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Show #533 – December 19, 2020

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Guests: Gary Fisher; Rob DeMartini

As promised, Gary Fisher is back to talk about his new book, Being Gary Fisher And The Bicycle Revolution well, we SORT of talk about it. Let me explain.

There is no one quite like Gary Fisher – and from the time he was a little boy, he’s marched to the beat of his own drum.

He says his new book, Being Gary Fisher – And The Bicycle Revolution – isn’t a memoir; rather a collection of stories and ideas.

If you remember the original “Whole Earth Catalog,” – a loose compilation of all sorts of things hip and natural – it’s kind of like that… only in full, explosive color, teeming with photos and commentary, with the bicycle stitching it all together.

The conversation shoots off in a variety of directions – sometimes seemingly disconnected; but, he always comes back to the bicycle – for what it is, what it does, and what it can portend for the future. In fact, after you hear this and read the book, it will all become very clear!

After our break we head to Colorado Springs.

There was a lot of twisting and shouting about the new Olympic Development Academy, a program USA Cycling is rolling out for 2021. When a Velo News article appeared about the ODA, social media lit up like it was 4th of July.

Aimed at finding and training young riders, 16 and up, in the hopes of drawing in a more diverse body of talent, the fact that there is a price tag attached to the program seemed to upset a lot of people. I think you’ll understand it a lot better from the source.

I wanted to hear about it straight from the source, so I rang up USA Cycling’s CEO Rob DeMartini to give us the low down on the program and what he and the organization is hoping it means for the future.

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Show #532 – December 12, 2020

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Guests: Phil Liggett; Kathryn Bertine

We have a most interesting show today, highlighting two amazing people and the work that they do.

His voice is unmistakable and his ability to recall facts, figures, names, dates, and stages of any continental race for the past 4+ decades is staggering. Yes, my guest today is Phil Liggett.

Spending the 2020 cycling season at home in England, Phil Liggett was able to continue in his role as the voice of the TdF this year with the help of NBC, technology, and Bob Roll – who was in Connecticut. (How cool is today’s technology anyway?)

Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the longest running sports relationship in history – partnering for 33 years,

Paul was an integral part of the team that became the voice of cycling. But, two years ago this month, the world woke up to the news that Paul had died suddenly and the world lost a generous, smart, and dedicated man.

In an effort to continue Paul’s legacy of helping the people of Uganda, where he and his wife Kathryn lived, as well as keeping his memory alive, the Paul Sherwen Project was recently launched.

While we spoke of the 2020 season, what he believes will happen in 2021 and going forward, and other-things-bike, what we finally came to focus on was a new project that is near and dear to him – the Paul Sherwen Project.

Her voice is persistent, compelling, and gets amazing results as a professional cyclist, author, filmmaker and activist for women’s rights

Kathryn Bertine, whose documentary Half the Road still garners a regular royalty check 6 years later, signed her first professional cycling contract at the age of 37 only to experience being benched for one year, suffering verbal and physical abuse from the manager and staff.

Kathryn has taken the high road to success – using what she calls visionary teamwork and benevolent disruption to speak her truth which – it turns out – is what everybody is not only thinking, but what pretty much what everybody wants. – equality or at least equal opportunity.

After she signed her first professional contract, her female team manager warned her to keep quiet about the inequity in women’s sports. “Stop talking about this equality crap. No one will listen to you. You are a nothing, you are a no one.”

But as you will hear in the following conversation, Kathryn says that  Change is possible. Activism isn’t relegated to the wealthy, the famous, the politicians and superstars. We “regular people” have the power to make change happen, too.

(You can pre-order Kathryn’s new book, Stand, too!)

 

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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 #530 – November 28, 2020

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Guests: Jan Heine; Abbas Navqi

There is always a lot of anticipation for the books, magazines, and bicycle components that come out of the prolific mind of Jan Heine.

The Winter edition of Bicycle Quarterly just rolled off the presses and his 4th book, The All-Road Bike Revolution has just been published.

In his foreword to the book, Ted King says” Jan has one of the most inquisitive and scientific minds towards the bicycle,” and today, Jan and I unpack some of his thoughts and ideas about a wide variety of topics.

Jan’s belief is that we should all be able to ride when, where, and what we want – comfortably, reliably, and fast!

Then, we review Wahoo’s ElemntRival GPS triathlon watch with product manager Abbas Naqvi.  If you swim and run, and even if you bike and don’t use a GPS computer, the many features of this watch might just make it the best holiday gift – for someone else OR for yourself – this gift giving season.

