Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure
Adam and Michael’s friendship is built on a shared love of cycling. From tough trails to leisurely rides, their adventures are filled with stories, banter, and authentic connection. Their podcast blends entertaining anecdotes, heartfelt conversations, and cycling excitement—welcoming you into their community and the joy of the open road.
How Many Platforms Does It Take To Mispronounce A Podium
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One bad corner can change a Grand Tour, and today’s Tour de France proved it. We’re Michael and Adam from Cycling Men of Leisure, checking in with a daily leisure breakaway recap, and we start with the biggest lesson from the stage: when riders are descending at 50 to 60 miles per hour, the margin for error is basically nonexistent. We talk through the crashes, what likely causes them on technical descents, and why it’s a win for the whole race that nobody appears to be forced out.
Then we get in...
How Much Luck Does The Yellow Jersey Need
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Two minutes and 42 seconds can feel like a wall, right up until the Tour de France reminds you it’s paper thin. We take the Tour de France 2026 rest day to reset the race: where the general classification stands, how the first nine stages actually played out, and why the yellow jersey fight between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard still has plenty of room to turn.
We walk through the opening stretch from the Barcelona start, including the early time trial impact, the first real mountain separation, and how brutal heat has...
Stage 9 Recap: A Shortened Route And A Big Win
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Stage 9 hits like a blast furnace: temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, the road shimmering, and organizers shaving about 30 kilometers off the route just to keep the day manageable. We’re tracking the Tour de France as it unfolds, and this one becomes a real-world lesson in pro cycling heat management, hydration strategy, and how teams try to limit losses when the weather turns the race into an endurance test. Even with the distance reduced, the suffering is obvious and the decisions get sharper.
From Malmore to Usal, the storyline tig...
What A Newspaper War Still Teaches Us About Racing Today
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A flat-looking Tour de France stage can still feel like survival, especially when the thermometer sits around 95°F and the roads funnel every sprinter’s team into the same narrow goal. We break down Stage 8 from Parigo to Bergerac: a breakaway kept on a short leash, no crosswind chaos, and a fast, technical run-in where the big names stay upright and the peloton finally detonates into a full-speed sprint. Tim Miller makes it two straight stage wins, while the general classification contenders play it safe and finish together to protect their time.
Tour De France 2026 Stage 7 Recap And Rider Pay Explained
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A flat stage can look boring until you watch 46+ km/h speed, a boxed-in peloton, and a finish where the last 200 meters decide everything. We’re back with a Tour de France 2026 Stage 7 recap from start to Bordeaux, including how the breakaway got managed and why the sprint teams dictated the day.
We dig into Tim Merlier’s win and what it takes to launch at the exact right moment when everyone is on the limit. We also touch the bigger Tour threads that quietly keep building: jersey standings that hold stea...
What Pogacar Is To Climbing I Am To Pie
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A mountain stage can feel like a slow burn until it suddenly becomes a wildfire, and Stage 6 in the Pyrenees is exactly that. We are Michael and Adam, and we come in hot on the first true summit showdown of this Tour de France, where the numbers alone sound unreal: 186.2 kilometers, 4,100 meters of climbing, and oppressive summer heat that forces every team to ration matches. If you’ve ever looked at your own ride stats and wondered how pros do it day after day, this recap puts the effort into perspective fast.
The Tour Says No U-Turns
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A sprint stage is supposed to be predictable until it isn’t. Stage 5 of the Tour de France brings blazing heat, constant fight for position, and a gutsy solo breakaway that forces the peloton to make hard choices long before the finish. We break down the Len Lamazan to Po run with the numbers that matter, what 88-degree temperatures do to hydration and decision-making, and why “staying out of trouble” becomes the real goal for the yellow jersey contenders before the mountains arrive.
The day’s story starts with a rider going al...
When Your Fork Snaps And when the Tour de France Hits 104
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Stage 4 of the Tour de France is the reminder every cycling fan loves and every GC team fears: one day can rewrite the race. We talk through the full Stage 4 recap from Carcassonne to Foix, including the brutal numbers, the four categorized climbs, and the oppressive 104°F heat that forces teams to rethink pacing, hydration, and risk. When conditions get that extreme, “normal” tactics break down fast, and today’s choices reshape the general classification in a big way.
