Podcasts about hammerheads

We are back in the Media Pit, with Zach, Micheal and Bill, talking about everything that happened at the Spanish Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Cyclocross Radio is part of the Wide Angle Podium podcast network. Support independent cycling media by joining the Wide Angle Podium at wideanglepodium.com/donate. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Jesse Anthony, USA Cycling Cyclocross and MTB Director, joins Zach and Bill to talk about the selection of the 2023 US Cyclocross World Championships. We discuss USA Cycling's philosophy behind selecting a Worlds team and how that philosophy has evolved over the years. We also ask Jesse questions from readers of the CXHAIRS Bulletin. After speaking with Jesse, Zach and Bill run down the highlights from last weekend's European national championships. You can contact Jesse at janthony@usacycling.org. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Haley Smith and Andrew (Lespy) L'Esperance join Amanda and Bill to chat about their first year racing gravel, mixing endurance and XCO racing into the same season, and how to balance racing, life and expectations. Follow Haley at @haleyhuntersmith and Lespy at @andrewlespy. Follow Maxxis Factory Racing at @maxxisfactoryracing.  Check out Haley's and Lespy's podcast Offroad Inroads at https://offroadinroads.buzzsprout.com/ and Haley's blog at https://www.haleyhuntersmith.com/blog.htm.  Groadio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Follow Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

Jordan, Reena and Brendan have on comedian, podcaster and veteran Richard Aviles to talk about Missouri, Puerto Rico, Interviewing interesting people and much more. Find The Rico Podcast by going to https://www.youtube.com/@ricopodcast https://open.spotify.com/show/5XevSVVlPVlfHBcMK2azoS?si=59054efe32464395 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rico-podcast/id1584577877 https://www.instagram.com/rico.podcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/ricopodcast/ We have a bunch of Improv, Standup Comedy and Storytelling shows coming up. Please go to lnhstudios.com/shows to grab tickets We just released our short film, Knock, for free. go to lnhstudios.com/knock to watch Come take a Comedy class with Brendan or Jordan at lnhstudios.com/classes I am sending you 1π! Pi is a new digital currency developed by Stanford PhDs, with over 25 million members worldwide. To claim your Pi, follow this link https://minepi.com/jfreeeze and use my username (jfreeeze) as your invitation code. Free Crypto https://r.honeygain.me/JORFRFD773Definitely an app worth checking out. Lets you earn crypto free! https://coin.onelink.me/ePJg/9e29869acoinbase.com/join/fried_1w_ Tune in for unbiased and scrubbed news stories brought to you by Jordan Fried (@jfreeeze), Reena Ezra (@reenaezrahere) and Brendan O'Brien (@brendanohbrien) of Late Night Hump (@latenighthump). Other podcasts are found at lnhstudios.com/podcasts In early 2019, Reena Ezra, Brendan O'Brien and Jordan Fried met performing comedy in Suffern, NY. They realized they had a passion for comedy writing and decided to put on their Circuit Break Comedy Variety Show. After the success of that show, they looked for a new venue to put on a Wednesday night comedy show. The working title for the show that never was was Late Night Hump, and although the show never happened in its original form, Reena, Brendan and Jordan have been creating and producing together under the moniker @latenighthump ever since. Reena Ezra (@ReenaEzraHere) Reena Ezra is a performer, writer, and producer from Mahwah, NJ. She studied Biology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she was a member of The Improv Technicians. She performed at the Del Close Marathon, Steel Stacks Improv Festival, the Hartford Improv Festival, Muchmore's, Montclair Film, Just Jake's, and Rhino Comedy, where she was a founding member of another improv troupe called The Hammerheads. She is also a co-founder of a video and comedy production company called LNH Studios. She currently produces and writes sketch comedy as well as the live, variety show, Circuit Break. Jordan Fried (@JFreeeze) Jordan Fried is a comedian and filmmaker from Warwick, NY. He studied Digital Media Production and English at Tulane University, where he was a member of Cat Mafia Comedy. He's performed at Rhino Comedy, Eastville Comedy Club, Hell Yes Fest, Binghamton Comedy and Arts Festival, New Orleans Comedy and Arts Festival and Northern Virginia Comedy Festival. He produces the comedy variety show, Circuit Break; Late Night Hump at NJ Weedman's Joint; and he is a founding member of the improv troupes, Duly Noted and The Mutts. Portfolio Here Brendan O'Brien (@BrendanOhBrien) Brendan O'Brien is a writer, comedian, filmmaker and improv teacher from Warwick, NY. He received his B.A. in Screenwriting from Brooklyn College. He has over 9 years of improv experience having previously performed with the Rockland-based improv troupe "The Plan B Players". He is a founding member of The Rhinos improv troupe and Duly Noted musical improv troupe. He designed and taught the improv curriculum at Rhino Comedy. He is a writer and producer for Late Night Hump and the Circuit Break Variety Show. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sessionswithmaryjane/message

We are back in the Media Pit, with Zach, Micheal and Bill, talking about everything that happened during at Koksijde, Gullegem and Zonhoven. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

This hour the DiveGod-Neal Watson checks in as the ScubaRadio ScubaSquad prepares to dive with the Hammerheads of Bimini. Plus why do sharks get such a bad rap when baby seals are what we should be worried about? Looking for HOUR1?

We are back in the Media Pit, with special guest Elisabeth Reinkordt, talking about everything that happened during the tail end of Kerstperiode. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Hammerhead Sharks

We are back in the Media Pit, minus Zach, talking about everything that happened this past week at the Gavere World Cup and Zolder Superprestige. So much to cover, so much more to come. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Chris Mehlman, endurance racer and host of Everyday Cyclist Chats, joins Amanda and Bill to preview the upcoming Life Time Grand Prix series. Follow Chris at @cmehlman34 on Instagram. Also, subscribe to his newsletter, North American Gravel and MTB Racing Report. Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Follow Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

Follow the show: https://www.monstercat.com/COTW Tracklist 00:45 Slushii - E.R.U Emergency Broadcast (Intro)  01:49 Slushii & Volt x GODLANDS - Do That x SCUMBAG (Duality Mashup)  04:08 Dr. Ushūu - Save Me  05:39 Caster - Grimoire  07:32 Stonebank - The Power  10:10 Slippy x ROY KNOX, hayve, & Mike Robert - Integration Sequence x Bad Habits (Duality Mashup)  14:14 Going Quantum & hayve - Double Tap  16:49 Godlands - SICKO  18:28 Feint & R7CKY - Lost & Found (ft. Skyelle)  20:18 Feint & R7CKY - 寻 (ft. 劉美麟)  22:14 IVORY, Hammerhead, & Dani King - Bad For You  24:08 PROFF pres. Soultorque x flowanastasia - Sound & Silence  26:55 Aether - Jupiter & Saturn  29:24 zensei ゼンセー - who we are  32:44 Stendahl - Parhelion  33:55 Sol Rising & Banaati - Arise  36:33 No Mana x MUZZ & CITYWLKR - Out Of The Dark x Born For This (Duality Mashup)  40:43 Punctual - We Could Have It All  42:31 CloudNone, Direct, & Mr FijiWiji - Stained Glass (ft. Chxse)  44:47 Throttle - For Me (VIP)  46:10 Bossfight - Warp  49:00 TYNAN, Cyclops, & Guilt Chip x Crankdat - 505 x Ding Dong (Duality Mashup)  51:58 Beauz - Red  53:55 Varien, Psyllam, & girl_irl - ALL THAT U WANT  55:41 Leah Culver - Won't Stop  57:41 OddKidOut - CINEMA (ft. Marlhy)  58:34 OddKidOut - CINEMA (ft. Marlhy) [Fame & Fortune VIP] Thank you for listening to Monstercat: Call of the Wild! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mr Jim's Puzzle Is Now AvailableYes, Mr Jim made a mystery puzzle where its up to you to solve who the mystery animal is! Each Puzzle includes a 54 piece jigsaw puzzle, a Mr Jim audio story, and the mystery animal toy from Schleich®.—> Buy It Now Critter Protector Starter Pack Birthday Shout Out Join the HEYMRJIM Family

Mr Jim's Puzzle Is Now AvailableYes, Mr Jim made a mystery puzzle where its up to you to solve who the mystery animal is! Each Puzzle includes a 54 piece jigsaw puzzle, a Mr Jim audio story, and the mystery animal toy from Schleich®.—> Buy It Now Critter Protector Starter Pack Birthday Shout Out Join the HEYMRJIM Family

