Tag: East Coast Greenway

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Show #642 – January 20, 2024

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Guests: John Surico; Roff Smith

Happy New Year everyone!  I’m back for a new season of the show and today we begin with conversations with two guests we’ve spoken with in the past.

First up is John Surico.  John’s work is all about sustainability, safety, cities, and transportation.  He melds it all up on his Streetbeat blog on Substack and today we’re going to look back at some things from 2023 as well as look forward to his work in 2024.

In his latest Streetbeat newsletter on Substack, John Surico tells us about Hoboken, NJ, where there have been zero – none, nothing nada – traffic fatalities for 7 consecutive years.  What? Really?  Contrast that with 43 cycling deaths in NYC, just across the river.

We also look at what the Mayor is thinking, with a bit of “NYC can do that too,” and about the expansion of the East Coast Greenway in all 5 NYC boroughs.

Then, we review a new book from National Geographic by photographer/journalist Roff Smith.  Last time we spoke with Roff it was during the pandemic and he created some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking visions for us to gaze upon in a dark and difficult time.

Now, in his new book, 100 Bike Rides of a Lifetime, he offers up great options for every level of cyclist- from the novice to the pro.  It’s one of those books where you can flip to just about any page and say – “yeah, I want to do that!”

While he’s ridden many of the routes he details in the book, he depended upon seasoned riders to fill in the blanks on rides that he believes fit the description, but which he hasn’t done himself. 

The book is definitely a great addition to your cycling library and might just be the ticket for your next adventure.

I’ve also added a photo of his “narrow boat” that will be his home for the next project, as you heard in our conversation.      

 

 

 

January 20_Podcast_Transcript

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Show #559 – June 12, 2021

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Guests: David Bradford; John Surico

This week, we jump across the pond (as they say) to speak with David Bradford.  David is the fitness editor for Cycling Weekly and his article titled   “Why Is the peloton hiding its true colors?” is getting a lot of attention – in fact, it caught mine!

David spent a lot of time trying to find someone to speak with him about the topic of gay riders in the pro peloton.  Out of 968 competitors, the statistical probability that not one of these riders is gay is about one in a trillion – he called his mathematics buddy to establish the probabilities.

But, even after his article was published,  the response from male riders has been crickets.

Statistically, it’s beyond improbable that there are NO gay men out of the 968 riders David uses as his sample.  So, what’s going on here?

I wanted to know more and I also wondered whether women are more likely to just come out and tell it like it is – and, we find that they are.

Then, we meet up once again with journalist, teacher, and urban planning researcher, John Surico.

When last we spoke – back in April – we talked about what life was going to be like post-pandemic and how cities have and will continue to respond.

Now, his new piece for Bloomberg’s City Lab, “Greenway Stimulus Could Bring Boom In Biking and Walking Trails,” focuses on the possibility of a $10B – that’s billion with a capital B – boost for greenways.  From BIG projects like the ECG to your neighborhood connector to a local path, biking and walking are slowly making their way to center stage in legislation large and small all over the country.

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Show #553 – May 1, 2021

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Guests: Jon Biemer; Javier Sanchez; Dennis Markatos_Soriano

You might remember that, two weeks ago, we spoke with members of the Business Climate Leaders organization about the importance of a bill introduced into Congress by Representative Deutch of Florida that would begin putting a price on carbon emissions.

Today, we bring it down to a personal level with Jon Biemer.  Jon is a Portland Engineer and Energy Conservation Expert and he believes we can CALL be energy conservation experts too.

Jon’s diverse background includes process psychology as well as engineering and conservation, had a “vision” of a sort back in 2013.

He didn’t feel as if he could get much better at reducing his own footprint on the planet, but he could see so many ways that all of us could become proactive as opposed to reactive with a deep sense of generosity.

His new book, Our Environmental Handprints, outlines the many small and large steps we can take – as individuals, families, and communities – to “Recover the Land, Reverse Global Warming, Reclaim the Future,”

Javier Sanchez is the Miami Dolphins Foundation Director of Development & Partnerships.  Back on April 10th, the Foundation held its 11th annual Dolphins Challenge Cancer ride with over 3300 participants.

