Show #125 – January 12, 2013

GUESTS: PATRICK BRADY; MICAH RICE; HENRY GOLD

Oh Lance, how can we miss you if you won’t go away? News surfaced this week that Lance Armstrong will sit down next Thursday for what will obviously be a hard-hitting (cough, cough) interview with legendary cycling journalist Oprah Winfrey.

According to our first guest Patrick Brady of Red Kite Prayer, the rumor is that Lance will confess…to being a really successful bike racer. You’ll have to listen in order to hear what else Patrick has to say about the upcoming train wreck interview.

After a bit of news and a break, we bring you an interview with Micah Rice, who is the Vice-President of National Events for USA Cycling. We caught up with Micah on Thursday, as he was preparing for the start of the 2013 U.S. Cyclocross Nationals, going on right now in Madison, Wisconsin.

Closing out the hour is Henry Gold, director of Tour d’Afrique, which runs global bicycles adventures on 6 continents, visiting over 60 countries. When we talked with Henry he was getting ready to depart for Africa to ride the Cairo to Capetown tour. Tour d’Afrique is not only a tour provider; it has a philanthropic arm that aims to give something back to the countries in which they operate.

Show #124 – January 5, 2013

GUESTS: LESLI COHEN; UCI-OVERLORD

As we launch 2013, it just made good sense to look back at the best – and worst – of 2012 with the always on-point Lesli Cohen and the UCI-Overlord (BKA “Not Pat McQuaid”) from Cyclismas.com.

We look at everything and everyone from the successful Chip In campaign for Paul Kimmage to the Flint family, whose legal suit against STRAVA might just come in under the heading of “are you kidding me?” As well as the state of funding for not just racing teams but cycling in general.

So, we hope you enjoy an hour of retrospective chat about our sport for this first show of the New Year.

Thanks, as always, for listening!

Show #123 – December 29, 2012

GUESTS: MICHAEL VITEZ; JEFF ARCHER

As we prepare to bid farewell to 2012, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for listening over these past 12 months, and for your continuing feedback about the show’s content. Without you, Diane and I would just be two people locked in a small room recording phone conversations. You are the secret ingredient that turns it into radio.

So celebrate safely, enjoy another edition of The Outspoken Cyclist, and be sure to come back for more in 2013.

First up this week is author Michael Vitez from Philadelphia. Michael is a Pulitzer Prize winning human interest writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He’s also the author of several books including his latest, The Road Back. It’s the story of collegiate triathlete Matthew Miller, who not only survived a horrific car-bike crash, but recovered to complete an Ironman, and enter medical school.

After a break and some news, we welcome Jeff Archer, who owns First Flight Bicycles in Statesville, North Carolina. First Flight is a Bicycling and Bike Retailer Top 100 shop, and the home of the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology (MOMBAT). With so many hats to wear, Jeff naturally has lots of great stories to tell about his involvement in cycling.

Show #122 – December 22, 2012

GUESTS: KELLI REFER, ELLY BLUE

Nothing against the Mayans, but I love it when science turns out to be right. Happily, the only astronomical thing that happened on 12/21/2012 was another Winter Solstice. So enjoy that extra minute of daylight, and this episode of The Outspoken Cyclist.

It’s an all-girl show this week with <strong>Kelly Refer</strong>, who teaches yoga in Seattle, and has written a book called <a title=”Pedal, Stretch, Breathe” href=”http://yogaforbikers.me/” target=”_blank”><em>Pedal, Stretch, Breathe (the Yoga of Bicycling</em>)</a>, and the return to TOC of <strong>Elly Blue</strong> from Portland, whose latest offering is entitled <a title=”Taking the Lane” href=”http://takingthelane.com/” target=”_blank”><em>Everyday Bicycling</em></a>. Two energetic and informed voices promoting better cycling and better health for us all.

We bid you happy and safe holidays, including, but not limited to: Festive Yule, Merry Christmas, and Peaceful Kwanzaa. We’ll be back at you one more time before the end of 2012.

Show #121 – December 15, 2012

GUESTS: DAVE WAGES; DAVE SMITH

At this writing, Diane and I, along with the rest of the U.S., are still struggling to process yesterday’s horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut. We hope you’ll enjoy today’s show, despite the fact that everything in the world of cycling is insignificant in comparison to the senseless loss of so many young, innocent lives.

Today we begin with an interview with Dave Wages, custom framebuilder and owner of Ellis Cycles. Dave worked for both Serotta and Waterford before launching his own shop in 2008 in Waterford, Wisconsin. His artistic eye and the exquisite details of his frames are stunning.

