Today meet Diane who is on to talk about some of her bike adventures utilizing charter services who handle all the prep work, logistics and hauling of her gear. What better way to see beautiful views of the United States by bicycle, without the hassle of planning the who, what, when and where. She hasn’t always been a cyclist, but got into cycling as a way to cross train for cross country ski racing. She is going to tell us about some of the places she has gone with her bike, and also get a bit ...
Jun 25, 2021•41 min
Today is all about the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. This unpaved crushed limestone rail trail stretches 63 miles through scenic southwest Iowa countryside, starting in Council Bluffs, Iowa and passes through some great communities including Mineola, Silver City, Malvern, Imogene, Shenandoah, Coin and Blanchard. Such a great way to generate tourism for small communities. The website is wabashtrace.org and a yearlong pass is only $20. Daily passes are $2. Most of the trail is lined with a tree canop...
Jun 17, 2021•37 min
Today meet Damien Boley, he is the Race Director for Humphrey’s Gravel Grinder which is a gravel race that starts and ends in Smithville, Missouri and offers multiple distance options, from 25 miles all the way up to 200 miles. I recently went to Smithville to do the 50 mile Humphrey’s Gravel Grinder and had a blast. Damien is an avid cyclist who participates in some pretty cool bike packing events in addition to all kinds of local gravel riding. Along with his day job, and his role as race dire...
May 29, 2021•50 min
Today meet Scott Grow who is the Tour Director for a local bike club in Iowa called Hawkeye Bicycle Association. The HBA has been going strong since 1971 and the organization promotes bicycling safety and advocates bicycle friendly communities, roads and trails, as well as bicyclist rights. Scott is going to get into the ins and outs of group riding when not everyone is at the same speed. It’s great information if you are part of a club, or want to start a bicycle club in your community. If you ...
May 20, 2021•49 min
On the show today is gravel racer Kae Takeshito. Growing up in Japan, Kae always looked at the bicycle as a means of transportation rather than recreation and she didn’t get the gravel racing bug until adulthood. It is obvious she is a quick learner as she continues to embrace and dare I say she enjoys the sufferfest of endurance racing in terrible conditions like rain, cold and mud. On this episode she is going to give highlights of her most recent race, and 1st place win, of the Iowa Wind and ...
May 13, 2021•43 min
On the show today we have the Trail Manager for the Mickelson Trail, located in South Dakota, which has been a bucket list trail for me for quite a while. This Rails to Trail crushed limestone trail spans over 100 miles through the heart of the Black Hills. With 4 rock tunnels and over 100 bridges, this trail is open year round to bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. Dana Garry-Reiprich is the Trail Manager for the Mickelson Trail, and is on to tell us more about all that the Mickelson Trail ha...
May 07, 2021•37 min
Today meet Chris Van Roekel, a retired Veteran who is on to talk about off season training. So when RAGBRAI offered a virtual event in 2020, Chris saw this as an opportunity to rediscover his love of cycling. He completed Virtual RAGBRAI and enjoyed those miles so much he just kept on pedaling. What started as a mission to burn 1,000 calories of activity a day turned into something that offered Chris both mental and physical benefits that have paid off in many ways. Chris is shooting for 5,000 m...
Apr 23, 2021•36 min
Today meet Tammy from the Pork Belly Ventures. For almost 30 years Tammy and her brother Pete, along with a top notch crew have been providing support to cyclists, supporting them during Iowa's 7 day tour called RAGBRAI along many other Midwest bike rides. Amenities with Pork Belly Ventures are many...from hot showers and bottomless coffee each morning, tent set up and take down, to PHAT trailers which feature a bed and air conditioning. Their support could mean the difference between a complica...
Apr 09, 2021•40 min
This week meet Henry Gold. Henry tells the frightening story of how he came face to face with an angry elephant while cycling, and lived to tell about it. He is also Founder and Director at TDA Global Cycling, an adventure cycling tour company with some epic bucket list expeditions available. Many years ago Henry had a crazy vision to create Tour d’Afrique. A test of mind, body, and bicycle, it was to be a bicycle race in Africa that takes cyclists north to south, from the pyramids of Giza to Ca...
