ending with a conversation about sports washing – a term I wasn’t really aware of in its full meaning – we talk about a wide array of topics.

So, my new term for the week is sportswashing. I hadn’t heard of the term until my conversation with Steve Maxwell and Spencer Martin from the Outer Line, but I certainly understand the concept – that of using sport to cover-up injustices in a country for example.

It would be so nice to just let sport be sport – especially cycling – which in its simplest form could be a connecting power instead of one that is used for political gain.

In their weekly “Air Mail” newsletter, Steve Maxwell and Spencer Martin from the Outer Line offer a thorough analysis into the sport of cycling in a matter-of-fact and insightful way. In the wake of everything that has gone down in the past two years – from the effects of the pandemic on riders and teams to the desire to expand cycling at a professional level across the globe – Steve and Spencer have studied, analyzed, and reported on each and every step.

If you want to see some really cool videos of a master frame builder, go to YouTube, Instagram, or FaceBook and type in Brian Chapman or Chapman Cycles.

I’m not a frame builder, but I find some of the innovative work that Brian is doing fascinating!

Today, we go back to my interview with Brian from October, 2018 and, hopefully, I can get Brian back on the show to talk about how he has developed these viral videos in the near future.