Touting the title of the largest fundraising event by any sports franchise, DCC XI raised over $6M this year alone – and every penny goes directly to cancer research.

If you are ready to get back out to some larger events, especially events where you come together with friends and colleagues for a philanthropic fundraiser, or maybe you’d like to ride with some of your favorite Miami Dolphin’s players, perhaps you’ll head down to Florida next winter for the 12th annual Dolphins Challenge Cancer Ride.

You could even be knighted by the team’s Coach Flores as you come across the finish line when he presents you with your medal and announces your name. To whet your appetite for a century ride, or maybe a 50 or 62 miler, Javier Sanchez, the Miami Dolphins Director of Development and Partnerships, is here to lure you to Florida next winter.

Lastly, we check in with Dennis Markatos-Soriano, the executive director of the East Coast Greenway.  And, in the interest of full disclosure, I am an advisory board member of the Greenway.

I wanted to talk with Dennis about a ride that is coming up to highlight the section of the Greenway from NYC to Philadelphia.  It’s the first ever for this ride and only 500 people can attend.  There aren’t a lot of spots left – about 175 when Dennis and I spoke a couple of days ago – but, I wanted him to fill you in on it.

He also told me that just that day, ECG had posted a new job opening for a coordinator for the NY and NJ area and that this ride will fund that position.

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Show #546 – March 13, 2021

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Guests: Victoria Munro; Barb Hoyt

In a mini-tribute to Women’s History Month, this week’s show highlights a woman-owned tour company and a woman from history who changed the face of bicycling while adding to the rich history of women’s emancipation at the turn of the last Century.

My first guest is Victoria Munro.  Victoria is executive director of the Alice Austen House on Staten Island in NYC.

Alice was a prolific photographer at the turn of the last century who documented New York City, and especially the lives of lesbian women.  Her photographs of women and bicycles appeared in the original work of Maria – Violet – Ward’s book, Bicycling for Ladies, originally published in 1896. 

The book covers topics from skills and exercise to mechanics and dress and gives us a glimpse into what freedom for women began to look like over 100 years ago.

Barb Hoyt is the owner of Timberline-Adventures out of Boulder, Colorado.  Specializing in small groups – 6-12 people – the tours offer the cyclist or hiker a full day of adventure with great support accompanied by inviting accommodations.

While she didn’t start the company, she became the owner with a passion for adventures and expanded the company from mostly west of the Mississippi to covering much of the U.S. now including Hawaii.

Although COVID curtailed most of 2020, Barb is ramping up some great adventures for 2021 including a 3-month, 4section tour of the East Coast Greenway.

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Show #528 – November 14, 2020

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Guests: Dennis Markatos-Soriano; Chuck Marohn; Lou Mazzante

As many of you know, I am an advisory board member to the East Coast Greenway and when something exciting happens with the organization, I like to share it with you.

One of the BEST things about the Greenway is its commitment to the environment, knowing that infrastructure that expands walking, biking, and other outdoor activities is good for all of us.

On Monday, November 17th (yep THIS coming Monday!) the first in the Impact Series – this conversation about climate – with take place between my guest, ECG’s executive director Dennis Markatos-Soriano, and Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, who is also an ECG advisory board member. You can listen to the conversation for free at greenway.org

Then, it’s another great conversation with Strong Towns‘ founder Chuck Marohn. 

Today we discuss a specific traffic situation that led to a young boy’s untimely death as well as exploring the self-defeating decisions that are made by cities and towns when they try to turn a road and a wealth-creating area into what Chuck has coined as a
“stroad.’  And, because this conversation happened in advance of the presidential election, I posed a question to Chuck about infrastructure in a post-election world.

Lastly, my 2nd in a 3-part series with Bicycling Magazine Test Director Lou Mazzante focuses on “high tech” gift items this week.   With the necessity to stay in and stay away from others, we discuss the entertaining as well as training assistance of the Wahoo Kickr indoor trainer, the fun of the new Go-Pro camera, the Whoop strap app, and a 3D printed saddle from Fizik.

