Show #633 – July 10, 2023

Guests: Matt deNeef; Craig Della Penna

This episode of TOC offers up two very different topics.

Image Courtesy of Dale Menegazzo

First up is Matt de Neef.  He is the managing editor of Escape Collective, the online presence of independent cycling journalism.

I caught up with Matt just before Stage 1 of the Tour to chat about his article, In Pursuit of the UCI Overlord, published June 22nd on the Escape site.

In his story, Matt details the shady goings-on of one Aaron Brown who, in 2012, disappeared with more than $70,000 of “other peoples’ money.”  That money was intended for a defense fund for Irish journalist Paul Kimmage.

Going way back to 2012, Irish journalist Paul Kimmage was sued for defamation by the UCI and two of its principals.  In his book, Rough Ride, Paul claimed that the UCI had buried the results of a doping test from Lance Armstrong.  The UCI took umbrage to that claim and slapped Paul with the suit.

Matt dove down the rabbit hole to find out what happened to the money and to Aaron Brown.  What he found will boggle your mind.

Here in the States, people don’t take kindly to picking on journalists and along with editor and writer Lesli Cohen and Andy Shen, a defense fund was set up to help with Kimmage’s legal fees.

What happened next is one of those tales of intrigue and duplicity that keep you riveted to the page.

Also, click on the links If you want some background on Lesli Cohen and Paul Kimmage from back in 2012.

If you want to know anything about rail trails, Craig Della Penna is da’ man!  Our conversation today is about the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail System and what it is going to take to complete a 104 mile long trail that runs west from Boston to Northampton and intersects with 18 other rail trails.

Craig is the President of the Board of Directors at Norwottuck Network, as well as the Owner of Sugar Maple Trailside Inn in Florence, MA. He doesn’t just talk the talk!

After writing his first book on the history of old RR lines and their conversion to bike trails, Craig was hired by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy as their New England Field Representative focusing on the policy end of building rail trails as well as public outreach.  He worked for them for seven years and left in 2004 to become a Realtor, specializing in the sale of houses near the trails. 

Having given well over 1,200 lectures in 21 states and Canadian provinces, Craig is one of the country’s most sought after motivational speakers on the economic development, tourism, and community development aspect of rail-trails, and their leveraging small amounts of public dollars to redevelop forgotten or derelict lands into treasured places.

He and his wife Kathleen, operate an award-winning bed & breakfast in a restored, Civil War era house where the restoration was so extreme, it was featured on HGTV. The house sits 8 feet from one of the earliest muni-built rail trails in New England. And within 150 miles of his house sits the densest network of former steam RR corridor in the US.

As he stated in our conversation, you can contact Craig directly by email or log on to the nowottuck network.

 

 

Show #339 – March 18, 2017

Guests: Christine Culver, DeVon Griffin, Tim Thompson, Paolo Casalis

This week’s show offers up a wide variety of topics from the bicycle world.

My first guest, Christine Culver, is the former president now board member of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. Christine and I talk about everything from her custom jewelry and stable of classic bicycles to her thoughts on advocacy and the state of cycling in the Sonoma County area.

Then, my first guest newscaster, DeVon Griffin, and I have a brief chat about Team Sky and the interview that Cyclingtips’ Shane Stokes did with Paul Kimmage. Is Team Sky going down that “U.S. Postal” road and what WAS in that mysterious package that was delivered to the team?

I talk with retired police officer Tim Thompson whose experience with OsteoStrong helped him to go from virtual immobility to being able to walk 15 miles without pain. Now, Tim manages the Willougby Hills, Ohio office of OsteoStrong and tells us what the process is and how it helps with strength, flexibility, and balance.

Finally, it’s off to Turn, Italy to chat with Paolo Casalis about the new film “48 Hairpin Turns at Night“, just released last week. The documentary is aboutBI and his quest to ride down the Stelvio at night – without brakes or handlebars. And, Giuliano is 77 years old.

So… big show – great guests! Let’s go!

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 #110 – September 29, 2012

Lesli Cohen, Andy Shen, Ingo Lou

This week’s show seems to unintentionally revolve around legal matters, but happily you’ll find very little legalese here.

Irish journalist Paul Kimmage is being sued by the UCI for his 1990 book Rough Ride, which deals with doping in professional cycling. Lesli Cohen of Cyclismas.com & Andy Shen of NYVelocity.com have started a Chip-In fund to help raise money for Kimmage’s legal expenses. Lesli and Andy have a lot of great info about the book, the lawsuit, along with some strong opinions on the current state of the UCI.

In the second half, we meet up with Ingo Lou, whose To Catch a Bike Thief project takes a rational and objective approach to what is almost always an emotional experience: the theft of one’s bike. Turns out, there are simple reasons why bikes are frequently stolen, and a few things you can do to deter bike theft.