Show #189 – April 12, 2014

Guests: Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Author Juliet Macur; Cycling Phenom Maria Leijerstam

A week away seemed like a very long time.  So, we’re glad to be back; and, we have a great trio of guests this evening.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is always up for a conversation about cycling and we are fortunate to grab a few minutes of his time to hear about what Congress is doing about protecting cyclists, helping us to get more money and attention on The Hill, and what the Congressman thought about the National Bike Summit’s impact was on legislators this year.  I doubt we have a better champion for cycling and pedestrian issues in any legislative body anywhere!

We’ll jump “over the pond” to speak with Maria Leijerstam – the first woman – um, no – the First Person to ride to the South Pole on a human powered vehicle.  Maria’s WhiteIceCycle journey was both painful and rewarding as she beat out all others who were trying to race her to this once-in-a-lifetime goal.

And, then we’ll speak with NY Times reporter and author Juliet Macur.  Juliet’s new book “Cycle of Lies – The Fall of Lance Armstrong” gets right to the nitty gritty of the doping scandal and reveals a Lance Armstrong both defiant and vulnerable.  This is perhaps the best and most graphic of the books about the fallen hero and Juliet had a ringside seat.

Show #172 – December 7, 2013

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!