The headline is a massive breakaway that gets real freedom. We explain why GC t...
What Extreme Heat And Wildfires Change In Cycling
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A Tour de France stage can feel like a summer joyride on TV, until you hear the numbers and realize it was basically a moving furnace. Day three brings 195.9 km of racing, an average temperature around 90°F, and the first real mountain exam as the route crosses into the French Pyrenees. We break down what that heat means for pacing, hydration, and team control, and why a fast average speed on a day like this is its own kind of warning sign.
The race finally gives the general classification contenders a c...
The Secret To Winning Is Letting Someone Else Win
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A mechanical problem, a 22-year-old rising star, and a team captain who chooses leadership over ego, that’s the kind of Tour de France story that sticks. We pick up right after Stage 2 with a clear, fan-friendly breakdown of what “categorized climbs” actually mean, from Category 4 rollers to Category 1 grinders and the brutal HC ascents that feel beyond human. If you’ve ever listened to commentators toss out climb ratings and wondered why it matters, we connect the labels to real tactics: when the peloton squeezes, when a breakaway dies, and when the favorite...
The Tour Is Back And We’re Counting Seconds
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Eight seconds doesn’t sound like much until it’s eight seconds at the Tour de France. We’re launching Leisure Breakaway as a short, stage-by-stage companion to Tour de France 2026, starting with the opening days in Barcelona and a team time trial that already reshuffled expectations for the general classification.
We break down the big-picture setup first: July 4 through July 26, 21 stages over 23 days, two rest days, 23 teams, and 184 riders racing roughly 3,333 kilometers. Then we get into what made this team time trial especially worth paying attention to: instead of one shared...
Bucket Hats, Beanie Babies, And Why Cyclists Built The Roads
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A bucket hat shows up in our lives again, and this time it’s not just an awkward dinner story. We read a real headline about a Florida bank robber who demanded cash in his bucket hat, then basically helped police catch him by continuing to wear the thing. It’s ridiculous, it’s funny, and it somehow fits perfectly with our ongoing theory that bucket hats cause people to go a little berserk.
We also bring back a favorite guest, Miya, for a warm update on Confetti, the well-traveled Beanie Baby w...
Hot Gatorade, Blue M&Ms, We Never Planned a Community, Then it happened.
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A guy rode past us during a bike event while listening to our podcast at the exact same moment. That’s the kind of sentence we would have laughed at when we first hit record, and it’s the perfect way to frame our 100th episode milestone. We start with classic Cycling Men of Leisure catch-up: work trips that turn into mini road adventures, the beauty of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and why moving too fast makes you miss the weird, wonderful “true America” you only find when you take the long way.
Th...
BIG BRAG Without Us
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Big BRAG week is here, and we’ve got a confession: we’re jealous. We’re thrilled our cycling team is rolling deep with 23 riders, but it’s still strange not having our own gear spread across the floor and our bikes half-packed for travel. That tension sparks a bigger conversation about what a multi-day bike ride really is when you strip away the stats. For us, BRAG isn’t just a route, it’s the anticipation, the shuttle chatter, the packing tricks, the “please let my bike go back together” prayers, and the way a cyclin...
We Got Ranked Number One So Now What, Leisure Cycling Updates
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Your house might be quieter than you think, and that can be dangerous. We share a real fire safety wake-up call that sent us home to twist detectors off the ceiling and read the fine print, because smoke detectors and CO alarms can expire and “smart” models are not always the safest choice if you’re not tracking lifespan and sensors. If you’ve ever assumed your alarms will just work forever, this conversation is your sign to test, check dates, and replace what’s overdue.
We also keep it firmly in our cyc...
The Bar Is On Fire And So Is My Foot
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A $125 Old Fashioned with fire, maple syrup, and bacon sounds like a joke until it shows up tableside and the whole bar starts watching. We kick things off with high-roller banter, travel timing headaches, and a reminder that our kind of road adventure is not about speed, it is about stories you will still be laughing about months later.
Listener Spotlight takes a surprising turn to Palestine, Texas, a town that connects old-school American history with NASA-level balloon science. We talk about the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, why balloons are a...
