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Show #150 – July 6, 2013

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GUESTS: GRAEME FIFE, SCOTT HEMBREE, CHUCK HARMON, RACHEL APPEL, AND THE KIDS FROM THE BRONX LAB SCHOOL

 

The U.S. is in the midst of Independence Day weekend, where we shoot off fireworks, char animal flesh, and consume alcohol to celebrate giving ole King George the boot a couple hundred years ago. Don’t forget to squeeze a bike ride in there somewhere, because nothing says “Liberty!” like self-propulsion.

This being July, there’s a little bicycle race going on in France right now. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Our first guest is author Graeme Fife, arguably one of the persons best-versed in Tour de France history. His book, Tour De France: The History, the Legend, the Riders was originally released in 1999, and has been subsequently updated to include post-’99 editions of the Le Grande Boucle. Graeme joins Diane in the first half of today’s show to talk about the Tour and his approach to writing about it.

After a break and the news, Diane welcomes Scott Hembree, a track cycling champion in his own right, and father of BMX phenom Cyrus Hembree, who at 5-1/2 became the Arizona state champ, and the #2 natinoally-ranked rider in his age group. For Scott, Cyrus’ success as a racer is secondary to his overall development and his enjoyment of cycling.

And to wrap up the hour, we have our annual check-in with Chuck Harmon, Rachel Apple, and the students of the Bronx Lab School in New York City. Each summer, Chuck and Rachel lead a group of teenagers on a week-long, 300-mile bike tour in Ohio, visiting sites along the Underground Railroad. Listen as these “city kids” talk about exploring a rural environment, and testing their limits, both physically and mentally.

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Show #149 – June 29, 2013

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GUESTS: CONGRESSMAN DAVE JOYCE, ROB GARD, LARRY NILES

End of June – beginning of the 100th Tour de France.  Time is flying by; but there is always time for another edition of The Outspoken Cyclist.

My first guest this week is a Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH) who, along with colleague Congresswoman Dors Matsui (D-CA) introduced the new Safe Streets Act 2013  into Congress.  Congressman Joyce went to Washington to help enact this type of legislation because his friend, Judge Chip Henry, died in a tragic car-bike accident a few years ago and he wants to see change – NOW.

Then, I head on out to Los Angeles where we usually think is cars, cars, cars… but “CicLAvia” is about no cars, no cars, no cars, and the organizer of the events, Rob Gard tells me how he get L.A. to embrace car-less streets and spread joy in Los Angeles several times a year.

After some news, I talk with my old friend Larry Niles who, along with his wife Dawn, run Discovery Bicycle Tours out of Woodstock, Vermont.  Discovery is the new name of their several decades-old company and I wanted to learn about several of their tours including the 10-day El Camino Santiago – usually thought of as a “pilgrimage” by tens of thousands every year.

 

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Show #148 – June 22, 2013

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 GUESTS: ROB VAN DER PLAS, CHEF BIJU THOMAS

 

 
Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re celebrating Summer Solstice (and the perfect Solstice activity would be a bike ride, hint, hint). The astronomical celebration continues tomorrow (Sunday, June 23rd) when we’ll have a perigee full moon, when the moon is at its closest to Earth for the entire year. Another great excuse for a night ride (or at least to go outside and stare at the sky for a while)!

Meanwhile, in the subterranean studios of WJCU, Diane has cooked up an episode of The Outspoken Cyclist as big as the sky. First up is engineer and prolific cycling author Rob Van der Plas. Van der Plas has written a small library of cycling-related books, and his latest is an epic collection entitled The Bicycle Illustrations of Daniel Rebour. In an age where everyone and everything is photographed and shared instantly via social media, Van der Plas’ book is 288 pages of pure technical, black-and-white, line-drawing happiness. You need a copy for every bathroom in your home (plus one for the coffee table)!

After the news and a break, Diane welcomes back chef Biju Thomas, whose new book (co-written with Allen Lim, PhD) is Feed Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-the-Go Food for Athletes. Thomas and Lim build on the premise of their first book, namely that athletes should eat real food during exercise, with simple, tasty recipes that are both wholesome and mobile. For those of us not lucky enough to have Skratch Labs follow us around and cook for us on the pro tour, this book is the next best thing.