This week we sit down with event organizer, Ben Brainard to discuss the Shasta Gravel Hugger. Founded in 2020, this March event in Northern California has proven to be a great season opener for many gravel cyclists. Episode Sponsor:  Hammerhead Karoo 2 Support the Podcast Join The Ridership  Automated Transcription, please excuse the typos: [00:00:00] Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. This week on the show. We welcome Ben Bernard, the founder of the Shasta gravel hugger event in Northern California taking place in March each year for the last four years. It's become a real great early season option. For those of you looking to test your metal in the early parts of the year and not able to go out to some of the Midwest gravel races, like the mid south. Ben has a real interesting approach to the race. He's got a great area to play with around Mount Shasta. If you've never been there before, it's a real amazing. Landmark. In the region, if you're driving, say from San Francisco up to Oregon, you pass through the town of Mount Shasta and then around on the north side of the mountain and the views are absolutely spectacular. I've got a number of friends from Marin county who love this event and have been up on a number of occasions. As Ben will describe the weather sometimes plays a factor in the event and really dramatically affects your choice of equipment for this early season race. Before we jump in i need to thank this week sponsor hammerhead and the hammerhead caru to computer this ad read for my friends at hammerhead is very timely. As I literally just got in my inbox, my email for my latest. Software update. The hammerhead crew. Two's the most advanced GPS cycling computer available today. With industry leading mapping navigation and routing capabilities. That set us apart from other GPS options. So you can explore with confidence and on the go flexibility. That keeps getting underscored every single time I get one of these software updates, because I know the team at hammerhead are a listening. And be working and pushing out responses. So I love that about the crew to the crew too. If you don't know, it's got a touch screen display that's intuitive and responsive and full color. So your navigation experience is more like a smartphone than that, of a typical GPS device. You can see your data more clearly than ever. While also withstanding rugged conditions since it's water and scratch resistance. I've talked about the hammerheads climber feature with predictive path technology before. It allows you to visualize and prepare for upcoming gradient changes in real time. With or without the root loaded. I love this when going to gravel events, because I'm someone who just, I like to know if I'm going to sit in and grind or whether I should try to power over something. Because it's a short climb. This is all available in real time on the crew too. That's why I trust it as my head unit this year and I will do so again, next year. Hammerhead has been previously named bicycling magazines, editor choice, award. In the GPS cycling category. So you don't need to take my word for it. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart rate monitor strap with the purchase of a hammerhead crew to simply visit hammerhead.io right now. And use the promo code, the gravel ride at checkout. Someone in the ridership mentioned to me that the way to get the e-commerce system work is go ahead and put the hammerhead crew two in your cart first. And then add the heart rate monitor, and that coupon code, the gravel ride. After the fact to make sure you don't run into any hiccups. And hopefully. You can get a new hammerhead to computer in front of you for your next year's riding endeavors. With all that said let's jump right into my conversation with ben [00:04:04] Craig: Ben. Welcome to the gravel ride podcast. Cast [00:04:07] Ben: Thanks for having me. It's, it's an honor. [00:04:09] Craig: I'm excited. I, you know, Shasta being not dramatically far away from my, from where I live and certainly a place that I've been before, ever since I started seeing the Shasta gravel hugger on the calendar. I've been excited to talk to you cuz it's a beautiful area and I wanna learn, learn more about the event. [00:04:27] Ben: Excellent. You got it. It is a beautiful area. I've just loved going, riding my bike down there, especially in the winter, as I've said before this time of year it is, it is perfect. We got great smooth roads and the weather is usually pretty stinking good except for on race day. Yeah. I wanna [00:04:43] Craig: step back and talk about that a little bit later. But before we get get into the race itself, why don't we just learn a little bit about yourself? How did you find your way into that region? How'd you find your way to gravel cycling? . [00:04:55] Ben: Yeah, I've been in the valley here for I guess about 22 years. The Rogue Valley that is, so I'm, I'm north of where the race is by about a 45 minute drive. You know, like most people work brought us here. And then I got immersed in, in work for several years and, and finally when that led up a little bit, Picked up my bike about, you know, from, from a young age I was riding bikes, but, but not racing bikes. And about 12 years ago I started racing and then slowly found my way into gravel and then yeah, eventually promotion. It's crazy. So, [00:05:34] Craig: so to set the context for our listeners, I've been up to Shasta, I've been north of Shasta. On my way to Bend, I think is what normally I go by Shasta and, and, and continue up that road. It's a pretty rural part of Northern California. So can you des just sort of describe the area and maybe paint a picture for, you know, what brings people there? What's the sort of the economic engine of the region, et cetera. [00:05:59] Ben: Yeah, I would say timber is what developed this area. And, and so, so that's the main thing. We've seen less and less timber. I. In this area, you know, the mills have kind of dwindled down to where there's, you know, one big one or something. And, and so I would say now this particular area is recreation is a big, a big thing. And then secondary would be tourism yeah, tourism. And, and I just slipped me, what was the, the other one I was gonna say. But but yeah, it's a beautiful area and it's a great place to visit. . Yeah, [00:06:33] Craig: certainly Mount Shasta. I guess I first became aware of it because of the mountain at Mount Shasta and the desire to climb it and go up. It, it's just sort of, it's an attainable, quote unquote mountaineering experience for a lot of people. And I know they've got, you know, a great outfitter right there in, in, in downtown Mount Shasta to help you get up the mountain. And that's where I first got exposed to it and mm-hmm. , it was clear. Obviously there's a lot of wilderness around that area. I stopped there once on my mountain bike on the way home from Ben to explore a little bit, but just kind of got the, the tip of the iceberg for what the terrain is around there. When you think about like where you live now and around Shasta itself, how would you describe the, the, the gravel biking terrain that. [00:07:18] Ben: Yeah. Oh man. We have so many gravel roads. So, you know, I live just over the border in Oregon in the rogue Valley. And our gravel roads are for the most part, very pristine, like very well developed gravel roads. The problem we have around here is they almost all go up the side of a mountain. And so, , they're great roads to ride in the summer, but in the wintertime, you're gonna, you're gonna bump into, into snow pretty early on and get turned around a lot of the time. And so that's what led me to, to going down into the Shasta area because I, I can ride these awesome gravel roads the strata Bianchi roads and, and, and stay below, let's say 3000 feet most of the time. And that way I, I can, I can stay outta the. Interesting. [00:08:06] Craig: Yeah, that it, it didn't dawn on me that actually Shasta would have better weather than where you are. [00:08:13] Ben: Yeah, it's, I would say it has a few more sunny days in this area. I mean, I could, I could have drizzle here, go up over the Siskiyou, pass in, into Siskiyou County and, and voila, it's a sunny day. It's, yeah, it's quite a bit about the weather in the wintertime, especially. . [00:08:30] Craig: Interesting. So you mentioned you sort of rediscovered the bicycle about a dozen years ago, and eventually during that path you started riding off road. Was that by virtue of the fact that there's just so many dirt roads around where you [00:08:42] Ben: were? Yeah, well, I, I would say that I found gravel and dirt roads from a good friend Tom Neland, who started putting on the honey badge Arise, which are, are are pretty fun event around here. A free event. And he's the one that introduced me to the gravel roads in the Mount Shasta area. So I had, I had an old Hardtail mountain bike that I used for commuting, and they had some, I don't know, two inch slicks on it or something like that. 26 er. And, and I went to one of his honey Badger rides, which they kind of focus. unique courses and, and gravel. And and that's how I found the gravel bike. And from there it was just riding cross bikes. And I actually been, I, geez, I guess three or four years that I've been racing gravel pretty seriously. I mean, as. as a primary source for, for my events that I attend. And, but I got my first gravel bike this last year. It's right here behind me. But most of the roads around here are so nice that a cross bike is absolutely fine. I mean, if you don't need to go beyond 30 fives [00:09:48] Craig: usually. Yeah. Yeah. So there's a, a quite a big leap between finding a love of riding gravel bikes and riding on dirt roads to creating an event. , what made you decide to take that leap? And remind me when the first Shaster gravel hugger event was? [00:10:06] Ben: The first event was in 2000, March of 2000. So, it's four years. This next year will be our fourth year of putting, no, [00:10:14] Craig: 2020, sorry. Yeah, 2020 was the first [00:10:16] Ben: one. Yeah. Yeah. 2020. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. And it's grown steadily ever since. [00:10:21] Craig: and was the first one. Did you just sort of put it out there, Hey, come one, come all, or did you put a little organization, a lot of organization behind it? [00:10:30] Ben: Yeah. You know, in 2020 there were some, some big rides, obviously some big races, and, and I was drawn to those events and so I'm like, well, geez, we have these beautiful roads here. You know, we need an. In this region, they're, of which they're, you'd have to go to Bend to get a gravel race or, or, or, or the Grasshopper series in Northern California, which are still several hours south of here. And so, so yeah, I just decided that these, these roads kind of reminded me of the strata Bianca Roads, these beautiful white crush granite roads. , wanted to mimic the, the Strata Bianchi and the Peru Bay. That was the original plan, but we had a couple promoters around here and they like to put on events and, and, and like small little local events, and I wanted to try to make this more of a regional national type of event. And so I figured. Someone that had the passion for, and the vision for this particular type of a race probably should be at the helm. And so I decided, you know, the whole, I guess I'll do it myself kind of a thing. And, and it, it must take off. So it's great. And did you, was it [00:11:40] Craig: always sitting in early March as the time it was held? [00:11:44] Ben: Yeah. I originally had plans to, to call it strata something, you know, mimicking the strata Bianchi roads. But eventually I just didn't want the conflict with that particular race. And it's on the same exact day as strata Bianchi. And so we kind of, I wanted to put it early in the year because as we all know, as the summer goes on, the race counter gets more and more competi. This particular week is one week ahead of Midsouth. I did not want to try to go up against the Midsouth. If I'm trying to be a a national type race, then, then, then you wouldn't automatically go up against Midsouth. Yeah. And so I kind of placed it on the calendar right here for those two reasons originally. And, and then the third thing is when, when I was training riding turbos in, in the, in the winter. , I wanted to get out and do an early event. You know, like even if you're just, you know, doing some base work or something like that, you still kind of want to go out and test yourself and, and, and this is perfect. It, it, it fit into how it, it fit in exactly to a spot that I would want a race personally. Yeah. So, yeah. That's kind of, that [00:12:51] Craig: makes a lot of sense how either there, yeah. Yeah. It makes a lot of sense. Like I know any Wouldbe race organizer at this point, there's gravel events throughout the. And to your point, like if you want to create an event that can occupy a little bit more of a national profile and kind of be a destination, that early season spot is one that's open and granted, not everybody's gonna have the wherewithal to go to Mid-South, but it certainly has the name and. The recognition and sponsors that is gonna draw a lot of athletes and not head going head-to-head with it, but also similarly for recreational athletes. Providing that early season goal and opportunity I think makes a ton of sense with that March date. As I've seen pictures over the years. , you have experienced some dramatic weather. Can you kind of describe kind of the, you know, just the many different personalities the course can have based on the weather conditions? [00:13:49] Ben: Yeah. Like I've said, this area has fantastic weather in the wintertime, but we have been, I don't blessed cursed. I don't know what, but we. all three years that we've had the race so far, we've had snow on course at some point, you know, and so year number one was probably the worst year if you ask me. It was cold, it was raining at the start, and then by the time we got to the highest point of the race, there was snow on the ground. So you dig back in the photos of, of that first race and, and it, and it was pretty sloppy and, and and. The next year we had snow overnight, but it was a beautiful sunny day and it just created these just in incredible pitchers. The course was good except for, you know, the infamous Jeep Trail, which which was just saturated actually, and so it, it, it didn't have a chance to dry out, but But these roads, for the most part, with the exception of this Jeep Road, east Louis Jeep Road, that seems to be pretty famous in this race. The roads hold up to all kinds of weather, so well the majority of 'em are gonna be just if you get some rain in the week ahead. They are faster than most pavement roads. So they're big, wide open county maintained gravel roads that are really smooth. Most of the. [00:15:07] Craig: Yeah, I was, when I was on the Shasta Gravel hugger website, I was looking at the tire recommendations as I often do for, for travel events. And you made mention like totally capable in a, in a dry ish road, gravel day 30 twos to 37. You're, you're, you're all good. Mm-hmm. . But if it's actually wet on the course, all of a sudden it's a different. [00:15:29] Ben: Yeah. We have, we've had road bikes do well, so Luke lamp party came up here and raced on a road bike with, he could stuff some 30 millimeters in there. And it was one of the years it was super wet. Could he have been higher than third place with, with a proper gravel bike? Possibly that particular year, but like last year, I would say that. He, he might have been able to win it on a, on a road bike. And that's the fun thing about this particular race, like we call it gravel and it, it, it attracts a lot of people, but it is almost half pavement. So. It is a real, I try to do the build up the sectors. And the reason we have sectors is because there's gravel sections. And then of course we have, you know, maybe, I think our longest one's like a 12 mile section of pavement. And, and so yeah, picking the right tires is, is huge. And, and if you can get away with running some 32 millimeter slicks, like I write it a lot. my cross bike with, with kind of a road ish wheel on 'em, and, and it does fine. So yeah, let's dig [00:16:34] Craig: into the courses that are available to riders now for the 2023 edition. What, what course options do you have? [00:16:41] Ben: Yeah, our big one is called the Full Hug and it's a hundred miles and it has about 4,500 feet of climbing in it. I wanna. And then we have the half hug. I kind of like the bro hug. It's like it's half, half that. It's, it's a hundred kilometers. It is just a, just I think 65 miles with about 4,000 feet of climbing. So it's, it's close. Most of the climbing's in the second half of the, of the race. And then brand new this year, we are adding a more social. Loop, which is gonna be 35 miles. And, and we have also added an e-bike, which is something that's brand new for me to include an e-bike option in, in, in the [00:17:21] Craig: race. So, interesting. And it sounds like, from what you were saying before in our tire discussion, from a technical perspective, no one should be too nervous about what they're gonna get into up there. [00:17:32] Ben: Yeah. I mean, we have one high speed descent. Might, would definitely make you wish you had some different tires on if you're, if you went small. But all aid, all ages, all levels. We'd be fine. Just, you know, you gotta be careful. People can recognize when, when it's getting dangerous and slow down, so, yeah. Yeah, for the most part, roads are [00:17:51] Craig: fantastic. And then are you providing aid stations out there on the course for the riders? [00:17:56] Ben: Yeah, so we have, last year we had two main aid stations and then a third. Third was just in an emergency aid station that wasn't quite stocked as much close to the end in case someone was crashing and boning or something like that. Most people didn't stop at that one, but yeah, fully supported. We encourage everyone to use our aid stations as opposed to try to seek outside help along along the way. You know, we try to discourage and make it fair enough for everybody if they don't have a, a dad to hand water bottles up in random spots. So we encourage everyone to, if they do want something special from, from a teammate or a family member, then do it in our, in our speed zones. [00:18:35] Craig: Yeah. When you think about how you're promoting the event and the types of athletes that you're trying to attract, Are you categorizing this as a full throttle race? You know, if there's a spectrum between like hardcore race and gravel ride, where are you trying to sit? And I realize that you could answer that differently for the 10% at the front of the race versus the rest of us. But I'd just be interested to kind of get your thought process on how you're, you're categorizing it. [00:19:01] Ben: Yeah, I mean, I would, I, I'd categorize it as a race, like, yeah, we're chip timed, we are keeping track of different age groups, so yeah, full on race. But it, it falls into the, the gravel theme of you know, the molet, you know, we have let the racers race and then if anyone wants to, you know, just go out there and knock off a, a big, long day, then. We'd love to have them too, so, so yeah. It's, yeah, it's, it's definitely a, a party for some and, and, But we always try to maintain that there's a race going on and we try to promote the race piece of it too. Because, you know, we're trying to attract these big professional racers to come, which will, you know, create excitement for the everyday person to come and see how they stack up against people. So it's been fun. [00:19:52] Craig: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And if I look back over the last few years, for whatever reason, whatever you've done, the timing, the location, the ethos you have managed to attract, Several or dozens of elite riders to come and chest their metal there in March. [00:20:08] Ben: Yeah. Yeah. Originally, you know, it's an interesting story. So you're number two. So you're number one is, was the start of covid. So we're in March of 2000 2020, excuse me. And. And there's some grumbling about Covid of course. And then we pretty much shut down, right? And then there was hardly any races that year. And then the next year is like in the early spring it felt like, okay, things are starting to, to open up and, and a county like Siski I don't know. They, they would kind of, I just think they kind of poo-pooed the, the co covid thing in that area, the maj majority of people. And, and so they were welcoming of us trying to do something that year. And so year number two, we really quickly threw it together and And the funny story is that I noticed that Pete Stetner was, was liking some of my Instagram posts. And so I'm like, huh. So we shot Pete a quick message and he's like, yeah, I'm, I'm open that week and I'd love, love to come, kind of a thing. And, and . And so I would say he was the start of the, the professionals showing up to the race. And then we were able to leverage that Pete, you know, hey, Pete's coming and you know, we got Jacob Rath Raey come down from, from the Portland area. So we had a couple of pros in year number two. And then in year number two, the women's field was, was even probably more stacked top to bottom. There was, I think only 13 of the, the women's pros, but we had Clara Hansinger, we had Maude Farrell, and then of course Moe Wilson. That was, that was our, our, our, our podium with ma taking the wind. Mo second and Clara Haunting are third. So, so yeah, it, it's definitely. The interest of the, the regional pros. And then last year Adam, Rob, you know, he's coming all the way over from Quebec, but he just wanted one, an event and one that wasn't in, in snow and winter. And so he came out here and, and yeah, we got Brennan words coming up from, from the Marin County and, and, and had a great showdown last year with some really strong writers. Yeah. [00:22:13] Craig: Yeah. It's, it's been, it's been fun to watch the kind of growth, and I, I think you'll continue to see people get attracted to it. Again, it's just good part of the calendar. Mm-hmm. , clearly it's got enough ca like enough quality terrain and racers up there to make it a, a worthwhile early season test of your fitness. [00:22:32] Ben: Yeah, exactly. This next year though, the calendar has become quite a bit more competitive on my, my day because Belgian Waffle Wright has. That they are gonna be holding a, an event in Arizona on the same weekend. So the, so now the work is for me to try to, you know, attract these, these pros to come to my event over, over heading to Arizona, which, I mean, March in Arizona sounds pretty good to me but but yeah, [00:23:00] Craig: yeah, yeah. I think there's room for, you know, if you put on great events, , there's room for multiple events on the same day at the end of the day. Mm-hmm. , there's people looking for different things. I think you also mentioned over email some, some initiatives that you've put forth and maybe some changes in how you're kind of rolling people out during the day. Do you wanna talk about some of those 20, 23 initiatives? [00:23:21] Ben: Yeah, absolutely. So yeah, there's. There's been some chatter amongst the, the female racers. Now a lot of them like to see how they stack up, up, up against the men, but there's also been a decent amount of chatter about how unsafe it is for them to try to be going out there and competing in these, these massive, this mass participation events that that have a ton of guys that they're trying to jockey with. And so this next year if as long as we get enough in the field to make it worthwhile, we are going to ship the women off 15, 15 minutes ahead of the men's race so that they don't have to go deal with that first sector and the chaos associated with that. They will, we'll also be able to give them a chance to, to kind of highlight the women and, and announce who's here and who's competing and, and, and give their sponsors a sh a shout out and. and then, then we send them off and then we can go about bringing the guys up 15 minutes later. And then, you know, I just ahead [00:24:21] Craig: a follow up question on that, Ben, when you, when you think about that first sector, is there elevation, is there technicality? What do you imagine happening during those first 15 minutes that allow the women to sort of have a sense of more autonomous racing for that portion? [00:24:37] Ben: Yeah, so the first sector is, is I, I wanna say it's about six miles. It's relatively flat. The first, the first quarter of a mile last year was in relatively loose gravel, and then it got pretty nice and smooth after that. So, so the first quarter of a mile it was, it was pretty chaotic. It was pretty dusty, and, and it was definitely, If you weren't in the preferred two lines, you know, you are out in some, some loose gravel and so, so yeah, I, it made for a hairy first couple of minutes of the race and, and the race ha at that point was already on. I, I think the original attack with with Adam and Br Brennan was right before they went onto that sector, so it was already full race mode. So yeah, it was extremely hectic. [00:25:26] Craig: Yeah, it's interesting. And before I ask this next question, I wanna state, I don't know the right answer to this mm-hmm. and I think. Over time, it's gonna evolve, and it may even be on an event by event basis, but as the women are, are set out 15 minutes ahead and granted it will give them a clean look at that first sector and the ability for some women to attack one another and perhaps to kind of stretch out the field. At some point the front end of the men's race is going to start interacting with those female athletes out front. And I don't know if you've gotten this feedback from the women. As the, as the elite men start to come through, obviously there's gonna be women who have fitness who attempt to glom onto some wheels and, and kind of get caught up in the momentum of the men's peloton. How do you kind of imagine that playing out? [00:26:16] Ben: That's a great question. And I think, I think it's one that I'm gonna look, I'm gonna probably look to a few of our, our professional ladies that are coming in to help guide me on that. So, so the big question is like, do we do. tell them like, Hey, don't jump on wheels. This you're in your own little race. Or, or like year number two, when we had wave starts they just were able to jump on whatever they wanted to. And, and so I, I don't know the answer to that question, but we as. By the time we roll off on race day, I hope to have a, a very clear explanation to all the racers about what we're, what we hope to see out there. [00:26:58] Craig: Yeah, I think that's a good, that's a good approach. I mean, obviously like the women should be leading this conversation about what makes sense, I suspect, but don't know that, you know, they will think it's fair game to grab wheels. Like it's, it's implausible that over a hundred mile day mm-hmm. . Racers are gonna work with racers. That's just sort of the nature of bike racing, right? So it's hard to imagine everybody's saying like, okay, we all agree cause it's just gonna be super hard to police. But I just think it's interesting and I, again, like I've, I've seen a number of races attempt this approach where they're giving a 15 minute head start. We've obviously seen the co-mingled starts. We've seen lots of different derivatives of this, and I do think that as a community, as we put these offers out there, it's just important to be open and say like, Hey, we don't know what the right solution is. But potentially after the year of 2023, at a bunch of these tests, if you will, going out and getting feedback from women, we'll arrive at something that makes sense, that still has that community feel, but elevates the safety, elevates the ability for the sport to high. Female athletes as much as oftentimes the ma male athletes get [00:28:15] Ben: highlighted. Exactly. That's been, that's definitely been my initiative for the, for the last several years is, is to try to, to, to give these ladies a, a chance, I mean, . We originally had ideas of doing a, a reverse discrimination prize purse because, you know, women's cycling has been so underfunded or, you know, the rewards or or prize money was, was so minuscule compared to, to the men's races that, that that we wanted to like highlight that as, as one of the things, we have a prize purse for the women only. but with permitting in California, that's not allowed. , you can't have discriminatory prize purses anymore, which is great for, for women across all the different events. But but yeah, we're trying to highlight these ladies and, and probably some of 'em have a harder time, you know, making the same kind of sponsorship money as, as a, a guy of similar skills. So, [00:29:07] Craig: yeah. Yeah, it's certainly an interesting problem and I think the important thing is, people are talking about it. And again, that the, the women who are involved are having the lion share of opinion and we can just use their opinions as guidance as it relates to the race in its entirety. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. And so, how large of a field do you typically see at the Shasta Gravel hogger hugger? [00:29:30] Ben: Yeah, so last year we had 400 people take the sign up for the race, and then we had about 335, I wanna say that actually went across our start line. So yeah, I mean that's kind of, that's kind of where we were last year. We, we have grown every single year that we've been in existence, so hopefully, you know, we can see something north of 500 this year. [00:29:52] Craig: And great. When, when we, I mean we've talked through what to exper, what to expect in terms of the course terrain and what type of equipment you'd like to see people ride at the end of the event. What does that experience look like if someone's making time to spend their weekend up with you at, in Shasta, what, what expectations should they have after the race? [00:30:12] Ben: Yeah, we definitely wanna try to bring the party to the after. After the race. So yeah, we have a burrito truck last year and most likely they'll be back again this year. So nice big burrito to finish off the day. Beer and and then of course, everyone telling their war stories, so. people hung, hung around until dark last year. And so yeah, there's a, there's a nice little after party. Last year we had a band the brothers Reid, and they absolutely killed it. But I found like most people weren't paying attention to the band. They were. Telling their war stories. And so probably not gonna bring a band back. We'll just be playing, you know, some good music in the background and, and let the racers chat about what they, what happened out there, . Nice. [00:30:56] Craig: And so give the listener a few benchmarks. So if you were coming from San Francisco, for example, how, how long does it take to get up to Shasta or if you're coming from somewhere in Oregon? [00:31:05] Ben: Yeah, I, I mean, you can get, I think it's about four hours from Portland down. And then similar from, from the Bay Area maybe a little bit less because there's 45 minutes, I guess to here. But so yeah, it's, it's, it's a pretty easy drive. I wouldn't suggest doing it before a 9:00 AM start, but you probably could from the Bay Area if you were got up nice and early. [00:31:28] Craig: Yeah, I was gonna ask that. Are people typically staying overnight in Shasta, the nights before? [00:31:32] Ben: Yeah. The, there's Yreka is the closest town with hotels. That's only about a 10 minute drive or probably even less than that. And there's plenty of hotel rooms there. A lot of people stay in weed and Mount Shasta, which Are also great places, but I wanna say 25 to 40 miles away. Okay. 25 to weed. So, so yeah, there's more like rental properties. If you're like doing a VRBO or Airbnb or something like that, there's more in the Mount Shasta area. That tends to be a little more of a, of a recreation type town. So, so there's, yeah, there's plenty of options. But the thing, one of the things that we've. Every year so far is in the parking lot. Next to the, the start finish line is, is plenty of room and we've allowed camping on site. So if you van camping, RV camping, if you can get your, if you can get your rig in there and, and not get stuck, then, then and then yeah, it's have at it free. Yeah. [00:32:29] Craig: For a hot second there. I just had in my mind, oh, it's in Mount Shas. The mountain of Shasta is obviously covers a vast area, and certainly, yeah, again, remembering my, my, my trips up to Oregon. Once you get past Shasta and Shasta, the town, and on the other side of the mountain, amazing, spectacular views of Mount Shasta through that valley. [00:32:51] Ben: Yeah, we we're kind of, we're, we're almost all north of Mount Shasta, so I mean, we, we go down and we touch weed, which would, I would kind of say is like the southern part of the Shasta Valley. And then Mount Shasta would be further south and more like on the side of the mountain. And so if you want the great views of the mountain, then the North, north Valley is where you want to be. And we. . Oh, just so many. Incredible. If the, if the mountain is out as they like to say, it's, it's absolutely stunning from many, many different spots on on the course. Some, some have even said it's distracting. It's, it's so, It's so beautiful. [00:33:32] Craig: So yeah. Yeah, I would agree. It's one of the like the beautiful things about driving through that valley, which often seems like a, it takes forever, but the nice thing is you've got that amazing mountain view the entire time. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Cool. Well, I'm super glad to finally get you on the show, Ben, to talk about this event. I love the sounds of it. I love that area. Like I totally recommend it from a, a visual perspective and everything you've talked about, the writing makes me believe that it is a great early season event. [00:33:59] Ben: Yeah, I sure hope so. And, and hope to see this thing continue to grow through, through the next couple of years. So hope to make some nice announcements here soon about cool people that are attending. So people are starting to finalize their. Schedules for this next year and, and yeah, hope to make some announcements. Right [00:34:17] Craig: on. And I'll throw the gravel hugger.com link in the show notes so people know how to find you. But they can also just search Shasta gravel hugger and they'll get to the right location. [00:34:27] Ben: Absolutely. Super easy. Yep. And if you wanna find out a little bit about what the race is We have a race recap on YouTube. You can also just google Shasta gravel hugger on YouTube and, and there's a 20 minute recap of what happened last year and we hope to do something similar this next, next year to, to kind of give everyone a feel of what, how the race goes. So, [00:34:49] Craig: awesome. Thanks, man. [00:34:51] Craig Dalton: That's going to do it for this week's edition of the gravel rod podcast. Big thanks to our sponsor hammerhead and the hammerhead kuru. To computer. And huge thanks to ben for coming on i've been curious about the shasta gravel hugger for awhile and was happy to learn more about At The event. I'll put all the appropriate links in the show notes. So you can go find and check out that video on YouTube that Ben was mentioning. If you're interested in connecting with me or other riders in the area, please join the ridership. That's www.theridership.com. It's a free online cycling community, open to anybody and filled with gravel cyclists from around the world. If you're interested in able to support the podcast. You can visit, buy me a coffee.com/the gravel ride. Any contribution or support is greatly appreciated. Or if you have a moment, ratings and reviews are hugely appreciated. And really help with our discoverability. Until next time. Here's to finding some dirt under your wheels  