We Get Evacuated Mid Tasting And Still Finish Dinner
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Tornado sirens, Spanish artisanal cheese, and bourbon business headlines sound like three different shows, but that’s a normal ride for us. We start with road-style storytelling and conference chaos, including the legendary tale of a family raising chickens and learning the hard way that “Jennifer” is not the sweet hen everyone expected.
Then we bring the community into the conversation with Listener Spotlight, where you send guesses through our fan mail link and we read and play your messages. This round’s clues lead str...
Please Listen Because Our Options Haven’t Changed
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The weird truth about modern life is that a robot might reject your resume, your phone might read you a transcript like closed captions, and a stranger in a restaurant might force you to hear their videos at full volume. We lean into all of it while keeping the Men of Leisure spirit intact and yes, there’s a big announcement tucked inside.
We start with a real update from the road, or at least from the studio: Adam is back upstairs with a new setup, better sound, and a space bu...
What If Leisure Is The Whole Point, the longhorn steakhouse Guy joins the show
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A canceled flight at 2am shouldn’t turn into an overnight saga, but sometimes travel has other plans. We share a Southern California trip that starts as a meaningful family vacation and “back to where it all began” birthday idea, then ends with airline chaos, shifting departure times, and that particular kind of exhaustion you only earn after living out of a suitcase across multiple hotels. It’s part travel story, part reality check, and part reminder that being in a hurry is the fastest way to miss...
Fog, Moon Pies, And The Lucky A
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A fog‑shrouded descent into Detroit turns into two full‑throttle go‑arounds, a shrinking layover, and a dash through Atlanta that ends at a gate announcing an instant “on time.” That chaos becomes our doorway into a bigger theme: how slow travel—and the right kind of humor—can turn stress into stories worth keeping.
We swap flight nerves for frontline lessons from public transit. De‑escalation is not theoretical when you sit behind the wheel; it is policy made real by posted rules, QR codes...
Spy? Bus Driver? Bourbon Courier On A Bike - Michael shares something personal
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A slow ride can carry a lot: jokes from a sunlit cruise, a bottle of bourbon tucked into a jersey, and the kind of conversation that pauses for grief and keeps rolling anyway. We open with playful “secret agent” teasing and a check-in on the job search, detour into bourbon dreams and Peerless Distillery legends (yes, including Patton’s pistol), and then arrive at the true center of this journey: honoring a father whose love of cycling sparked a friendship and a community.
Fro...
Tall, Grande, Venti… And A Whole Latte Opinions
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A warm floor, a borrowed basement, and a hardwired cable set the scene for a conversation that mixes honesty with humor. We open by acknowledging a tough week for the family, then steer into what so many professionals are feeling: a job market where interviews stack up, portals show hundreds of applicants, and patience becomes a skill. From there, the conversation swerves—smoothly—into the strange poetry of Starbucks sizes and what clever naming says about branding, identity, and the rituals we buy.
That detour unlocks the story of how our cycl...
Two Friends Trade Bike Routes For Hidden Disney History
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Ever notice how your feet slow down in Epcot or how an ugly wall disappears into the trees? We spent a chilly Florida week trading climbs for castles and pulled back the curtain on the design choices that steer your attention, shape your pace, and keep the story intact even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Between CityWalk wandering, Sanaa’s legendary bread service, and a night queued up for DVC Moonlight Magic, we chased the little truths that make the magic feel effortless.
We unpack why Cinderella Castle has zero bric...
We Went To Podfest And All We Got Was A Better Golf Swing
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Sunshine, fairways, and a hall full of creators—this Florida trip gave us exactly what we needed: time together and a clearer sense of why we make this show the way we do. We walked into Podfest surrounded by pitch decks and monetization playbooks and walked out more committed to community, consistency, and the simple joy of talking to people we like about places we love.
We compare notes on the shifting podcast landscape, from platform‑heavy expo floors to practical YouTube strategies that won’t burn out a two‑person team. Bu...
We Made A Yellow Jersey For A Guessing Game, Because Why Not
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What if calling a week-long ride’s overnight towns could win you a jersey no one else will ever own? We turned our BRAG 2026 route fever into a community contest and crowned a winner who came astonishingly close to a perfect map. Along the way, we unpacked why state rides like Bragg are such a powerful gateway into bike touring: approachable daily mileage, supportive staff, flexible sleeping options, and small towns that roll out the welcome mat.