(photo courtesy of Trevor Raab)

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Show #514 – August 8, 2020

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Guests: Matt Pinder, Larry Silver, Lucy Diaz

We have a rather nice variety of topics and guests this evening, so let’s get right to it.

With the perhaps self-imposed mandate – depending upon where you live of course – of staying home or going for a solo ride, maybe you’ve run out of good television to watch or books to read – hmmm – highly unlikely; but, you’ll get my point.

How about a good story? Or, how about an hour of good stories? Akin to the “Moth Radio Hour” format, comes Bike Minds.

Back in May, we spoke with Matt Pinder up in Toronto. He’s the guy who writes the Beyond the Automobile blog and is a Senior Designer at Alta Planning. Welll – he has another gig and you are invited to the party.

Next week, you can tune in to his first virtual edition of Bike Minds Bikes + Fate – a storytelling event featuring positive and inspiring stories related to cycling. In this episode, there will be several stories from folks all across Canada.

Then, we meet a “colleague”: of mine – Larry Silver. So, I actually just “met” him in a virtual meeting of the East Coast Greenway advisory board. Larry lives in Philadelphia but he’s from Cleveland. I’m from Philadelphia and I live in Cleveland. Coincidence? I think not! But, that’s not important anyway. He’s the Chairman of the ECG Board and has a long history of bicycling, environmental causes, and he’s a practicing attorney.

Finally, we head to Colorado to chat with Lucy Diaz. She’s the CEO of RPM Events which run the Colorado Classic. With heavy heart, she pulled the plug on the event this year; but, in an incredibly magnanimous gesture, she’s made the Covid 19 Mitigation Plan, which covers A-Z when it comes to being able to run a live event in the “time of Covid.” available to anyone who might want to read it, study it, take the enormous amount of work that went into it, and make it their own.

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Show #466 – August 17, 2019

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Guests: Jason Mutchler; Graham Watson

I discovered Jason Mutchler’s story on the Zwift.com site and after reading it, I wanted to talk with him. I had to wait until he returned from RAGBRAI, but I think the wait was well worth it.

Jason, who is retired from the Air Force after a 22 year career and a horrific incident that forced that retirement, is a member of the Zwift DIRT team – a worldwide group of Dads Riding Indoor Trainers.

After our break, we head to Colorado, which is NOT where our guest lives; and, he just happened to be in the States for a vacation. Luckily for me, and I think for you, he made some time to chat.

Graham Watson is arguably the most famous cycling photographer, and one to capture some of the most amazing cycling images over his 40-year career.

Retiring at the end of the 2017 racing season, Graham chats with me about his career and what life on the road as a photographer is like.

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Show #378 – December 9, 2017

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Guests: Shane Stokes; Dennis Markatos-Soriano; Courtney Laggner

My first guest, Shane Stokes, is the news editor for cyclingtips.com. He’s in Girona, Spain hanging out with about 100 pros who are training and getting ready for the 2018 race season.

Recently, Shane published, “Human rights groups and others call on Giro d’Italia to abandon Israel start“, an article about the Giro d’Italia and the unprecedented move to take the first 3 stages off the Continent and begin in Israel. As one might expect in this time of international turmoil, the move is controversial.

Shane and I discuss the reasons behind the move, who might be protesting and why, and what the riders are saying – if anything.

Then, I catch up with executive director of the East Coast Greenway, Dennis Markatos-Soriano. When we last spoke with Niles Barnes, who is the director of Greenway programs, the 3,000 mile River Relay was just about to get underway. This week, Dennis and I talk about the results of the relay – how many events were held, how many people participated, and how important the Greenway is to the economies of those communities through which it passes.

Finally, we offer up the last of our tangible gift ideas for 2017 when we visit the family owned and run Darn Tough Sock Mill in Vermont. Marketing manager Courtney Laggner “walks” us through the decades old company, explaining why the Darn Tough brand has been able to garner such loyal customers.

