Tag: World Bicycle Relief

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Show #531 – December 5, 2020

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Guests: Leah Missbach Day; Mike Lessard; Dan De Vise

 

Leah Missbach Day is the co-founder of World Bicycle Relief and shares how the organization is adjusting to a new normal and finding ways to not only do what they have always done; but to expand and flourish.

Over the years, we have talked about how a bicycle can change a life – making it easier to travel for work or school or to deliver life saving healthcare.

We’ve talked about how having a bicycle empowers people in countries with little besides what they can grow or make on their own.

But, how has a worldwide pandemic affected not only the ability to do all these things, but also the organization that has been providing the bikes for over 15 years.

Then, Adventure Cycling Association‘s Tours Director Mike Lessard fills us in on some new tours for 2021.

As with most companies that offer bicycle touring, AC had to curtail and for the most part cancel the 2020 season.  But, armed with some new protocols and looking at what people might be able to do going forward into 2021, AC is offering Long Weekend Tours – just 4 days.  Already booking and, in some cases, already filled, these tours promise to get us back out on our bikes in a safe and fun way.

Lastly,  Dan De Vise, the author of The Comeback – Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legenday Tour de France, is back to give us an update on the Congressional Gold Medal we spoke about in September, 2019.

At that time, the bill had been introduced by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Ca) to and passed the House of Representatives and was on its way to the Senate.   Last week, the law passed and Greg LeMond WILL be a Congressional Gold Medal honoree.Image result for congressional gold medal

 

 

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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 #402 – May 26, 2018

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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!

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Show #379 – December 16, 2017

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Guests: Leah Missbach Day; Aimee Ross; Patrick Brady

Twas the week before Christmas and there is snow on the ground here in NE Ohio.

But, we’ll bring some conversations to warm the heart as we look at our last “gift giving” show for the season.

My first guest is the co-founder of World Bicycle Relief, Leah Missbach Day. When Leah and her husband F.K. learned of the devastating tsunami in 2005, they flew to Indonesia to see how they could help. Out of that trip, World Bicycle Relief was founded and now, 12 years later, the organization is approaching 400,000 bicycles on the ground and working in a variety of African and Indonesian countries.

Leah gives us some insight into who needs these bicycles and how they help to keep people healthy, educate the young girls and women who receive a bike, and keep businesses thriving.

Then, IMBA‘s director of brand development Aimee Ross tells us about the “Dig In” campaign that is giving 68 mountain bike projects a lifeline in the form of grants and assistance. Aimee takes us back to the beginning of the mountain bike era and propels us forward explaining how IMBA helps facilitate projects all over the U.S. with its local chapters and millions of volunteers hours.

Lastly, Red Kite Prayer’s Patrick Brady gives us his first-hand insight into the fires that have been and are still devastating California. Evacuated from his home for almost two weeks, Patrick tells us about the scores of boxes that have arrived to help local riders who lost everything to the fires as well as what the Sonoma Pride campaign is doing to get peoples’ lives back on track.

If you are ready to write those year-end giving checks, perhaps one of more of these three conversations will help you make up your mind.

Happy holidays from The Outspoken Cyclist! And, here’s to a peaceful, healthy, and happy 2018!

 

 

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Show #364 – September 9, 2017

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Guests: Scott Ogle; Michael O’Brien

It’s the 7th anniversary of The Outspoken Cyclist!  How time flies!!!

First up this week is a conversation with a 6-time Emmy award winning photographer, videographer, producer, and journalist.

Scott Ogle is not only all of that, he is hilarious! He and I discuss his work and some of the wild and whacky things that happen at a pro race like the Tour de France as well as some of his more eclectic ideas about cycling, food, and his lovely little dog Misha.

After our break, we head on out to New Jersey to speak with coach and motivational trainer Michael O’Brien.

I read and review a lot of books about cycling every year; and, this week I read the one we will discuss cover-to-cover in one sitting.

Michael suffered the ultimate – the nightmare that many of us cyclists hope will never happen to us – when we came in contact with an SUV head on while riding his bike in New Mexico in 2001.

Out of that crash, his subsequent months-long recovery, and his struggle to get back on two wheels, came his first book – “Shift“.

In exquisite and simple detail, Michael takes us from the day it happened, through his hospitalizations, surgeries, and rehab to his remarkable recovery.

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Show #301 – June 11, 2016

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Back in February, I spoke with World Bicycle Relief Ambassador Carlos Perea about his remarkable fund raising efforts on behalf of the WBR.

Little did Carlos know that just a few months later, he would be asked to take a trip to Africa with the WBR team to see first-hand how the work he was doing impacted the people who benefit from that work.

Tonight, Carlos and I talk about how he came to be one of the “lucky ones” to go on this tour, what he saw, and how he celebrated his 31st birthday!

After a break and some news, we head on down to Cincinnati to speak with Ohio bicycle lawyer, Steve Magas.

In light of the horrific crash in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Tuesday, June 7th, Steve and I discuss the charges against the driver of the truck that killed five cyclists and seriously injured nine more. Then we look toward the future and what we hope will be a turning point in the cars vs cyclists predicament.

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Show #284 – February 6, 2016

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Guests: VeloVoices; Carlos Perea; Matt McNees

It’s Radiothon week! Won’t you consider making a pledge to help support The Outspoken Cyclist AND WCJU? We ask only once a year and the money is used strictly for the radio station – everything from new equipment to upkeep and programming. It’s the only time we EVER ask for your help and we hope that it is worth your time and a few bucks to help us keep great college station programming on the air.