We walk through how riders reverse-engineer a route—looking at mileage norms, terrain, venue capa...
Aerodynamic Bikes Won’t Fix My Short Game
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New Year energy, winter grit, and a community that refuses to thin out—this one hits all three. We open with holiday contrasts that say everything about the ride right now: one of us hiking on ice with crampons and a Starbucks in hand, the other stepping out in shorts on a 70-degree Christmas. That contrast becomes a theme as we talk candidly about a slow job search, the quiet power of listener support, and why a team-first approach makes Big BRAG 2026 more rewarding for new riders and veterans alike.
We zo...
Happy Trails Across Georgia with BRAG and Cycling Men Of Leisure
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Ready for a ride that blends rail-trails, river views, and real small-town hospitality? We’re unveiling BRAG’s “Happy Trails” route and bringing you along for a southbound journey that starts at LaFette’s Honeybee Festival, rolls past a winery rest stop, settles into a two-night layover in Carrollton, and detours into a behind-the-scenes tour at Trilith Studios. From the Silver Comet to the LaGrange Thread and the Man O’ War Trail, we stitch together protected miles and lively downtowns for a week that feels equal parts adventure and reunion.
We map the rout...
Cycling, Community, Counterfeits: From Podfest To Disney
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A Bigfoot sweater, a heavy backpack full of mics, and a plane to Orlando—our year closes with the perfect mix of ride stories, travel plans, and one serious warning every cyclist needs to hear. We’re gearing up for Podfest, turning a living room into a studio, and cashing in on a DVC Moonlight Magic night that lets us skip the crowds and snag a few hours of park time. Along the way, we talk about how a smarter packing checklist, a better mic deal, and some SNL-worthy podcast jokes became part of o...
Where Leisure Meets Grit: Community, Contests, And The Joy Of The Journey
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The ride is more than the route, and this week we prove it—from a hilariously stubborn bathroom repaint to launching our biggest community challenge yet. We kick things off with the small stuff that somehow becomes big stuff, then shift gears into a listener spotlight reveal that lands in Tucker, Georgia, complete with military roots, postwar industry, and a surprising Kansas connection. It’s a reminder that every town on a cycling tour has layers, and those layers make the journey memorable.
From there, we talk honestly about job hunting in a...
We Reveal A New Ride Director, Launch A Listener Contest, And Give you a chance to win a one of kind Jersey
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A new chapter for BRAG starts here. We’re welcoming Domestic Ride Director Ron Ward to the family, spotlighting how he went from rider to crew to the person orchestrating the weeklong road adventure so many of us call summer camp on wheels. Franklin Johnson shares why international tours are accelerating, what growth means for the classic Georgia road experience, and how the team keeps rider joy at the center while scaling up.
You’ll hear the stories that make BRAG feel like home: chasing siblings across the state on mismatched bike...
Holiday Gifts For Cyclists And Leisure Lovers
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A holiday gift list shouldn’t be hype; it should help. We pulled together a clear, field‑tested guide to the cycling gear that actually gets used, lasts through real weather, and makes every ride safer and more fun. From high‑lumen rechargeable lights that punch through daylight to the rear‑view bike radar that changed how we ride, we break down the smartest upgrades across budgets—under $25, $50, $100, and splurge‑worthy picks when you want to go big.
We also talk storage and travel, because clutter and logistics can sink a good ride. Y...
A Ride Director Explains How To Turn A Bike Tour Into A Weeklong Louisiana Party
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What if your early-season ride felt more like a festival than a sufferfest? We sit down with Cycle Zydeco’s ride director, Scott, to unpack a Louisiana cycling experience built around live Zydeco music, crawfish boils, dance lessons, and easy, flat miles that leave you grinning instead of gasping. With Breaux Bridge as the new base camp and Lafayette just a quick shuttle away, the logistics finally match the vibe: simple arrivals, secure overnight bike staging, showers on-site, and routes that roll from 40 miles to metric options with almost no climbing.
We...
One Air Traffic Controller, A Haunted Huffy, And Too Much Coffee Prop
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Fog hangs low, headlights cut thin ribbons through the dark, and somewhere ahead a line of red taillights refuses to be caught. We lean into the season with a Halloween ride that blends ghost stories, travel mishaps, aviation quirks, and a surprising amount of laughter from two cyclists who prize the journey as much as the destination.
