Ben and Bikes

Latest Episodes:

Cycling in a virtual world Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

There is a place where you can ride your bike that’s a cross between the French Alps and Hawaii. It rarely rains. It never really gets dark. It is never cold. It is never windy. There are no cars. You can always find friends from all over the world to ride with, or you can choose to ride by yourself. There are butterflies and Sloths and Mountain Goats and 1,000 foot waterfalls and you can ride through a volcano. Sound too good to be true, or maybe that I’ve been imbibing in too much of Colorado’s finest weed? Well, it’s all true, but I am missing out one really important fact. All this happens on a stationary trainer and, in my case, in my basement.

Behold – Zwift. A new Verb added to the Oxford English Dictionary – To Zwift.

Joining me today is Scott Barger, Zwift’s Co founder and Head of Member experience.

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Think You've Got What It Takes? Mar 25, 2018

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An interview with the founders of the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race and the Leadville Race Series, Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin

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Garbage In, Garbage Out Mar 11, 2018

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This episode is coming to you from Brooklyn and my guest is Seamus Mullen, an award winning New York Chef, author, a leading authority on health and wellness, and a cyclist.

Seamus trained in Spain and, as they say, one thing led to another and he now operates two Spanish influenced restaurants, Tertulia (English translation – Social gathering) and a Tapas Bar called El Colmado (English translation – The Grocery Store).

He is the author of Hero Food and Real Food Heals – But there’s a lot more to Seamus’s story that that.

In 2007 Seamus Mullen was diagnosed with early onset Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Some years after this diagnosis Seamus, found himself being described by an integrative doctor as a “hot mess”. Despite being at the top of the New York chef food chain, he was profoundly unwell, about 50 pounds overweight, in constant pain and taking some serious meds. He had been in this situation for about 10 years.

As a result of a myopically planned diet, significant lifestyle changes and reconnecting with his love of riding bikes, Seamus’s path back to good health began. This despite almost dying in the OR. Twice.

“As I got farther and farther away from the light, I regained consciousness….That’s what it took for me to completely change my life, my diet, my fitness. Shit happens, and you can either get in the way of your body, or you can get out of the way. I knew something had to change or the next time, I wouldn’t survive.”

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A Conversation With People For Bikes Feb 10, 2018

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For those of us who like to ride bikes, whether that be for commuting to work, riding with the kids to the park, trying to get King (or Queen) of the Mountain on that 7% bastard of a hill, or riding some sweet single track, People For Bikes have your backs.

Visiting their web site – Peopleforbikes.org – will show you that 1.2 million people have registered with them.

This podcast talks to those people who are not the shaved leg, Lycra clad, 1% uber athletes, and that is precisely who People for bikes represents.

Joining me on this Podcast is Jenn Dice, PFB’s VP of Business Network and Government Relations. Jenn is a tireless crusader for bike advocacy, equally at home riding the Leadville 100 (future podcast episode) and navigating the halls of Government in DC.

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Jenn Dice in action

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A Conversation with an Indian Documentary Maker Sep 17, 2017

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Be On this podcastThe Bikes And Podcast's first international episode featuring an interview with Bidit Roy, Indian documentary film maker. I was introduced to Bidit by Ayleen Crotty of the Filmed by Bike Festival and subject of Episode 11.

I talk with Bidit about his love of making documentaries, how they connect him to people who have a story to tell and his latest film. There are links to The Bicycle Maker, which was featured in the Filmed by Bike Festival, On The Church Trail and his newest endeavour The Ride for Better India, below.

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Learn about First Descents Sep 03, 2017

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I ride bikes, I hike and I fish, to name a few of my favourite outdoor pursuits. The common denominator is that all of these take place in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The great outdoors represents a prescription, a healing place, both mentally and physically, providing me with the ability to escape from the stress and concerns of modern life, such is the power of adventure.

But, what if what ails you was orders of magnitude greater than a bad day at the office, nose to tail traffic or a bounced cheque, what if you were struck down by cancer in the prime of your life, can a prescription for Outdoor Therapy provide you with the same opportunity for healing? The charity First Descents believes so. Their research shows that 100% of their participants reported increased ability to cope with cancer and it shitty effects.

