Velo Podcast

Organizers of gravel cycling's marquee event, the Dirty Kanza, recently announced their intention to change the race's name. The decision has come after months of turmoil for the event. In April a petition was circulated asking the race to change its name; the petition stated that the event's name represented a slur against the local indigenous population, the Kaw Nation. Then, in June, the event's co-founder parted ways with owner Life Time after making insensitive comments on social media about the shooting death of an African American man at the hands of the police. On today's podcast Senior Editor Betsy Welch and Editorial Director Ben Delaney join the show to discuss the recent news stories surrounding the DK, and what a name change could bring to the event. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code ‘VELONEWS’ at checkout.

Can dark fabrics keep you cool? It used to be standard practice to err on the side of light colors in hot weather, but with modern fabrics, it's entirely possible to stay cool and dry even if you're wearing black clothing. Of course, that comes with a caveat: The clothing needs to be designed specifically to keep you cool. Makes sense, right? Rob Pickels from Pearl Izumi joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari on the tech podcast to wade through the science that makes a cool fabric, and how you can stay cool and dry on your next summer ride.

After being elected by her racing peers to serve on the athlete's commission for the UCI in 2015, Iris Slappendel quickly realized that there was no overarching structure of support for female riders. So, she created one. The Cyclists' Alliance was founded in 2017 to support female racers during and after their careers. The Cyclists' Alliance is a union funded by donations and subscriptions. Approximately one third of the women's peloton are paying members, Slappendel says. As a veteran former racer, Slappendel talks with PYSO hosts and former racers Bobby Julich and Gus Morton about the discrepancies between women's and men's unions for riders, and how they all interact with the UCI. "It took me 10 years, but I realized there's no one holding teams or anyone accountable for how the riders are treated," Slappendel said of her thought process behind starting The Cyclists' Alliance. "And I think that was the spark that started me thinking about a union or at least having a better representation of the riders and the stakeholders." Slappendel says that while the sport has made strides forward since 2004 when she began racing — "there are more top riders, more riders who are able to live from the sport, more good races" — that the sport still has a long way to go. "It's becoming a professional sport, but it's not there yet," she said. Listen in for a fascinating conversation on the dynamics of life as a female professional rider.

Bicycle racing is slowly returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Austin's Driveway Series criterium events have been some of the first to come back. The Driveway held its first race since the shutdown on June 18, and then held another one on June 25. Why has the series returned, and what safety protocols is it following? On this week's episode we link up with series founder Andrew Willis to discuss the Driveway's return to racing. As it turns out, Willis' decision to come back isn't as straightforward as you may assume. Before we hear from Willis, Andrew Hood and James Startt come on the podcast to discuss pro cycling's sprint to the Tour de France, which is less than two months away. Teams are finalizing rosters and organizing pre-race training camps. The race has yet to publicize its health precautions, which has left riders and journalists playing the guessing game. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code ‘VELONEWS’ at checkout.

Tech guru Lennard Zinn joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari on this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast to explain the concept of moment of inertia, and why it matters when you ride your bike. Zinn walks us through the basic physics of the way weight moves on your bicycle, and why rotational weight can affect how quickly you get your bike up to speed. More importantly, Zinn gives us a general guide as to what's better for you: deep section wheels, or climbing wheels.

As racing returns to the real world with the Slovenian national championship, Bobby and Gus cover all the happenings in the Zwift community. Also, Gus's brother Lachlan Morton is an absolute madman! Gus gives his perspective on Lachlan Everesting not once but twice in one week to set the world record. Hear all about these stories and listen to an exclusive interview with director Steven de Jongh of Trek-Segafredo. We talk to Steven about his calm, cool demeanor, and how his recovery from a scary cycling accident has added more perspective to his approach to directing and life. It's time to Put Your Socks On.

Our reporting on the intersection of race and cycling continues this week with a conversation with Dr. Marlon Moncrieffe, a professor at Brighton University in the UK. A former elite track sprinter, Dr. Moncrieffe studies the history of minority ethnic groups in 20th century Britain. His 2018 book, 'Made in Britain: Uncovering the life-histories of Black-British Champions in Cycling' explores the stories of Black British riders who were excluded from the country's success at the Olympic games and abroad. Dr. Moncrieffe explains how the success of British Cycling at the 2012 Olympics broadcast an extremely white vision of cycling to the country. Since there were no Black riders chosen for the team, cycling was therefore cast as a white-only sport, despite the fact that numerous minority riders compete at the elite level. Dr. Moncrieffe explains how elite sport, media coverage, and brand messaging are all connected in the inclusion and exclusion of minorities in sport. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code ‘VELONEWS’ at checkout.

Editorial director Ben Delaney and senior editor Betsy Welch needed a challenge — much like the rest of us craving races that have been halted during these strange times. Everesting? That seems a bit too intense for mere mortals, so Ben and Betsy settled on Project 14er instead, attempting to conquer 14,000 feet of elevation in a single ride. But with Lachlan Morton's troubles with official elevation data resulting in his record being expunged, the question of elevation data reliability comes squarely into focus. Can you trust your GPS elevation data? Why did Morton have data problems? Find out on this episode of the VeloNews tech podcast.

Which is harder: racing for the win in the grand tours, or working as a firefighter? Listen to former top pro Tyler Farrar, who has done both. This week on Put Your Socks On, coach Bobby Julich is joined by special guest host Christian Vande Velde as Angus Morton is out in the field. Christian and Bobby talk with Tyler about his early career - from racing as a junior and pro domestically to going to Cofidis and then Slipstream - how he dealt with the loss of his close friend and training partner Wouter Weylandt, his recovery from COVID-19 and much more.

Our reporting on American cycling's lack of diversity continues this week, as we speak with five board members of the Major Taylor Iron Riders club. The club members are: Patrick Merosier, Natasha Merle, Chris Hasfal, Darrell Tucker, and club president Dereka Hendon-Barnes. MTIR is based in New York City and it is comprised largely of African American, Latino, and Caribbean American riders. The club is one of the most visible ones in the tri-state region, due to its large membership and its flashy kits. The five members of the club discuss the racism and bias they have felt in the cycling world, and how the exclusionary and clique-ish nature of the racing scene is a turnoff to minorities. The club members also discuss the different challenges in cycling they face due to the color of their skin. Why is MTIR so successful at bringing minority cyclists to our sport? It's a feeling of inclusion and community and comfort, say the club members. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whoop, the performance tool that is changing the way people track their fitness and optimize their training. Whoop tracks your heart rate and gives you a strain scores that lets you know how strenuous your training was on your body, with additional information around your sleep and recovery to tell you how well your body rebounds from training. Right now, listeners can get 15 percent off a Whoop device by going to www.whoop.com and using the code ‘VELONEWS’ at checkout.