Off The Back Podcast

A shorty episode this month as we catch up bike news, talk about the Palouse to Cascades and why railroad grade kills, and recap our thoughts around the wrap-up of the Giro d'Italia.

Racing has been hot in this seasons mid-classics. Dropper posts in Sanremo and Sprints up the Kwaremont. We've had a few corkers lately.

In spite of over a month of racing, the true opening weekend is the last weekend in February with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. We look at both races and give our hot hot takes on Strade Bianche

We joined (most of) the worlds best cross racers in sunny Fayetteville, Arkansas for a weekend of amazing races. In this podcast we talk about our impressions of this new cycling Mecca, the venue, the course, and have tons of interviews from riders such as Clara Honsinger, Maghalie Rochette, Lucinda Brand, Jack Spranger, Tibau Nys, Kerry Warner, Michael Vanthourenhout, Laurens Sweeck, and more.

Its our last pod of 2021 and as Cross is entering the Kerstperiode we talk about the races that lead up to it. Lots of new winners over the past couple of weeks and a dominant return to cross by Wout van Aert. We also talk about our favorite racing moments of the year from the world tour and pro cyclocross. Intro: https://soundcloud.com/yemi_ukg/yemi-innocence-blue-lights-remix-1

The PNW Cross season has come to an end, but the pro scene is hotting up with the forthcoming return of Vos, Pidcock, MVDP, and WVA. We recap the last 4 races and talk about the final Puget Sound race at North Seatac Park. Our plans for Fayetteville are set! We'll see you there! Deceuninck join Alpecin-Fenix as a co-sponsor: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CW6GJrJlX8R/?utm_medium=copy_link Intro: https://soundcloud.com/yemi_ukg/yemi-innocence-blue-lights-remix-1

LVDH has gone from being a long-time second tier rider to winning the Euros and the Tabor World Cup. We've poopooed Men's cross for this whole season, but watching him ride and win those races made us fall in love with Men's cross again. Intro: https://soundcloud.com/yemi_ukg/yemi-innocence-blue-lights-remix-1

Danny and Matt finally raced against each other - listen in to find out how they did. We also recap the women's Overijse World Cup and celebrate Clara Honsinger's first elite win at the legendary Koppenbergcross.

Winter is upon us and our activities move to the indoors. This week we tried to coordinate a virtual ride on Zwift and it almost felt like we were riding together. The Cyclocross season is in full swing and we talk about the 4 world cups that have already been raced.

Two of the biggest races of the season took place over the past two weekends: World Championships and Paris-Roubaix - the men's race hasn't taken place since April 2019 and the women race it for the first time. We also discuss how you support sports personalities when they have said and done egregious things.

In this week's episode Danny speaks at length on chasing squirrels in his dressing gown, Matt recaps his weekend trip with his Son on the Willapa Hills Trail, we hit a quick Worlds preview, and present an incomplete and opinionated view on the rules and etiquette of riding on the roads.

The 2021 Vuelta d'Espana is underway and feelings towards are mixed among the Off The Back staff. Danny gives his report and Matt complains about not having any engaging riders present. Are there any GC superstars left? We also belatedly discuss Katie Compton's doping positive and share our Off The Back perspective on how her ban brings other bans into question. Was Contador actually doping?

The Olympics just wrapped up with only 4 events dedicated to road racing. Is this an important race? How much should pros focus on win the olympics road race and more importantly, how much gold shit is Richard Carapaz going to be wearing at the Vuelta?

The 108th Tour de France ended this weekend with Slovenian Tadej POGAČAR taking three Jerseys again! We talk about our Highlights, lowlights, and our predictions for the Olympic road race and TT. Intro: https://soundcloud.com/yemi_ukg/yemi-innocence-blue-lights-remix-1

The 2021 Tour de France has kicked off with controversy and excitement. Alaphillip seemed destined to dominate after stage 1, but MVDP took over, dedicating his win and his yellow Jersey to his Grandfather, the eternal second, Raymond Poulidor. Last year was Wouts, this year is Mathieu's. Finally, in one of the first jump-up-and-down wins in many years, Cavendish takes his 31st stage of the Tour and cements his return to the top step in cycling!

