Velo Podcast

Cyclocross is here! But it doesn't seem like it is as wildly popular as it was back when Tim Johnson was racing. We talk to the former national champion about the state of U.S. cyclocross. What will keep people stoked on racing in the mud every autumn? Also, Johnson talks about one of American cyclocross's top riders, Kaitie Keough as well as the divide between European 'cross and the American World Cup races. All that and more on this episode of the VeloNews podcast!

We have noticed a trend: Riders are opting for shorter saddles with pronounced cutouts. What's the explanation for this shift? On this episode, we bring on Chris Jacobson, Shimano North America's product line manager for Pro Components and BikeFitting.com. He answers our many questions about how riders can (or should) select saddles, what are some common bike fit issues, and why saddles have evolved to become shorter. All that and more on this episode of the VeloNews tech podcast.

News leaked out this week that SRAM is developing a new 12-speed eTap component group. We bring tech editor Dan Cavallari on the show to discuss its likely features and what it takes to increase the size of a cassette. Then, we serve up some takes on the 2019 Giro d'Italia route. Will the mountainous back half of the race make up for what seems like a boring start? Who will win it? And finally we talk to Geoff Kabush who dared to ride a gravel bike in a mountain bike race... And in fact, he won Iceman Cometh on those curly bars. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. To get a free quote and save money on life insurance, go to www.HealthIQ.com/velonews

In this episode of Fast Talk, we speak with the guru of cycling medicine and ergonomics, Dr. Andy Pruitt, about cycling's most common injuries and how to prevent them. The discussion includes: 1)What used to be the most common over-use injury — knee problems — why they are no longer the most common problem, and how it’s possible for most of us to go through the rest of our cycling careers without one. 2)Back problems — these have eclipsed knee issues as the most common cycling complaint. Unfortunately, the cycling position is not kind to the lower back, but there are still things we can do to prevent pain. 3) Saddle sores, numbness, and pressure issues, and how with the right saddle and fit most of these issues can be addressed. 4) Just like the back, the cycling position can be tough on the neck. We’ll discuss. 5) Feet and hands — many of us think that numbness is just part of riding a bike. But the truth is that if you're experiencing numbness, something is wrong, and it can generally be solved. 6) Finally, for those of you still clinging to that 1980's mindset, we'll talk about just how bad it was then and why you want to get with the 2000s.

Tour de France organizers boasted that the 2019 route was the "highest Tour ever" — does that mean it will be exciting for fans? We analyze the mountainous route and debate whether they should have included more time trial kilometers. Also at the Tour presentation, race director Christian Prudhomme had some strong takes on power meters — he thinks they should be banned from racing! Is that right? Does he even understand how they work? We discuss. If you live in the Colorado Front Range (or close enough to drive) come out to VeloSwap on Saturday! Fred and Spencer will be there checking out all the cool vintage bike gear: www.veloswap.com

American Robin Carpenter found himself in the deep end of the European peloton this past season. His Rally Pro cycling team made a big push to race more in Europe, and Carpenter has plenty of exciting stories from the experience. He explains how he manages to find breakaways that succeed, what it is like to be up against WorldTour heavies, and why pro cyclists always get married in October. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Health IQ. To get a free quote and save money on life insurance, go to www.HealthIQ.com/velonews

In episode 56, we talked with Colby Pearce about what it takes to make an attempt at the hour record on the track. Not long after, Pearce set the master’s 45-49 world record with a scorching 50.245 kilometer effort. For this special episode, we caught up with him to discuss his successful attempt, the training he did, the difficulties of selecting gears and training on a track that was different from the one where he set the record, and how he managed the pain.

This episode features two controversial guests. First, we have Thomas Dekker, a retired pro who recently wrote a book that gave an in-depth look at the rampant doping in the early 2000s. We hear from him on why an honest look at that era is important to him and whether other ex-dopers should be involved in the sport. Then, we talk to Dr. Rachel McKinnon who just became the first transgender rider to win a world championship. She won the masters 35-44 sprint event on the track over the weekend. McKinnon explains some of the issues and misconceptions about transgender athletes. Off the top, we discuss the action at Il Lombardia and much more. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Mavic and Fezzari. Learn more about Mavic's Allroad wheels and tires here: https://www.velonews.com/2018/07/gravel/first-look-mavic-allroad-pro-ust-disc-wheels-and-yksion-allroad-xl-tires_472526 ... and check out the Fezzari Signal Peak that Spencer's been riding all season at the Epic Rides mountain bike races: https://www.velonews.com/2018/05/bikes-and-tech/first-look-fezzari-signal-peak_465206

So, you think you know bicycles? Well, think again. Today we’re sitting down with a legend of the cycling industry to talk about a variety of factors in frame design that most cyclists have never heard of. Yet these design elements — things like fork offset, trail, and head tube angle — have a bigger impact on a bike’s performance and ride quality than frame material, or any of the things we focus on when checking out what our friends are riding. Our guest today is longtime VeloNews contributor Lennard Zinn. Author of the definitive books on bicycle maintenance, Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance and Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, among other titles, Zinn has spent the past 37 years building custom bikes and studying the physics of bicycle design. Incidentally, it all started with his college thesis on building an un-rideable bike.

Remember when rims had hooks to hold on the tire beads? Well, that is changing. Hookless rim designs are everywhere in the world of mountain bikes and now they're coming to road wheels. The design is lighter and offers performance benefits. We talk to Alto Cycling's Bobby Sweeting about this evolving technology. He also expands on carbon rim technology, rim brakes, and why pro riders don't like disc brakes. Finally, Sweeting talks about the controversial test his company conducted to test rival companies' wheels under the stress of heavy rim braking.