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Show #304 – July 9, 2016

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When cyclist Matt van Ohlen, co-founder of BikeStock was deliberately run down and murdered last week in NYC, there was once again an outcry for justice for cyclists. And, according to Streetsblog editor-in-chief Ben Fried, the response was “business as usual” when police began ticketing cyclists near the scene of the crime the following day.

Since then, the car has been found – the hit-and-run driver has not. And, in fact, less than 15% of all hit and run crashes are resolved.

Ben joins me to talk about Matt van Ohlen, the incident itself, and the mood of both the cycling community and the police in NYC.

The, I walk with Doug Ulman, CEO and President of Peolotonia – purportedly the “largest single-event cycling fundraiser benefiting cancer research in the United States”. To date, the 8 year old, three day event has raised over $112M – all of which has gone directly to research.

Doug, who is a cancer survivor himself and the past CEO of the Livestrong Foundation, gives us some in-depth statistics and some of the amazing successes that have come out of the direct underwriting of clinical trials through the Peolotonia organization.

Finally, I talk with award winning adventure travel writer Jayme Moye. Her recent blog in Simple.com titled “Cycling Passion: Why I Lost Money Reporting on Afghanistan’s First Female Bike Racers caught my attention this week and I wanted to know more about an adventure travel writer’s life as well as Jayme’s experience in Afhganistan.

Good show this week… let’s get to it.

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Show #303 – July 2, 2016

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“Doping? Again?”

I’m going to suggest that you suspend all your previous thoughts about Lance, Floyd, Tyler, and the U.S. Postal Team!

My guest this week has written a riveting book about one of our most favorite and displeasing topics – doping. Now, before you say – “What, another book about doping?” I want to preface the conversation by saying this is an approach I don’t believe anyone else has taken thus far.

He asks and answers such questions as: How, why, and when did we become so indignant and disgusted with athletic doping? What does it say about us and our society as a whole? How have these attitudes shifted over time? And, are you certain we as a society aren’t somewhat complicit?

Mark Johnson’s new book, “Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports” not only helps us in finding answers to these questions; he also gives us a much more balanced view of how we’ve come to the way we view drugs in sports today.

Mark, who has authored other cycling books including The Argyle Armada, is an avid cyclist and surfer. His work often covers pro cycling and by association, doping. He has an MA and PhD in English literature from Boston University, lives in Del Mar, California, and was our guest back in March of 2012.

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Show #302 – June 18, 2016

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Guest: Richard Sachs

torch

 

He’s iconic, smart, outspoken (like me!), and revered.

And, it’s been a while since we spoke.

After his blog entry this week titled “Adjusting the Torch” I asked him to join me once again and he accepted.

Richard Sachs and I caught up with one another early Friday morning to talk about a variety of subjects in an in-depth conversation on the show.

We cover such topics as his early career and how he sees today’s frame building craft, True Temper’s decision to stop making bicycle tubes and, what a young person might be thinking about frame building today.

He needs no further introduction – so, sit back and enjoy!

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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 #300 – WOOO HOOOO – June 4, 2016

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Huge thank you to all the listeners and supporters of the show!  I hope you enjoy this 300th episode!

I’ve got three guests to help me celebrate this special occasion including one of the most special people in my life – my life partner Brian Jenks.

You’ve heard me mention him more times than I could possibly count; and, I’ve finally been able to corral him to join me this evening.

Besides being a terrific person, Brian is also one of the most talented and creative people I know. From his perfectly executed frame designs to his impeccable final bicycle builds, Brian leaves no detail un-turned. This evening, we cover a variety of topics – barely scratching the surface of what he knows and does in his work.

Then, we welcome Sam Fox back to the show. With the usual disclaimer that Sam is no relation to Michael J. Fox, he DOES represent the Michael J. Fox Foundation and will fill us in on the “Tour de Fox”, a new 3-event fund and awareness raising series of bicycle tours. Tour du Fox begins right here in NE Ohio with the Great Lakes Tour in July followed by an event in the Pacific Northwest  and another in Sonoma Wine Country.

Finally, we ta lk with Dale Brown from the well-respected and very popular web site Classic Rendezvous. Dale tells us a bit about the history of the site and fills us in on the Classic Rendezvous weekend that will take place June 10-12 in Greensboro, NC.

 

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Show #299 – May 28, 2016

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Guests: Author and Writing Professor Meg Guroff; Kathleen Bond for the PanOhio Hope Ride

Rode 60+ miles in the Horsey Hundred in Georgetown, KY today!  My knee is fabulous thanks to the Regenexx stem cell procedure I had last July.

Over 2500 riders!  Great food, perfect road markings, rest stops every 12 miles or so.  and super friendly (and knowledgeable volunteers made the day perfect (as did my Captain of course!.) Bluegrass Cycling Club rocks!    Thanks to all of you who said you like the show and especially my listener in Indiana who told a bunch of folks I’d be at the ride – you know who you are.

This week, I speak with non-fiction writing professor Meg Guroff about her new book, The Mechanical Horse: How The Bicycle Reshaped American Life.  The book is full of great historical facts and stories as well as a meticulous annotation and extensive bibliography.  Published by University of Texas Press, the book was just published in April and is available where great books are found!  (Meg suggests you should buy from my your independent book seller and I concur!)