Rounding out the hour is a chat with Dave Smith, who coaches athletes in many sports including running, biking and polo. Dave’s company, Flow Funktional Fitness is based in Staffordshire, England, but his clients come from all over the world. He has coached Olympic Medalists and TdF stage winners as well as amateurs of all levels.

Show #120 – December 8, 2012

GUESTS: IRA DAVID LEVY, JOE FRIEL

Hanukkah is already here and the rest of The December Holidays are not far behind, so we offer you a ready-made excuse to put shopping and decorating on hold for an hour and indulge in some cycling time.

First up is Ira David, who is the producer and host of a TV series on cycling called Pedal America. The show is starting its second season on PBS, and the premise is to showcase various locations in the U.S. from the perspective of an everyday, or casual cyclist. Ira tells us how he came to produce Pedal America, and gives us a few insights into the second season.

After a break and a bit of news (including a couple of gift ideas for the eccentric cyclist on your list) we welcome back Joe Friel, who has written a new book called The Power Meter Handbook. Joe explains how a bicycle power meter works and why power is an excellent measure of performance.

Show #119 – December 1, 2012

GUESTS: JOHN BURKE, WADE BAROSCI

Sometimes it’s not about the bike, but it is about the bike company. This week, we welcome to the show two gentlemen who have ties to iconic bike companies, as well as being interesting in other ways.

Four years ago, John Burke‘s father Dave Burke (founder of Trek Bicycles) died after complications from heart surgery. What started out as a private memoir intended for John’s two children has become a book called One Last Great Thing. John Burke joins us today to talk about the book, his dad, and their shared history in the bike business.

While the Burkes were building Treks in Wisconsin, a company up in Connecticut by the name of Cannondale was also innovating with aluminum tubing in bicycle frames. Production of Cannondales has moved offshore, and the tubing equipment was purchased by our second guest this week, Wade Barocsi of Acel Tubing and Joining Products. Wade is also owner of Cycle Design USA, and a framebuilder and instructor. If you want to know about shaping and joining metal, Wade’s your guy.

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.

Show #117 – November 17, 2012

GUESTS: PAUL KIMMAGE, CHRIS CHANCE

We’re just a few days away from the U. S. holiday of Thanksgiving, which Diane and I agree is one of the best holidays ever. One of the things we are annually thankful for is the growing number of you who take time each week to listen to The Outspoken Cyclist. We hope you’ll find time and good weather during this coming holiday weekend to celebrate the gift of being on two human-powered wheels.

Aside from the good holiday wishes, we have a great show for you this week. Journalist, author, and former pro road racer Paul Kimmage joins us from Dublin, Ireland to talk about his wild ride in the wake of the Lance Armstrong scandal. Kimmage is another example of someone who has paid a heavy price for trying to expose the corruption in a sport he loves.

In the second half of the show, we head out to northern California to talk with Chris Chance, the man behind the iconic Fat City Cycles, which still claims a large and loyal group of owners and enthusiasts. This interview will clearly illustrate just how much the bicycle business has changed over the last 30 years.

Show #116 – November 10, 2012

GUESTS: JAIMIE FULLER & BETSY ANDREU

Dope

  1. (verb) To ingest banned substance(s), or engage in medical practice(s) designed to artificially enhance athletic performance. Activity engaged in by many professional athletes, including professional bicycle racers. See also: UCI, Lance Armstrong, Dr. Michele Ferrari.

Doping in professional cycling affects not only the riders, but their families and the sponsor companies that provide the money that makes the sport possible in the first place. This week, The Outspoken Cyclist serves up interviews with two folks who fall into this second category:

  • Jamie Fuller is the CEO of Skins International, a maker of performance-enhancing compression garments. Skins is heavily invested in sponsorship of a number of endurance sports, including cycling. The company has also taken great care to protect its brand and image from ethical tarnish. In the wake of the recent Lance Armstrong/UCI scandal, Skins has filed a $2M lawsuit against the UCI. Hear the full story from Jamie Fuller himself in the first half of today’s show.
  • Betsy Andreu is married to former U.S. Postal racer Frankie Andreu. She’s also the person who witnessed the Lance Armstrong “hospital room” conversation where he admitted to using PEDs. As a result of going public with this accusation, Betsy was vilified and intimidated for many years. Now that others have come forward, she’s been vindicated, and she talks with Diane this week about how this ordeal has affected her and her family, and her perspective on where the sport needs to go from here.