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Show #572 – September 11, 2021

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Guests: Justin Christopher; Dave Simmons

It’s Our Anniversary. Welcome to our show for September 11, 2021.

Of course the significance of the date is not lost on me and I’m sure not on you either. I have vivid memories of that day twenty years ago and it’s sobering to think about the lives lost and the fear that was burned into our hearts and minds.

Ironically, today is also a day to celebrate for TOC. It was eleven years ago today, my first guest, Ben Serotta, helped to launch the podcast. I’ve learned so much from not only the weekly production of the show but also from the amazing people whom I’ve had the honor to interview.

And, I am grateful and humbled by you – those who faithfully listen to the show, send me messages of encouragement and praise as well as take me to task when you hear something you don’t like. You’ve provided me with great ideas for shows and led me to some of the most interesting people!

So as we launch year #12.let me just say thank you – thank you for everything that you do that supports the sport of cycling – whether you ride to work or compete at the elite level and everything in-between.

Here in the U.S. we know that spring is baseball season and football begins in the fall. We have basketball and hockey and golf and tennis but when September comes around for cyclists, we know that it’s cyclocross season!

And so, I thought we should launch cross season with someone who is totally immersed in it!

With a deep background in the bicycle business, Justin Christopher parlayed his love for cyclocross into a business while still riding and racing.

His company RideCX offers up a lot of product that might not be readily available at your local shop; but, more than that, Justin gives us a thorough understanding of the sport as well as what we can expect to see here in the States for the 2021-2022 Cross season – and, it’s a lot.

Then, we head to Illinois to speak with the Executive Director of Ride Illinois, the organization that promotes cycling, works on legislation, and offers education to riders young and old.

Dave Simmons might be relatively new to the position, but his background in education makes him uniquely suited to all of the many aspects of advocacy that are so important to growing cycling in each state.

One of the “big wins” for Illinois is the passage of HB 270! It takes the burden of expense off local municipalities that might not otherwise have had the means to add critical infrastructure for biking and walking.

And then there are the quizzes you can take at RideIllinois.org

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Show #571 – September 4, 2021

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Guests: Jenn Hamelman; Michael Rogers

This week, we explore the USBRS – AKA, the U.S. Bicycle Route System with ACA‘s Jenn Hamelman.

Jen has “touched” every mile of the maps that ACA offers – she was a cartographer for the organization for almost 20 years.

Now, she is tasked with coordinating the US bicycle route system and just this past month, 2,903 new miles were added in 5 states.

We talk about how new routes are added and signed, and what the ultimate goal is for the USBRS.

PS – O-H-I-O… Not only were more miles added to the USBRS in Ohio, but we rank #1 in the sheer number of miles ON the USBRS system. Something for which we can be very proud.

andersbrinckmeyer.com

Then, we speak with ex-pro racer Michael Rogers.

Michael, who comes from a cycling family, turned pro in 2000.

He won the world TT title three times, competed in many grand tours as well as one-day classics, has quite a few stage wins under his helmet, and is now the innovation manager for the UCI.

During his 16 years in pro cycling, he saw a lot of changes in the sport. From the influence of the Italians he watched the impact of a more scientific application when the English started improving the riders’ helmets, apparel, and more.

Now, he sees a third transition as all the marginal gains have been achieved and a whole new generation of cyclists are training and racing with high technology from power meters to 3-D printed handlebars.

Michael’s job as innovation manager is a new role at the UCI – dealing with technical innovations, safety, and a whole lot more.

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Show #570 – August 28, 2021

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Guests: Jim Sayer; Jamie Schanbaum & Dr. Iriny Salib

My first guest is Jim Sayer. Jim was the Executive Director of the Adventure Cycling Association or 15 years, stepping down at the start of 2020.

Now, he’s on a bicycling tour to complete the perimeter ride he’s been working on for many years. One of his stops was right here in NE Ohio and we invited him to stay with us.

On his way into town, Jim wheeled into Brian’s shop about noon and after some mech work, he headed on over to the house for a shower, a beer, and a chat before we all had dinner.

We talked about a lot of things – his time at ACA, his work in non-profit, and the climate advocacy that he’s raising funds for on this trip.