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Show #529 – November 21, 2020

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Guests: Chris Carmichael; Lou Mazzante


Photo Of Eddie B. Courtesy of Mitchell Clinton

This past week, the cycling world lost Eddie Borysewicz – or Eddie B as so many knew him. Eddie died November 16th from COVID 19 while visiting his home country of Poland.

I wanted to talk with someone who knew Eddie well and so, I invited Chris Carmichael, who first met Eddie when Chris was a junior racer way back when.

Born in 1939 in what is now Belarus, then part of Poland, Eddie B was a junior national cycling champion in his home country. He served two years in the military and, after a misdiagnosis and subsequent treatment for tuberculosis, gave up racing and studied for a physical education degree and became a coach.

Coming to Montreal for the 1976 Olympic Games as an assistant for the Polish team, he made his way down to New Jersey where he met Mike Fraysee, the head of the organization that ran cycling is the US at the time.

He spoke no English – but he knew how to coach and train riders and became the US Coach. Over his career, he garnered 30 national and world championships for coaching.

Then, we’ll have the third and last of our gift giving ideas from Bicycling Magazine’s test director, Lou Mazzante. This week, we’re talking apparel, helmets, and shoes. (Photo of Lou by Trevor Raab)

I’ve been so impressed with the time and effort that Lou Mazzante has put into our gift giving segments and today is no exception. Here is the last of our three weekly chats.  Today, Lou tells us about The Black Bibs – only the knicker version – Specialized’s Propero 3 helmet with MIPS AND their “Angi” crash system.  He also reviews the Bontrager Rhythm mountain bike shorts, Swift-Wick’s new ultralight pursuit 7 wool socks, and Shimano’s RC3 road shoe.

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Show #528 – November 14, 2020

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Guests: Dennis Markatos-Soriano; Chuck Marohn; Lou Mazzante

As many of you know, I am an advisory board member to the East Coast Greenway and when something exciting happens with the organization, I like to share it with you.

One of the BEST things about the Greenway is its commitment to the environment, knowing that infrastructure that expands walking, biking, and other outdoor activities is good for all of us.

On Monday, November 17th (yep THIS coming Monday!) the first in the Impact Series – this conversation about climate – with take place between my guest, ECG’s executive director Dennis Markatos-Soriano, and Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, who is also an ECG advisory board member. You can listen to the conversation for free at greenway.org

Then, it’s another great conversation with Strong Towns‘ founder Chuck Marohn. 

Today we discuss a specific traffic situation that led to a young boy’s untimely death as well as exploring the self-defeating decisions that are made by cities and towns when they try to turn a road and a wealth-creating area into what Chuck has coined as a
“stroad.’  And, because this conversation happened in advance of the presidential election, I posed a question to Chuck about infrastructure in a post-election world.

Lastly, my 2nd in a 3-part series with Bicycling Magazine Test Director Lou Mazzante focuses on “high tech” gift items this week.   With the necessity to stay in and stay away from others, we discuss the entertaining as well as training assistance of the Wahoo Kickr indoor trainer, the fun of the new Go-Pro camera, the Whoop strap app, and a 3D printed saddle from Fizik.

(photo courtesy of Trevor Raab)

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Show #527 – November 7, 2020

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Guests: Paul Brodie; Lou Mazzante

Tonight I welcome Paul Brodie.

His handle is fussy framebuilder and at one time, Paul Brodie’s business produced hundreds of frames.

Paul, who was originally born in England and has lived in British Columbia now for most of his life, has transitioned from producing frames to teaching frame building to starring in videos on his You Tube channel with over 2,000 subscribers.

Watching Paul as he goes through his processes offers a glimpse into the expertise he has as well as a style of instruction that is easy-to-follow and not so technically scary to even the novice.

From fabricating brake levers from scratch to extending a steerer tube, Paul Brodie’s teaching style is casual and explicit. And, he’s about as guileless in conversation as anyone I’ve spoken with in a very long time – if ever!  Wait until you hear about his pets too!

After listening, you can contact Paul at fussyframebuilder@gmail.com with questions, take a look at his videos on the Paul Brodie You Tube Channel, or browse his extensive archives on his web site Flashback Fabrications Ltd.

They’re comin’ around the bend sooner than you might think and, I figured it was none too soon to start thinking about holiday gift giving – especially since many of us will be ordering on line.

Today, we have our first of a three-part series on gifts for the holidays with Bicycling Magazine‘s Test Director Lou Mazzante. This week, we’ll look at a few gifts under $25.00, including the Timber Bell, Stan’s No Tubes Dart System, Feedback’s Chain Keeper, and Memory Pilot Socks.

 

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Show #526 – October 31, 2020

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Guests: Mark Gainey; Josh Crisp

My first guest today  is Mark Gainey, co-founder and Chairman of Strava.

