Velonews Podcasts

Our reporting on American cycling's lack of diversity continues this week, as we speak with five board members of the Major Taylor Iron Riders club. The club members are: Patrick Merosier, Natasha Merle, Chris Hasfal, Darrell Tucker, and club president Dereka Hendon-Barnes. MTIR is based in New York City and it is comprised largely of African American, Latino, and Caribbean American riders. The club is one of the most visible ones in the tri-state region, due to its large membership and its flashy kits. The five members of the club discuss the racism and bias they have felt in the cycling world, and how the exclusionary and clique-ish nature of the racing scene is a turnoff to minorities. The club members also discuss the different challenges in cycling they face due to the color of their skin. Why is MTIR so successful at bringing minority cyclists to our sport? It's a feeling of inclusion and community and comfort, say the club members. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool th

On this week's episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast, tech editor Dan Cavallari talks with Velocio Apparel's CEO Brad Sheehan to get to the bottom of why packaging is such a big problem in the bike industry. The bicycle industry often touts itself as an eco-friendly alternative to automobiles, and it certainly is that. But in terms of packaging, sourcing materials, and landing products in a consumer's hands, the industry has a long way to go to make itself truly eco-friendly.

Road bikes, cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes, and motorbikes — Neff loves riding them all. On this episode, the multi-time world champ talks about the special Swiss cycling programs that helped propel her to the top. Bobby and Gus speak with Neff about her early days of competition (she won the first race she entered at age six), overcoming injuries, and her new series Jolanda Land on YouTube. After getting stuck in the U.S. for 2.5 months because of travel restrictions, Neff is back in Switzerland now for a national training camp, where eight of the nine riders have world junior titles to their names. How does Switzerland create such successful riders? Part of it, Neff believes, is the unique race formats for young kids that prioritize handling skills and not just pedaling. Like many Olympic-bound athletes, the coronavirus pandemic has changed Neff's life and timing, but after the Swiss star suffered a terrible crash in December, the extra preparation time is probably a blessing. Neff, a veteran of th

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we discuss the role that racial bias and racism play in our sport with Rahsaan Bahati and Allen Lim. Bahati and Lim are both veterans of the U.S. cycling scene, and they are both riders who came to the sport from minority communities. Bahati is black and grew up in Compton; Lim is a Chinese-American immigrant who grew up in Los Angeles. Both men charted their own paths through U.S. cycling and achieved heights in the sport. And both men had to navigate racial discrimination and U.S. cycling's fraternity-like social scene to get there. Lim and Bahati share their own experiences in American cycling. They also discuss the ways in which cycling can make itself more open to minorities from different backgrounds. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was

Both Fizik and Specialized released 3D-printed saddles in 2020. The neat-o looks of both perches are enough to grab your attention, but why are brands looking to 3D printing to create saddles anyway? What does 3D printing offer that regular old foam can't accomplish? Tech editor Dan Cavallari talks with Garrett Getter from Specialized to find out what's unique about the big red S's Mirror technology, which brings a 3D-printed cushion to its already popular Power saddle.

Basketball Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist, and all-around legendary player Reggie Miller is now a huge cyclist. He joins Bobby Julich and Gus Morton to talk about the impact of sports on culture, and the impact of culture on sports, in both broad terms and in this specific moment in time. On the Put Your Socks On podcast, Miller encourages us all, especially white people, to "put our ears on" and listen. Miller talks about the positive role sports can play in society, and how the coronavirus has put that on hold in many ways. "I think sports in general and especially the NBA has always had a huge platform in terms of healing. But I think a lot of people are frustrated right now because covid and the coronavirus has stopped everything. So there's no outlet for people," Miller says. "Sports used to be the great equalizer in healing form. You know, after 9/11 it was baseball. You remember George Bush going to Yankee Stadium and throwing out the first ball, you know, 'We won't be defeated.'" Miller, Jul

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast our examination of the Everesting phenomenon continues. We speak with Andy van Bergen, the Australian cyclist who founded the Everesting challenge back in 2014 and who now oversees the website that chronicles Everesting attempts across the globe. Van Bergen has seen the number of Everesting attempts skyrocket in recent weeks, and also a number of to pro riders have attempted to break the record. We discuss why the latest attempt by German rider Emanuel Buchmann was deemed not a record, and why the rules governing Everesting are so stringent. Before hearing from van Bergen, we link up with Andrew Hood and James Startt to discuss cycling's march toward the Tour de France. Pro teams are now creating specific plans for Tour de France prep, including grouping riders and staff together as they prepare for the race. Also, there is a simmering debate over whether or not media should be allowed at this year's Tour due to fears over spreading coronavirus. We discuss

Tech editor Dan Cavallari and senior editor Betsy Welch have been testing bibs — a lot of them. How do we determine which bibs are good and which ones aren't so hot? As it turns out, it all depends on who you are, and where you're riding. Betsy gives us the skinny on pee-friendly women's bibs, while Dan reveals his make-or-break feature that absolutely has to be present on a pair of bibshorts for them to be considered good ones. Find out what it is on this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast.

