Show #623 – March 7, 2023

Guests: Carolyne Whelan; Daniela Gomez & Dilshod Kohlmatov

Since this is women’s history month, I had the honor of being interviewed by Traci Berry, the coordinator of Northwoods Trails in Arkansas for the Natural State Bikes Podcast. We chatted for over an hour, and I really appreciated her thoughtful inquiry.

You can hear that episode as well as others highlighting some of the bike world’s most interesting female voices on Spotify  or you can find it on Spotify at Natural State Bikes – women of biking.

As a journalist, I’ve been watching with both sadness and trepidation as editors, writers, photographers, and the very publications that have supported cycling – in all its forms – are being dismantled.

Recently it was Velo News and Cycling Tips; this week it was Road Bike Action and E-bike Action, and I think a lot of journalists in the industry are holding their collective breaths to see what shoe drops next.

But, there are some bright spots in cycling publications and, Adventure Cyclist Magazine stands about as close to the top as any.  Now, with a total makeover and some clear-headed thinking, AC Magazine has just launched its new look and some new features.

This episode of our podcast features Carolyne Whelan, the editor in chief of Adventure Cyclist Magazine. Carolyne is a poet, a journalist, a cyclist, and has a super interesting background that led her to the position she occupies today.

And, Adventure Cyclist Magazine, unlike many other cycling publications, is not only still standing, but is OUTstanding as it launches a new look for 2023.

 

 

After a break, we’ll meet two young people whose passion for safe roads for young people shows up in some very meaningful ways. Daniela Gomez, who lives and works in Bogota, Columbia, and Dilshod Kholmatov, who is in Tajikistan, both represent the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety, a program that was launched by YOURS – Youth For Road Safety – a global organization that acts to make the world’s road safe for youth.

Seems that the problems of road safety are no different in Colombia, Tajikistan, or the U.S. Too many young people are being injured or killed on the roads and there is an international initiative that is fervently working on the problems.

From the “claimingourspace.org” website that invites young people to get involved to the YOURS academy, which is offering free modules to get you started on the path to road safety advocacy, Daniela Gomez and Dilshod Kholmatov are two of the spokespeople who are making a difference in their respective countries. 

In separate but very impactful ways, both Daniela and Dilshod bring their amazing backgrounds to the table to effect meaningful change in their countries.

Show #523 – October 10, 2020

Guests: Lynette Toepfer; Zapata “Zap” Espinoza

We’ve been talking a lot about the plight of the bike industry – lack of product, backed up service departments, and the need for new protocols due to the pandemic.

To help explain how all of the is affecting our US manufacturing, I contacted White Industries in Petaluma, California. White Industries is a family owned business manufacturing hubs, cranks, bottom brackets, headsets, and more .

Since no titles are used at White, I’ll just say that I spoke with Lynnette Toepfer to find out how COVID-19 has affected the company, how their supply chain is doing, and what they are forecasting for 2021. Oh, and then there are the California fires.

Then, as promised TWO weeks ago, Zapata Espinoza, editor-in-chief of Road Bike Action and mountain bike hall of famer – yes, those seem diametrically opposed and they are not – joins me for a terrific conversation.

If you’re entry into bicycling came at a young age – say 8 or 9 – and you loved your BMX bike, then you graduated to either motocross or mountain biking, you know what Zapata Espinoza means when he says he’s “that” kind of guy – the one who loves the thrill of the competition on two wheels.

What Zap didn’t know was how the mountain bike craze would change his life – from a law degree that never materialized to editor-in-chief of several bike magazines.

Today, he’s the editor in chief of Road Bike Action and a member of the mountain bike hall of fame.