We kick off with Moonlight Mayhem bourbon, a yard-turned-graveyard, and a Florida trip that delivered 12-mile theme-park days and a front-row view of a Spirit Airlines plane getting impounded. From there, we talk towers...
We went for a bike ride and somehow came back with Blanton’s, a poker chip, and an Arby’s alibi
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Bourbon on the brain, bikes in the rack, and a weekend that kept surprising us. We rolled into Lexington aiming for miles and meaningful pours and came away with a signed nine-millionth barrel at Buffalo Trace, a “unicorn” experimental bottle, and a reminder from Freddie Johnson that whiskey is really about the people you share it with. Between double allocation drops and an upstairs tasting lineup featuring Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Weller 12, we dug into where the bourbon market might be headed—and why more shelves seem to be stocked again.
The...
Assigned Barstools, Open Mic Night, and the Case of the Hidden Speakeasy
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A bookstore with no checkout, a doorbell with a secret, and a barstool that comes with a story—our Kentucky journey starts where bike culture and bourbon tradition intersect. We kick off in Louisville on Whiskey Row, tracing two different arcs of American whiskey: Bardstown’s modern blending and hospitality machine and Michter’s deep Pennsylvania roots revived in Kentucky. Along the way, we compare tasting philosophies, talk candidly about when flights feel like value versus a money grab, and share what makes a tour memorable for curious riders who buy bottles with their...
From Beach Resorts to Horse Country: Two Cycling Men Plan Their Next Adventure
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What happens when you combine cycling with ziplining? According to Michael, you get one of the most unique adventure experiences available—bike ziplining through the Mexican jungle. After returning from a week-long resort vacation with his family, Michael shares his discovery of this extraordinary activity that lets you pedal your way through the rainforest canopy, over water, and even through caves on a suspended recumbent-style bike.
This episode blends travel tales with cycling plans as the duo prepares for their upcoming Bourbon Country Burn adventure in Kentucky. Michael reveals that despite hi...
Navigating Life's Yellow Standee Lines: Golf, Transit, and Whiskey Tales
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What happens when tracking apps meant to keep your children safe become tools for insurance companies to monitor driving habits? This episode kicks off with a startling revelation about Life360 that parents of teen drivers won't want to miss, complete with a crucial tip on disabling the insurance reporting feature while preserving the app's family tracking capabilities.
Adam takes us behind the scenes of his recent transit conference at Crystal Mountain, where professional development seamlessly blended with charity golf tournaments and networking. Between playful accusations of tournament cheating and serious discussions...
Navigating Life's Detours: From Bus Rodeos to Bourbon Country
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Saddle up for an episode that perfectly blends cycling camaraderie with bourbon-infused adventure!
Adam kicks things off with a fascinating glimpse into the surprisingly technical world of "bus rodeos" where he recently served as "Officer Obi" with radar gun in hand. These competitions test professional drivers' skills through challenging courses with diminishing clearance, precise backing maneuvers, and speed requirements - all observed by families and fellow transit professionals in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
The conversation shifts to their beloved "Listener Spotlight" featuring Atlanta, Illinois - a town with multiple naming attempts a...
Confetti Bears and Cornhole Boards: The Leisure Life Continues
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Seventy-five episodes! When we started this podcast, neither of us thought we'd make it past five or seven shows. Yet here we are, celebrating a milestone that represents years of friendship, thousands of miles cycled together, and a community that has grown beyond anything we imagined.
Michael kicks things off with an update on his collarbone recovery - the x-rays look good, but he's still not able to raise his arm fully. Despite the injury, we're both confirmed for Bourbon Burn, complete with official tournament-level cornhole boards emblazoned with the Cycling...
The Road Not Ridden: When Injury Derails Cycling Dreams
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Michael's fractured clavicle changed everything about this summer's cycling plans, but it led to unexpected adventures worth sharing. While nursing his broken collarbone (or "fractured clavicle" as his doctor insists on calling it), Michael took his family to Kentucky's bourbon country, visiting seven distilleries in a single day - though he made sure the kids had plenty of fun too with stops at a candy factory and the Louisville Slugger Museum. He proudly shows off his new mini Louisville Slugger bat engraved with "Cycling Men of Leisure" - the perfect souvenir for a...
