Category Archives: Racing

Episode 11 – Amanda Batty

Posted on October 27, 2016 by josh| 4 Comments

Amanda Batty is a professional mountain bike racer and sometimes freelance writer. A little over a year ago she was embroiled in controversy after calling out a colleague for using a date rape metaphor in his review of a new bike. The fall out was swift and ugly and put Amanda on the receiving end of harassment and death threats. We spoke about her racing life, attempt to break into the highest levels of downhill racing, and the pervasive problem of rape culture and misogyny in the bike industry and culture at large.

The Bicycle Story theme music is by Will McKindley-Ward.

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Posted in Bike Industry, Cycling Media, Racing, The Podcast

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Episode 7 – Lael Wilcox Is A Bikepacking Badass

Posted on July 6, 2016 by josh| Leave a comment

Lael Wilcox may not yet be a household name in the cycling world, but with wins and records in super long distance, self-supported bikepacking races such as TransAmerica and the Tour Divide, she will be soon. In this special episode of The Bicycle Story podcast, I interviewed Lael about her victory at TransAm, what it’s like to race across the country in 18 days, her roots as a dirtbag world adventurer, breaking into the mainstream, and more.

For more on Lael’s world travels, check out The Bicycle Story’s 2014 interview with her partner Nick Carman.

Music:
“Intractable”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Posted in Adventure, Bike Touring, Interviews, Racing, The Podcast

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Episode 5: Tillie Anderson, Champion of the World

Posted on April 7, 2016 by josh| 3 Comments

With seemingly more coverage of the issue recently than ever, women’s fight for an equal place in bike racing kind of feels like a modern phenomenon. But women have been fighting for the right to race bikes for nearly the entirety of bike racing history. In the late 1800s, a young Swedish immigrant named Tillie Anderson joined that fight and quickly became the star of American cycling with a nearly flawless record and the world champion title to her name.

Music:
“Intractable,” “Floating Cities”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Posted in History, Racing, The Podcast

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Episode 2: How To Deal With Belgian Demons

Posted on December 4, 2015 by josh| Leave a comment

After just one year of racing in the American professional cyclocross scene, Elle Anderson got the chance to join a European team and race full time in Belgium. It’s the stuff dreams are made of for young American bike racers. But reality turned out to be more nightmare than dream. A series of compounding events left Elle deeply depressed and struggling on and off the bike.

Music:
“Dirt Rhodes,” “Long Note Two,” “Static Motion”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Posted in Cyclocross, History, Racing, The Podcast

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Ian Crane: Riding to Recovery and Redemption

Posted on September 3, 2015 by josh| 5 Comments

Cyclist Ian Crane of Jamis-Hagens Berman team stands for a portrait at Greenlake Park in Seattle, Wash., on Friday, August 14, 2015. Photo by Matt Mills McKnightIan Crane. Photo by Matt Mills McKnight from the Denver Post

What if you worked for years to accomplish a dream goal and finally achieved it only to have it snatched away an instant later? How would you react? That’s exactly what happened to 25 year old Ian Crane. Last year was his first as a professional cyclist. He’d signed with the Jamis-Hagens Berman squad and was getting better results than he’d expected. His career was full of promise. Then, as the 2014 season wound down, he had a horrific crash that left him hospitalized, scarred, and unable to ride. Ian’s reaction? Unwavering positivity. The recovery process has been extremely difficult, but Ian says it’s had unexpected rewards that have solidified his love of cycling. I spoke to Ian a few days after the anniversary of his crash about his cycling life, his path to professional racing, the crash in Colorado, recovery, his new goals and more.

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Posted in Interviews, Racing

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