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Show #147 – June 15, 2013

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GUESTS: SENATOR SHERROD BROWN, KORY PIORKOWSKI, JEFF SPECK

 

Here we are in mid-June, and if you live in the northern hemisphere, and you’re not riding your bike on a regular basis, check your pulse; you might have expired and not even know it! Meanwhile, here at the Outspoken Cyclist Department of Sustainability Department, we have three great guests to engage your brain.

We are pleased and honored to welcome back U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who revealed, among other things that he walks the mile to work at the Capitol Building. Senator Brown is also very upbeat on the progress Ohio is making in the areas of sustainable transportation and urban revitalization.

Sometimes, the best time to undertake an over-the-top adventure is when you’re young and haven’t yet learned the meaning of impossible (and I mean that in the positive sense). Kory Piorkowski and Michael-John O’Neal are two young men who are determined to determine what they and our country are capable of this summer. They left this week on an east-to-west continental bike trip with a goal of finishing in two months. Along the way, they’ll be promoting sustainable culture. On the eve of their departure, Kory stopped in to the WJCU studios to talk about their project: Spokes of Green.

After a bit of news and a break, author and city planner Jeff Speck joins us for an extended conversation about walkability. Jeff has written a new book entitled Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, which talks about the re-population of urban core areas, and what cities can do to encourage the process. I know you might be thinking “wonk alert” but Jeff will blow your mind on topics like parking, one-way streets and the difference between walking and walking.

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Show #146 – June 8, 2013

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GUESTS: NEIL BROWNE, KEITH LAUGHLIN, NICK CRUMPTON

 

Neil Browne is back with us to talk about Lance’s chances fore redemption, and the general state of competitive cycling. If listening to Diane’s conversation leaves you wanting more, head over to Browne Eye Cycling for an alternate, independent look at bike racing.

The Rails to Trails Conservancy held one of their three yearly board meetings here in Cleveland this week, and the President of RTC, Keith Laughlin stopped by the WJCU studios for a quick chat on his way to the airport. RTC is preparing to push into the mobile-connected era with a trail finder app, plus all their normal work to extend and connect America’s rail-trail network.

Finally, if you think that all custom framebuilders in the U.S. work in steel or titanium, or if you think all carbon comes from a big factory somewhere (usually overseas) think again. Nick Crumpton of Crumpton Cycles is a small, custom builder based in Austin, Texas who fabricates handmade, custom carbon fiber frames. The second half of this week’s show is devoted to getting to know Nick, including his take on the most recent edition of the Baller’s Ride.

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Show #145 – June 1, 2013

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GUESTS: PATRICK BRADY, LORENZO DI SALVO, SAMUEL SWENSON, & GEORGE MOUNT

 

This week’s edition of The Outspoken Cyclist should come with a warning label: “Open with caution; contents under pressure”. It’s a packed house this week, with something for everyone.

Lance Armstrong is suddenly the social butterfly, reaching out to former rivals and media alike. Patrick Brady of Red Kite Prayer got an actual telephone call from Big Tex this week, and he’s first up to share his impressions of Lance’s latest campaign.

Tomorrow is the Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia in southern California, and whether you’ll be toeing the line in L.A. or wishing you were, Lorenzo DiSalvo is here to get us in the mood for some cycling, Italian-style.

Rounding out the first half of the hour is Samuel Swenson, who formerly worked as a mechanic for the bike share program in Washington, DC. He and other employees of bike share programs around the U.S. claim they were denied wages and benefits due them under contracts between Alta Bike Share and the various host cities. (Numerous attempts to contact officials at Alta Bicycle Share before airtime were unsuccessful.)

With an opening triple-decker like that, we needed a short break, after which we get to stretch out with one of the greats from U.S. cycling’s heyday of the 1970s and 1980s: George Mount. George is a former Olympian, former pro racer in Europe, and member of the U.S. Bicycle Hall of Fame. He doesn’t mince words nor pull any punches when it comes to cycling’s past, present, or future.