First Descents addresses what the National Cancer Institute identifies as a major determinant of long term survivorship; ongoing psycho-social supportive care. In plain speak, what that really means is while the doctors and medicine may have saved a life, First Descents teaches people how to live again.

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Ryan at First Descents HQ

Spiders Will Eat Your Face Starring Mike Fallek

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Guerrilla Gravity Bikes Jul 30, 2017

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This episode comes to you from the Denver Headquarters of Guerrilla Gravity. Manufacturers of Badass Mountain Bikes. Made for going fast. That’s Guerrilla as in Che Guevara and not Gorilla as in King Kong.

As I am a fan of a) Mountain Bikes and B) going fast I am looking forward to talking to the team about their brand, their story and what makes their awesome bikes, so awesome (y).

Guerrilla Gravity bike frames are designed and built in house in Denver Colorado, no too far from Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos.

The company is led by its President Will Montague, its Chief Engineer Matt Giaraffa and head of Marketing Kristy Anderson. All 3 come from quite different backgrounds, Mike for example has a background in both racing car and aerospace design, but as you might expect they share a passion for building a mountain bike that you are stoked to ride for a long time.

Joining me today is Matt Giaraffa, Chief Engineer.

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The GG Team - Matt second from left

A GG Bike in Action

Guerrilla Gravity Web Site

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The Rwandan Cycling Team Jul 09, 2017

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It’s 1994 and Rwanda, a land locked country on the Eastern side of Africa, just on the Equator, was in the midst of one of the worst genocides in history.

In 100 days more than 1 million Tutsis were slaughtered, representing about 70% of their population.

At that time a bicycle = life. If you had a bicycle you might escape the slaughter. If you had a bicycle you could try to make your way to safety, too afraid to look back at the staggering and stomach churning displays of man’s inhumanity to man.

A documentary called Rising from the Ashes details how some of those survivors were given a reason to hope by cycling legend Jock Boyer (the first American to enter the Tour de France and a member of the United States Cycling Hall of Fame) as he helped a fledgling Rwandan cycling team not only get off the ground, but also, amazingly, managing to attend the London Olympics in 2012. The riders of Team Rwanda gave their countrymen a vision of something greater than themselves and their history; hope for the future.

Scroll forwards to 2017 and the Rwandan Cycling Team will be racing at this year’s inaugural Colorado Classic pro cycling race

Join me as I talk to Jock Boyer about the movie, the team and the race.

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Jock Boyer and Adrian Niyonshuti

Team Rwanda's Colorado Classic Jersey - Note Rhinos

Team Rwanda's Web Site

Rising from the ashes movie (iTunes)

Thorne Research

The Colorado Classic

Spiders Will Eat Your Face $0.99 Starring Mike Fallek

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The Check In Foundation - Preventing Suicide Jun 25, 2017

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In the space of 12 months I have known three people commit suicide. All 3 of them were men. In my interactions with them, I never would have guessed there was anything wrong, and news of their suicide came as a complete shock.

In conversations with the people they left behind though, it is clear that theirs was a thin veneer and they knew there were signs of inner turmoil; signs that only a loved one might have noticed such as severe moodiness, disinterest with things they loved to do and periods of complete withdrawal.

Join me as I talk to April Paige, as we talk about the suicide of her partner and her creation of the Check In Foundation.

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Clay Watson at a High School League Race

April, Clay & Bailey

The Check In Foundation's Web Site

Find A Suicide Prevention Outreach Program

Call - 800 273 8255 (talk)

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One Man's Quest To Change Florida's Bike Commuting Culture Jun 11, 2017

Show notes

In a first, I’m pleased to say that I’m interviewing a member of that most select, elite and smart group of people, a listener of the Bikes And…Podcast. A listener who reached out to me with an idea for a story.

Honestly, when I started this podcast back on 2016, this is exactly the sort of person I wanted to talk to. It’s been super talking to people who have events to promote, or beers to drink, but for the most part I have reached out to them to invite them onto the show. So, to have someone actually take the time to click on the contact button on my web site, fill out the form with an idea, means a lot to me.

If you want to be on the show, don’t be shy. You don’t have to have the perfect voice, just an idea about a story relating to a bicycle.

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Robert & Westwind

Robert Raymond's Web Site

Espada Latin Rock Band

People for Bikes

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