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Show #384 – January 20, 2018

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Guests: Chris Coursey; Coryn Rivera; Sylvan Adams

Three up this week, beginning with the Mayor of Santa Rosa, Chris Coursey. He’s an avid cyclist, a journalist, and became Mayor in 2016.

Our conversation covers some pretty tough territory as the city lost 44 lives and 3,000 homes in the fires last October. Chris is steadfast in his desire to see the city recover and we talk about rebuilding, the cycling scene, and how the climate has changed over the years.

It’s a tough and hopeful conversation.

Then, I take a Skype trip over to Spain to speak with Coryn Rivera. While she doesn’t make much of a big deal about it, she IS a big deal!

Starting her racing career with a win at 10 years old, she has amassed more than 75 titles – both in the U.S. and around the world – in a variety of disciplines as a junior.

Now racing as a pro for Team Sunweb, Coryn gives us a glimpse into women’s cycling and what she thinks is going to propel it into the limelight.

Last – but absolutely not least – is my conversation with Sylvan Adams, the mighty force behind the Israel Cycling Academy, the 3-stage start of the Giro D’Italia in the Middle East, a new Velodrome project in Tel Aviv, and a host of other cycling related plans for the country of Israel.

Sylvan boasts a host of gold medals earned after he turned 40 when he took up competitive bicycle racing. Two years ago, he and his wife moved to Israel and his love of cycling is showing up all over the country – and the world.

Grab your gear and let’s go…

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Show #383 – January 13, 2018

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Guests: Ben Serotta; Max Leonard

This week, we catch up with the iconic and ever re-inventing himself Ben Serotta.

Like the Phoenix rising, Ben launched his new serottadesignstudio.com website on Monday and I’ll have a lengthy conversation with him about his new venture.

We cover a lot of ground – including the bike models he is offering, why he chose steel and aluminum for materials, and which groupsets he decided to offer.

In the second half of the show, it’s off to the French Riviera to speak with author and avid cyclist, Max Leonard.

Max’s book, Lanterne Rouge, talked about the “last rider” in the Tour de France.

In his new book, Higher Calling, Max recounts stories dating back to the beginning of grand tour racing and bringing us right up to the present – as they relate to the seeming obsession cyclists have with the mountains. He talks of the victories and defeats – great joy and deep sorrows – in a beautifully researched history.

This may just be one of those books we can’t put down.

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Show #382 – January 6, 2018

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Guests: Peter Williams, Steve DelMonte, Sean Walling

Happy, happy 2018!

I hope you are warm and safe – away from the bitter winds and “cyclone bombs”.

For our first show of the year, I wanted to take you far away from the cold and snow; so, we’re going to talk about summer time bicycle tours, a brand new triathlon, and chat with a frame builder who has been on my radar for a long time.

Peter Williams owns Eastwind Cycle, a rather unusual touring company out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Instead of picking a tour from a catalog, Eastwind tailors your Canadian tour exactly the way you want it. Whether it’s for two or twenty, Peter will offer up routes that include those sites you want to see, the distances you want to ride, the kind of food you want to eat, and the places you want to stay.

There is a new option coming on line in Spring for a Cuba Oriente tour that highlights pristine parts of Cuba not usually touted in the usual brochures and ads for the country.

We chat about all of this and talk a bit about Canadian Wine Country too…

Then, I speak with Steve DelMonte from Delmo Sports, a boutique racing organization that offers events within a very small area of the east coast. Steve’s award winning race series will add the Philadelphia All Women’s Sprint Triathlon this coming July.

I wanted to know why he stays within the small radius of his home in the southern tip of New Jersey, why he’s producing an all-women’s tri, and what matters to him as a race director.

Lastly, it’s a long chat with Sean Walling from Soulcraft Bikes in Petaluma, California.

Back in 2012 when Brian and I were on the west coast, we drove up to Petaluma to visit the original Salsa Cycle guy, Ross Shafer. There, on the quirky and extensive property that Ross and his wife own, was the workshop for Soulcraft Bikes.

Proprietor Sean Walling worked with Ross for many years until striking out on his own along with Matt Nyiri to form Soulcraft. Today, Sean is the owner, framebuilder, and janitor at the company and we’re going to delve into his philosophy and ideas about building steel frames.

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Show #381 – December 30, 2017

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Guests: Evelin Bourne; Dan Wuori

Our final show of the year! WOW – it went by super fast it seems.

Tonight, it’s once again round-the-globe to Christchurch, New Zealand this time to speak with Evelin Bourne. Evelin and I “met” on FaceBook and as I followed some of the things she was doing and saying, I wanted to know more about her.

American born and raised, Evelin and her wife, Karen Taylor, took a bicycle tour to New Zealand to celebrate 20 years together… and Evelin decided THAT was where she wanted to live.

Along with their Corgi Potter, they moved “down under” in 2006 and they absolutely LOVE the country that is now their permanent home.

We talk about Evelin’s journey to NZ, why she rides, and how that fateful bicycle tour resulted in the move.

Then, it’s my year-end cycling news wrap-up with Velo News‘ Dan Wuori. Dan covers the competitive news while I expound on a variety of 2017’s “other” newsworthy cycling stories.

We talk Chris Froome (how could you not?), heart issues, Coryn Rivera, legislation, and more…

Lastly, let me take a moment to thank you all for listening to the show and wish you a Happy, Healthy, ans Safe New Year.

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Show #380 – December 23, 2017

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Guests: Keith Laughlin, David Coventry

Happy, happy holidays everyone!

