Outspoken Cyclist

I wanted to get this episode up before Omloop- the first European One-Day Classic this coming Saturday.

Indeed, it’s Spring Classics time and as always, I turn to my bike racing expert, Joe Lindsey, the managing director of Escape Collective, for his knowledge and insights.

Interestingly enough, as many times as we’ve spoken over the years, it never occurred to me to define certain terms until now! Duh! 

And so, we begin this early spring conversation with a few definitions such as – what is a classic?  Which races are termed Monuments and what...

I have a bit of housekeeping before we get to our two great guests today.

First – it’s WJCU’s annual fundraiser – RADIOTHON! This year’s theme “Carrying the Torch for College Radio,” is particularly pertinent as another well-loved local college station was recently sold and converted to our local NPR affiliate for a jazz format, much to the disappointment of Cleveland State University! 

But WJCU – 88.7on your FM dial here in NE Ohio, is alive and well.  The station is the on-air voice of John Carroll University and has been the gracious host for The Outspoken Cycl...

My guest today is an old friend and perhaps someone many of you might consider your friend too.

If you subscribed to Winning Magazine or Velo News back in the day, you relished Maynard Hershon’s column, “Tales from the Bike Shop,” at the back of each issue.

Maynard is the bicycle world’s storyteller and, in many ways, is keeping the story of proper bike riding alive.

His now out-of-print book “Tales from the Bike Shop,” is a classic – mixing his astute observations about bike-shop-behavior with humor and a plainspoken honesty about what went on i...

As many of you know, I have a real soft spot for traditional steel frame bikes and so I always feel somewhat justified in my “curmudgeonly-ness” when I have the opportunity speak with a master frame builder who is still practicing the art of building steel bikes.

Bicycling started out as a “working class” sport and those who supported it were working class folks.  Today, we hold our custom frame builders in high esteem at the same time that the craft of building steel bikes tries very hard to fade into history.

Framebuilder Paul Gibson not only...

In my Substack post about Tucker Schwinn’s new book, Closure – The Final Days of the Waterford Bicycle Factory – I said I had hoped to be able to speak with him directly.

That happened over the past weekend, and I wanted to share that conversation, even though this will be a short podcast episode.

Tucker is the son of Richard and Debra Schwinn.  He grew up in the world of Waterford Precision Cycles and when the announcement of the closure of the factory was made and even before, decided to use his photography degree to documen...

I’m really pleased to welcome two great guests to the show today.

The first is not new to TOC, and in fact has been someone I’ve not only spoken with in the past but have also referred to many times on episodes where he doesn’t even appear.

I love catching up with Strong Towns’ founder Chuck Marohn because I always experience an enlightening and encouraging conversation.  Today is no different.

In this episode we cover a myriad of topics from the Ride for Life Rally that was held in D.C. to Chu...

Every time I think our issues with cars vs cyclists are getting so much worse, which of course they are, I come across something that is even more dreadful!

Seems that Canada – a place where I would have thought cyclists would be not only safer but encouraged – is definitely not that!

In my conversation with David Shellnutt, The Biking Lawyer, I learn that there is not only open hostility to cyclists, but the police seem to be complicit in making cyclists “pay” for infractions while drivers’ who have been issued tickets find themselves with no consequenc...

This episode was going to be an audio with commentary for my Substack.  But, as often happens when I speak with Joe Lindsey from the Escape Collective, the conversation becomes so interesting that I just couldn’t see NOT sharing it on all my platforms.

Another reason I wanted to share this with everyone is that Joe, is an expert on competitive bike racing, which I am not, and since the 2025 continental and world races are pretty much over, I figured it was time to review them.

We begin with a short discussion about this yea...

We read or hear about corruption from a lot of places and when I came across a story from Kevin Duggan from Streetsblog NYC about a prominent family in Brooklyn NY that bribed officials to kill a protected bike lane, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to find out more.

The Argentos are big-whigs in the Greenpoint District of Brooklyn, NY – many high-profile television shows are shot on their “Broadway Stages” properties. 

This past August, they were indicted for bribing the mayor’s assistant with not only money, but a cameo on an upcoming sh...

Scott Tong is one of my favorite NPR hosts. Most days, along with Robyn Young and several other Here and Now folks, I listen to Scott on WKSU, our local NPR affiliate.

Over the past year or so, I’ve heard Scott talk about riding his bike, crashing his bike, and more recently, training for a long-distance cycling event.

So I reached out to him, and he was happy to talk about his riding experiences, the bike he rides – which is only one of my all-time favorite brands – and the event he was training for with h...