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Show #144 – May 25, 2013

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GUESTS: STEWART KOHL; BRUCE BARCOTT

 

Inspired by the fund-raising success of the Pan-Mass Challenge, local cyclist and philanthropist Stewart Kohl is organizing a similar ride in Ohio. This new ride, called VeloSano, will launch in July 2014 from the Cleveland Clinic campus in mid-town Cleveland. You’ll be hearing more about VeloSano in the coming months, but you can get all the details today on The Outspoken Cyclist.

After the news and a break, Diane settles in with author Bruce Barcott, who has just written an article about helmets for Bicycling magazine that has cyclists everywhere wondering, “is this foam hat really protecting me?” Bruce gives us a history lesson on helmet standards, and a peek at new technologies entering the market. Warning geek-out ahead!

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Show #143 – May 18, 2013

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GUESTS: GRANT PETERSEN, HEATHER ANDERSEN

 

He eschews clipless pedals, he thinks handlebars should be level with the saddle, and he’s convinced that steel is the “realest” material you could use in building a bike frame. Some would call him a retro-grouch, but he’s actually Grant Petersen, the very friendly owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works. On this week’s Outspoken Cyclist, we’re treated to a conversation between Grant and Diane on a wide range of topics, including bicycles!

She served in the Peace Corps in Africa, and didn’t want to return to the U.S. right away after her assignment was complete. So she decided to tour southern Africa by bicycle, and ended up writing a book about her experience. She is Heather Andersen, veteran cycle-tourist and author of the book I Never Intended to Be Brave: A Woman’s Bicycle Journey through Southern Africa. Heather is our guest in the second half of this week’s show.

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Show #142 – May 11, 2013

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GUESTS: PETE JORDAN, ROB GUSKY, SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RAY LAHOOD

 

Mother’s Day, CycloFemme and TOSRV are all happening this weekend, so you have no excuse for moping about the house. Also, no excuse for moping: this week’s fully loaded edition of The Outspoken Cyclist.

The well-worn meme in cycling is that Amsterdam is one of the most bicycle-centric cities in the world. And while that’s true, it goes much deeper than that. Pete Jordan went to Amsterdam to visit and was so impressed that he took up residence and wrote a book about the place. In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist is a deeply-researched work about Amsterdam’s long history with the bicycle, and the unique way people there relate to riding. Diane caught up with Pete during his book tour in the U.S.

Last year about this time, we told you about the National Bike Challenge, sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and Endomondo. The 2012 NBC was a huge success, and it’s back again this year, with even bigger goals and prizes. Rob Gusky, Kimberly-Clark’s cycling ambassador is on the show today to give us all the details. The 2013 Challenge started May 1st, now is the time to sign up and start logging your miles.

Finally, we welcome back someone who has really put his pedals where his mouth is, in terms of cycling advocacy in the U.S. government. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has championed cycling throughout his career in public service, especially during the past four years in the Obama administration. Mr. LaHood will be stepping down from that post in the near future, and we take this opportunity to say thanks, and get his take on what’s been accomplished, and what may be coming for bicycling infrastructure and programs.

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Show #141 – May 4, 2013

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GUESTS: JENN DICE, LARRY PIZZI

 

My itchy eyes and constant sneezing tell me that spring has finally arrived in NE Ohio. But here’s the crazy thing: I only have symptoms indoors at home or work. I was totally fine on a 6-hour ride today. I think nature is trying to send me a message.

Besides my spring allergy update, you might want to know who’s on The Outspoken Cyclist this week. Well I’ll tell you…

First up, we have Jenn Dice , Vice President of Government Relations at Bikes Belong. Jenn directs Bikes Belong’s Bohm Strategy Center and leads Bikes Belong’s lobbying team and government relations program. She’s also a bonafide adventurer, having completed the Leadville Trail 100 on several occasions, and climbed up and biked down Mt. Kilimanjaro!

The second half of today’s show is dedicated to electric-assist, or E-Bikes. In the automotive world, we have the Toyota Prius as the best known example of the hybrid car, and now the “hybrid bike” is beginning to get attention in the United States. Larry Pizzi of Currie Technologies is on hand to give us a thorough and insightful explanation of what E-Bikes are, and why they may fill a gap between fully-motorized and fully-human-powered transportation. A device that provides a constant tailwind? Yes, please!