US Nationals are this weekend and we're rooting for Alex Howes to defend, but said that Tejay has announced his retirement. The 2021 Tour de France starts in just over a week and we ask whether its going to be the Pogačar and Roglič show, or can Ineos or Uran impress. With Sam Bennett potentially out with a knee injury, will Cavendish be on the startlist and can he even win a stage?

With the end of the Giro in sight and Bernal showing some signs of weakness, is it still up for play? We discuss some of the highlights of the Giro d'Italia so far and go into our usual How Was Your Week? banter. New Intro: https://soundcloud.com/yemi_ukg/yemi-innocence-blue-lights-remix-1

We're 4 stages in to Matt's favorite grand tour and Danny's third favorite grand tour: Il Giro d'Italia. We talk about why that is, the favorites for the race, some firsts, and the best name in pro cycling.

A loose discussion of the topics of the fortnight including, but no limited to: The Chauvin verdict, Cervical Radiculopathy, Whoop, Banned Positions, Band Positions, Mark Cavendish and GOAT Sprinters, Brabantse Pijls and spelling Belgian race names, and Amstel Gold.

Two whole weeks of cobbled classics are ranked in this week's episode with the group dynamics and Wout's winning sprint propelled Gent Wevelgem to the esteemed position of most interesting spring classic so far. We talk through the 4 other races that took place: Scheldeprijs, E3 Saxo Bank Classic, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and of course, Flanders.

Matt got his hands on the new Speedplay Zeros by new owners Wahoo. They're great because they're Speedplays, but a bit better. We talk about our history of pedals, why we landed on the ones we use everyday. The first monument of the season, Milan Sanremo, took place over the weekend with the usual boiling pot of a finale. This race is a favorite of the Pod and bring our usual Off The Back in-depth analysis.

We celebrate International Women's History Month by talking about some female cyclists who have inspired us over the years. The spring classics continue with the men and women's edition of the wannabe monument Strade Bianche. The women's race was tactically better and technically more interesting. Race news includes the return of Cavendish and Merlier winning for Alpecin-Fenix

We have some super news to announce: Danny's made it back to the Pacific Northwest and he's home! What's been happening for the past two months and why we took a break. We also look back on what made cycling great and sucky during the COVID pandemic. Open roads were a big highlight. Opening classics weekend brought us Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kurne with races that came back together for sprint finishes.

2020 was a bonkers year, but there was some seriously funny cycling moments. After recapping our weeks and this past few weeks of Cross racing, we talk some of the highs and lows of the 2020 year, both personally and in the pro peloton.

Specialized announced a 2.1kg balance bike for 2-4 year olds that's manufactured with FACT Carbon and retails for $99. Are they losing it or are they just cutting loose and having fun. Chloe Dygart of Canyon-SRAM is publicly rebuked by primary sponsor Rapha, Have they gone too far? Cyclocross racing has been going on for a month or so now and the season has been building up momentum. We talk about last weekends two races, how Lucinda Brand is dominating, how we have a new cross acronym, CDCA, and discuss why women's cross is more engaging and interesting than mens.

On the day of his return from a 4 day/500km bicycling adventure around the Olympic mountain range in Washington, Matt talks about his route, his kit, the memories that stand out, and the things that he'd do differently next time. The shortest Grand Tour of 2020m the Vuelta a Espana wrapped up this past weekend with very consistent results. Roglic wore the Points Jersey from day 1, He and Carapaz traded leaders jersey, Martin carried the Climbing jersey for most of the race, and of course, Movistar won the teams jersey.

We get a bit real in this episode, reflecting on how our current climate is impacting us. Everything around us is stuck, waiting for something to change and its hard to have hope. We talk about how were dealing with it (or not as the case may be). Next we get to bike racing, recapping Flanders, the Giro, and the Vuelta and then finally we talk about our Kit journey and re-iterate our best advice: Don't be afraid to buy the good stuff! It's worth it.

Specialized released a new bike this week, the featherweight Aethos. Its a premium, disc-brake, electronic shifting only bike that starts at $12k. Specialized claim they prioritized ride quality above aero. We ask: Is it worth it and discuss what we look for in a frame. We celebrate Mads Peterson's Gent-Wevelgem win and Sagan's stunning Stage 10 win in the 2020 Giro.

