Show #628 – April 18, 2023

Guests: Wayne Stetina; Jacob Van Sickle

As promised the last time we spoke with him, Wayne Stetina, SRAM’s senior field guide, is back to school us on the new SRAM Eagle Transmission system.  In fact, you might want to take some notes.

From learning about cassette mapping to the simple installation of the chain, Wayne gives us the details in a clear and precise manner.

The result though is in the riding and according to Wayne, the harder you pedal this new system, the easier it shifts.

I really appreciate Wayne’s thoroughness in explaining the new system.  For more information about SRAM’s new Eagle Transmission you can log on to SRAM.com OR… better still, go to your LBS and ask to try one!    


 

In the second half of the show, we welcome back Bike Cleveland’s executive director, Jacob Van Sickle.

Fresh from the National Bike Summit, Jacob fills us in on this year’s legislative asks including the tax credit for eBikes, and catches us up on what has and is about to happen in NE Ohio to improve biking and walking.

When I think back – decades really – to when I first heard about the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath project, it barely registered because it seemed so far away.  Yet, here we are! The Towpath project is finished – all the way into downtown Cleveland.

This podcast is dropping just before the April 22nd Celebrate Trails Day community bike ride with Cleveland’s Mayor Justin Bibb and County Executive, Chris Ronayne.  You can join them on Saturday at Merwyn’s in the Flats for a fun afternoon – and you can let them know what YOU want to see for better and safer biking and walking in NE Ohio.

Show #620 – January 2, 2023

Guest: Wayne Stetina

Stetina Family – Circa 1970

Happy New Year to you and I hope you had a great holiday season.

Wayne Stetina – 1977 Nationals

For our first show of 2023, I had the great good fortune to speak with one of cycling’s elite racers about his life, his family, his history in the sport, and his thoughts about the bicycle industry.

Wayne Stetina – in fact, the entire Stetina family – have had a stellar career in not only racing, but also incredibly valued input into what we ride and race today.

Wayne’s phenomenal memory of people, events, and topics will dazzle those who have an interest and curiosity into cycling – me included (and I thought I knew some stuff!)

For 37 years, Wayne was VP of North American Operations for Shimano.  Now, he is Senior Field Guide with SRAM.

From coining the phrase “never miss a shift” way back when Shimano introduced its first indexed shifting package to his comment that his favorite bike was always his most recent bike, Wayne has seen the evolution of bicycles up close and personal.

I hope you enjoy this extended conversation.

 

Show #521 – September 26, 2020

Guests: Jen Malik; Tobie DePauw; Lauren Hefferon

Sometimes you meet someone – even just in a phone call – and the enthusiasm and excitement for the work she is doing just jumps right out through the phone.

Jen Malik – Dr. Jen Malik as she is a PhD in biomedical engineering at THE Ohio State University where she is a post-doc fellow full time – also races cyclocross professionally, has taken on the task of bringing the first NICA league in Ohio, is on the board of the Central Ohio Mountain Biking Association, and loves to garden and paint.

For those in Chicago and surrounding areas – and, perhaps even those who might just want to get yourself TO Chicago sometime during the month of October, People for Bikes along with the Chicago Race Riot 19.org project, SRAM, The Newberry Library, and a slew of other great sponsors, all come together to ride a historic route and raise funds to benefit the Blackstone Bicycle Works.

As demonstrations and riots rock so many of our cities, this quiet and historic ride winds through the Bronzeville and Bridgeport neighborhoods, stopping at key historical sites relevant to the riot and the events that lead up to it.

And, there is an audio clip you can download and listen to a brief description of each of the stops along the way. Tobie DePauw, Ride Spot Affiliate Manager will be with me to explain it all.

And, lastly, we speak with Lauren Hefferon owner and founder of Ciclismo Classico. The company, long known for exquisite European Bicycle Tours, has brought it home for two fall tours out of Keene, NH.

Finally, I’d like to mention Chloe Dygert – the world champion cyclist. In her race to defend her world time trial title, she lost control of her bike in a turn and hit a barrier that apparently didn’t have any padding- resulting in a serious leg injury.

Chloe was airlifted to a hospital in Italy where she was treated and underwent surgery. Fortunately, she is expected to make a full recovery. Her coach, Kristen Armstrong. was quoted as saying, “Chloe Dygert’s crash is devastating but she will come back stronger.”

Sending healing thoughts to Chloe! And, wondering why the barrier padding ended before the barriers did… to be continued I’m sure.

Show #402 – May 26, 2018

Encore! Encore!  Enjoy this great show from Memorial Day 2018 and we’ll be back with a brand new episode next week.

We’ve had Elden Nelson on the show in the past; but, now he’s got a new gig and he is THE expert in the field. Elden has completed 20 Leadville 100 mountain bike races and now has a new podcast all about the event – how to train for it, how to finish it, surviving at altitude, what to eat, everything-you-need-to-know.

The podcast launched on Wednesday and I wanted to be the FIRST to cover the news!

Then, after two failed attempts – technical difficulties – I think we nailed the conversation on the third take. Joe Mungo Reed‘s first novel (his first book) is a slam dunk winner! We Begin the Ascent, out June 19th in the States, is a fictional account of a pro rider, his wife, and the cast of characters that make up the team.

The book is riveting – with uncanny insight into the mechanics of a pro team -and lots of twists and turns as the story unfolds. We don’t see a lot of cycling fiction – and this one is a winner!

Finally, as an answer to the requests I received – is an encore presentation of an interview I had with FK Day from SRAM and founder of World Bicycle Relief. It was one of the first interviews I did as The Outspoken Cyclist back in 2010 and, I must say, it’s not bad!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! Enjoy the show!

Show #243 – April 25, 2015

Guests: Phil Liggett; Leah Missbach Day

Last show in April and it’s a doozy!

Tonight I speak with the person who arguably has the most famous voice of all time in professional cycling.  From his early days as a budding journalist to the announcer of all the European Classics including Paris-Roubaix, Fleche Wallone, Giro D’Italia, our American Amgen Tour of California, and of course the Tour de FrancePhil Liggett is a wealth of information and fun as he makes bike racing thrilling for us all.

Phil talks about his love for statistics, what he sees as those things that have changed bike racing irrevocably, and how cycling is again coming around to being a sport we will want to support and watch.  And, because of Phil’s close bond with Africa, we talk of the rise of the MTN Qhubeka team and how he too sees an African on the Podium in Europe in the not-too-distant future.

We wrap up our conversation with his Helping Rhinos campaign (watch the video too!)– which means as much to him as his work as a journalist.  He tells us how we can support the cause, ride with him in several events, and about the efforts being made to protect the few remaining Rhinos from the horrific poaching that is going on in Africa.

We have news of course – including a massive recall from Trek – and then head on to SRAM headquarters in Chicago to talk with Leah Missbach Day about World Bicycle Relief.

WBR celebrates 10 years this month and Leah, who along with her husband FK Day, are the founders of the hugely successful movement to get people who could not otherwise go to school, work, or even bring food and water to their families on the African Buffalo bike. We talk about the very first delivery of bikes right after the devastating Tsunami in 2004 through the Africa Rides trips that you can take.

So, get ready for a great evening of cycling talk as we head over the pond to speak with Phil Liggett!