Apr 02, 2021•56 min
This week I am going to respond to some listener mail. Questions about my sleep set-up, how to get stronger on the bike, first time bikepacking, and tracking miles are on the agenda. Also, I have joined Patreon which is a platform loyal listeners can subscribe to for bonus content. It costs a few bucks per month and helps me keep the podcast going. Of course you can continue to listen for free!! www.patreon.com/murphology www.instagram.com/murphologypodcast
Mar 26, 2021•21 min
All right Pork Tornadoes fans, this week Mike Schulte is on the show to talk about his perspective on what it is like to play in a band during RAGBRAI. The Pork Tornadoes is a popular band in the Midwest and cyclists who spend the last week of July each year pedaling across Iowa as part of the longest, largest and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world known as RAGBRAI, have most likely experienced this great band. Mike is the drummer and I can only imagine what it is like to be ...
Mar 04, 2021•45 min
Did you know there is a bicycle themed resort at the base of a mountain in Colorado Springs?? I was lucky enough to spend a weekend at the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort and let me tell you, Torie the owner has it figured out! Torie Giffin, the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort’s visionary and intrepid leader, has always led with her heart and passion for others. Hospitality is at her core. So, when she decided to create a resort for cyclists there was no question she was going to make it great. During...
Feb 26, 2021•28 min
Today meet Ray George. Ray founded the Ohio Gravel Grinders. He is based out of Columbus Ohio and went from creating a popular citywide bike tour of Columbus called "Bike the CBus" that still exists today, to The Ohio Gravel Grinders which is a club made up of over 3,500 members, and growing. He partners with great companies like Kenda Tires, Paradise Garage and Ride with GPS to provide events, maps, and a top notch resource for gravel enthusiasts. Be sure to check out their website, www.ohiogra...
Feb 18, 2021•40 min
Sylva is on the show today. She’s an writer and a biker, and she has a can do attitude. She goes through life expecting good things, and good things come her way. Reminds me of the mantra: whatever you believe, you are correct. She checked off a bucket list item which was to ride her bicycle across the US, and she did it solo. A 4,000 mile bike tour across the US is an epic accomplishment that many people only dream about. She documented her epic adventure and then wrote a book to document it, b...
Feb 12, 2021•32 min
This week meet Brian O'Leary, executive director of the Dream Team which is a five month program that partners youth with adult mentors to provide a unique opportunity to build relationships, achieve personal growth, and learn life skills. They train and prepare as a team to ride every mile of RAGBRAI. Their mission is to use the power of a bicycle to assist youth in developing a positive approach to life’s challenges. Brian is going to give us more info on the The Dream Team, including how you ...
Feb 04, 2021•38 min
This week meet Bonnie Gagnon. To quote Bonnie, she said there is something magical about riding a bike that helps us forget our misery. So true. Bonnie is a Lemierre’s syndrome survivor who has mastered how to suffer properly in epic bike events like Leadville 100 and Tour Divide which she called an amazingly grueling fantastic time. She’s also into adventure racing and is on a team hoping to do Eco Challenge which is affectionately called the World’s Toughest Race. Today Bonnie shares some adve...
Jan 21, 2021•36 min
This week meet Kymberly Byers, a cyclist, a bikepacker and a photographer who found purpose riding a bike and sharing the experiences with others. Kymberly pedaled into 26 states in 2020, was able to bikepack 100 consecutive days and shares some memories of this great adventure. We discuss bikepacking how-to and expert tips on how to bikepack in the most minimalistic way. Kymberly mentioned how important it is to stay in the moment and I find this simple advice quite meaningful, and more difficu...
Jan 08, 2021•54 min
This week Leah Fuller joins us to talk about her vision to be part of a group of like minded women who enjoy being outside on bikes. She discovered the Fearless Women of Dirt, a mountain biking group started by Josie Smith of Decorah Bicycles. It was in 2015 Josie started Decorah's first women's mountain biking group: Fearless Women of Dirt which has now expanded to multiple states. Josie also created a stand-alone website, www.josiebikelife.com, with hopes of inspiring women to experience the j...
Dec 18, 2020•34 min
This week Dixon Novy from the Quad City Bicycle Club is on the show. This club has been around since the 60’s and their charter has been part of RAGBRAI for as long as the ride has existed. Dixon himself has biked a dozen RAGBRAIs and has been part of several overnight town committees who do all the planning and prepping for thousands of cyclists to camp. Dixon shares his take on what it is like to be part of the QCBC club and charter. www.qcbc.org www.murphologypodcast.com
Dec 11, 2020•38 min
This week Amy and Randy are on the show. This is a father daughter team that share a love of the high wheel bicycle, also known as the penny farthing. I am sure you have seen these bikes at some point, whether it was in a parade or some sort of historical event. The high wheeler was popular in the late 1800’s and both Amy and Randy have vintage bikes that they used to ride some epic adventures together. Most recently they biked from Michigan to Key West, averaging about 60 miles a day on their h...