The compressed season means a bunch of racing all at the same time. We highlight three things we've observed from these past few weeks including the World Championships, the Giro, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Flèche Wallonne. What do you ticker with when you first get a new or used bike? We all make changes to make our bicycles our own. What's most important and why do we alway talk about weight weenying in the end. Finally, why are ugly kits beautiful and how does a company with no connection to cycling happen to make a kit that fits so well in the peloton and some bold speculation on MVDP's path to the World Tour.

Shocking! Startling! Unexpected! Surprising! Are all words that can be used to describe the 2020 Tour. While there were surprises, other events unrolled in very unsurprising ways. We talk about both those unsurprising and surprising events in this podcast with our conclusions on Pog's incredible time trial to Planche des Belle Filles!

Life is full of highs and lows and a cycling life is no exception. Week 2 of the 2020 Tour de France just wrapped up with 2 Slovenians on the podium. We talk about our highlights and lowlights. They include Hirschi getting his win, Porte's holding on, Sagan's relegation, and Bernal getting drrroooooppppeeed and out of contention. We also celebrate a the last road stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, raced like a classic, and won by a classic's rider, MVDP.

We give you our Off The Back the recap of the first nine stages of the 2020 Tour de France and share some results and moments that stood out to us. We love the tour, we love talking about bike racing, and we hope you enjoy hearing about it!

One day, two different races, multiple crashes. Was this the worst day in cycling history? Are riders out of practice, out of form, or just desperate to win during this shortened season? We also talk about an amazing Milan Sanremo and a surprising win at the Criterium du Dauphiné for EF-Education First's Dani Martinez.

Danny impresses again with a wide array of bike fit knowledge and resources - maybe there's a job in this for him somewhere - while Matt just keeps talking about his feelings. An Irishman beat Contador by everesting 23 minutes faster on a seriously interesting bike setup. Wout Van Aert and Annemiek van Vleuten win Strade Bianche with lone attacks. And Dylan Groenewegen is ejected from the Tour of Poland for deviating from his line and pushing since hospitalised Fabio Jakobsen into the barriers. Links: A Simple Approach to Correct Saddle Height (for road cyclists)by Cam Nicholls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNGMRtJ5LIc https://ecfitstrength.com / https://www.instagram.com/ecfit_strength/ https://www.instagram.com/bikefitjames/

On a secret assignment and loaded with a bike bag and some trepidation, danny visits the Northwest to join Matt and friends to ride the Palouse To Cascades trail from Cedar Falls to Ellensburg. We talk about the trail, the bikes and packs, and the experience of riding 160 miles of gravel in 2 days.

Its a jungle out there and while most accept our place on the roads, there are motorists who aren't paying attention. We discuss the question of how far you should go to keep yourself safe as you ride.

WIth tensions rising in the US and around the world, the cry of the Black Lives Matter movement is being heard, Danny shares his journey of acknowledging his privilege. Firmly aware of our own privilege, Matt talks about his experience with his new gravel bike and we talk racing news, even though we've not watched any racing in months.

The Tacoma Cycling community was shocked to hear that one of our own, Thomas Johnson, was hit and killed by a driver this past weekend. We are extremely saddened and extremely angry. Thomas was a kind and generous as a person and rider and will be intensely missed. He was someone that you always stopped to talk to whenever you bumped into him. We will miss him. For our main topic we discuss the Pros and Cons of buying a complete bike vs equipping and building your own bike. We bring our special Off the Back podcast trademark observations and insights to conclude that "it depends". Enjoy the pod!

Can you be a one-bike cyclist? Is it possible to own and ride a single bike for all three disciplines of Road, Gravel, and Cross? We discuss what you'd need, some bikes that might be the right match, and whether it's practical and possible.

We've been feeling like our asses have been getting kicked by what's been happening in the world with the Coronavirus. Named because the virus looks like a crown, not after the beer. We wanted to get together and talk it all out, from the rides we've been taking, how uncomfortable it is to ride with others right now, to what races are cancelled or postponed and how the Vuelta may end up being the primary grand tour this year. Join us as we struggle to remember anybody's name in all this craziness.

