Tag: George Mount

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Show #544 – February 27, 2021

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Guests: Elizabeth McGowan; Rob DeMartini

This week, we meet journalist and long-distance cyclist Elizabeth McGowan.

In addition to her work – she’s a Pulitzer prize winning journalist – she’s also an ardent adventurer and a cancer survivor.

I found her to be one of the most articulate, interesting, and candid people I’ve spoken with over the many hundreds – nope thousands – of interviews on the show.

Yes she wrote a book – a really good one about her cross-country bike tour. But, it was her reasons for taking the trip and then teasing out the whys that became the real story.

Elizabeth fought melanoma for many years. Her father died from the disease at the age of 44. Some of the treatments Elizabeth experienced were experimental – all were brutal. So, when she received her 5-year clean bill of health, she decided to celebrate with a cross-country bike tour.

Her book, Outpedaling the Big C is the telling of the story of that trip.

Then, I welcome USA Cycling’s CEO Rob DeMartini back to the show. Rob wanted an opportunity to respond to some of the comments that George Mount made on the show two weeks ago.

According to Rob, George’s assumptions were based upon outdated knowledge of the organization and Rob DeMartini l wanted to offer a more current explanation of how the organization works.

So… equal time…

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Show #542 – February 13, 2021

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Guests: George Mount; Cory Greenberg

Hello and welcome to TOC. I’m your host Diane Jenks and this is our show for February 13th, 2021. Happy Valentine’s Day!

First of course, is Radiothon! Our once-a-year big fundraiser for WJCU.  The website opened Friday, FEbruary 12th and we are counting on you to help us reach our goal of $50K for this year’s Come Together for WJCU 2021 radiothon..

Even if you don’t live in the NE Ohio area or listen to WJCU – 88.7FM on a regular basis, you are listening to this podcast and without WJCU, I’m not sure where I’d be! The college hosts the Outspoken Cyclist show as well as great original programming all week long!

OUR SHOW THIS WEEK…

My first guest is not new to TOC, he is ex-pro and Bicycle Hall of Fame inductee and way way more, George Mount.  When you want the truth about anything in the bicycle racing world – just ask George! He has much to say about the state of cycling in the U.S. and he says it in a clear and informed way.

In addition to his incredible achievements – a pro racing career, George was the first American to break into European Road Racing.

Back in 2013, when we last spoke with George Mount, he was still living in northern California and was giving us the inside scoop on the bicycle hall of fame.

Fast forward to today and George is now living the “serene” retired life in Oregon and working on a book about bicycling in Northern California back in the day.

He hasn’t lost any of his passion for the sport and has some very insightful commentary about USA Cycling. He really wants to see fundamental changes inside the organization and its boards of directors. Boards? As in plural?

Our second guest is no less passionate about bicycles and racing, only his approach is from a very different perspective.

Did you know that 1.3% or upwards of 3 million people in the U.S. were reported as being diagnosed with IBD – either Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease in a 2015 study? The disease is not only debilitating, it can also be embarrassing and scary.

Cory Greenberg, now in his early 30’s, found out about IBD and specifically ulteractive colitis while racing on a U23 team about 10 years ago. As many young people who believe that “it will just go away on its own” sometimes like to believe, he began experiencing the pain, inflammation, and accompanying symptoms of what eventually flared into full-blown ulcerative colitis, forcing him off his bike and into the hospital.

His approach to healing accompanied by his commitment to his sport have brought him two major achievements – so far – remission and a pro racing career. Today, we’ll hear his story.

 

 

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Show #172 – December 7, 2013

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GUESTS: The always insightful GEORGE MOUNT, CHRIS PARKER – CEO OF ICE Trikes

 

I know it’s the ultimate cliche to complain, or even talk about the weather, but as cyclists, our riding is greatly influenced by what Mother Nature is doing outdoors. Everyone seems to have their own personal limits on temperature, moisture, and road conditions. Today, for instance, it’s 28 degrees F in Cleveland, and there is some ice left on the roads from last night’s snowfall. So instead of a ride to Little Italy for Presti’s, it was off to Spin class for me this morning.

Think about that while you ponder the journey Maria Leijerstam is embarking on: a self-supported ride from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole. She’ll need to average 80 miles per day through deep snow in temperatures as low as -40 degrees F, with steady 50 mph headwinds, and conquer a climb that may take several days. Maria will be riding a specially-built tadpole trike from Inspired Cycle Engineering (ICE), and Chris Parker, the president of ICE Trikes, joins us in the second half of the show to talk about the advantages of recumbent trikes for many cyclists, not only those who are venturing to the “bottom of the world.”

We open today’s show by welcoming back former racer, active cyclist, and hall of famer George Mount. George returns today to share his always-strong opinions on the state of road racing, and to talk about the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. George suffers no fools, and minces no words, and that’s exactly why we like him!

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Show #145 – June 1, 2013

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GUESTS: PATRICK BRADY, LORENZO DI SALVO, SAMUEL SWENSON, & GEORGE MOUNT

 

This week’s edition of The Outspoken Cyclist should come with a warning label: “Open with caution; contents under pressure”. It’s a packed house this week, with something for everyone.

Lance Armstrong is suddenly the social butterfly, reaching out to former rivals and media alike. Patrick Brady of Red Kite Prayer got an actual telephone call from Big Tex this week, and he’s first up to share his impressions of Lance’s latest campaign.

Tomorrow is the Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia in southern California, and whether you’ll be toeing the line in L.A. or wishing you were, Lorenzo DiSalvo is here to get us in the mood for some cycling, Italian-style.

Rounding out the first half of the hour is Samuel Swenson, who formerly worked as a mechanic for the bike share program in Washington, DC. He and other employees of bike share programs around the U.S. claim they were denied wages and benefits due them under contracts between Alta Bike Share and the various host cities. (Numerous attempts to contact officials at Alta Bicycle Share before airtime were unsuccessful.)

With an opening triple-decker like that, we needed a short break, after which we get to stretch out with one of the greats from U.S. cycling’s heyday of the 1970s and 1980s: George Mount. George is a former Olympian, former pro racer in Europe, and member of the U.S. Bicycle Hall of Fame. He doesn’t mince words nor pull any punches when it comes to cycling’s past, present, or future.