Brendan Quirk, USA Cycling CEO and President, joins Amanda and Bill to chat about gravel racing and USA Cycling's involvement in the discipline. The conversation touches on the UCI Gravel World Championships, USAC Gravel Nationals, and what part USAC plays in the future of domestic gravel events.  Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Follow Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at the Val di Sole World Cup in Italy. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Russell Rainey is originally from Arkansas where he grew up enjoying the outdoors and getting exposed to many of his experiences through the Boy Scouts. It was one of his scouting experiences, at the age of 14, when he went to New Mexico and first saw the Rocky Mountains. He told me, “I came home from that trip, but I don't think I really came home. My heart was in the mountains at that point.” From that point forward it was a personal quest of his to go back to the mountains. As he got a little older he landed a job at a local shop called Take A Hike that sold mountaineering, backpacking, & hiking equipment in Arkansas. The owner of the shop encouraged him to go to a National Outdoor Leadership School, aka NOLS course in Colorado to enhance his outdoor knowledge and skills. This experience blew things wide open to the possibilities of working in the outdoor space.  His love for the big mountains soon led him to buy property near Wilson, WY where he built a small home for his wife and 2 kids. They moved there full-time and he began working for Exum Mountain Guides in the Teton area as well as teaching skiing at Grand Targhee. Although he was a self-described intermediate skier during this time, his time on the snow led him to want to attempt to create a better freeheel binding. This was the spark that led to the creation of his own company that would make some of the most iconic and important Telemark bindings of the last 3 decades. Russell created and sold the his Telemark bindings from the late 1980s until the early 2000s. From stainless steel toe plates, to the 6-hole mounting pattern, to many many other things…his impact is still seen in our bindings today. It was an absolute honor and a privilege to speak with him about his story, his bindings, and Telemark. Sign-up for the mailing list: https://bit.ly/FHLMailingList Connect with Josh and the Freeheel Life Family  Josh on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter  Telemark Skier Magazine on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube Freeheel Life on Instagram and Twitter Shop The Freeheel Life Telemark Shop  How You Can Support Us: Shop Telemark at  FREEHEELLIFE.COM Subscribe & Become a Supporter of TelemarkSkier.com for articles, gear reviews, & more! Email Podcast@freeheellife.com  