That said, we have another hour of interesting, fun, and thought-provoking cycling topics this week.

First up we welcome the “voices” behind VeloVoices.com. The wildly popular fan-based site provides up-to-the-minute information through social media, their web site, and twice-monthly podcasts on pro cycling. From coverage of the Tour down Under to the Tour de France, VeloVoices looks at cycling from your perspective. Kathy Hall AKA KittyFondue and Chris Carlson AKA Kiss_my_Panache, the voice of the podcasts, talk with me this evening to tell us more.

Then, we talk with Carlos Perea. From a hand-me-down bike as a kid, Carlos has come full circle to giving back to cycling in conjunction with his company, Yahoo – sending $55,000 in grant money to World Bicycle Relief in 2015 to help with their African Buffalo Bike program. His story is inspiring and heartfelt.

After a break, we head for North Carolina where we talk with professor Matt McNees about his new book, Sport Philosophy Now: The Culture of Sports After The Lance Armstrong Scandal.

Matt’s interest in how sport is perceived in the U.S. and why we have such a reverence for coaches, pro athletes, and the teams that we come to support began at an early age and culminates in the questions he asks and tries to answer in this new study.

Chapters such as: Childhood in Sport, Is Sport Fiction More Real than Sport Fact, and Did Anyone Win” will make you think deeply about whether we are going down the right road as a new era is ushered in with the appointment of Derek Bouchard-Hall at the head of USA Cycling.

So, remember to whip put that wallet, log on to www.wjcu.org, and pledge your support as you listen to your favorite cycling show!

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Show #243 – April 25, 2015

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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 France, Phil 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!

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Show #230 – January 24, 2015

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Guests: Elden (The Fat Cyclist) Nelson; Don (Mr. NAHBS) Walker

We’re getting into that time of winter where we long for sunny skies, warm temperatures, and green! So, probably one of the best ways to forget the winter doldrums is to laugh – at it, about it, or just find some funny stuff.

And, this week we did indeed find humor. Back at the beginning of the month, we spoke with commentator and journalist Dan Wuori. During our conversation, Dan mentioned that he had participated in the forward of a new book by the “fat cyclist” and I said… “Who’s that?”

Well, this evening, we get to talk with the “fat cyclist hisself”… Elden Nelson isn’t fat and he IS a cyclist. In fact, he’s an avid cyclist having completed 17 of the 18 Leadville 100 events he’s entered (there’s good reason he was DNF on the 18th!)

Elden writes the irreverent and mostly outrageously funny blog fatcyclist.com. His new book, “The Great Fatsby – Absurd Cycling Stories Disguised as Expertise and Insight” is a compendium of his blog from 2007 through 2010 and in it he adds many of the incredibly funny comments that were left after each entry.

But Elden isn’t just a humor monger – he’s the real deal and has raised millions of dollars for charities near and dear to his heart including Livestrong (yes, he believes in the organization and what it does), World Bicycle Relief, and the Kesem Camps (just listen and you’ll learn about them).

Then, after our break and some news, we hustle off to Louisville for the skinny on this year’s NAHBS show with founder and owner Don Walker. Oh yeah – NAHBS #11 is only 6 weeks away and Don gives us some excellent reasons to head over to the show and to the city of Louisville for some great cycling culture.

So, get your ears on and let’s listen in to my conversation with Elden Nelson – MR. Fat Cyclist.

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Show #223 – December 6, 2014

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Guests: Our Bicycle Donation Opportunity Show includes: World Bicycle Relief, Trips for Kids, People for Bikes, and Tours de Cure

As many of us here in the U.S. know, the past week was one of “specialty days”. We experienced Black Friday (which evidently was a bit anemic), Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.

Not to be left out – we are prepared to throw our handlebars into the ring and offer up a few ideas for charitable giving to bicycle non-profits.

So, this week, we present Bicycle Donation Opportunities. We will be speaking with four different people from four different bicycle non-profits; and, after asking them each the same set of four questions perhaps one of these organizations will “pull at your heartstrings” as you write your “checks for charity” this year.

Our first guest is Ruth-Ann Renaud director of global marketing for World Bicycle Relief. Ruth-Ann just returned from Zambia and is ready to share the work of WBR, including their amazing milestone for 2014, with you.

Our second conversation is with Marilyn Price. Marilyn is the founder and executive director of Trips for Kids, since its inception in 1988 has “opened the world of cycling in the United States, Canada, Israel and Sierra Leone, to over 127,000 at-risk youth. We’ll learn more about the organization, it’s earn a bike program, and how to support one or more of the over 80 chapters operating today.

After 4 ½ years, “People for Bikes” has reached its initial goal of 1,000,000 signatures to the Pledge! So, of course we wanted to include the organization in our “Bicycle Donation Opportunities” show. We speak with Senior Marketing and Communications Manager, Kate Powlison to hear about all the projects that are in progress or coming up for 2015. PFB has made some significant changes in the past year or so and has taken on a lot of the important work in moving cycling forward here in the U.S.

And finally, we are going to talk with the Nicole Preston, National Director for the Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure rides. We have talked about the rising incidence of diabetes and how cycling can help to alleviate some symptoms as well as keep more severe problems at bay. Nicole will give us an update on the events for 2015 and how you can get involved if you wish.

Lastly, we will hear the second part of my interview with Inga Thompson from last week.