This episode of the podcast offers up a short discussion with Bicycle Retailer’s EIC Steve Frothingham about U.S. Customs and the seizing of containers from Taiwan manufacturer Giant.

Earlier this week, in a surprise move, US Customs officials seized containers from Giant, the world’s largest bike mfg, over unspecified forced labor accusations.

In an effort to find out exactly what that meant, besides holding up shipments at the ports, I rang up Steve Frothingham, EIC of BR&IN.

His explanation, which was as up to date as of a few hour...

Shannon Binns didn’t make a plan to come to Charlotte, NC and stay; yet here he is more than 15 years after starting his not-for-profit organization “Sustain Charlotte.”

Shannon started out in engineering, did some overseas volunteering, and finally decided that environmental science and public policy were where his interests really lay, leading him to a master’s degree around the age of 30.

Landing in Charlotte, which was growing at breakneck speed – but without a lot of planning – he discovered he absolutely had to buy a car to get anywhere when he moved into a suburban nei...

It’s kind of a special episode for TOC because on September 4th, I will celebrate 15 years of TOC podcasting.

From my very first guest, frame builder Ben Serotta, until today, when my guests are far afield from frame building, I’ve had the privilege and honor or speaking with so many interesting, smart, talented, and accomplished people.

And so much has changed in the podcast space over the years.  This show started out as not only a podcast, but also a 1-hour radio broadcast.  Now we use the Zoom platform to record my conversations as wel...

I’m a huge believer in print – magazines, newspapers, books.  I prefer to turn pages and read from them, so when a client of ours mentioned this new magazine FAUSTO, I jumped right on it.

The editor graciously sent me Issues #1 & #2 and I was hooked, promptly subscribing to future issues.

Brad Roe and Tim Schamber have a long history with print magazines going WAY back to some early cycling publications, including Peloton, which was acquired Outside – another whole topic of conversation by the way.

So they took a beat and began ruminating on the wha...

This episode of the podcast covers good news for cyclists in PA and a look at what’s happening in NYC – from the mayoral election to Central Park.

Ed Blazina has been a transportation writer in Pittsburgh for over 20 years and is or was employed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  I say is/was for a particular reason; he and his fellow journalists have been on strike for 2 ½ years! 

But that’s apart from the original reason I contacted him.  Apparently, bicyclists in Pennsylvania were NOT entitled to be on the road with other vehicles – until the state su...

Today, my guests are Mark Van Tongeren from Michigan Adventure Racing and Professor Jim Martin from the Nutrition and Integrative Physiology and Neuromuscular Function Lab at the University of Utah.

I’m not sure how I didn’t know about Michigan Adventure Racing.  The organization seems so together, and Mark Von Tongeren, the founder and producer of these events seems to be the best kind of ride director.

If you are into well organized events that offer up some challenging riding, Michigan Adventure Racing might just have what you’re looking for this summer.

I was...

My guest is not new to the show, and he is certainly not new to U.S. cycling or to the custom bike business.

In fact, Toby Stanton – Mr. Hot Tubes, Mr. Junior Development Team Guy, and probably one of the few people in the U.S. who has watched U.S. bike racing ebb and flow with deep insight and broad knowledge, is one of the most knowledgeable and approachable people in the biz.

I was fortunate enough to get “schooled” on the current state of U.S. bike racing – including how he views team dev...

How’s your heart?  Do you regularly keep tabs on the highs and lows of your heart rate? Have you noticed any irregularities?

My guest today is Dr. Tamanna Singh.  She is a sports cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and, in her words, an “advocate for athletes.”

Dr. Singh reviewed an article in Bicycling Magazine on March 12th titled 6 Myths About Max Heart Rate Cyclists Need to Stop Believing and at the top of the list was the statement: If You Exceed Your Max Heart Rate, Your Heart Explodes.

It seemed ridiculous of course...

I wanted to get this episode out right away as it is time sensitive.

It isn’t always my great good fortune to be able speak with one of the iconic American pro riders who is still “in the bike world,” but today is one of those days.

Retired pro racer Levi Leipheimer’s career goes back to the mid-90’s, and throughout that decade and beyond he racked up some impressive stats including an Olympic medal, the U.S. championship, and winning three tours of California – the list is very long.

When he was 13, h...

She really wanted to wear skirts and get her nails done, but Alison Tetrick, while remaining ever the fashionable girl, is a feisty competitor – in all sorts of ways.

Starting out as a tennis player in high school, she played in college on a full ride where she studied biochemistry.  She worked in drug discovery research for Amgen, and then….with all her energy and competitive urges, was egged on to bike racing by her grandfather Paul Tetrick, who found his passion for bike racing in his 60’s and raced well into his 80’s.