Amanda chats with adventure racer, Becca Fahringer, about everything, including her cyclocross and gravel racing career. Follow Becca on Instagram and Twitter at @GoFahr. Also subscribe to her YouTube channel and watch her vlog at https://www.youtube.com/@GoFahr. Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Follow Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

Chris Tolley is here and we are so excited that it caused us to get introspective. Come with us on a thought experiment as we explore the inner workings of the mind of a man who has become an institution in Central Texas. He has become an advocate, a leader, a guide, but most importantly he has become himself. We are brought to you this week by Bob's Pickle Pops the Swiss Army Knife of hydration. It has what you need to keep going when the weather is hot and unforgiving. Find them on Instagram or Facebook @Bobspicklepops.  We are brought to you this week by Source Endurance the best endurance athlete coaching resource on the internet. Check them out and use the promo code "criteriumnation" for $50 off your first month of coaching. We are also brought to you by Hammerhead the creators of the Karoo 2, our cycling computer of choice for 2022. It's gotten better and better every day we've owned it. Use "CRITNATION" for a free heart rate strap.

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at the US Cyclocross National Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

This week we try our best to just rock the one cog and party at the back, but everyone just wants to race. Mechanics are dropping towels and anoraks have been purchased. Plus, more Jetsons/Flintstone's content than ever before on the show.  The poddy is also supported by Hammerhead. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free Custom Color Kit and exclusive premium water bottle with the purchase of Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use the promo code SLOWRIDE at checkout to get yours today.  This podcast is supported by the generous and amazing donors to the Wide Angle Podium Network. You still have time to pick yourself up the first EVER official SRP merch at wideanglepodium.com/srp300 Find us, and other fantastic cycling podcasts on the Wide Angle Podium Network, at wideanglepodium.com! Check out the brand new WAP app available in the Apple and Android app stores! You can listen to us in a variety of ways: Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or anywhere great podcasts are found. Give us a review and rating! We'd appreciate it! You can email us at theslowridepodcast@gmail.com Find us on Twitter: The show (@theslowridepod) Matt (@Matt46292097) Spencer (@spencerhaugh)

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at Superprestige Boom and World Cup Antwerpen. We then spend the second half of the show previewing the upcoming US Cyclocross National Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Amanda and Bill chat with Michelle Duffy and Kimo Seymour about the Life Time Grand Prix. We discuss the successes and challenges from last year and what will change with the series in the upcoming year. You can follow the Life Time Grand Prix on Instagram at @lifetimegrandprix. Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor by purchasing a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road, they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Catch up with Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at the Canadian CX Nats, the Hulst World Cup and Kortrijk. Cyclocross Radio is sponsored by Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Download the Substack app and join in on the CXHAIRS Bulletin chats. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).

Amanda chats with gravel racer Whitney Allison. Follow Whitney on Instagram at @whit.allison. Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code GROADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. You can follow Amanda on Twitter at @_amanda_panda_ and on Instagram at @amanda_panda_. Catch up with Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and on Instagram at @zacharyschuster. Follow Bill at @cxhairs  on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the show @groadio Email the show at groadio@gmail.com. Groadio is part of the Wide Angle Podium network. Please consider becoming a member. Go to www.wideanglepodium.com/donate to learn more and contribute.

This week we talk a lot of cx, both the actual racing and the course infrastructure. We discuss our eBay watch lists and some favorite YouTube channels before getting into a bunch of great emails. The poddy is also supported by Hammerhead. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free Custom Color Kit and exclusive premium water bottle with the purchase of Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use the promo code SLOWRIDE at checkout to get yours today.  This podcast is supported by the generous and amazing donors to the Wide Angle Podium Network. You still have time to pick yourself up the first EVER official SRP merch at wideanglepodium.com/srp300 Find us, and other fantastic cycling podcasts on the Wide Angle Podium Network, at wideanglepodium.com! Check out the brand new WAP app available in the Apple and Android app stores! You can listen to us in a variety of ways: Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or anywhere great podcasts are found. Give us a review and rating! We'd appreciate it! You can email us at theslowridepodcast@gmail.com Find us on Twitter: The show (@theslowridepod) Matt (@Matt46292097) Spencer (@spencerhaugh)

Lee is back to end off 2022 with a playlist comprised of a mix of recent private watches, and films he screened for watch parties he's held in the last couple of months. --The Call from "Blacula" (1972) --Gene Page --There He is Again from "Blacula" (1972) --The Hues Corporation --Opening Theme from "Messiah of Evil" (1973) --Phillan Bishop --Hold on to Love from "Messiah of Evil" (1973) --Raun Mackinnon --Assault On Precinct 13 (Main Title) from "Assault on Precinct 13" (1976) --John Carpenter --San Antone from "Rolling Thunder" (1977) --Denny Brooks --Main Title & The Reckoning from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1978) --Denny Zeitlin --Opening Theme from "The Boogey Man" (1980) --Tim Krog --Main Title; The Battle Begins & Destruction of Hammerhead from "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980) --James Horner --Main Title from "The Challenge" (1982) --Jerry Goldsmith Opening and closing music: Summertime Killer from "Summertime Killer" by Luis Bacalov, and Santa Maria from "Raiders of Atlantis" by Oliver Onions.

Ultimate Spider-Cast Ep #205: Spider-Man #70-#71, Sensational Spider-Man #7 Welcome back to Ultimate Spider-Cast!  This time Phil, Rey and Dave review Spider-Man #70 & #71, Sensational Spider-Man #7, and Amazing Spider-Man #414 (July & August 1996) featuring the return of Hammerhead, new threats Don Fortunato and Delilah, and the death of Peter Parker? Tune in today and don't forget to review the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere else you can!  Ultimate Spider-Cast's Links  → Twitter https://www.twitter.com/UltSpidercast → Instagram https://www.instagram.com/capeslunatics/ → Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UltimateSpiderCast → YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/CapesandLunatics ==================

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at The North Carolina Grand Ppix and the Overijse World Cup. Check out Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477).  

