King of the Ride

Episode 91: Roger Brown — The Unbound Gravel Edition

He just couldn't get enough, so back he went in 2022. Roger Brown is my friend, business partner at UnTapped, and among the least trained riders for this grand daddy of all gravel bike races, Unbound 200. Let's hear from Roger how his second time taking on the mammoth gravel race across the Kansas countryside went.

 

To save on Saris, use code Saris-Social-1522 for 15% off anything at Saris.com

Episode 90: Brendan Quirk — CEO of USA Cycling

Brendan Quirk took the reins as CEO of USA Cycling late in 2021 with the hopes of reinvigorating the organization with the energy and enthusiasm that he remembers from his first races as a card carrying USAC member in 1986. Looking at the state of the cycling union: American racing needs help and hopefully Brendan is the person for the job.

Brendan is the co-founder of the biggest cycling e-tailer, Competitive Cyclist, which segued to a position as EVP at Backcountry.com. He ran Rapha North America for a handful of years as well as being the cycling program director for the Runway Group, a project spearheaded by the cycling nuts in the Walton family.

Brendan now splits his time between home in Little Rock, Arkansas and USA Cycling HQ in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He's the father of three children, a husband, and a terrific conversationalist. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Don't forget to use code King25 at www.teamZealios.com to protect yourself this summer with the finest skincare designed for athletes out there.

 

Episode 89: Charles Aaron — Professional Cycling Team Owner of Human Powered Health

Charles Aaron is the owner of America's longest running professional cycling team, Human Powered Health. Having spent a lifetime in cycling -- from the heyday of pro mountain biking in the 1990s through to the present -- Charles certainly has some stories to tell. The women's team will compete in this summer's Tour de France Femmes and the men's team has been making their way up the hierarchy of pro cycling teams with hopes of being in the grandest tour soon as well.

You can follow along with his team, www.HumanPoweredHealth.com

And please check out Zealios at www.TeamZealios.com. Don't forget to use code King25 at checkout for some terrific savings.

Episode 88: Meg Fisher — UCI World Champion, Decorated Paralympic Athlete, First Para Athlete to Complete Unbound

I don't have a Best Episode of the Year category, but this conversation would be in the running.

Meg Fisher is a decorated athlete across a variety of disciplines. A walk-on division 1 tennis player in college, she was involved in a tragic accident at the age of 19 that took the love of her life and resulted in an amputated portion of her leg. Not one to watch the grass grow and sit by the sidelines, she's only sped up since then, winning world championships and all shades of Paralympic medals. She's also earned a PhD in Physical Therapy as she helps spread the message that movement is medicine. Meg is a Cannondale athlete and is leading the way for parathletes competing in gravel races of all types.

This conversation is one for the ages and one I know you're going to enjoy.

To watch the Dark Side of the Subjective, you can do so here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeSVMG4GkeQ

Check out the ride Meg and I spoke of, the King Challenge. www.KingChallenge.org

 

Episode 87: Bill Shufelt — Co-Founder & CEO of Athletic Brewing Company

I like beer. You like beer. Beer is great!

Hangovers, poor decision making, reduced performance, and alcohol induced accidents aren't that great.

Bill Shufelt had a very successful career in finance, but he found that he inspired at work. It was work for the sake of work and he wasn't making healthy decisions. He saw a void in the craft beer market, specifically for non-alcoholic beer and leapt at it.

After (nearly) countless attempts, along with his business partner, John Walker, they created the genre of North American craft NA beer.

The proof is in the pudding; in 2020, Athletic's Free Way IPA won the award as Supreme Champion Beer at the International Beer Challenge, the first non-alcoholic beer to win the award, beating over 500 other entries.

Don't miss out on performing at your best. Go to www.therabody.com/king and check out their RecoveryAir JetBoots to be able to be at your best, wherever your day/training/travels take you.

Episode 86: Bobby Wintle — Founder of MidSouth Gravel

With MidSouth now in the rearview mirror it's time to look back at the season opener. This conversation bookends the MidSouth festival amid a lovely Sunday brunch with my dear friend Bobby. Bobby Wintle is the event director of MidSouth as well as District Bicycles, the iconic bike shop in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

His voice is shredded, the racers are left dusty with the telltale red Oklahoma dirt, but boy oh boy did we have fun with this conversation.

 

Don't miss out on performing at your best. Go to www.therabody.com/king and check out their RecoveryAir JetBoots to be able to be at your best, wherever your day/training/travels take you.

Episode 85: Alison Jackson — Canadian National Champion, Olympian, Dance Superstar

I'm excited introduce Olympian, current double national champion in both the road race and time trial, World Tour race winner, dancing queen and internet sensation Alison Jackson!

I caught up with Alison Jackson while she was home in Canada before making her late winter pilgrimage to Europe and the traditional bike racing scene. We chatted shop that spans her careers, the highs and lows, the trajectory her career has taken, and the interesting trends the entire sport is taking.

Be sure to follow @aliactionjackson to up your social media game.

Episode 84: Tejay van Garderen — Professional Cyclist, Retiree, Director Sportif

Tejay van Garderen is one of the best cyclists America has ever produced. With stage wins in the Giro, the Tour de Suisse, Volta Catalunya, and plenty more, overall wins at the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and the Tour of California, plus best young rider and 5th place (twice) at the Tour de France, Tejay's palmares are lengthy.

He's also a fascinating conversationalist, is knowledgeable about wine, introduced me to burrata, knows his NFL, is a father to two girls, and husband to Jessica.

Tejay has lots of knowledge and experience to share and we do so over this conversation. 

Like, comment, share. Thanks for listening!

-Ted

Episode 83: Mike Cohen — Leukemia and Heart Transplant Survivor

This is one for the ages. Every guest on this podcast has the thread of the bicycle woven through their lives and Mike Cohen is no different. He's just had a much different life unfold than perhaps he was expecting as a 17 year old.

Mike is as upbeat as they come and as both a leukemia survivor and recipient of a heart transplant, he's got some very wild stories to tell. Mike is a cyclist, he now works in the industry from his home in San Diego, and among other adventures, he's ridden across the country. Twice.

If you want to watch this podcast, you can do so on YouTube or with this link: https://youtu.be/qOaW1ju1-18

Don't forget to join the 12 Days of DIYgravel between now and January 2, 2022: www.iamtedking.com/diygravel

You can follow Mike's adventures on his instagram: @MrMikeCohen or his website has all kinds of impressive material, www.mrmikecohen.com.

Episode 82: Mitch Docker — World Tour Veteran

The world of professional cycling is full of characters and they don't get much more interesting than Mitch Docker. Between his many iterations of mullets and mustaches, he was a standout, but it's his hard work and talent that made him a stalwart member of the pro peloton.

This Australian made his way to Europe in 2006 to start his pro cycling career which has extended right up until the present, although Mitch is retiring from pro cycling here at the end of the 2021 season.

Mitch and Ted will talk shop about the state of cycling, the changes over the years, the good, the bad, and the ugly at the top echelon of cycling, being a parent in the pro ranks, plus plenty more.

Be sure to follow Mitch on social media, @MitchBowen, and definitely check out his podcast, Life in the Peloton.