Mark and his friend Michael Horvath met in college and when they graduated and went their separate ways, their practice of sharing their activities had no real time outlet.

And so, Strava was born. 

Today, with 70+ million users worldwide, Strava is the #1 app for cyclists and runners.

But, there is a lot more to it than that.  Out of the billions of bits of data that is aggregated and stripped of any identifiers, Mark and his team realized that the kinds of data collected might just be insightful to urban planners, transportation specialists, and cities. And, so they started a new app… Metro.

Then, we speak with Josh Crisp, founder of Pedal for Alzheimer’s. 

When one of your heroes is diagnosed with a fatal disease and you decide you want to DO something to honor that person, it sometimes begins to take on a life of its own.

Pat Summit, the winningest coach of women’s basketball in Josh Crisp’s town of Knoxville, died of early onset Alzheimers, at the age of 64 with 1.098 wins to her credit. To honor her and her accomplishments, Josh and a few other cyclists put together a ride from his home in Knoxville to the Florida Keys – 1,098 miles to be exact. When they were finished, they presented the Pat Summit Foundation with a check for $100,000.00. And, THAT was how it all started.

Today, Pedal for Alzheimer’s is a nationwide organization and Josh Crisp, its founder, is my guest.

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Show #525 – October 24, 2020

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Guests: Peter Wilborn; Dr. Chris Cherry; Jacob Van Sickle

How is politics impacting cycling?  Is there undue influence to how we perceive our “cycling movement” from the outside- or even from the inside?

What do equity and inclusiveness REALLY look like? And, why is infrastructure – bicycle infrastructure – so important to the overall success of cycling?

Of even more urgency is to understand why it is important to embrace law enforcement as a relationship that will benefit us as cyclists instead of distancing ourselves from it.

Politics has certainly been up from for many if not most of us lately; but, I’m not certain I saw the juxtaposition of bicycle advocacy and politics until my conversation with Peter Wilborn, founder and partner at Bike Law. He always makes me broaden my thinking, and today is no different.

After a break, we’ll head to Knoxville, TN to speak with Professor Chris Cherry.

If you have ever come to a railroad crossing and missed the mark – meaning, you hit the crossing at an angle that caused you to crash – you will appreciate the work my second guest has done to mitigate the problem.

When his wife crashed at a railroad crossing on her way to work and the head of his department at the University asked Chris Cherry what he was going to do about all the crashes that seemed to be occurring at this crossing near the campus of UT, he and his team decided they’d better do something. The solution – his jug handle design – was simple, efficient, and inexpensive.

Dr. Chris Cherry. is a professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering whose primary research areas focus on transportation system impacts from emerging technologies (like e-bikes, e-scooters, & shared mobility) on safety, sustainability, health, and mobility, and he joins us today.

And then, we’ll do a quick check-in with Bike Cleveland‘s Executive Director, Jacob van Sickle. As has every other organization in the past 7 months, Bike Cleveland needed to make radical changes to its programs and events in the wake of COVID19.

Jacob fills us in on those changes as well as offers us some bright spots to focus on for 2021.

Bike Cleveland, our local advocacy organization, has been busy trying to navigate the new normal of COVID for local cyclists. Jack Van Sickle, the executive director, fills us in on some of the programs and projects in the works for the remainder of this year and on into 2021.

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Show #524 – October 17, 2020

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Guests: Rob DeMartini; Tia Martinson; Ben Serotta

We turn to racing this week with a keen eye to the future. Rob DeMartini, the new CEO of USA Cycling, didn’t come from a cycling background and brings what I believe will be a fresh and welcoming approach to a national organization that we all can and might finally want to embrace.

From his forward thinking about the 2021 Olympics to every day riders being proud to display a USACycling sticker on their cars, Rob is asking that we take another look at what bicycles mean to us here in the U.S.

Then, as many long time listeners know, as we approach the holidays, I like to speak with non-profits that are doing really important and heartfelt work with an eye toward the giving season.

This week, it’s FreeBikes4Kidz Minnesota. A couple of weeks ago, Allina Health, which is a not-for-profit health care system based in Minneapolis, Minnesota and owns or operates 12 hospitals and more than 90 clinics throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin as well as employing over 27,000 people, and which sponsors FreeBikes4Kidz collected 7,000 bikes in a one-day effort. 7,000!

Tia Martinson, Executive Director of Free Bikes 4Kidz joins me to talk about the organization and how you process what is more than 10,000 bikes in total for the holidays.

Finally, and as promised, it’s a check-in chat with Ben Serotta – the iconic frame builder talks about what people are asking for from him, his thoughts on how the pandemic has affected cycling – not all for the bad – and what the future might hold.