Hello! This is our 30th episode special. It is one one of our most information packed and fun episodes to date. We have 3 awesome segments for you guys, so make sure to stay tuned! This episode is about animals that live in and around coral reefs. Coral Reefs are home to around 25% of all the world's marine life. In this episode we talk about Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Great Hammerhead Sharks, and Lionfish. We have a mystery sound, a joke, and a surprise segment for you guys! Written version of joke will be down below. To support our podcast, please leave us a review (link to leave us a review will be down below and you will get a shout out in the next episode if you do), subscribe/follow us, and recommend this podcast to anyone you know. :-)Animal Kingdom on Apple Podcasts (To write us a review): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/animal-kingdom/id1519845981Joke in episode:Q: How did the hammerhead shark do on his test?A: He nailed it.Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREEInstacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

The final episode of the Tour d'Écosse series covers the last three stages of the ride to visit each of Scotland's Football League grounds. Stage 13 of the trip takes Lionel and Simon from Montrose to Peterhead, via Aberdeen and a visit to Slains Castle, which inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula. At 128 kilometres it's the longest stage of the entire tour too but, fortunately, it's somewhat tailwind-assisted. The following day, however, they battle a fierce headwind on the way to Elgin City's Borough Briggs, before the last leg takes them from Birnie to Dingwall, the home of the 42nd and final football club on their itinerary, Ross County. This episode also features a chat with Scotland's Commonwealth Games road race bronze medallist Finn Crockett, who supports Ross County. In total, over 15 days of cycling, they covered more than 1,300 kilometres and spent almost 58 hours in the saddle. The Tour d'Écosse was recorded by Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill. Production and sound design by Tom Whalley. Broomwagon support from Sam Slatter and Jon Heard. Thank you to everyone we met along the way and a special thank you to everyone who has listened to the journey. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at The Northampton International Cyclocross presented by Cycle-Smart, Neil and the Beekse Bergen World Cup. Please take a minute to visit our sponsor, Forever Endurance on Instagram at @foreverendurance and at www.foreverendurance.com.  Also, check out our Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Finally, visit Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477). Need coffee? (Trick question, you do). Check out our partnership with Grimpeur Bros and the amazingly tasty Hello Cyclocross Friends! Espresso blend here: https://www.grimpeurbros.com/products/hello-cyclocross-friends-wap-espresso.

The Angus stage of the Tour d'Écosse takes Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill from Dundee up to Forfar and Brechin before dropping down to the seaside in Arbroath and finally hugging the coastline to Montrose. There are a couple of culinary delights on the way, the Forfar Bridie for brunch and the Arbroath smokies for lunch before heading to watch the Red Lichties, Arbroath, take on East Fife at Gayfield Park, which is apparently the closest football ground in Europe to the sea. It's a ride of almost 100 kilometres with more than 1,000 metres of climbing through the beautiful Angus countryside. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill in Freuchie as they recap the first stage of the Tour d'Écosse following their return to Scotland for their journey around the country visiting all the football grounds. First, though, an exploration of Freuchie's cricketing exploits before they roll through the Lomond Hills to Perth, the home of St Johnstone, and then up to Dundee where the city's two football clubs play in their own separate grounds that happen to be just across the street from each other. On the way Lionel and Simon are joined by another couple of Dotwatchers who had been following their progress and joined them for a few kilometres. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

After just 165 rest days, the Tour d'Écosse resumed in Bonnyrigg in late September for the final stretch of the journey taking in the remaining Scottish Football League grounds. The route director had to re-draw the course over the summer because Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic became the newest members of the Scottish League after winning promotion at Cowdenbeath's expense in May. And so, instead of picking up where they left off in Alloa in April, Lionel and Simon head to Bonnyrigg, which is just south of Edinburgh for the first of six stages that would take them all the way north to Dingwall. We find out what connects Bonnyrigg to James Bond 007, we cross through the Scottish capital and, with the Netflix Tour de France series currently in production, hear from filmmaker Finlay Pretsell about the challenges of making documentaries about professional cycling. Then it's over the Forth Road Bridge again – no confusion about how to get across the water this time – picking up a dotwatcher or two on the way, before reaching East Fife. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

All roads lead to Alloa as the first stretch of Tour d'Écosse stages come to a conclusion with a trip to see the Wasps take on Clyde in the shadow of the beautiful Ochil Hills. The roll out is from the site of the West Lothian Cycle Circuit at Linlithgow. Lionel meets Matt Ball, one of the driving forces behind the creation of the circuit about how he hopes it will inspire generations of young cyclists and give riders of all abilities somewhere to meet, ride and race. Then it's a short final stage via Falkirk, Stenhousemuir and Stirling before the last stretch to Alloa in time for kick-off and the pre-match specialty, a Scotch pie on a roll. Yes, you read that correctly – a pie in a bread roll. The Tour d'Écosse resumes next time with the final run of stages taking Lionel and Simon all the way to Dingwall, home of Ross County. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie. Update Description

After some initial confusion about which bridge would take them from Edinburgh across to Fife, Lionel and Simon's Tour d'Écosse journey continues with stage eight. It's a relatively short stage but there's a deceptive amount of climbing on the course today and Simon is beginning to feel it. His efforts to slow Lionel down come to nothing. Tired legs does not explain the sinking feeling the pair get when they reach Cowdenbeath… Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

We are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at the PanAmerican Championships and Really Rad Festival of Cross in Falmouth, Mass.  Please take a minute to visit our sponsor, Forever Endurance on Instagram at @foreverendurance and at www.foreverendurance.com.  Also, check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Finally, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Watch Cyclocross Television and subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477). Need coffee? (Trick question, you do). Check out our partnership with Grimpeur Bros and the amazingly tasty Hello Cyclocross Friends! Espresso blend here: https://www.grimpeurbros.com/products/hello-cyclocross-friends-wap-espresso.

