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Show #244 – May 2, 2015

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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!

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Show #246 – May 16, 2015

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Guests: Amanda Batty; Les Barzcewski

As has often been noted many times in history, there are outspoken and brave folks who end up being “shot at” – whether metaphorically or in reality – those champions who stand up, fight for what they believe to be just and fair, and find themselves in the cross hairs for doing so.

And then, there are unsung heroes  – people who have given themselves to their disciplines, given back to the community, are exemplary human beings, and who have garnered love and respect – and whose stories might not be told except by some little twist of fate that brings them to the attention of the public.

Tonight we have shining examples of both.

Amanda Batty is a tough girl – she is a pro downhill mountain bike racer, a chef, a ski racer, and a journalist. And it is in that capacity – writing a popular, outspoken, and sometimes controversial column for the online site Pink Bike – that she found herself in the position of having to make a choice to take the poison arrows being flung at her or to state her case and then eventually resign.

It all started when another writer included the following line in his review of a bike: “it will, much like your girlfriend after a few shots, do pretty much anything you ask of it.”  Amanda wrote a column calling him out and used the term “rape culture” in her commentary.

The indictments were swift and profuse; many were threatening and mean. And, the editors at the site not only did not defend her; but, by their inaction in a way condoned the misogynistic and crass comments.

Amanda joins me tonight in an emotional interview that sheds light just how far our industry and our culture has to go to show respect and honor to women.

Then, we will move on to someone many of you might not know; but, reach back into the history books just a couple of decades and ask any of the riders and racers of the day about Leslie Barzcewski and you will actually be able to hear them smile!

Bob Roll called him a legend.  Nelson Vails said: “he’s my lifetime brother”. He taught me to drive a stick (shift car)”[and], we went on many many road trips and traveled the world like brothers.”

Les was a #1 Junior champion, took a silver medal in the worlds, and yet, as fate would have it – was a bridesmaid – not a bride – more than once when President Jimmy Carter decided we weren’t going to attend the 1980 Moscow Olympics and then again when his teammate, Nelson beat him across the line by a mere 4” to move him to alternate instead of competitor at the 1984 Games.

But, Les has no regrets. He is still riding – though not racing. He’s still full of amazing stories of our sport from “back in the day”. And, he’s a delightful guest.

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Show #243 – April 25, 2015

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Guests: Phil Liggett; Leah Missbach Day

Last show in April and it’s a doozy!

Tonight I speak with the person who arguably has the most famous voice of all time in professional cycling.  From his early days as a budding journalist to the announcer of all the European Classics including Paris-Roubaix, Fleche Wallone, Giro D’Italia, our American Amgen Tour of California, and of course the Tour de France, Phil Liggett is a wealth of information and fun as he makes bike racing thrilling for us all.

Phil talks about his love for statistics, what he sees as those things that have changed bike racing irrevocably, and how cycling is again coming around to being a sport we will want to support and watch.  And, because of Phil’s close bond with Africa, we talk of the rise of the MTN Qhubeka team and how he too sees an African on the Podium in Europe in the not-too-distant future.

We wrap up our conversation with his Helping Rhinos campaign (watch the video too!)– which means as much to him as his work as a journalist.  He tells us how we can support the cause, ride with him in several events, and about the efforts being made to protect the few remaining Rhinos from the horrific poaching that is going on in Africa.

We have news of course – including a massive recall from Trek – and then head on to SRAM headquarters in Chicago to talk with Leah Missbach Day about World Bicycle Relief.

WBR celebrates 10 years this month and Leah, who along with her husband FK Day, are the founders of the hugely successful movement to get people who could not otherwise go to school, work, or even bring food and water to their families on the African Buffalo bike. We talk about the very first delivery of bikes right after the devastating Tsunami in 2004 through the Africa Rides trips that you can take.

So, get ready for a great evening of cycling talk as we head over the pond to speak with Phil Liggett!

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Show #242 – April 18, 2015

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Guests: Anna Schwinn; Matt Bruning and Julie Walcoff from ODOT; Sea Otter Classic with Paul Skilbeck

Flowers blooming, sun shining, and birds singing – it is spring here in NE Ohio; always welcomed and appreciated!

This week we have a trio of guests for you beginning with one of the zaniest and wittiest women in the bike world today. When we last talked with Anna Schwinn, her fledgling all-women’s cycling team “Koochella Racing” had just been formed and Anna was designing bikes.

Today, her team has grown, their focus has expanded, and Anna is now able to direct her attention on her team’s efforts as she pursues her freelance work for Bike Rumor. We talk about track racing and the NSC Velodrome in Minnesota. And, Anna has some great insight into women’s cycling at the grass roots level that I hadn’t heard before and I think you’ll find it enlightening.