American Tejay van Garderen, twice a fifth place finisher overall and winner of the white jersey at the Tour de France, wishes he had taken more time to appreciate the good times during his career. Whether it was winning the Tour of California, or just having fun rooming with riders like George Hincapie or Taylor Phinney, van Garderen says he took a lot of things for granted. “I wish I would have savored the moment a little bit more and appreciated it,” he said. “ I always just thought, ‘Okay, I'm here now and I'm gonna go there and that's a stepping stone. That's kind of the story of cycling in a nutshell. You never stop to just say, ‘Hey, what I did was pretty cool.’ I wish I had done that a little bit more.” Van Garderen talks at length on this episode of Put Your Socks On about trying to keep perspective heading into the strange 2020 season. In 2016, van Garderen skipped the Olympics because of another virus. At the time, his wife Jessica was six months pregnant, and he didn’t want to risk contracting

On this week's podcast we interview producer/director Marina Zenovich on her new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary LANCE, which chronicles the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong. Zenovich spent two years producing the film, and she interviewed Armstrong on eight different occasions. Yet the film is one of many films, books, and magazine articles written about Armstrong. Zenovich explains why, after the other media projects were done, she still felt compelled to produce a film on the disgraced champion. Everesting continues to be the buzzword in the U.S. cycling scene, with even more amateur and elite riders opting to ride 29,000 vertical feet on their bicycles. Senior Editor Betsy Welch joins the show to discuss the Everesting trend, the various different ways riders are choosing to Everest, and the strategies riders are following to record fastest times. This week's episode is sponsored by Roll Massif, organizer of eight iconic cycling events in Colorado. Right now listeners of the podcast can get 15 percent off

On this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast, retired pro cyclist Phil Gaimon joins tech editor Dan Cavallari to talk about how Strava has turned into an important tool in Gaimon's post-racing life. Gaimon recounts how he first started using Strava as a way to stay fit and have fun, and how it morphed into something that helped him define a sense of purpose, particularly regarding some of the charitable fundraising he does. Gaimon also chats about his Everesting record, which lasted a few days before he was unseated by Keegan Swenson. Most importantly, Gaimon reminds us all that while Strava is a powerful tool worth spending our money on, it's important to remember the fun part of it all — it's just riding bikes, and that's ultimately what should put a smile on our faces.

Some riders are superstitious, believing that they need everything just so in order to perform. They need just the right lucky clothing, or just the right type of coffee. World time trial champion Chloe Dygert is not such a rider. She doesn't even drink coffee. She just thrives off viewing the best riders in the world as benchmarks, and then getting to work on surpassing them. In this episode of Put Your Socks On, Dygert and her Team Twenty20 boss Nicola Cranmer discuss the pursuit of greatness. In Cranmer's case, that means finding and nurturing talented riders in challenging times as well as good times. For Dygert, that means a relentless work ethic and a refusal to settle — even for her current status as one of the absolute best riders in the world. "I'm definitely the kind of person that if you tell me, I can't do something, I'm going to do it, and I'm going to do it better than you would ever think," Dygert says. "I have role models, but I don't look at them and say I want to be like them. I look at th

Chris Froome could be seeking a mid-season transfer away from Team Ineos. The news broke last week on cyclingnews.com and immediately caused ripples throughout pro cycling. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we discuss this story, its origins, and the implications it has on the sport. Is Froome really going to depart Team Ineos, or is this news being floated out there for some other reason? We analyze and give our educated opinions on the biggest story of last week. Then, continuing on our discussions around the Giro d'Italia, we examine Marco Pantani and his posthumous reputation in Italy and in pro cycling. While other riders from the EPO era have seen their reputations tarnished, Pantani's legacy has not attained godlike status in Italian cycling. Then, we catch up with U.S. MTB champion Keegan Swenson, who last week broke Phil Gaimon's world record for Everesting. We hear all about Swenson's painful feat, and discuss what the future holds for this bizarre cycling challenge. All that an

The great debate finally hits the VeloNews Tech Podcast: eTap, or Di2? The electronic shifting systems from SRAM and Shimano each offer distinct advantages and disadvantages — and ultimately, each system has a personality all its own. SRAM's wireless eTap AXS system is the newcomer, attempting to unseat Shimano's wired Dura-Ace Di2 system that has proven itself reliable, smooth, an ergonomically sleek for years now. If Dan and Ben had to spend their money on just one system, which would they choose? Find out on this episode.