He is diligently recording his thoughts about his trip, accompanied by lots of photos and a few videos, on his FB page.

We sent him on his way the next morning after a hearty breakfast and a morning rain storm. You can see a photo of him and find the links to the organizations we talked about – 350.org, the sunrise movement, and climateride.org . And, by the way, Jim did get his tahinii milkshake from Tommy’s.

Our second conversation is a serious one.

I don’t know if you’ve been watching the paralympics, but these athletes are something else!

And today, we speak with a past gold medal paralympian cyclist by the name of Jamie Schanbaum. Her story is nothing short of amazing, if not terrifying.
Jamie, who is a spokesperson for G-S-K and Dr. Iriny Salib, who is a vaccine researcher and educator at GSK. are both passionate about immunizations and educating people about the disease that can afflict teens and young adults.

Before her first semester of college was barely underway, Jamie found herself in a hospital, fighting for her life with what was quickly diagnosed as meningitis – and just the word strikes terror.

Jamie survived and left the hospital after seven months – but, had to have her fingers and both of her legs amputated to save her life.

A long time bike commuter, she thought she’d never ride a bike again – but, as she tells us – she’s “adaptive” and she went on to not only ride again, but win gold as a paralympian.

Today, Jamie is a spokesperson with GSK and along with Dr. Iriny Saleb, encourages us to not only learn about the disease, but to get your kids vaccinated!

And if you want to know more about the importance of understanding meningitis and how you can protect your children in helping to prevent the disease with vaccines, ask your doctor about the two different meningitis vaccines or go to asktobesure.com.

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Show #569 – August 21, 2021

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Guests: Professor Ben Brewer; Journalist John Surico

I want to start by asking that you stay focused and informed about what is happening to the women cyclists and athletes in Afghanistan.

My colleague and activist friend Shannon Galpin told us in our conversation back in mid-July, these women were going to be in danger – and they are.

This week, Shannon and her network are working feverishly to get these women out of the country. A few days ago, she was able to secure the departure for 5 women – making an agonizing choice as to who would board a plane.

Please keep these brave people in your thoughts and intentions as people work feverishly behind the scenes to secure their passage to safety.

This week’s show is a two-fer and both guests have joined me in the past.

Back in 2019, Sociology Professor Ben Brewer asked custom frame builders to respond to a survey he had designed with the hopes of learning about as he calls it the “micro-enterprise” of frame building.

COVID sort of delayed the survey, but in fact, gave Ben some extra time to analyze the almost 40% response he received from his list of around 300 builders.

Whether you want to BE a frame builder or want to know ABOUT frame builders, Ben has some concrete answers for you.

Today, we’ll break down what he found out about frame builders from how many units they produce to where they live, how much education they’ve received, and whether they are actually making any money.

And, if you want to see the entire survey, you can download it too!

Then, John Surico is back to help unpack the $1T+ infrastructure bill.

From $39 billion – with a b – for public transit to 66B – another b – for Amtrak, the massive infrastructure bill that finally passed the Senate is back in the hands of the House of Representatives to be marked up to get ready for a vote.

But, is there money for micro-mobility? Is this bill enough? Well, is it ever enough? And, what’s in it for biking, walking, Greenways, and local projects?

Let’s ask John Surcio… he knows!

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Show #568 – August 14, 2021

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Guests: Eldon Nelson; Chuck Marohn

If you’re like me, the thought of racing a mountain bike for 100 miles, starting at 10,000 feet and climbing 12,500 feet in a day is utterly terrifying! And yet, my first guest has done it 23 times – finishing it 22… and is about to go again – today actually – August 14th.

Elden Nelson is, by all rights, the Leadville 100 Guru – he even has a great podcast dedicated to the event.

But last year, COVID put the kibosh on the race and a series of small snafus have resulted in too many participants for this year. Yet still… the race will go on and I wanted to catch up with Elden to get the low-down on this year’s event.

PS… it’s NOT about the belt buckle – oh wait, maybe it is!

 

 

Then, we FINALLY get to speak with Strong Towns‘ Chuck Marohn about his upcoming book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer.