Stage seven of the Tour d'Écosse is as close to the traditional transitional stage as it's possible to get. The route avoids the Bathgate Alps and takes the low route from Glasgow to Edinburgh. In Lionel and Simon's defence they have to go via Livingston Football Club's Tony Macaroni Arena. It's a beautiful, quiet ride offering time for reflection and reminiscence before they reach the outskirts of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Simon visits the Caledonian Brewery before they reach the home of Heart of Midlothian and then it's on to Hibernian and a glimpse of some Sunshine on Leith. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This week we sit down with Lizard Skin founder, Brian Fruit to learn the original story of the brand founded in 1993. From cycling bar tape and accessories now to baseball, hockey and lacrosse, the brand has had an interesting journey making its products in the United States. Lizard Skins Episode Sponsor: Hammerhead Karoo 2 (code: TheGravelRide for free HRM strap) Support the Podcast Join The Ridership  Automated Transcription, please excuse the typos: Lizard Skins [00:00:00] Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. This week on the show. We welcome Brian fruit, the founder of lizard skins. Was there a skin spin part of the cycling industry since 1993. It's been quite an incredible journey for the company. Y'all know how much I love the business side stories behind the brands we know and love. So I was super excited to get into it with Brian and just learn more about the journey. With respect to their bar tape. What I find is interesting is that the material they have is definitely. Sort of on the gummy air side and you'll hear Brian, describe a bit about that product. But also it's worth noting. They offer four different sizes of kind of the diameter. Of the bar tape, which really changes the feel you can go from super thin. I E a lot of bar feel all the way out to kind of pair Ruby style, super cush. Which I think is an interesting option that you don't see across the board. A lot of times when you go into your local bike shop, You see only one diameter tape that's available. So it's an interesting thing to play around with and something I've enjoyed while testing out some of the lizard skin tape. Just before we jump in, I need to thank this week sponsor the hammerhead crew to. I am literally in Spain as you're listening to this, I'm recording this intro just before I'm boarding my flight and definitely thinking about all the adventures I'm going to have on the roads of Jarana. I thought about borrowing a computer from the group that I'm going with, but it was from another brand that I had a little bit of a bad experience with back way back when. I've come to love many things about my hammerhead computer. And I am convinced it's the most advanced GPS cycling computer available today. It's got industry leading mapping navigation and routing capabilities that set it apart from other GPS options. Free global maps with points of interest included like cafes and campsites. Mean that my riding in Gerona. I won't be without information. I'll have everything at my fingertips. As I'm saying all this, I'm literally reminding myself that I should go download the country maps. So I've got everything on hand. In my hammerhead crew to device. Hammerhead gives bi-weekly software updates. So the features are always up to date. And they're always listening. You can provide feedback to the team in hammerhead and potentially it's going to end up in a software update. You're not locked to a particular software package because they're always upgrading it. I really look for the climber feature. That's one of my favorite features these days. It was particularly poignant for me when I was riding in, uh, Bentonville Arkansas, a few weeks back at the big sugar gravel event, all those punchy climbs. I was really on the limit. I'm much more of a sit and grind on the coastal range here in California. So this punchy climbs or something I wasn't used to. So understanding exactly how far I was to the top and how many candles I could burn staying with the groups I was desperate to stay with really came in handy. So very much recommend the hammerhead crew to it's my exclusive computer. For gosh, probably over a year now. I'm not the only one singing its praises. It was named bicycling magazines, editors choice in GPS, cycling computers. For the past two years. Take a look on their websites for a limited time offer our listeners can get a free heart rate monitor with the purchase of a hammerhead crew to just visit hammerhead IO right now, and use the promo code, the gravel ride at checkout to get yours today. Remember it's an exclusive limited time offer for our podcast listeners. So don't forget that promo code, the gravel ride for that free heart rate monitor strap. Would that business behind us, let's jump right into my conversation with Brian. Hey Brian, welcome to the show. [00:04:27] Brian Fruit: Awesome. Super glad to be beyond today. [00:04:30] Craig Dalton: Yeah. I'm excited to dig into Lizard Skins a little bit, but I'd love to start out, as we always do, by a little bit about your history and how you ultimately got into cycling, and let's talk about the origin story of lizard skin. [00:04:44] Brian Fruit: Well, that's a, that's a good one. Yeah, it's been. Three decades ago now dating myself a little bit I was a college student at BYU and I got my first mountain bike. I worked, you know, most of the summer and saved up some money and got a mountain bike and, and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it. Not just for the awesome writing that we were able to do in the mountains. Just as a way to get around campus and commute. It was just so much more liberating than fighting the parking spots. So I just fell in love with cycling. I think I'd, you know, from a very small age, I've always loved everything with wheels on it. And then this mountain bike was, that was a revelation. So fast forward a few more years and I'm a senior about to graduate and there's a company. Called Reflex bikes. [00:05:35] Craig Dalton: I remembered them. [00:05:36] Brian Fruit: yeah, they made these cool lugged frames. You know, some of them were aluminum tubes, some of 'em were carbon tubes, and they sold to another company. Look, that makes, you know, pedals and things like that. [00:05:49] Craig Dalton: And did Reflex have some sort of Utah connection or were you just familiar? [00:05:54] Brian Fruit: they were making 'em here in Utah, [00:05:56] Craig Dalton: I, Wow, I didn't know that. I had a girlfriend who had that one of those bikes in the very early nineties. [00:06:02] Brian Fruit: Did it creak? [00:06:03] Craig Dalton: It creeped. And the one thing I remembered too about it was that there was some really challenging cable routing. So when it came time to build it up, it was like a nightmare. Getting something through the bottom bracket, I think was what I struggled with. [00:06:17] Brian Fruit: Yeah. So it was a cool bike and it had a great designer and, and he had sold the business. And, and moved over to Europe actually to, to work on design there. And, and apparently there was a, a trademark issue on the name reflex. And the people that owned it were no longer willing to allow that name to be used. And so, Look just said, I think we're just done with this, but this doesn't make sense for us to be involved with. So they decided to liquidate everything. So rims and cranks and headsets, and you name it, bottom brackets, shifters, handlebar. And, and so they sent out these postcards to all these stores, and my friend worked as a bike patrol at Sundance Ski Resort, brought the. Postcard home. And I'm like, that's kind of interesting. So I drove up there the next day and I bought $300 worth of bike parts. Didn't have any money. I was just a college student and all the way home like, Oh, what am I doing? I don't have 300 bucks is the worst decision ever. And I sold all those parts that night to just random people in the apartment complex and friends that I rode with. It's cuz there was no social media back then. This is, you know, early 90. 92, I believe. And and the next day I went up there again, like, you know, being drawn to the, you know, bike parts, like the bug to the blue light zapper, and bought like $300 of the parts again and all the way home. Like, Oh, what am I doing? This is the worst decision ever. Sold all those parts again. And that was it. You know, over the next six weeks I was buying and selling parts and I sold them to bike stores and I sold them to individuals and I, I sold about $30,000 worth of parts, made a decent amount of money on that, bought my wife a wedding ring and saved up a little money for us to get married. And, and that's kind of how how my life got started. You know, in the bike world, I just kind of fell in love with the whole, the whole scene and, and not the people, but even like the smells when you walk into a bike store, I just like the smell of a bike store. It just, I know that sounds weird, but it just feels right in bike stores. I, even, when I'm on vacation, I like to go try to find a bike store to pop my head in and look around, so, [00:08:49] Craig Dalton: What an, that's an amazing kind of origin story, and I love the name dropping of reflex. It brings back very, very fond memories for me. So did you continue sort of pursuing kind of like a distribution type business model? [00:09:04] Brian Fruit: So, that lasted for about six weeks. You know, they were selling all those parts at this big discount and that just kind of made me think, man, something in the bike industry would be really fun. And we looked at two or three ideas and, and. None of 'em actually worked out. And then a friend introduced me to another friend and that guy's name was Lance Larson. And Lance had this idea of making neoprene and Velcro accessories for bicycles and calling 'em lizard skin. and but Lance wasn't a, a writer and he wasn't really familiar with the space. So he and I connected and, and in the simplest terms, the original, you know, premise was that he would make the products and I would sell 'em. It, it didn't really work out exactly like that. There was a lot more crossing over, back and forth, but Lance and I got to work together for eight and a half years. And, and built the company from nothing. The very first month we did $350 of annual sales. [00:10:09] Craig Dalton: Do you remember what the first product was that you came out with? [00:10:12] Brian Fruit: Yeah, yeah, it was the little neoprine and Velcro chainstay protector and man, they were small back then. It was like a really small length and really small diameter. And now, you know, they make the tubes so much larger. You know, the, the old one wouldn't even fit on a bike today. [00:10:29] Craig Dalton: Yep. Yeah. If you think about those old steel tube change stays that used to wrap, they were tiny, like the, like the size of your pink. [00:10:36] Brian Fruit: Yeah, so small. Exactly. And we made all kinds of fun colors and, and we made these little headset seals that would keep the dirt and grim out of the headset. And then eventually we started making fork boots, which would keep the dirt out of the front fork because the seals back then weren't very good. And then we made a same kind of a boot for the rear shock. And eventually started making rubber injection molded grips. And then we added in some BMX products. We made BMX pad sets and BMX plates and BMX shin guards and elbow guards. And and then, you know, I bought my partner out and, and that, that took several years and there wasn't a lot of extra cash, you know, cuz. Everything just seemed to go to him to, to buy him out. And, and eventually we got that all done. And, and then we were able to really kind of move forward more dramatically because we had, you know, some money to work with. [00:11:34] Craig Dalton: Right, Right, right. Yeah, I, I think back across that period that you're describing, and I do remember those original lizard skin chain guards, but I probably, I remember more. Like the arrival of color, cuz back in the early nineties, certainly on the mountain bike scene, that was the heyday of anize parts and finding any, any way to make your bike a little bit more colorful and have a little flare to it. [00:11:59] Brian Fruit: Oh, people were putting on Coca Cranks and Cook Brothers and, and you know, Paul components and everything was purple and red and yellow and, you know, green and yeah, you could buy a, a Chris King headset and it was all Rastafari and [00:12:16] Craig Dalton: Yeah, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. So, yeah, absolutely. I mean, it was, it was like there was so much innovation going on back then in the world of mountain bikes, and I mean, I think that's what I've enjoyed about the last several years in the gravel bike world is you just see that kind of innovation. No one knows exactly what's right. The bike designers have been given a lot of freedom to design bikes that, you know, range from a road plus bike to a full on bike packing bike, and they're all in this, this quote unquote new genre of gravel cycling. [00:12:49] Brian Fruit: It is fun. I rode a friend of mine's you know, bike packing bike just earlier this week, and. It was super fun, you know, it just had a, a cool geometry to it. And, and he had, he had outfitted mountain bike breaks onto his, you know, drop bar controls, and it had some significant breaks. You know, he's a bike store guy and he figured out how to do it. It was awesome. [00:13:16] Craig Dalton: at what year did you sort of transition your business partner out and start to think really like what new products could you innovate? [00:13:24] Brian Fruit: Yeah, so I bought him out in 2001 you know, early part of 2001. And you know, we, the philosophy then was like, turn over every rock just. If nothing else to see what was under underneath. And you know, we bought different equipment to do our manufacturing with. We, we just really tightened up to try to make everything more frankly more profitable and more efficient. [00:13:50] Craig Dalton: Yeah. I meant to ask earlier, did you, at what point did you bring manufacturing in-house and what does that look like from an equipment perspective? [00:13:59] Brian Fruit: So we were making these little neoprine and Velcro accessories in the United States from day one and, and still do 30 years later. So what it takes is, I mean, we did it differently. You know, in the old days, the equipment we used wasn't very efficient. We've got. Good stuff now. And so it's a dye press with a still rule dye and then that allows you to cut the fabric out in these perfect shapes. And anybody that's working on the dye press the first day, you know, you have to make sure and tell 'em, you know, if, if you're dropping the dye or if the dye is slipping outta your hands, just let it hit the ground. Like don't try to catch it, you know, cuz it's [00:14:45] Craig Dalton: Sharp all over. Yep. [00:14:47] Brian Fruit: we can, we can fix the, we can fix the dye. It's [00:14:50] Craig Dalton: And then after you, after you're dye cutting the neo printer, are you then going into a sewing process? [00:14:57] Brian Fruit: We have really nice commercial sewing machines. We use a zigzag stitch on it and we sew that in-house with different sizes of Velcro on each side. And then kind of do some trimming to make it look. And then we package it up all, you know, done in the us. So, you know, that was a good thing and we were able to make a super high quality product and, and we sold a lot of those. Eventually a lot of the brands started adding some type of a. Chain protector or you know, chain stay guard to the bikes and it, and definitely impacted our sales. But we added these other products, you know, injection molded grips, and eventually we created a great relationship with odi where they made a. a significant line of lock on grips for us under their, under their patent and technology, but sold by us, under our name and, and to our customers. [00:15:53] Craig Dalton: With ODI manufacturing in the US as well. [00:15:56] Brian Fruit: That's correct. Yep. They're out in California actually, so, you know, it's like, double hard in the United States and California , but great product and they, they have great tooling and they could make these grips just so crisp and clean and, and the technology they have just, and still have is, is second to none. So we teamed up with them on, on lock, on grips. And then eventually we really wanted to come up with a lightweight mountain by grip that was just different. And so we checked into another industry and we made some appointments and we started visiting factories, hoping to get this lightweight grip you know, maybe for cross country racing. And, and unfortunately we weren't successful in finding, you know, that. You know, through maybe another industry. But on that trip we figured out that we found a company that could make tape for us. And it was literally my, my general manager, Brad Barker. And he and I were on this trip together, and as we were about to walk out the, the the building, the business, he kind of turned around and asked them. It was like, Hey, could you guys make tape for. And they're like, Oh yeah, we could totally do that. He says, Great. I'll, I'll, I'll be in touch. So, you know, he says, Brian, I really wanna try this. I really wanna, you know, sink my teeth into it. So, you know, he was working with the factory back and forth about nine months and making samples for handlebar tape for road bikes. The first sample was like, what, 12 or 18 inches long? And we're like, Well, this is not gonna work. And then the next sample was, you know, really long, but the product didn't stretch. Well, that's not gonna work. And so we went through rendition, after rendition after rendition, frankly, not knowing how to create the proper tech kit to speed the process along, but just trial and error and. [00:18:01] Craig Dalton: was there something in the road bike market that you felt was missing like some type of performance out of the grip that you guys saw as an opportunity? [00:18:09] Brian Fruit: Yeah, that's a great a great question. We, we did feel like that there could be something different. Most of the tape that was available at that time was the synthetic cork and you know, gets dirty and it kind of slippery and it wasn't really any. as to it or any technical, anything. So when we came out with ours, it was completely different and had a much different texture and feel. It, it actually felt softer even though it was the same thickness and way more grippy and it was cleanable. You could just take a little alcohol and a, and a clean, you know, white rag or something. You could clean it right up and, and it wasn't stained and dirty. So we ended up finding a product that was gonna work and we were really proud of, of the product we had designed. And then the factory told us how much it was gonna cost and it was like one of those, you know, stressful moments and we're like, Ugh, how's this ever gonna work? Cuz Bar Tape at that time sold for 15 to $20 for, you know, the common synthetic co. [00:19:18] Craig Dalton: Yep. [00:19:19] Brian Fruit: Ours was gonna be $35. . And so we're just like, Oh, this is gonna be tough. But everybody that touched our tape loved it. And so we're like, Well, we just gotta get people to touch it, you know? Cuz once they do, they'll love it. And that's the phrase, Touch it, feel it, love it came from [00:19:39] Craig Dalton: Yeah. I, you know, it's so, it is poignant when you put your hands on some lizard skin tape, it feels different. You know, I'm riding it on my, my bike right now and. Everything you've just described is what I've felt about it, like it feels When I'm barehanded I often ride barehanded and I, I feel much more connected to the grip because of the sort of, I dunno, stickiness is the right word, but this kind of sticky quality that I feel when riding it that's quite different than court grip. [00:20:12] Brian Fruit: Yeah, it's, it's grippy, you know, and it's from this patented, you know, technology and material that that our partner supplier created in tandem with us. And and it's just been absolutely wonderful. [00:20:28] Craig Dalton: So it's, so, it's so interesting to me as, Sorry to interrupt Brian. Just as like a business journey, you sort of realize, hey, we've got something unique here, but I can't tell you about it. You've gotta feel it and touch it to believe and see. I can imagine, like in the bike industry, that's a challenge, right? To kind of just translate that into the hands of enough people to develop a passionate following to say, I'm willing to pay this premium price for this performance now that I know about it. [00:20:59] Brian Fruit: So I happened to be on a, a family trip, and again, I love bike stores, right? So we have a distributor in Guatemala that, that was selling our product and they had a bike store. So I went and visited that store while we were on this family trip. And there was a customer that came in and he had a road bike, I think it was a tri bike actually. And the handlebar tape was all falling off and, and I just happened to hand him my handlebar sample that I had and he just fell in love with it. And he told the, the manager owner of the store there, he's like, I want this. And and we told him kind of what the price was, and that's a lot of money in Guatemala. and he's like, No, no, I want that tape. Like, so give me that tape. And, and that's kind of how it's worked. Like we pay a ton more for our tape. It's not that we make a lot of money on it. We actually have a pretty tight margin on it, but the manufacturing cost is just a lot more because of what the product is and the, the materials that are, that are used. But once you feel it, it's like, . Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna splurge and I'm, I'm, This is what I want. [00:22:12] Craig Dalton: So are you still using the same manufacturing partner [00:22:15] Brian Fruit: We are, Yeah. And they've come up with, you know, new technology and, and you know, improvements to the polymer to make it, you know, even more grippy and even more durable. So it's been nice. You know, we did a complete redesign on the tape a couple years ago, two or three years ago now. And the new tape actually has a pattern on it. And if you looked at that pattern with like a, a jeweler's loop or a magnifying glass, you would see that the pattern is like, It, it's multi depth. So some of the little bumps are really deep, some are less deep, some are really shallow, just to maximize the feel and control on the bike you know, with, with these different dimensions into the pattern. So pretty technical. [00:23:05] Craig Dalton: Yeah. I think as as riders, we benefit from your obsession over this one little part of the bike. Say, how can we make it the best it can be? [00:23:15] Brian Fruit: I mean down that same conversation, and this is not a, This is me telling a bad story about myself. Unfortunately, not a good business story, but our plug that we had was really cool looking and was shiny and, and had the little lizard on it, but it did have a tendency to fall out. You know, if you didn't leave enough tape tucked in. So some people, it worked great and it never fell out, but other people, it fell out. So I wanted to get a new screw in plug and, and unfortunately we allowed ourselves to run out of plugs during that process. And probably lost a million dollars of sales just because we didn't. The actual plug that I wanted and I didn't want to go back to the old plug, cuz in my mind it already moved on to the new plug and the supplier for the new plug was being a Turkey and not making a for us. And, and we had to actually switch, you know, suppliers and, and but honestly now we have an amazing screw and plug which is a super simple thing and like, it shouldn't even be like a big thought, but. It probably cost me a ton of money making that transition, just cuz we didn't, we didn't wanna continue on with the old one and we didn't have our ducks in a row on the new one we thought we did. But but [00:24:32] Craig Dalton: I think anybody who's ever manufactured anything can commiserate with that story, myself included. [00:24:39] Brian Fruit: So, but now we got a great plug and the supplier's good and, and everything's, everything's functioning well. [00:24:46] Craig Dalton: You know, one of the, one of the things when you visit the lizards in skin site as a customer is that the first thing you see is an array of colors. And you're like, Great, if I wanna create some accent color, like you just have so many different unique colors available for the bar tape. But when you select your color and you get into it, you also then realize there's this secondary, probably much more important from a performance perspective, opportunity to choose your thick. Of color. For most riders, you probably buy bar tape and you don't even think about it. I don't know what the average is. Maybe it's a two and a half millimeter, but on your site you've got, I think it's 1.8 millimeter, 2.5, 3.2, and 4.6 millimeter bar tape, which is a pretty wide array. [00:25:35] Brian Fruit: So when we started this journey on making Hbar tape And we really tried to figure out what everybody else was doing and trying to get understanding. So we were out there with a micrometer trying to measure it and, and kind of the normal standard tape out there was about 2.5 millimeters, but nobody ever called that out. There was never any technical data. It was just a box and it. You know, Hbar tape with no detail. So we came out originally with the 2.5, which is still our very best seller and it's kind of the most common that you would see. But we had a request for some thinner tape, and there were some customers that said, Oh man, you know, you need to make it a little thinner. So then we came out with a 1.8 in limited colors. And, and we found that certain people in, in certain, you know, applications really like the thinner product and especially people with a little bit smaller hand because they just couldn't get their hand comfortably around, you know, this big fat bar. Big fat tape. Then we had a lot of people was like, Oh, why don't you make a thicker tape? You know? And I think they were like, Man, if you're gonna make a thinner one, why don't you make a thicker one? So then we came out with a 3.2 and you know, the packaging was bigger. Everything about the, the thing is just bigger. And people loved it. Like, man, it, it quickly became a great seller for us. Not better than the 2.5, but it was better than the one eight in fact. And so we've done real well with the three, two, and it lays down nice. And then we just had certain customers you know, wanting to do gravel rides, you know, cobbles, maybe they just have hands that hurt. You know, they have, could be an injury, just could be the way they are on the bike. But their hands just go numb and get sore. They. They wanted more cued. And so some people would like double wrap their bars. You know, but that, that has some challenges to it. So it came out with this 4.6 and it's a beast. It is a big, old fat role. But super comfortable when you get it on. It is a little harder to lay it down, you know? And. In all honesty, if you're wrapping 2.5, that's pretty easy. 3.2 takes a little more finesse and 4.6, it takes a decent amount of experience to make it lay nice and flat, but. [00:28:07] Craig Dalton: interesting to layer in those op those options for gravel cyclists. Obviously, like on this podcast we've got had lots of discussions around, you know, how do you create suspension? You start with your body, then the tires. Then grip tape's gonna play. Play a role in there. And again, for all the reasons you're just talking about, for some people, they're really taking a lot of abuse in their hands for one reason or another. Maybe they've got an injury and I, I could see having that option available to them, even if it's for a special purpose, a special event, wrapping your bars in a separate way. I remember back in the Perry Ru Bay classic days. When you're talking about people doing double wrap bar tape, everybody was consorting themselves in the prop peloton to find some way to make their bikes more comfortable. For days like Perry rba. [00:28:57] Brian Fruit: Yeah, and there's been a few different products made, you know, like, little gel packs and little foam pieces and stuff to put underneath there, and. And, and they work to some degree, but you know, the gel packs are break or they'll get kind of wiggly and the handlebar tape doesn't work well with it. And by doing this nice 4.6 and the 3.2, like, it just fits. It's just there. It's solid. You don't have to worry about a bump or a weird spot on there. And it, and it's been successful. [00:29:30] Craig Dalton: And as I understand things, you've been also getting feedback from a couple pro tour teams for the bar tape. [00:29:36] Brian Fruit: We were very fortunate to get a pro tour team to use the HA Bar tape many, many years ago. That first team was the con and this was kind of like a Forest Gump moment. But they were using our tape and one of their writers Johnny Hoer. Always being indebted to him. He was leading the polka dot jersey competition, the mountain mountain points in the tour, Frances, and it was a flat part of the beginning of the, of the tour. So ultimately he was doing breakaways and getting these points and on one of those days that he was in a breakaway, you know, getting a, a handful of mountain. A press car bumped him and another rider. And they went off the road and into a Bob wire fence. They hit that fence so hard that it actually pulled the P wood post outta the ground. And as just hardcore professionals, they got back on the bike, all cut up and dazed and, and jerseys and shorts all ripped up from the Bob wire. And, you know, their team gives 'em a push and off they go. You. At the end of the race, you know, Johnny gets off and he had been bandaged by the medical car and you know, they're trying to bandage him as he was riding his bike. So by the time he finished the race, you know, most of the bandages were falling off. It was a mess. And they interviewed him afterward and his attitude was like, this was an accident. I wished it wouldn't happened. This is gonna really mess up my opportunities at the tour, but it could have been worse. Let's move on. The other gentleman, writer that got hit had a very different take. His team was trying to find out who was responsible, who was gonna pay. It was just very bitter and, and interestingly enough, everyone fell in love with Johnny. And they started looking at his bike and once those chain rings he used and what kind of bike it was and what was his saddle and what kind of handlebar tape he used. Oh my goodness. Our handlebar tape started selling like crazy. [00:31:55] Brian: So all the distributors started having a run on the product and they ran out of, you know, lizards, skins, bar tape, and and boom. That was it. That was our four Gump moment. Handlebar tape became the most popular aftermarket tape in the world. And it was because, you know, one guy was was cool, you know, [00:32:17] Craig: And thrown into and thrown into a barb wire fence. I remember those images. [00:32:22] Brian: Oh. But you know, he just handled it right. You know, I think a lot of times in life we all have bad things that happen to us that are out of our control, but it's how we handle those things that kind of impact, you know. How we interact with the rest of the world [00:32:42] Craig: Yeah, as you remind me of that story, I remember very viscerally thinking about, gosh, this is gonna be another Primadonna roadie that has a tantrum. And I remember how you describe like the other team, the other writer. It was just this big to do and you know, who's gonna pay for this and how do we replace how he would've done throughout this tour juxtaposed to how Johnny handled it and how their team handled it. [00:33:10] Brian: Yeah, it was it was, it was pretty crazy. So, taught me, you know, a great lesson, right, of, you know, it's important to manage how we react you know, to, to potentially bad things, you know, happening to. So, you know, how we behave can really, you know, change overall how something goes down. [00:33:34] Craig: Yeah. Such, such an amazing journey and so cool that you've been able to do it using us manufacturing all this time. I love that part of the story. Before I let you go, Brian, I did wanna touch on one other thing because I think it's interesting. I mean, the gravel cyclist should go to your site and check out the different dimensions of bar tape and all those cool colors. You have great product. It definitely delivers that kind of grippiness and unique feel that we were talking about earlier. But I was also bemused to learn that you're also into several different sports, and I think the listeners would kind of dig hearing just a little bit about your journey into those other sports. [00:34:13] Brian: Y. So Hannah Bar tape was, was doing extremely well. And one of the guys from work Brad Barker that helped design the tape. Originally, he loved baseball. He had boys that were playing on baseball teams. Had another friend from college that, that gave me that little postcard for the sale at at Reflex actually. He. He was one of the guys that helped me feed my mountain bike passion. He had three boys that loved baseball and they were all putting this tape on baseball bats, bicycle tape on baseball bats. So it, it, it was like, Huh, is there something there? So we started making two thicknesses of baseball grip. We made a 1.1. Which is kind of the traditional thickness for baseball. And we made a 1.8, which is a little thicker. You know, think of the 3.2 in cycling, that kind of thing. And we put it out there. We won best of show for the first trade show we went to, and, and you know, nothing really happened. But when we sold the stuff into a store, it, it, it did. . So we figured out, it's like, well, we just have to increase the amount of stores. So we eventually got a bunch of stores selling it, and then there was a local probe by the name of John Buck. He connected up with us and wanted to go to a trade show and we said, That'd be great. You can share our booth and you can show your product in our booth and it, and it'll be fun. So we start that and at that show, . He brings his bats and we wrap 'em for him. And the whole time he's like feeling the bat, you know, while talking to customers about his products. And at the end of the show he's like, you know, if you made this thinner, I would use it in the pros and I would get other people to use it in the pros and I think have something. So Brad came back from that show and we talked and he says, this is, this is the convers. and we both looked at each other like 130 years of history with people using like sticky stuff, pine tar on baseball bats. Like, how in the world are we gonna change that tradition? Like, that's never gonna happen. And they were like, Yeah, probably not. And they were like, What? What should we do? And we both agreed it's a pro player, we should probably make it. So we did, we made a, a thinner version, one or a 0.5, really, really. and John started using it. Hunter Penn started using it. Big Poppy started using it like, you know, Miguel Cabret, I mean, just tons of these great players and they were sluggers and and eventually we got invited to go to the Equipment Manager show for Major League Baseball, which then led to us getting a license of Major League Baseball where we became the official bat grip on field license. for Major League Baseball and, and it was amazing and our sales grew, grew, grew, which allowed us to hire more people and get into a bigger, you know, better facility and you know, hire more designers and then continue to make more products and and grow the company. [00:37:33] Craig: Yeah, cuz now you're in baseball, hockey, lacrosse as well as cycling. [00:37:39] Brian: and recently we just added pickle. [00:37:42] Craig: Of course, the rise of pickleball, that is the moment in time we're in [00:37:48] Brian: So it and each of these sports, the product is different. So we're not just repackaging, we're actually redesigning the product each time. So you know how long it needs to be, what's the thickness, what type of a backing do we use? For cycling, we use an EVA backing, but for baseball we use afil. [00:38:09] Craig: Yeah. [00:38:10] Brian: you know, different patterns and the gripping qualities on the patterns are very different. So, we've, we've replicated ourself effectively in all these different sports. [00:38:23] Craig: When you, when you think about the business now, what percentage is cycling versus everything else? [00:38:29] Brian: Wow. I mean, in 2020, you know, there was a surge and cycling was the biggest part of the. 2021, it was still great. 2022. You know, cycling sales have, have slowed a little bit because there's a lot of inventory that's been shipped out there. So baseball is now the biggest part of the, of the business. Cycling is second, and then hockey would be third. [00:38:52] Craig: Gotcha. [00:38:53] Brian: So, [00:38:55] Craig: Yeah, super interesting story. Totally appreciate you sharing the journey with me. I enjoyed the conversation. [00:39:02] Brian: Oh, you bet. It, it's been a lot of fun. You know, I look back I, I wouldn't have wanted to go a different route, you know, I've loved the cycling industry and I actually started lizard scans and then several years later I, I started a bike store and then a couple years later I bought another bike store and, and I still have those bike stores. They're, they're great. I love 'em. And, and it, it just, it feels like walking into the Cheers bar, you know, from, from that sitcom. So when you go in the bike store, that's what it feels like, you know, it's just like, it, it's just, it's another home, right? [00:39:42] Craig: absolutely. Yeah. We all, I I hope that many of the listeners out there have that kind of relationship with their local bike shop, cuz I certainly do in my town. I love going there, I love seeing all the team that works there and, and just saying hi and having that familiar, you know, love of the sport that you can share. [00:40:00] Brian: Yeah, it's just, you know, fun getting to have friends continue to come in and get to see 'em. I mean, it's almost like a little mini fan family reunion, like every day that you go in the store. So [00:40:12] Craig: Yeah, absolutely. Well, have a great weekend, Brian, and we'll talk again soon. [00:40:17] Brian: appreciate it. Take. [00:40:19] Craig Dalton: That's going to do it for this week's edition of the gravel ride podcast. Big, thanks to Brian from lizard skin for joining I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about his journey and are intrigued by some of the other product categories that they've found themselves in over the years. Definitely go check them out@lizardskins.com. Uh, as I mentioned earlier, that bar tape's been, it's been interesting trying out the different diameters. I'm still in the 2.4 camp, But I am curious about that 1.8 thickness bar tape as well. If you're interested in connecting with me, please join the ridership. That's w w w dot the ridership.com. That's a free global cycling community. It's hosted on slack. So it's basically a slack channel that you can communicate with other gravel, cyclists. From all around the world. If you're able to support the show, please visit buy me a coffee.com/the gravel ride. Or ratings and reviews are hugely appreciated until next time. Here's the finding some dirt under your wheels