This week, I speak with Keith Laughlin from Rails-to-Trails as our last end-of-year charitable gift idea. We talk about the vast numbers of trails, the future of the trail system, and some programs that will be launched in 2018.

Then, award winning author David Coventry joins me via Skype from Wellington, New Zealand to talk about his book The Invisible Mile.

The story revolves around the 1928 Tour de France and the Ravat-Wonder team – the first English speaking team to compete in the grueling race. The story is told from the first-person perspective of an “unnamed” protagonist and delves deeply into the psyche of racing.

Then, I once again offer up Maynard Hershon‘s “Nice Wheels” as a “feel good” story for the holiday season.

The show isn’t long – but, it’s full of good stuff!

Happy Holidays!

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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 #378 – December 9, 2017

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Guests: Shane Stokes; Dennis Markatos-Soriano; Courtney Laggner

My first guest, Shane Stokes, is the news editor for cyclingtips.com. He’s in Girona, Spain hanging out with about 100 pros who are training and getting ready for the 2018 race season.

Recently, Shane published, “Human rights groups and others call on Giro d’Italia to abandon Israel start“, an article about the Giro d’Italia and the unprecedented move to take the first 3 stages off the Continent and begin in Israel. As one might expect in this time of international turmoil, the move is controversial.

Shane and I discuss the reasons behind the move, who might be protesting and why, and what the riders are saying – if anything.

Then, I catch up with executive director of the East Coast Greenway, Dennis Markatos-Soriano. When we last spoke with Niles Barnes, who is the director of Greenway programs, the 3,000 mile River Relay was just about to get underway. This week, Dennis and I talk about the results of the relay – how many events were held, how many people participated, and how important the Greenway is to the economies of those communities through which it passes.

Finally, we offer up the last of our tangible gift ideas for 2017 when we visit the family owned and run Darn Tough Sock Mill in Vermont. Marketing manager Courtney Laggner “walks” us through the decades old company, explaining why the Darn Tough brand has been able to garner such loyal customers.

She introduces us to the new BA (Bad Ass) Barney and BA (Bad Ass) Betty socks – for all you winter cycling fans and tells us about how to become a “sock tester”.

Kick it back folks! Enjoy!

 

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Show #377 – December 2, 2017

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Guests: Professor Nelson Repenning; Merlyn Townley; Doug Bahniuk

This week’s show is a bit more focused on some perspectives around the economy, business – including of course the bike business – and some pretty heady insights.

My first guest is Nelson Repenning, the distinguished professor of Systems Dynamics and Organization Studies at MIT Sloan School of Management. It’s a mouthful, but Nelson, who raced his bike pretty successfully back in the day, has his finger on the pulse of business as it relates to jobs, manufacturing, and much more.

Nelson also has a consulting firm, ShiftGear, that helps companies figure out those things that always seem to sabotage success – or at least slow it down.

After a short break, it’s up to Vermont to speak with Master Mechanic Merlyn Townley. Last time we spoke, way back in June of 2012, Merlyn was in Chattanooga and we talked race mechanics. Today however, he’s got some things to convey about a direction the bike business might consider taking.

Finally, our “holiday gift” is actually a book by someone who has been in the studio and on the show more than once. Doug Bahniuk has Parkinson’s Disease; yet, he continues to ride his bike on some pretty amazing and challenging rides – even for someone who doesn’t suffer from a disorder that, many times, makes it just difficult to hold a fork.

Doug has ridden across Alaska – you might remember his journey from our last conversation – as well as Oregon and South Korea.

In his new book, The White Line to Denver, Doug details his trip from Boise, Idaho to Denver, Colorado, a trip his doctor suggested he should not take.

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Show #376 – November 25, 2017

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Guests: Dr. Gabe Mirkin; Molly Hurford

Now that Thanksgiving is over, can we talk food? I mean the food we probably SHOULD be consuming!

This week, retired but still incredibly active, Dr. Gabe Mirkin will talk about how food affects us, what new breakthroughs are being found in cholesterol and diabetes research, and how important it is to continue exercising throughout your life.

I’ve got a couple of news items, a review of the new Gore-Tex ShakeDry jacket, and then it’s on to Belgium to catch up with Molly Hurford.

At 30 years old, she’s already written four books with a 3-book series for young girls at the publisher. She manages at least 3 blogs, or may it’s four, produces The Consummate Athlete podcast with her husband Peter, and is managing the Aspire Racing Team at the World Cup races in Europe right now.

We chat about all of that, including her “advice to women” and what’s next on her jam-packed agenda.

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Show #375 – November 18, 2017

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Guests: Jim Sonnhalter; Gloria Liu; Nick Legan

This week, we keep it local for the first of my three guests.

NE Ohio urban planner Jim Sonnhalter joins me to talk about a project in his home suburb of Euclid, Ohio that will add a new trail to the Lake Front.

Jim works for Cuyahoga County Planning and has helped to establish and begin implementing a master plan for biking and walking in the Cleveland area.

We’ll talk about the Euclid project as well as the scope of the Cuyahoga Greenways projects.

Then, it’s my annual pre-holiday gift chat with Bicycling features editor Gloria Liu. This year, we talk about a new “convertible jacket” from Pearl Izumi, a handlebar bag from North St. Bags in Portland, Oregon, some new light weight entries in the children’s bike market, and of course what’s hot in tech.

Gravel Cycling by Nick Legan
Gravel Cycling by Nick Legan

Finally, Nick Legan, author of the new Gravel Cycling: The Complete Guide to Gravel Racing and Adventure Bikepacking, joins me to talk about his book, his 7 years as a pro-tour mechanic, how gravel racing became his sport of choice, and more.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy the show.