Whenever I have a conversation with  Chuck Marohn, I have the best of intentions to follow the train of thought I had planned out …. Instead, I get a fascinating conversation that just flows from one topic to the next and, frankly I’m happy with that!

Chuck’s perspectives on planning and what will keep towns and cities solvent – even prosperous – have come up against an establishment that is both defensive and unyielding to new ways of thinking about roads, bridges, and how we live today. That establishment still relies on 50+ year ideas and technology in a world where new options abound.

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Show #567 – August 7, 2021

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Guest: Vince Jourdain

This week, we welcome one great guest to the show – someone who has a wide and deep knowledge of the UCI AND the peloton.

As you know, there was a lot of controversy in this year’s Tour de France about all the incidents – beginning with day one’s crash from a spectator leaning into the peloton and taking out the lead rider, causing the domino effect.

And, outside the race, there have been numerous discussions among professional fitters about what else might be causing so many riders to crash – from the size of the bikes and the kind of equipment the riders are using to the levels of skill and a lack of respect that newer riders on the world tour are bringing to the competition.

So, I decided to go to the source, and today, my guest is Vincent Jourdain.

Vince was in charge of Race Operations for the UCI from 2016 until earlier this year; and was National Coach for Canada for 15 years.

His duties were far reaching – from the organization of each event to fielding actionable complaints and incidents during an event.

Today, with everyone having a video camera in his or her pocket, and the wide reach of social media, every race can be fraught with issues that might need adjudicating. It’s a BIG job.

What happens when there’s a crash or a motor vehicle gets in the way? What is the process and who decides what is to be done?

Are riders coming to the world stage too early or without going through the proving grounds of local, state, national, and eventually world tour steps?

And, then of course there is the equipment – what happens when something breaks or there is an equipment failure and how does the UCI determine what is acceptable?

And, does the industry place too much pressure on the UCI to accept certain products or product categories?

These are all questions I put to Vince and, I think you will not only enjoy this conversation, but learn a lot about how professional racing is done!.

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Show #566 – July 31, 2021

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Guest: Chris Kelly

This week, the show is taking a different road – out to California to speak with just one guest in  great conversation – frame builder Chris Kelly.

Last week, in some banter on FB, I inadvertently mixed up Chris Kelly and Charlie Kelly… shame on me!  They are both amazing people and,  since I had Charlie on the show back in 2015, it was high time Chris joined me.

Chris Kelly has a great story – starting out racing back in the day, going to school for architecture, having a big bike building gig, and ending up back in his own shop, building his own brand of frames and forks, and just as happy as a clam.

Chris believes that the bike industry has a “lack of vision,” and today, a lot of what he tried and succeeded in having work years ago, is standard stuff. It’s just another example of how custom builders can and often do influence the market.

Chris also has done a radio gig and his Tom Petty Tribute Band, Petty Luv – that love as in L U V, just had its first public gig since COVID began last weekend.

I’d say Chris is pretty well-rounded, well-grounded, and well-informed.

I want to preface the conversation with an addendum to what you will hear – I ask Chris about his FAQ’a – which are excellent – but what I should have also have asked him was about his tech questions because they are fabulous.

So – when you go to his website, kellybike.com, make sure you click on the tech tab at the top and read through his tech questions!

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Show #565 – July 24, 2021

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Guests: Justin McCurry; Iris Slappendel & Lexi Brown

Well… it’s a version of the summer Olympics we’ve never seen before and I hope all the athletes are safe! One of the cycling events I’ll be watching is a version of Keirin – Japanese track racing..  And, auspiciously, The War on Wheels, Inside the Keirin and Japan’s Cycling Subculture, the first really in-depth book about the sport, the riders, the bikes, and the subculture has just been published.

Justin McCurry. who has lived in Japan since 1991, is the author of the book, and the Guardian’s correspondent in Tokyo where he covers Japan and Southeast Asia.


So – what IS Keirin?  We know it’s a form of track racing – but, it is a very different sport in country  – and it’s apparently pretty crazy.

Keirin – pronounced Ka-Rin in Japan and Ke-Rin, which is the UCI approved version – are actually two different types of the sport.

Steeped in a culture of betting and slogging it out in a tight formation on concrete tracks, Japan was, in a way, revitalized by the sport when it was the idea of two returning soldiers in 1948.

