A conversation with Thomas Prehn, a founding member of professional USA Cycling and inventor of the best bike lights money can by. Visit www.arsenalcycling.com and enter discount code BEN for a 20% discount.

Ben and Bikes

3 Lights Better Than 1

A conversation with Jeremy McGhee, adaptive bike ride, surfer and skier extraordinaire. Since a car hit Jeremy on his motorbike and took away the use of his legs, 16 years ago, he has made it his life's mission to get off the pavement. Nothing gets this guy down. “If it’s money, figure it out. If it’s time, figure it out. You get less of it every day, so do it now”

The Unpavement Project

Back in June, 2017, I interviewed April Paige from the Check-In foundation about the work she is doing to raise awareness for the appalling numbers of people who commit suicide each year. Since that time I have had personal connections to 4 people who have commited suicide. 3 of them High School Students, 1 of them middle aged. All of them male, all of them white, all of them tragic. White male suicide is a national epidemic.Today I talk to the team from www.go4graham.org.7njvygbr

My Brother's Legacy

Back in April I interviewed Sophie George and Chris Haag just before they set off for Alaska to begin their 20,000 mile, 2 year bicycle adventure starting in Homer Alaska and ending in Uswaya Argentina. The episode was called the Places I Pee. If you want to know about why I named the episode this way, or why their web site theplacesipee.com is so called, I suggest you listen to the episode.Here we are, about 6 months later and they have made it all the way from Homer to the Mexican border, via a brief layover at their home base in St George, Utah.Full disclosure listeners. I interviewed Sophie and Chris during that layover, but a few days later disaster struck. When I went to download the interview from my recording device, the file had become corrupted. I’ve tried every tool out there, to no avail.Sophie and Chris have been very understanding and have agreed to talk with me again, this time from close to the US/Mexican border in Arizona.As ever you can track their progress by going to their web site theplacesIpee.com

The Places I Pee - 2

As ever I love it when a listener reaches out to me to be on the ben and bikes podcast If you’d like to be on the show please email me on ben@benandbikes.com or go to benandbikes.com and click on the contact button on the nav bar.Today’s guest, who sent me an email, is joining me via Skype all the way from Spain. His real name is Axel Blumenberg, but he also goes by the Bike Ninja. From what I understand Axel was one of those people suffering a soul destroying, life wasting and exhausting commute, in his case about 4 hours every day.Coming to his rescue was a bicycle and, from what I understand this has not only completely changed his life, but also allows him to view things from the perspective of a martial arts expert.

The Bike Ninja

Nike was founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, both keen runners (and waffle fans), Trek was founded by Richard Burke a keen cyclist and GoPro was founded by Nick Woodman so he could take rad movies while he was surfing.My guest today is Josh Sprague, a competitive endurance athlete, who is the founder of Orange Mud, a manufacturer of some very unique running, biking and lifestyle brands.From a garage built prototype through to global distribution using his web site orangemud.com and countless retailers the company now has hundreds of happy customers. Sounds like a dream come true, but I suspect this journey has been like an endurance race for Josh, his family and his team, as many ups as there are downs, with nothing but guts, grit and determination to get him there. (note by Leadville 100/Ken Chlouber reference)

Risk & Reward

Receiving feedback from listeners is one of the most rewarding things about producing the Ben and Bikes Podcast. It’s a double bonus when those people want to share their bike story with me on the show. Back in June of 2017 I spoke with Robert Raymond about his experiences commuting to work in Florida - You can find this episode on my web site - benandbikes.comToday I’m joined by Sam Campbell, from Illinois.

Bikes Stopped Me From Being A Jerk

Domestic Violence Awareness. Comedian Mara Marek rides her bike across the country to raise awareness for Domestic Violence Awareness. She and her dog Frank join me to talk about her experiences.