We're still in Glasgow, and this is the big one, the Queen Stage of the Tour d'Écosse with seven current Scottish Football League grounds on the route, plus a couple of wild cards. Lionel and Simon drop in on Cathkin Park, the so-called ‘ghost ground' and former home to the long defunct Third Lanark club. There are stops at Hampden Park, home of the Tartan Army, Parkhead – or Paradise to give it another name – Cumbernauld and Airdrie, the club with two second names Albion Rovers, Hamilton Academical and Motherwell. We also explore the sectarian divide which splits the city with Kenny Pryde. The eyes of the cycling world will be on Glasgow, and other parts of the country as Scotland takes centre stage in August 2023 as hosts of the UCI World Championships. The first ‘Super Worlds' as Lionel calls it, will see 190 rainbow jerseys awarded across multiple cycling disciplines. But what will the World Championships mean for the future of Scottish Cycling? We hear from Jimmy McCallum and Peter Ellen of The Cycling Academy about the work to create the champions of tomorrow. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

We rejoin the Tour d'Écosse story midway through stage five, just as Lionel and Simon are about to cross back over the River Clyde and head into Glasgow. Has Simon got any cash for the ferry crossing? Will the rain dampen their spirits before they reach Partick? And most importantly what's for dinner in Glasgow? There are three more football grounds to visit, at St Mirren, Rangers and Partick Thistle, plus a visit to the cricket ground that hosted the world's first football international match 150 years ago. We hear from Simon Inglis, the author and authority on football ground construction, about how the work of Glasgow-born architect and engineer Archibald Leitch shaped the way we watch the sport today. His stadium designs dominated football during its boom period at the beginning of the 20th Century and one of the finest surviving examples of his work is at Ibrox, home of Rangers. Then we catch up with Kenny Pryde, whose byline filled cycling magazines in the late 1980s and 1990s when Lionel was getting heavily into professional cycling and who later became a colleague. Kenny talks about the experience of covering Robert Millar's career. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

With the rain hammering on the windows of their Clydeside loft apartment, Lionel and Simon decide to sit tight round the large dining table drinking coffee and eating porridge until the weather improves. There's the Killie Pie taste test, talk of Simon's phobia of big spoons, and then discussion of his previous exploits on two wheels. Simon has ridden from Lands' End to John o' Groats, from Tring to Tromsø and tackled the Transatlantic Way in Ireland so he's much more experienced than Lionel at long-distance, self-supported cycling. Finally, they can delay their departure no longer and the get on the road to Dumbarton via the Forth and Clyde canal. Dumbarton Football Club have a resident poet, Stephen Watt, who tells Lionel about the town and performs a poem he's written specially for The Cycling Podcast. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

The Tour d'Écosse picks up where it left off, in Ayr, or more to the point in a pub in Ayr where Lionel and Simon have just ordered a dessert pizza that would horrify Ciro Scognamiglio and, for that matter, all Italians. Then it's back on the road, past the golf courses that decorate the Ayrshire coast, on the roads that made the Girvan one of the toughest stage races in Britain, and via an extraordinary – if brief – Elvis impression by Simon. We sample the Killie Pie, talk Graeme Obree with Edward Pickering, author of the book The Race Against Time, and get our first glimpse of the Clyde as we arrive at Greenock Morton FC. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This is the Robert Burns stage, as Lionel and Simon head from Stranraer to Ayr to the Scottish poet's home town. The town's football team, Ayr United, are nicknamed the Honest Men – a reference to a line in one of Burns's most famous poems, Tam o' Shanter. They're getting into their stride now, tackling the second of three consecutive stages of almost 100 kilometres. It's a day that focuses on the cycling, the glorious Scottish countryside, the nature of friendship, grief and cycling's role in the healing process. There's also fuelling tips and psychological tricks from Lizzy Banks, and a poetry reading from Sir Chris Hoy to round off the episode. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This week we delve deep into the meaning of Fred and decide maybe it needs an update. Plus, Tim looks silly at the bmx shop, Surly bike names and we try and remember our own podium rules for children.  The poddy is also supported by Hammerhead. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free Custom Color Kit and exclusive premium water bottle with the purchase of Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use the promo code SLOWRIDE at checkout to get yours today.  This podcast is supported by the generous and amazing donors to the Wide Angle Podium Network. You still have time to pick yourself up the first EVER official SRP merch at wideanglepodium.com/srp300 Find us, and other fantastic cycling podcasts on the Wide Angle Podium Network, at wideanglepodium.com! Check out the brand new WAP app available in the Apple and Android app stores! You can listen to us in a variety of ways: Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or anywhere great podcasts are found. Give us a review and rating! We'd appreciate it! You can email us at theslowridepodcast@gmail.com Find us on Twitter: The show (@theslowridepod) Matt (@Matt46292097) Spencer (@spencerhaugh)

The clock is ticking today because Lionel and Simon want to make it to Stranraer's Stair Park ground in time for 3pm when the home side kick-off their match against visitors Forfar Athletic. There's almost 100 kilometres to ride through the Dumfries and Galloway countryside offering plenty of time to reflect on the journey ahead and the nature of back-to-back days of riding. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Explore returns with the Tour d'Écosse, a multi-part series telling the story of the beautiful game on two wheels. It was an idea dreamed up by Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill during lockdown, inspired by their childhood passions of cycling and football. The plan was to ride from Gretna to Dingwall visiting all 42 of the Scottish Football League grounds on the way. There are so many questions to answer... Will Lionel and Simon make it to Forfar without falling out? Why are Cowdenbeath called The Blue Brazil? What actually is Irn Bru? And do Lionel's ancestors really hail from Birnie? This episode is a prologue, of sorts. Lionel and Simon headed to Gretna in June 2021 ready to set off on their adventure but, as you'll hear, it turned out to be something of a false start... The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This is the Tour d'Écosse take two. Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill return to Gretna, the first town visitors to Scotland reach after crossing the border from north west England, to finally get their ride underway. Starting from Gretna's Raydale Park ground, it's a ride of just over 75 kilometres to Castle Douglas. They tick off the first two football grounds – Annan Athletic's Galabank and Palmerston Park, the home of Queen of the South. Lionel sets out alone because Simon has some last-minute mechanical issues that require professional assistance. On the way, they meet Giancarlo Rinaldi who explains the history of Scotland's Italian immigrants and that the bicycle was invented in Dumfries, and Lionel proves to be quite handy at curling... although Simon insists it's just beginner's luck. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes were created using the Hammerhead dashboard and Lionel and Simon followed the yellow line and the Karoo 2's turn-by-turn directions from Gretna to Dingwall. For a limited time, listeners to The Cycling Podcast can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io and use promo code CYCLE at checkout when you've added both items to your cart. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Two of us are back in the Media Pit talking about everything that happened this past weekend at the Tabor World Cup in Czechia. Micheal and Break break it down and also talk about Bill's travels in Europe. Check out our sponsor Hammerhead and the Karoo 2. For a limited time, our listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2. Visit hammerhead.io right now and use promo code CXRADIO at checkout to get yours today. Also, visit our sponsor, Endura! No matter what type of riding you do, Endura have you covered. CX, gravel, mountain bike or road they have apparel and accessories for every rider. Visit endurasport.com to see all of their latest winter ranges and use the code “Wideangle20” for 20% off your next order. Follow Micheal on Twitter at @landsoftly and Instagram at @yeahyouride. Follow Zach on Twitter at @theshoestar and Instagram at @zacharyschuster and at  @cxhairsbulletin. Follow Bill (@cxhairs) on  Twitter and  Instagram. Subscribe to the Wide Angle Podium YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wideanglepodium. Check out The CXHAIRS Bulletin from Zach and Bill at https://cxhairs.substack.com/. Check out Bill's blog at cxhairs.com. You can find Cyclocross Radio, and all of the Wide Angle Podium shows on Apple Podcasts if that's how you consume podcasts. Also, rate and review on Apple Podcasts, even if it's not the way you consume podcasts. Have a question, comment, complaint, or general inquiry? Hit us up at feedback@cxhairs.com, And don't hesitate to call the helpline: 405-CXHAIRS (405-294-2477). Need coffee? (Trick question, you do). Check out our partnership with Grimpeur Bros and the amazingly tasty Hello Cyclocross Friends! Espresso blend here: https://www.grimpeurbros.com/products/hello-cyclocross-friends-wap-espresso.