Tag: RAGBRAI

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Show #579 – October 30. 2021

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Guests: Jeff Bock; Bina Bilenky-Trahan

This week, we are getting back to our roots a little bit with a new frame builder conversation.

When I contacted master builder Jeff Bock to arrange our interview, his comment back to me was how I found out about him as he isn’t – and I quote – “a household name.”  Clearly, he doesn’t know our household!

Located in Ames, Iowa, Jeff and I go back to his beginnings talking about bikes not cars, his scholarship as an artist, and more.

Jeff Bock has been building lovely steel lugged frames since 1975.  Back in college, he studied art and also became an art teacher.

Today, Jeff continues to think and build like an artist, integrating his designs to include racks, fenders, and an overall aesthetic that appeals to anyone who loves classic bikes.

We start at the beginning and bring it right up to date with his thinking about today’s equipment and who is buying classic bikes.

Next Saturday and Sunday, November 6th and 7th, is the 11th annual Philly Bike Expo at the Philadelphia Convention Center.  By all rights, it should be the 12th anniversary of the show, but as with many things Covid .. it was put on hold in 2020.  We talk with the show’s owner and producer, Bina Bilenky-Trahan.

This year, even though masks are required inside the building and the test track has been eliminated to expand the space, there is a long list of exhibitors, some terrific seminars – including a talk that I’m delivering on the ethics of bicycle fitters as part of a symposium on bicycle fitting – and a whole slew of other great exhibitors.

I’d also like to give you a quick update I just received from my friend Shannon Galpin about the continuing evacuations of cyclists and others out of Afghanistan.  We are into week #10 and counting

There was a grueling 17-hour crossing into Pakistan of three different groups over the past week and five more small groups will be moving on if the border remains as it is.

One of the articles that was recently published might give you some breadth of the work as well as some perspective.

VeloNews did an extensive article about Sylvan Adams, the founder of the Israel Start-Up Nation and his involvement early on in helping to rescue many, many athletes from Afghanistan.  And, for those who have asked, yes I am the reporter he mentions at the beginning of the article.  There is a link to the article on our blog for today’s show.

The work is still ongoing and the need is still great. You can read Shannon’s updates and offer your support at https://fundly.com/support-afghan-cyclists

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Show #509 – July 4, 2020

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Guests: Dieter Drake; Doug Haney; Liz Canning

I know many of you had long-planned trips and events that have had to either be put on hold or cancelled all together.

Back in December, we spoke with Dieter Drake, who was just taking over the helm of RAGBRAI, the iconic week-long party-on-wheels across Iowa that took place every year at the end of July. As with most events that would host hundreds if not thousands of riders, RAGBRAI was cancelled for 2020.

But, Dieter is also the original founder of the Tour of the Battenkill in upstate NY and last week posted that Battenkill WILL take place this year – not in its usual May time slot obviously, but in September. And, since so few events will actually happen on the ground this year, I wanted to know how the organizers were going to stage it.

Then, Doug Haney, who is the owner and founder of Bike Adirondacks, introduces us to the unique model he’s developed that showcases the beauty of Adirondack Park in Upstate NY.

Reinventing his big events, all of which support local causes, Doug also has found a way to give small groups – family or friends – the unique experience of riding in the High Peaks with his boutique tours – each crafted especially for you.

Lastly, we visit with Liz Canning, director and editor of Motherload Movie. Focused on the beauty of cargo bikes, which Liz discovered when she had twins back in 2008, the 86 minute feature highlights the practicality and progressive ways that a cargo bike can transform your every day life – especially for women.

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Show #481 – December 7, 2019

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Guests: Leah Missbach Day; Dieter Drake; Christine Acosta with Leah Shahum

As we count down to the holiday giving days – Chanukah beginning on the 22nd, Christmas, December 25th, and Kwanza December 26th, I thought it would be a great time to chat with WBR’s co-founder, Leah Missbach Day.

World Bicycle Relief, founded in 2005 after the devastating tsunami in Sri Lanka, is one of the most successful charitable organizations in our bicycle world. Its vision – to supply bicycles to help students, health care workers, and small business owners travel to and from their respective destinations – has resulted in , 487,000 bikes delivered and 2.5 positively impacted.

The original Buffalo Bike is about to undergo a new iteration though as WBR ramps up to bring its vision to South America.

After we talk with Leah, we’ll heading out to Des Moines, Iowa to the meet the new ride director for RAGBRAI, Dieter Drake. Dieter has a long history of successful events in his back pocket and is looking forward to taking the reins of the iconic event as it prepares to launch year #48.

And, finally, Pedal Power Promoters’s Christine Acosta caught up with Vision Zero’s Leah Shahum (yes, we have two Leah’s on the show this week!) at the Vision Zero Cities Conference in October. Christine talks with Leah about what Vision Zero is doing, how certain cities are adapting Vision Zero principles with great success, and, the grim facts of what happens when we don’t address the issues of traffic, equity, and public health.

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Show #259 – August 15, 2015

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Guests: Sam Polcer; Brian David Bruns

This week, it’s a conversation with Sam Polcer, Communications Manager for Bike New York. The organization is what others look to when bicycle education is the subject.

Bike New York has been interviewed by CBS, NBC, and many others. And, Sam knows his stuff!

After our news – and there is lots of it – we go to Las Vegas to have a chat with award winning Interational author, Brian David Bruns.

Brian grew up in Iowa and when his high school friend suggested they should celebrate their 20th reunion by riding RAGBRAI, Brian said – why not?

Hilarious from page 1, Rumble Yell is Brian’s story of how a non-cyclist rode the 500 miles, 7 day rolling party and what he did to get ready.

Prepare to laugh!

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Show #151 (really?) – July 13, 2013

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GUESTS: GREG BORZO, SCOTT BRICKER, LINDSEY VOREIS

 

With the TdF, RAGBRAI, XOBA, et al, the July Effect is getting into full swing about now. Objects in your favorite tour may be closer than they appear. But it’s not all about the road, or even all about the wheel, as this week’s Outspoken Cyclist illustrates.

We do start on the road, the road across Iowa to be exact. Every summer since 1973, tens of thousands of cyclists have participated in the rolling Mardi Gras known as RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). Our first guest, Greg Borzo has written a new book entitled RAGBRAI: America’s Favorite Bicycle Ride. Warning: if this ride isn’t on your bucket list already, it will be after reading Greg’s book.

You may wonder what a walking advocate is doing on a show about cycling, but really biking and walking are fraternal twins in the transportation family, and a city that’s walkable is also bikeable almost by default. Hence, we’re pleased to welcome Scott Bricker, the Executive Director of America Walks. Scott’s organization is active all over the country, and with a wide variety of partners to promote walking as the “no tech” solution to better health and transportation.

News? Ain’t nobody got time for that, at least not with guests like we have this week. So in the second half of the show we hit the dirt for an in-depth conversation with Lindsey Voreis. Lindsey is a mountain bike racer and mountain bike skills instructor who also participates in just about every outdoor sport there is. In 2001, she appeared on Survivor: Africa. These days she’s most passionate about teaching mountain biking to women through her series of camps around the world.