Knives, Flannel & Women Truck Drivers

Some of you may remember that my Podcast used to be called Bikes And...where I’d fill in the next part with the subject of the show. Bikes And...Beer, Bikes and Community, etc. This episode goes all the way back to Episode 15, Bikes and Making the best of it, where I was honoured to talk to Jamie Osbourne. A man who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury when his road bike’s frame collapsed travelling at more than 40 miles per hour. His approach to recovery is one of tenacity, character and perseverance. If you like his story please consider buying his book “Will your way back” You can find a link on www.benandbikes.com.

Bike Frame Failed At 40 MPH

An interview with NYC Chef and Cyclist Seamus Mullen. We talk about how diet and exercise and a change in lifestyle allowed him to lose weight and help to battle his battle with early onset Rheumatoid Arthritis.

You Are What You Eat

Last week end I had the honour to see the Leadville 100 MTB race from the athletes point of view, talking to as many as would allow me to shove an annoying microphone into their face.I recorded more than 100 interviews and of course fitting them all into a podcast that lasts a little less than one hour is not possible. But I’ve a created representative selection to give you an insight into what makes people do this, their backgrounds and motivations. I am in awe of you all.This episode is separated into conversations I had the night before, the morning of, on the course and the finish. If you are inspired by what you hear, why not you next year?

Blood, Sweat & Tears

I will be up in Leadville, Colorado this weekend interviewing the athletes crazy enough to attempt the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. While I'm doing this, please enjoy an episode from earlier this year where I interview the race's founders, Ken Chlouber and Merilee Maupin.In my next episode I'll be playing some of those interviews.

Who Dares, Wins

There are two sides to every story. In the last Episode of Ben and Bikes I spoke with Ian Dille about what happened at the 2001 Road National Championships in Florida and the subsequent article he wrote for this month’s edition of Bicycling Magazine titled “The Deal”.Long story short: With a few laps to go on a grueling circuit, the race was between Ian Dille and Mike Friedman. Ian who had been in the lead for a while, Mike who had just caught up to him. Ian’s recollection is that Mike said to him “I won’t Sprint” “You Can Win”. As they closed in on the finish line, the opposite happened. Mike did sprint, and he did win.Today my conversation is with Mike, to get his side of the story. Both of the race itself and some thoughts now that he has read the article that Ian wrote. 

The Deal - Part 2

All of us can probably remember a time in our lives where we wish we could go back and change a decision we made. The results of that decision probably stick with us today, and probably will for the rest of our lives. For today’s guest, that time was 2001, and his decision was based on 6 words.It was the 2001 U23 National Criterium Championship and Ian Dille was sitting on the starting line with 100 or more other hungry young racers. It was a tough field stacked with pros, previous champions, every person thinking “why not me”. The race starts, Ian feels great, but what happed in the last laps of that race will stay with him forever. This is his story. 

The Deal - Part 1

It was surfing legend and fitness guru Laird Hamilton who once said “Make sure your worst enemy doesn't live between your own two ears” There is meaning in this quote for both the sport he loves and for all aspects of his life. So often sports metaphors make this transitive leap. Others include:Driving for show, putting for doughSet your goals high, and don't stop till you get thereIt’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that mattersIf you fail to prepare, you're prepared to failAnd my personal favourite:If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother, with her teeth out.    This is one of the reasons why I have so much belief in the power of sport to teach us how to live our lives and deal with everyday challenges. For kids, sport is an irreplaceable teacher of perseverance, teamwork, training and humility, to name but a few.Today’s guest is someone who takes these parallels between sport and life very seriously.6x California State Criterium Champion 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018.2x Silver Medalist at Master National Criterium Championships in 2012, and 2014,So Cal cup overall winner in 2012To name but a few. By its very definition he is a champion of his sport. But it is his approach that is most inspirational. He once said “you gotta practice your winning pose, because it’s gonna happen” Translation. If you don’t think you are going to win, what’s the point.

You gotta practice your winning pose, because it’s gonna happen

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