 Iris Slappendel and Lexi Brown are part of the Cyclists Alliance, a great organization formed to help professional women riders.  

When I saw the appalling statistics from the 2021 rider survey conducted by the Cyclists Alliance, I wanted to understand if what I was seeing was real – and unfortunately it is.

From a dismal 34% of professional riders with no salary – up from 17% in 2018 to 38% of professional riders working a second job alongside their career, women are not thriving in the peloton.

With a goal of supporting and protecting women pro cyclists, the Alliance’s mission is simple: in a word, they are seeking fairness.  And, their annual survey makes it painfully clear just how unfair things are.

The cyclists alliance was formed to not only help with salaries, but to offer guidance, legal support, and mentor-ship.

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Show #564 – July 17, 2021

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Guests: Shannon Galpin; Trudie Lobban

My first guest is not new to The Outspoken Cyclist..  She is one of the bravest, most passionate, and ardent activists for women’s rights, Shannon Galpin. (You can join her on Patreon!)

Her message today should strike a chord in the very depths of your psyche as she offers us the unvarnished truth about what is happening to the women of Afghanistan – especially the women’s cycling team.

Back in 2012 and 2013, the Afghan Women’s Cycling Team was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and Shannon was named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year.

Now, Afghanistan is under siege and women especially are at risk, including the women’s cycling team. (You can help the Afghan Women’s Team!)

Shannon, who currently lives in Scotland, returned to the U.S. on a personal matter and I was able to catch up with her a couple of days ago.

Then, we discuss a really important issue that affects a LOT of people and apparently, might affect those who exercise intensely even more than the general population.

On July 12th, the Irish Times published an article titled: “Athletes more likely than non-athletes to have irregular heartbeats”

It seemed counter-intuitive at first; but, 13 studies between 1990 and 2020 that analyzed data from 70,478 participants concluded that “there is a threshold beyond which exposure to increasing levels of exercise is linked to heart issues including atrial fibrillation.”

AA logo – MASTER 2016 LOGO

As I read the article, I thought back to my conversations with Lennard Zinn and his tribulations with Afib as well as all the ads on TV which I thought were overblown in an effort to sell more pharmaceuticals.

 

So, I decided to talk with Trudie Lobban,  THE expert in the field.  Trudie is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Arrhythmia Alliance and she has some sage advice to pass along to us about heart irregularities and how to not only detect them, but what to do about them – including her “knowyourpulse.org” initiative.  (Know Your Pulse Video!)

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Show #563 – July 10, 2021

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Guests: Professor John Pucher; Martin Sigrist

How much has changed in our world of cycling since 2012? When I think back to some of the very first chatter about advocacy and how we can get more people riding, it seems SO long ago.

But, as with many things, cycling and its place in a sustainable world, has evolved much more quickly in the past 10 years than in the previous 25!
With that in mind, I welcome Professor John Pucher back to the show. Back in February 2013, right after his book City Cycling had been published by MIT press, John and his co-writer Professor Ralph Buehler spoke about the urban cycling renaissance including topics such as bike share, protected bike lanes, and more.

Now, almost 10 years later, John’s new book, Cycling for Sustainable Cities, is out and it’s remarkable how much has changed in such a short period of time.
A compendium of chapters that cover sustainability from every possible angle, John and his co-writer Ralph Buehler, have scoured the world for experts in their respective fields to round out chapters for the book.

We’ve been watching a TdF that started out being fraught with crashes and mayhem. Some of it came from inconsiderate or uninformed spectators, and some of it … well, the jury is still out on that – but there IS a lot of speculation. Is it the bikes – they’re stiffer and smaller; is it the speed? Is there a new generation of riders who may not be as respectful in the peloton?

My second guest is Martin Sigrist. Martin is a writer and very deep thinker about cycling – and a lot more.

I saw his article for Road Bike Rider about a topic I hadn’t thought about much – if at all – it was titled Learning From Perishable Skills. What that means and what can happen if you don’t continually work on skill building – especially on the bike – is at the heart of our conversation; although Martin has a lot to say on quite a variety of topics – mostly related to cycling.