She introduces us to the new BA (Bad Ass) Barney and BA (Bad Ass) Betty socks – for all you winter cycling fans and tells us about how to become a “sock tester”.

Kick it back folks! Enjoy!

 

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Show #313 – September 15, 2016

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Guests: Richard Fries, Eric Weis, Kelly Hodgson

Middle of September already and we are deep in cross season.

This week, Diane talks with KMC Crossfest’s consummate announcer – and promoter – Richard Fries. While we do discuss Crossfest, we delve into a lot more of the issues and successes that Richard is addressing as the head honcho at Mass Bike.

After two fatal crashes in one day, Richard dropped into high(er) gear than he usually uses to pursue his passions and the results of what might be coming next are quite thought provoking.

Then, we catch up with Eric Weis, who is in full-tilt boogie mode as the New England Builder’s Ball nears the launch date.

Last year when we spoke with Eric, he was wrapping up his long tenure as the head of the East Coast Greenway Director of Development. He’s passed that baton and after a couple of months off to pursue some of his long-held dreams of bike touring and more – which of course did not turn out exactly as planned – he is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the New England Builder’s Ball and KMC Vendor Expo.

The Ball and the KMC Crossfest move to a new venue this year – Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Thompson, CT (I know you can hear that announcer yelling “Sunday-Sunday”).

The NE Builder’s Ball is a one-of-a-kind event, taking place from 7-11pm on Friday, September 30th. The new venue, which is a huge storage barn for vintage cars, is going to see some interesting action as the cross races ride right on through the middle. Oh, and did we mention there will be free beer?

Let’s let Eric tell you the rest.

Finally, we hear a heartwarming story about United Cycle and Sport Central in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. United Cycle’s Kelly Hodgson fills us in on the details of the $500,000 in sports equipment and supplies his organization promised after a devastating fire forced more than 80,000 people our of their homes in Ft. McMurray last year.

Sport Central’s commitment doesn’t stop with the 53’ semi that delivered the equipment; rather, it has set up a permanent office to continue to help the community rebuild.

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Show #261 – August 29, 2015

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Guests: East Coast Greenway’s Eric Weis; Journalist and author Ian Dille

Last show of August also means the upcoming anniversary of The Outspoken Cyclist. Next week, we begin year #6 and it’s been quite a ride! (sorry for the bad pun) It’s difficult to even begin to thank all of you for your support. So, I’ll just say thank you and please continue to listen, offer suggestions for topics you’d like to hear, and like our Face Book page!

Let’s move on to this week’s show. My first guest is the trail program coordinator for the East Coast Greenway AND the force behind both the New England Bike-Walk Summit as well as the New England Builder’s Ball.

Eric Weis seems to wear all the hats at once and well! He fills us in on this year’s September 24th one-day Bike-Walk Summit, which will be held in Worcester, Mass. The Summit offers the 6 New England States a forum to move pedestrian and cycling issues forward with a full program including collecting data, design and engineering projects, a poster session, and off-season projects. Eric’s hope is that the Bike-Walk Summit breaks even and that some of the projects from the summit come to fruition.

We also talk about the Providence Cyclocross Festival which begins with the New England Builder’s Ball – a party celebrating the hand builders of New England including Richard Sachs, Firefly, JP Weigle, Zancanato, Bilenky, and more.

The Builder’s Ball, which takes place on Friday, October 2nd from 7-11pm at the Roger Williams Park Casino, offers a portion of its proceeds to the East Coast Greenway! There is music, food, and beer! What could be better?

After a break and our news, we head on down to Austin, Texas to talk with journalist and author Ian Dille. Ian, who is one of my favorite writers, has a new book, The Cyclist’s Bucket List – A Celebration of 75 Quintessential Cycling Experiences.

What is most interesting about this, the first of the “coffee table – gift” books of the 2015 fall season, is that it encourages you to develop your own bucket list of unusual, interesting, and fun places that are connected to cycling.

Each entry has a “Get There” side bar that helps you find your way. Great photos, great writing, and some venues you just might not have expected!