Then it’s off to Columbus, Ohio with Matt Bruning, Press Secretary for the State of Ohio Department of Transportation and Julie Walcoff, the Ohio bike/ped and Safe Routes To School coordinator. Ohio’s Governor Kasich signed a $3 billion (that’s with a “B”) transportation bill on April 1st, and I wanted to learn how some of that money might go to funding bike/ped projects as well as expanding education efforts.  Matt and Julie are full of great information for us.

Finally, the 25th annual Sea Otter Classic kicked off this weekend and our press inside man-on-the-ground Paul Skilbeck talks with us about the events, a bit of background, and how this silver anniversary will be celebrated. You can also follow the Sea Otter this year with their new mobile app on both Apple and Android platforms.

Big show – lots going on – so, hit the play button and let’s roll.

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Show #241 – April 11, 2015

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Guests: Cycle Adirondack’s Event Manager Matt VanSlyke; Weaverville25 Ride Director Vic Armijo

What do you know about the Adirondacks and the 6.1 million acre Historic Landmark that is the Adirondack Park in Upstate New York?

Well, now there’s a great way to learn all about it – or at least a lot about it.

Tonight we speak with event manager Matt VanSlyke who tells us all about “Cycle Adirondacks”, the week-long event coming up this August.

The event, which begins and ends at beautiful Saranac Lake, includes gourmet food, a full-blown concierge service for your lodging and equipment transport, plenty of on-the-road support, and 6 full days of great riding. There is nightly entertainment and the kind of interesting places along the road that will create wonderful stories to tell.

There are provisions for non-riders to come along and find a vacation experience that is either leisurely or active and then meet back up with the riders each night.

And, one of the best features of this event? It’s a benefit for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

After the news – some good, some bad, and some ugly – we head on out to Weaverville, California. Once a booming mining town, this tiny place of almost 4,000 will burgeon with cyclists, gear, media, and excitement when it hosts the WEMBO  “24 Hours of Weaverville“, the World 24-hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships this coming October.

Race director Vic Armijo tells us how Weaverville is preparing for this first-time US event and who will be competing.

Think about it! Two possibilities for your cycling fun and pleasure this summer.

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Show #240 – April 4, 2015

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Guests: Race director for the IU Little 500 Jordan Bailey and movie director for “One Day in April” Tom Miller; COO Tim Miller from the UCI Road Race Championships in Richmond, Va.

“Breaking Away” might have put it on the map, but The Indiana University Little 500 is still the mother of the invention. Back in 1951, IU Foundation President Howdy Wilcox decided to raise awareness for the student foundation by putting on a collegiate bike race and the Little 500 was born.

Today, the Little 500 is the largest collegiate bike race in the country and to date has raised more than $1M for student scholarships.

Race director Jordan Bailey joins me to talk about the event, its history, and how the IU college campus looks at and embraces diversity in all things.

Along with Jordan, director Tom Miller joins the conversation with his brand new film “One Day in April”, which will screen in its entirety for the first time on the eve of this year’s men’s event April 25th.

The movie follows 4 teams as they train to race for the 2013 event.
The conversation is interesting, fun, and informative.

After our break and some news, we talk with another Miller. This time, it’s Tim Miller, the Chief Operating Officer of the UCI Road Race Championships in Richmond, Virginia. Tim fills us in on how Richmond was able to get this week-long international event for his city and what we can expect as hundreds of thousands of spectators, media, and world class cyclists descend on Richmond this September.

Sit back and enjoy! And, maybe make some plans to travel to Indiana this month and Virginia in September!

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Show #239 – March 28, 2015

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Guests: Titanium frame builder Kent Eriksen; Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Ned Overend

For this last week of March I’ve chosen two of the industry’s favorite sons – Kent Eriksen and Ned Overend.

Kent started the brand Moots, moved on to his own company – Eriksen Cycles – and is one of the early adopters of titanium as the “material of choice”.

He calls himself a “seat of the pants” engineer and grew up riding and working in bike shops in his Wisconsin home.

He talks about his years of living in a tree house and today, he works in a very interesting facility in Steamboat Springs.  Earlier this month, Kent won “Best TIG Welded Frame” at NAHBS.  He still loves to ride and ski and spends a lot of his time, just as I’ve found most builders, IN his shop!

We discuss a bit about fit, technology, and of course my usual question for all builders these days – his opinion on road disc brakes! You might be surprised by his answer; but, seems that he understands the market as well as anyone with whom I’ve spoken.