After our break, I talk with Kathleen Bond from the PanOhio Hope Ride.  Celebrating its 10th year – this enormously popular and successful event will change it up this year by riding from the Hope House in Cincinnati to the Hope House here in Cleveland.

The work that these houses do – offering free of charge housing for patients and families of cancer patients – is amazing.  Kathleen is an energetic and super well informed champion of the American Cancer Society AND the PanOhio Hope event.

 

 

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Show #298 – May 21, 2016

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Guests: “Live Update Guy” Charles Pelkey; Custom builder Rob English

“Live Update Guy“ Charles Pelkey talks with Diane about the Giro D’Italia and other peloton related matters in a fun conversation.

Then, custom frame builder and winner of “Best Road Bike” at NAHBS 1016, Rob English of English Cycles gives us his insights in the mind and work of the artisan frame builder.

 

 

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Show #297 – May 14, 2016

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Guests: Dr. Gabe Mirkin; Historian David Herlihy

Two guests this week!

My first guest is one of the most knowledgeable and forward thinking people I know. Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who at 81 remembers more than most of us will ever know, discusses diet (and dieting), metabolism, fads, and what we need to do to maintain our health long into our 80’s, 90’s, and beyond.  (If you don’t subscribe to his weekly eZine… maybe you should!)

After the break, I talk with one of if not the most renowned historian in the field of bicycles. David Herlihy, who has been on the show several other times, is always full of facts, anecdotes, and historical stories no one else seems to be able to uncover.

His 2006 book, Bicycle: The History was named the #1 book on bicycles by Outside Magazine; and, The Lost Cyclist, which we explored on the show back in 2010 uncovered an old cold case with the probable conclusion of that happened to Frank Lenz.

Now, David’s new article in the June issue of Adventure Cyclist Magazine, “Eastman & Overman” details the relationship of George Eastman (think Kodak!) and Albert Overman (who?). The story is rich in history and gives us a glimpse into the world of cycling from a perspective heretofore untold.

It’s a fabulous hour!

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Show #296 – May 7, 2016

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Guests: Dr. Paul Gordon and the Bike Listening Tour; Marine Vet Michael Priddy & US Army Vet David Allison and the No Man Rides Alone Tour

It’s May – National Bike Month and we will be talking to some interesting folks who are “on the road” for extended periods of time.

Dr. Paul Gordon is a professor of family medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona and has thought a lot about health care policy. He chose a cross-country bike tour as his sabbatical project with the goal of “listening” to what people across the country think about the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare.

On the “Bike Listening Tour”, his goal is to provide some understanding in a real, on-the-ground way instead of the usual “survey”.

I caught up with Dr. Gordon at the end of his first week on the road and he’s already learned a lot about the subject. As he goes from town to town, he just asks someone who sits down with him their thoughts about the ACA and then records the response after the conversation is over.

Each day, there is a new entry about that day’s narrative in the Bike Listening Tour blog.

Our conversation is quite interesting and enlightening.

In the second half of the show, I meet up with Marine Veteran Michael Priddy and U.S. Army veteran David Allison.

When Michael came home from his last overseas tour, his life began to implode. He ended up angry, depressed, and eventually divorced from his wife and estranged from his three children.

David, who is a retired police officer, found many of his fellow officers were in the same or similar situation as Michael.

Some of the statistics about our veterans and their struggles are both horrifying and heartbreaking.

An estimated 25 percent of those veterans struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has severe side effects including:
• Unemployment: the national average rate for unemployment is 7.3 percent, compared to 10 percent for veterans;
• Homelessness: the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night;
• Divorce: the divorce rate among combat veterans is a startling 80 percent; and
• Suicide: 22 veterans die as a result of suicide every single day and the VA reported its suicide hotline received a record number of calls in April 2015 – more than 400 calls a day.

In an effort to bring attention to the issues as well as raise money for The Eternity Challenge, No Man Rides Alone is a 2700 mile journey from California to Virginia.

The Eternity Challenge, a faith based 501 (c) (3) organization based in Northern California, has a relentless enthusiasm to help men and women overcome obstacles so that they ultimately achieve economic and social stability. They come along side those struggling with such difficulties as substance abuse, re-entry from jails or prisons and veterans with PTSD. For more information, please visit www.theeternitychallenge.com

According to David and Michael, of the 1,000 veterans who have gone through the program, there have been no suicides!

It’s another fascinating conversation.

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Show #295 – April 30, 2016

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Guests: Mountain2Mountain’s Shannon Galpin; Rich Roll

This week, my guests include National Geographic’s 2013 “Adventurer of the Year”, Shannon Galpin.

As many of you know, Shannon has been working tirelessly to bring cycling – with it’s messages of freedom, independence, and self-esteem to the women of Afghanistan.

The Afghani women’s cycling team has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for their bravery and persistence in the face of corruption and persecution.

This week, the New York Times published an article exposing the corruption and problems facing these women as their bikes, their funding, and their future as cyclists are being stripped away by the coach who was supposed to train and protect them.

Shannon Galpin is my first guest this week and we delve into the problems the women of Afghanistan face and what she plans to do when she returns to the country after an 8-month absence.

After the break, we head out to Malibu, California to speak with pod caster, author, endurance triathlete, and vegan Rich Roll.

Rich’s story is both compelling and inspiring and his messages are clear. HIs best selling book, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself, tell it all and we will discuss Rich’s philosophies, diet, and his message to those who don’t think they can “reach their goals”.

It’s a great show!