Nov 20, 2020•39 min
This week you get to meet author, cyclist, and Metro Atlanta Bike Mayor Pattie Baker who has written many books and blogs including the book Traveling at the Speed of Bike. She also has a great blog by the same name. A few months ago, after getting hit by a vehicle while riding her bike, she created the You Go Girl series where each day in August she blogged about an inspiring woman who makes it welcoming to ride bikes. She's an inspiration as well! www.travelingatthespeedofbike.com www.murpholo...
Nov 06, 2020•44 min
What do you do when you can't keep up on a group ride? My answer? Be first and and set the pace, or be last and ok with falling behind. This week I tackle some listener mail including how I am dealing with riding during a pandemic, memorable places I have ridden, and my favorite post ride snack. Email me your topic ideas at MurphologyPodcast@gmail.com MurphologyPodcast.com
Oct 23, 2020•18 min
This week we are connecting nature enthusiasts and cyclists through a nonprofit focused on pollinator habitat. For the last 5 or so years the gang at Milkweed Matters have set up booths on RAGBRAI in Iowa. They make seedballs made of dirt, clay and of course seeds and hand them out to cyclists who then toss them into appropriate places along the route. You may already know that the Milkweed plant is the only plant Monarchs lay their eggs on. I caught up with Founder and Chair of the Board Kelly ...
Oct 16, 2020•39 min
Today you meet Kathryn Schartz from Lawrence, Kansas. Kathryn really enjoys getting out on her bike and it shows. In 2020 she gave herself a weekly mileage goal of 250 miles, and at the time of this recording she has already surpassed 12,000 miles, including 13 century rides. I found her energy and story inspiring and hope you do as well. Enjoy! www.murphologypodcast.com
Oct 09, 2020•32 min
I recently completed an epic once in a lifetime adventure on my mountain bike with 7 friends, and wanted to tell you about it. The San Juan Hut System offers a variety of hut to hut backcountry tours including hiking, backcountry skiing and of course biking. We chose the Telluride to Moab trip which was about 200 miles spread out over 7 days, 6 nights and utilizing secondary dirt roads and singletrack. They provided multiple route options each day based on your skills that would get you to the n...
Oct 02, 2020•38 min
Ward and Jacky Budweg are on the show this week. They recently published a book called The World at 10mph. This book is the result of a 3 year worldwide bicycle journey Ward and Jacky went on that started with a clever pre-nup, involved 7 years of planning and ended up being over 33,000 miles of bicycle travel. It is not only a great adventure, it is also a great love story. And Happy 21st Anniversary to the Budwegs! If you would like to get a copy of The World at 10mph, go to Amazon or your loc...
Sep 12, 2020•51 min
Meet Coreen this week. She is a cancer survivor, a cyclist, marathoner, triathlete, and also a grandma. I caught up with her over on the Just Go Bike podcast to talk about some of her cycling adventures, with a focus on RAGBRAI. She has completed 30 RAGBRAI’s so far, which is the 7 day tour across Iowa that occurs every July. She rides each year with her brother, and even rode the year she was fighting (and beating) cancer. She has also done several cross country tours, races and rides that woul...
Sep 04, 2020•39 min
Crystal Kovacs took the time to chat about her cycling experiences on this week’s episode. Crystal is a sponsored athlete who didn’t really get into cycling until her 40’s and it only took a couple of rides to get her hooked. Along with countless bikepacking and single track adventures with her family, she has also participated in some pretty intense gravel and dirt races such as the Dirty Kanza, the MAAH DAAH HEY singletrack race, and the Mid South Land Run. Cycling has changed her in so many w...
Aug 28, 2020•36 min
This week you get to listen to my recent interview on an episode of the Just Go Bike podcast. Along with most organized bike rides, the 7 day tour I talk about all the time, RAGBRAI, was a little different this year due to COVID. I tracked down a few people who participated in Virtual RAGBRAI to find out the what why when and how they spent their week. A big thanks to Josh, Gretchen, Sharon and Liz for taking the time to chat. It was fun hearing about how their week went and how even a virtual e...
Aug 06, 2020•56 min
Today marks the 50th episode of the Murphology Podcast. 50! I did a bit of reflecting on all the people I have met and interviewed and I am amazed at the quality of conversation in each episode. It really is true that no matter who you meet, every person has a good story to share. Each interview gave me inspiration to try something new, or revisit something I hadn't thought of for awhile, and added to my growing list of places to visit. With almost 10,000 listens, I am so thankful for each and e...
Jul 30, 2020•25 min