Alison’s trajector...

I love talking about bike racing with Escape Collective’s Joe Lindsey because he has such a superb grasp of the sport – for both men and women.

Today, our conversation covers a little bit of the Spring Classics – Paris-Nice, Milan San-Remo – both men’s and women’s editions – as well as looking ahead to Paris-Roubaix and on into the upcoming Big Tours.

Having failed at Milan-San Remo five times, Tadej won’t be satisfied until he wins that as well as any other Monument he has in his sights.

We muse about how Tadej will do at...

My guest today is Professor Alex Karner from the U. of Texas in Austin. 

I learned about Alex and his work in an article by Magdalena de Valle written  for Bloomberg News on February 26th.  She stated: “Alex Karner got an email from the Transportation Research Board ordering him to stop work on his research project studying equitable access to goods and services.” 

My ears perked up and I took a dive into the rabbit hole, contacting the Professor to find out more. Alex will be with me in a moment.

My second guest to...

My guests today are NYC’s Professor John Surico and the bike fitter’s bike fitter, Paul Swift.

John is one of my favorite repeat guests as those of you who are regular listeners know.

And go figure, this conversation was recorded exactly one day before the President put the kabosh on congestion pricing in NYC.

John and I had spoken last May about the project and how it was on again and off again and how he was looking forward to what it might do for NYC. The cameras went online in Janu...

It is a tough day for the Outspoken Cyclist Podcast as well as the many shows and most of the staff of WJCU – the radio station at John Carroll University that hosts my show. 

Back in 2010, when TOC first went on the air – and we were a radio broadcast as well as a podcast for many years – my co-host, engineer, and mentor was a gentleman named Greg Priddy. 

He spent endless hours editing our show for podcast and taught me ins and outs of the studio sound board, how to edit, mix, and upload my shows, a...

The holidays are literally around the corner and today, I wanted to offer up one of my favorite year-end opportunities for giving.

Leah Missbach Day is one of the founders of WBR, and World Bicycle Relief is about to turn 20.

In the years since its inception, it has grown from aiding 20,351 people in Sri Lanka after the 2004 Tsunami to 850,000 bicycles on the ground in 7 African countries and in Colombia, South America.

These bicycles have helped girls to go to school, health workers to deliver life saving aid, and farmers to get their goods...

Hello and welcome to TOC.  I’m your host Diane Jenks.  Thanks for tuning in today.

Yes, it’s been a minute – well, maybe a bit longer – since the last episode, but I’m back and today’s show is the first in our year-end series highlighting gift-giving opportunities.

That’s not all though.  My first guests are husband and wife Deb and Tom Gardner.  They live in Indianapolis and have such a great story to tell.

Both are now retired and the accomplishments they have under their belts are mind blowing.  Before they became heavily...

Brendan Quirk is the CEO of USA Cycling.  Brendan fell in love with bike racing as a teenager and throughout his young adulthood and beyond, has immersed himself in everything from owning his own shop and developing a thriving online business to his present position – imbuing USA Cycling organization with his passion for the sport.

Brendan’s determination for success for the organization, beginning with member ship and working on the Foundation Board, led to his role as CEO.  His commitment to spreading the word about cycling, from local grass roots organizations to our Olympic goals for Los An...

This episode of our show was intended to highlight another great riding trail along with a conversation with renowned traffic engineer and planner Professor Wes Marshall at the University of Colorado in Denver.

My conversation with Wes happened the day after the news of the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were announced and when we logged in to talk, we had both been reading the same news summary. 

The horror and disbelief of the tragedy really struck me hard and because so much of the topics Wes and I were to talk about were d...

As August comes to a close we are beginning to wrap-up our series on great riding trails.  This episode, we take a ride down the Katy Trail in Missouri with trail manager Cassie Brandt.

We’ve had clients tell us how much they enjoy the Katy and listening to Cassie, you might just want to add it to your bucket list.

Before we get to the trail though, my first guest today is Laura Moulton.  Back in 2011, I spoke with Laura about her then 3-month art project, Street Books, in Portland, Oregon.

Fast forw...

Back in April, 65 members of the European Cyclists Federation, representing 40 countries, signed the EU Declaration of Cycling.

Founded in 1983, the European Cyclists’ Federation is a Brussels-based independent non-profit association dedicated to achieving more and better cycling for all in Europe.

The ECF’s mandate?  That by 2030 there will be more cycling, safer cycling, and stronger political support for cycling that includes higher investment with more and better infrastructure.