This week Danny looked up the warning signs of Overtraining Syndrome and identified with every one! In this episode we talk about overtraining and how Danny does that and Matt prevents it from happening. We also complain about changing tubes and why we always feel like we hurt ourselves. Matt also offers his initial opinions on the Rapha Commuter Jacket and shares his Apple Watch/Heartrate sensor pairing findings. Opening Weekend with Omloop and KBK confirmed that Moscon is a real piece of work. And the Coronavirus could potentially change the calendar for this season with Strade Bianche on the verge of being cancelled.

This week on top of celebrating WVA's fin victory last weekend at the final DVV race of the season and lamenting the end of the cyclocross season, we dive into a topic we're all familiar with: Saying we'll do things, but never doing them. Whether it's watching the Tour de France, looking for that perfect bike, or deciding to give up the drink, we've all said many things that we haven't followed through with.

The 2020 Cyclocross World Championships were held in Dübendorf, Switzerland this weekend and for a mountainous country, the track was laid out on a flat airfield. Lots of fly-overs, run ups, and long straights were the name of the game. Belgians took few medals, the Dutch dominated, and Tom Pidcock is the best in the world (after MVDP). We've also included Off the Back's first book recommendation segment. Icons by Bradley Wiggins, and The Rider by Tim Krabbé.

In the third episode of our second season, yes somehow that means something, we share some stories from our worst and most memorable cycling injuries. Listen out for some classic Off the Back recommendations and advice. We also recap the penultimate Cyclocross World Cup race in Nammoy, France and take a look at the news, with the Tour Down Under kicking off this week.

How was your week? We continue to dig into our bicycling lives. In Europe the Cyclocross Nationals weekend just closed out with some Same-as-usuals and a few surprises. We share our interviews from our own Nationals weekend. Featuring in order Emily Kachorak, Courtenay McFadden, Stephen Hyde, Katie Compton, Logan Owen, and Tyler Cloutier.

We're back with a new "season" of Off the Back, which is exactly like last season with more cycling banter, news, and race results. In episode one we look back on 2019 with our favorite pod, cycling, and racing moments. 2020 also sees a slew of new kits for the Pro Peloton, find out which ones are hot or not. Belgian cross just wrapped up its kersteperiod, an informal group of races around Christmas and the new year. There can be 4 races/week during this period and can lead to some tired legs and surprising results. We talk about who's riding well and what surprises we've seen. Finally, Chris Froome's team director has come out saying he's not well and its affecting his recover. Froome thinks otherwise and responded on Insta saying it's all nonsense and the recovery is on track. What's true? We'll find out in July!

Danny made the most of a family trip to Denver by riding Flagstaff. Not even attempting to get anywhere close to Levi Leipheimer's KOM, he found the altitude a surprising challenge. We also talk about our overall impressions and reactions from USNATS and how exciting it was to be there. Wish it wasn't over!

We'll have a whole show on Sundays racing at the 2019 US Cyclocross Nationals at Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood, Washington. Two first time winners Clara Honsinger and Gage Hecht demonstrated that riding cautiously and carefully was key to winning overall. Both made few mistakes (if any). We have interviews and reactions from: Katie Compton - KFC Racing Stephanie Taplin - Indigenous Wheel Co Dirt Team Sarah Sturm - Specialized - Tenspeed Hero Stephen Hyde - Cannondale - Cyclocross World Gage Hecht - Aevelo Logan Owen - EF Education First Tyler Cloutier - TCCX

Danny and Matt spend the afternoon at Fort Steilacoom, site of the 2019 U.S. Cyclocross Nationals. They caught the Youth Men 15/16, Women 15/16, Singlespeed Women and Men races and had a blast saying hello to cyclocross media like CXhairs, High-fiving retired pro and current GCN present Jeremy Powers, and getting a day-before-race-day interview with EF Education First Pro and South Sound local Logan Owen. Watch footage from the day: https://youtu.be/xeu8i9bVJt8

The US Cyclocross Nationals are taking place at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, Washington. Its a course that both Matt and Danny have raced before. In this episode Matt talks about the first day one of #usnats and his experiences in the 40-49 Non-championship race where he came 18th out of 51 races.

The cross season continues with Dutch riders MVDP and Annemarie Worst asserting their dominance on this weekend's racing. They both won at the World Cup in Tabor in the Czech Republic and DVV Trofee's Flandriencross. We dig into why we love watching cross and how they won their races.