After an absence from the top level of the sport, longtime team director Bjarne Riis is back in the WorldTour at the helm of NTT Pro Cycling. Riis is well known for many things — winning the 1996 Tour de France as a rider, his doping confession, and leading many riders to victory as the boss of Team CSC / Saxo Bank / Saxo Bank-Tinkoff. As a team leader, Riis has long been a proponent of team building, often taking teams on military-like exercises in the early months of the year to build cohesion. With NTT, Riis has been working with team management and riders to develop that cohesion remotely, through Zwift racing and regular communication, and other strategies that he isn't yet ready to talk about beyond saying he has established 'six pillars' of training. But he is confident that NTT will come out of the pandemic lockdown ready to race. "I guarantee you NTT Pro Cycling is going to be a weapon when we come out racing again," Riis said. "Because that was what I explained [to the riders]: I want you to be a

Richard Plugge, the managing director for Jumbo-Visma, has a very informed perspective on COVID-19 and its impact on pro cycling. Back in March Plugge came down with a fever and a cough, and after more than a week of feeling ill he was hospitalized. Plugge was diagnosed with COVID-19, and he spent more than six weeks recovering from the illness. On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we link up with Plugge to hear the story of his experience with COVID-19. We also discuss the UCI's proposed calendar for bringing racing back this fall, and get Plugge's opinion on the plan. While other team directors have criticized the UCI's schedule as being too ambitious, Plugge believes it is a plan that works for pro cycling and provides a lifeline for the teams that are teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Next, we discuss the ladies Paris-Roubaix with one of the peloton's best riders on the cobblestones: Ellen Van Dijk. Van Dijk is a winner of the Tour of Flanders and a 2x champion at Dwars Door Vlaandere

While tubeless tires have long reigned supreme in the mountain bike world, they have had a harder time gaining traction — forgive the pun — on road bikes. That has changed only recently, as more and more bikes come stock with tubeless-ready tires and rims. Has road tubeless finally arrived? Ken Avery would know; he has been involved in the design process of countless tires, both road and mountain, for Vittoria Tires and other companies before that. Does Ken think road tubeless has shrugged off its reputation as unreliable? Give this week's tech pod a listen to find out.

A novelty at first, six weeks of lockdown has taken its toll on all athletes. With the easing of restrictions now beginning, we check in with NTT Pro Cycling's Michael Valgren to see how he’s been holding up after months of uncertainty and how he’s planning on moving forward with the new UCI calendar just announced. A quick primer on Valgren, for those of you who don't know him: After turning pro at the tender age of 21, the Danish rider quickly won consecutive U23 Liège–Bastogne–Liège editions, establishing himself as a rider to watch in the future. Fast forward to 2018, and Valgren came of age, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the monument Amstel Gold Race as well as finishing fourth at the Tour of Flanders. Following that break-out year, where he moved from a strongman to team leader, Valgren transferred to his current team, NTT (formerly Dimension Data), in one of the most anticipated moves for the season. Plagued by bad form and a series of setbacks, 2019 was a winless one. With 2020 a chance t

The UCI has released a plan to bring pro racing back in August with a competition calendar that squeezes all of the major races into three months. There are more than a few overlapping race dates. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we discuss and analyze this new calendar and the ramifications it has on pro teams and events. What do we make of the overlapping dates and the compressed season? What pressures will this calendar put on pro teams and riders? And, most importantly, do we believe these races will actually take place amid the coronavirus pandemic? Then, we examine the Giro d'Italia, which would have been starting this coming weekend prior to the coronavirus shutdown. The new schedule places the Giro in competition with the major one day classics, as well as the opening week of the Vuelta. What does this tell us about the Giro's overall importance within the global cycling community? Riders love the Giro, and frequently tell us that it is their favorite race. We dig into why the Giro

Tech Editor Dan Cavallari chats with Berne Broudy about her research into women's-specific design in the cycling industry. Where did it all start? What did the industry get right — and very wrong — along the way? And is women's-specific design now dead? Broudy guides us through two divergent paths of technology: bikes themselves, and the world of clothing and accessories. As it turns out, there's more to women's-specific design than blanket statements of its effectiveness overall. (Hint: It takes some nuance and research to get it right!)