Our conversation is fun and interesting.

After our news break, we head on out to San Diego to catch up with mountain bike legend Ned Overend. Growing up the son of a U.S. diplomat and living all over the world with his family, Ned talks about his childhood, his early racing days, and takes us right up to the present with an article he wrote last week for Bicycling.

Ned is a Mountain Bike Hall of Famer, has appeared in dozens of mountain bike videos, still loves to ride and race, and is the tech product guy at Specialized.

Our conversation runs the gamut from the early days of mountain biking to his most recent article in Bicycling titled “Ned Overend’s Secrets to Riding Forever”.

 

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Show #238 – March 21, 2015

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Guests: Iconic frame builder Dario Pegoretti; “Strong Towns'” Chuck Marohn

Happy spring everyone!

This week, after almost a year of pleading, I was honored to be able to speak with one of the most iconic and charming frame builders in the business today.

Dario Pegoretti has been building frames in Italy for over 40 years. His work is artistic, classic, striking. His frames have been ridden and raced by such luminaries as Miguel Indurain, Marco Pantani, Stephen Roche, Claudio Chiappucci, and Mario Cipollini.  Robin Williams owned several.

Dario and I talk about how and why he became a frame builder, how a low point in his life inspired what has become his artistic imprint on his work, and how he met, dined, and received encouragement and support from Robin Williams.

After news that runs the gamut of technology and racing to sugar-free sodas and fasting for better performance, we head on over to Minnesota to talk with professional civil engineer and “Strong Towns” advocate Chuck Marohn.

We talk about why current thinking about our roads and road design can lead to injury and even darth almost led to the loss of Chuck’s license and how we need to rethink the costs of transportation choices going forward.

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Show #237 – March 14, 2015

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Guests: Academy Award Winner Torill Kove; LAB’s Elizabeth Murphy

Me_and_My_Moulton

I love this work! And, I am SOOOO lucky! Seriously… how many people have the opportunity to talk with someone who not only won an Academy Award but was nominated for two others as well? Me me me me me!

While watching the Oscars’ Show this year, I heard the title of an animated short and my head snapped to attention. The name of the film was Me and My Moulton and without even seeing the trailer, I knew it had to be about a Moulton Bicycle. If you don’t know the bicycle, here is what the manufacturer days:

The Moulton Bicycle is the original full-suspension, separable, small- wheeled, high performance bicycle, world renowned for speed, efficiency, durability and comfort. Expertly engineered for over 50 years and handcrafted in England, these bicycles are the world’s most efficient form of transport – designed for universal use, real performance and comfort.”

But, I wanted to know how and why Torill Kove, the award winning director and animator of the film, wrote her script around this bicycle. In a piece in the Huffington Post, Torill said:

“I like to think that animated shorts are to movies what poetry is to literature, in the sense that animators try to say something meaningful very quickly, in 30 minutes or less, one frame at a time”

Yes, the film is short: 13:48;  but, it is bursting with beautifully classic animation, amazing details, and mirthful humor as the middle of the three little girls who ask their “hipster” parents for a bicycle, describes her life and why they want a bicycle like their friends have.

After the news, we head on down to Washington, DC for a report on the LAB’s Annual “National Bike Summit”.

Held March 12-15th this year, the Summit is tasked with bringing a positive message of cycling to the House and Senate.  After two days of break-out sessions, keynote addresses, and a rousing “convention”, the delegates go “up on the Hill” and knock on the doors of their respective legislators delivering their message and asking for support.

In advance of the opening session of the Summit, a large group came together for the 4th annual National Women’s Forum. The theme this year was, “Bikes + Women Leaders = Big Ideas”.

To fill us in on all of that, I asked Bike League representative Elizabeth Murphy to join me on the show.

Today, it’s Pi day, tomorrow – The Ides of March – so, et tu and I – let’s go….

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A Commentary on Abbott’s “Signorina”

Signorina

I’ve been struggling with my thoughts about the Abbott “Signorina” bicycle displayed at NAHBS that has created both outrage and controversy.

As a student of art (I attended art school at the college level), I can appreciate that one man sees Mona Lisa where another might see a Mapplethorpe and take offense.  By definition, “art” is objective; but, intent comes into play here and by adding his “survey” to the photos on his web site, Mr. Abbott moves away from art and into the realm of just plain creepy and lewd.

So, I will not be judge and jury; but, I do reserve my right to call out something that is in bad taste and suggest that Mr. Abbott’s judgment in this case was way off base.

One would hope that the bicycle world has moved away from the “teenage boy” image and into adulthood.