Today, my guest is Jill Warren, the CEO of the ECF and in a moment, she will tell us more about the ECF and what the f...

In our ongoing series on favorite riding trails, I took Jim Sayer’s advice and contacted the Empire State Trail’s Chris Morris for a look at New York’s 750 miles of cycling and walking paths through the State.

Chris is the Empire State Trail Program Manager, living a short distance from one of the trailheads as well as having traversed many a mile on the trail himself.

Brian and I spent a couple of days riding our tandem on the Erie Canal Towpath back in 2016, traveling from Lockport to Brockport and back, staying in a love...

Last time, we began our series on favorite bike trails with the Ohio to Erie Trail and today, we’ll be exploring the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota.

A couple of years ago, Jim Sayer, who was with the Adventure Cyclist Association for many years, was riding cross country and stopped in to stay with Brian and me for a night.  We got to talking about the trip he was making.  He told us he would be taking in some of the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota on his way back to Montana.

When several peop...

Finally, we will begin our series on cycling trails and paths.  I did hear from quite a few of you about your favorites and we will begin the series here in my home state, Ohio.

Tom Bilcze is the president of the Ohio to Erie Trail Foundation and he has ridden almost every inch of the 326 mile route from The Ohio River to Lake Erie.  Tom will offer us some of the highlights of the trail along with some great information about how to plan your trip including an interactive map.

A couple of weeks ag...

On my last show, I spoke with London cycling Advocate and the truly delightful Carla Francome.  Not a moment after we ended our conversation, Carla sent me a note asking if SHE could interview ME.

Carla had many questions for me, and I hope I didn’t bend her ear too much.

She asked me about my childhood, how I got into the bike business, and of course, about Brian.

As we chatted, I made notes so, if you go to the outspokencyclist’s website, you’ll see links to some of the things...

I’m not sure how I ended up with two guests who exhibit almost identical traits – they’re gutsy, funny, and passionate about everything they do.

And yet, they are completely different from one another.

Guest #1 is Carla Francome.  She lives, works, and rides in London.  She’s a TV producer and a cycling advocate extraordinaire. I discovered her on Twitter (X) and just knew she’d be a great guest. 

Carla Francome is a bicycle campaigner – especially for women. 

When she found her work as a TV producer coming to a screeching hal...

We have two great conversations today.

My first guest is Christian Sander, the producer and writer of Hard Miles, a full-length feature film starring Matthew Modine as Greg Townsend, a social worker who takes a group of incarcerated teenage boys on a 762-mile bike trip to the Grand Canyon.  It’s based on a true story – there really IS a Greg Townsend and he really has taken thousands of kids on this trip.  In fact, Greg was on set every day during the shooting of the movie!

Brian and I went to a local theater last w...

The world of bike racing, from the high school through pro levels, has been predominantly male and predominantly white, so when I saw Ian Dille’s article in Outside Online about the Richmond Cycling Corps – the kids from Cool lane, I wanted to know more.

Founded by pro-racer Craig Dawson in 2010, The Richmond Cycling Corps is not just about bike racing – it’s about community and education and giving young disadvantaged youth a perspective that expands their horizons through cycling.

Ian Dille is a journalist, writer, and producer and learned about the Richmond Cycling Corps some tim...

This episode features two incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable guests.

First is someone I would term a renaissance man – at least he’s a modern renaissance man.

Adam Rogers is curious about A LOT of things and while we have a great topic that he recently reported on about bike lanes and their impact on businesses, I just had to ask him about some other projects he’s delved into in his career as a journalist – so far.

One such project involved color, and you might remember the controversy.  Did you see a blue dress wit...

Today’s episode features two very accomplished guests.

First up is Mike Lydon – and where to begin! Well, let’s see.. Mike is an internationally recognized planner, writer, speaker, and advocate for livable cities.

But wait, there’s more; in fact, so much more that I would direct you to his website, street-plans.com where there is a great description of what he does and the accolades, and projects he’s been part of are enumerated.

Mike Lydon seems to have been “born to” the profession of urban planning with a love for towns and citi...

Today’s episode is about one man and his life as told in a new documentary as well as a new biographical novel.  Marshal Major Taylor is a name so many of us know, yet what do we really know ABOUT him?

Todd Gould is an Emmy award winning producer and author who lives and works in Bloomington, Indiana.

Todd is the executive producer of Major Taylor, Champion of the Race, a one-hour documentary that will air Monday, February 26th, at 8pm eastern time as well as stream on your PBS Passport app. The film wil...