The Spokesmen 33 – July 28, 2008

The 33rd episode of The Spokesmen Cycling Podcast included David Bernstein from The FredCast Cycling Podcast, Carlton Reid from Bike Biz and QuickRelease.tv, Tim Grahl from The Crooked Cog Network and the Bike To Work Book, and Donna Tocci from Ingersoll Rand.

Among the topics we discussed:

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14 Comments

  1. July 29, 2008

    Happy Birthday to you,
    Happy Birthday to you,
    Happy Birthday dear David,
    Happy Birthday to you!

    🙂

  2. toby
    July 29, 2008

    Could Donna talk in circles any more than she already does? Wow. She really thinks she is a brilliant philospher. Make a point already.

  3. July 30, 2008

    Great show guys (and Gal).

    Toby- I’m fairly sure that Donna does NOT think of herself as a “philospher”. I could be wrong… but I don’t remember seeing that on her business card or email signature. But hey, I’m dense. I probably speak in more circles anyway- good thing I missed the show or you would’ve maybe had a legitimate comment here… unlike this one.

    Love ya Donna… hope to be able to make the next show too.

  4. Donna Tocci
    July 30, 2008

    Hey Toby – thanks for listening and for the feedback. “Brilliant Philospher” Oh my goodness, it’s a good thing I wasn’t taking a drink of water then! HA. Far from it!!! You think I think that? Wow…totally wrong impression!

    I can talk in circles sometimes, as we all can, and appreciate you pointing it out. Can you come back and leave an example from this show or it won’t be a constructive and I’ll never learn from it, right? I want to learn always.

    And, Toby -thanks for listening and for the feedback – woops, was that in circles? 😉
    Safe riding all!

  5. Byron Friday
    August 4, 2008

    Re: bike rider and car driver conflicts.

    Far to often my experience with roadies is:

    1. Lack a respectable level of being cortious and conciderate.
    2. Lack the patience and tolerance needed to peacefully coexist with drivers of motor vehicles.
    3. Cyclist who over react and exaggerate minor inconveniences to the level of injustices – petty conflicts blown out of proportion don’t help.

    We can’t blame all the bike rider and motor vehicle driver conflicts on the drivers of the motor vehicle- way to many cyclist fall short in the area of proper cyclist etiquette!

  6. August 4, 2008

    Dan Rather : “Americans will put up with anything, provided it doesn’t block traffic.”

    🙁

  7. August 5, 2008

    Loved the comments on this show today. I have been listening to Tim and Carlton’s book podcast and hope that you take time each show to cover issues that affect commuters.

    I also liked the comments about Rock Racing. I follow the thinking of Tim and Donna (without the NASCAR thing, no offense, Donna) that a little bit of in-your-face marketing is what cycling in the US needs to gain some good attention.

    Most of the arguments I hear against Michael Ball and his attitude about marketing his team and sport remind me greatly of another sport to which I pay a lot of attention: US Soccer. I say “US” soccer primarily because I see parallels between the attitudes of cycling fans and soccer fans (leaving hooligans out of the equation here).

    A whole lot of soccer fans in the US use the European model as their basis for “how it should be done.” And whenever our domestic league, Major League Soccer, does something that is NOT like the European model, those fans get in an uproar. And it’s things as simple as giving teams nicknames, playoff structures, and the like that set them off – if it’s not like “Euro” it’s wrong. But one of the wonderful things about soccer is that each country takes the game and makes it their own.

    The same thing applies to cycling, I think. Sure, cycling in Europe has a more genteel, polite, low-key approach. But over here, that doesn’t attract attention: especially in a nation where you have sports with enormous budgets that use every in-your-face marketing scheme available to up their viewership. And Michael Ball is using some of those same techniques in cycling. That’s all that’s happening. Americans respond to such marketing, and if it pulls in more cycling fans, I’m all for it (as long as no rules are broken).

    Granted, cycling is under more scrutiny right now due to the perception of the doping problem (a perception which, to me, is entirely over the top, since cycling is one of the few sports that is taking it seriously, unlike most US sports), and many people see Ball’s signing of Tyler Hamilton and the other post-suspension former dopers as his flipping an enormous bird at WADA, etc. But I think that what is actually happening is that Ball is defending the rights of the individual riders instead of putting all the onus on them to ride clean. Hamilton should absolutely be riding in Europe with a major team, except no one will touch him because of the issue of perception. Ball’s doing the right thing, IMHO.

    I absolutely believe that most dopers wouldn’t have doped unless their teams (or someone involved with their teams) had put them up to it or told them that doping was just “how it’s done.” Sure, you’re going to have some bad eggs that do it just because they don’t understand common ethics. But I don’t think most people will cheat unless someone convinces them to for whatever reason.

    Ball’s desire for a cyclists’ union or similar organization sounds wonderful. Other major sports have bargaining agreements, why shouldn’t cycling? If the cyclists are being forced to bear the brunt of the problem here, then they should be able to argue their case.

  8. August 6, 2008

    Jamie – thanks for taking the time to give us your comments. I agree 100% and think you made your point much better than I ever did. Thank you! Safe riding.

  9. ben
    August 7, 2008

    dear spokespeople,

    I normally listen to your show with great amusement and anticipation of what is going to be discussed. It makes me feel like I am back in a bike shop or back working with cycling teams. And that is what makes me write tonight.

    I spent almost 3 years working with Mavic’s Service Course program before moving to be the head mechanic for a domestic professional team. In that time I was lucky enough to be able to work with some of the best professional riders in the US. It pains me when well informed individuals such as your selves make blanket statements like “everyone on Rock Racing is a former doper”. It is just ignorant. I know two individuals who are at Rock, one racer and one in management, who I know for a fact are anti drugs, never tested positive, and who have been very successful while racing clean. Please, take care in the future not to make comments like this as it is not only insulting to my friends. It makes you seem ignorant and underinformed.

    Given my email address which, though not posted, I am sure you will be able to see, you should be able to figure out who I worked for and which of Rock’s team members are my friends. If you feel I have been unjust in my accusations, I open the floor to you to contact me.

  10. August 8, 2008

    Hi Ben,

    Thanks for your comment. And yes, I can see your email address. It’s great to have you here and as a listener.

    I’ll have to listen to the show again and see who said that “everyone at Rock Racing is a former doper.” I don’t remember that comment, unless it was made in jest.

    Give me a couple of days and I will be back with a comment.

    Thanks again for listening and for writing.

    David

  11. November 18, 2008

    ‘We can’t blame all the bike rider and motor vehicle driver conflicts on the drivers of the motor vehicle- way to many cyclist fall short in the area of proper cyclist etiquette! ‘

    I think the best way to get drivers to actually become more aware of cylcists however, is to increase the number of cyclists on the road as much as possible. We need to make drivers more aware of cyclists. I’m both a driver and rider, so I see it from both points of view.

  12. Andrew
    November 27, 2008

    Hi All,

    Well…….With no show since the end of July, I thought i’d better check up on you all.

    I’m not a listener/reader of your individual pods/blogs – So I hope you are all well – especially Tim following his crash.

    Wanted to say I miss the show. Just coming into summer down here in NZ, & thoughts turning to cycling.

    Hope to hear from you all soon. If not I may need to check those individual shows/sites…….

    ….Hey! Is that the idea here?!?! 😉 LOL

    Andrew

  13. January 5, 2009

    ‘I’m both a driver and rider, so I see it from both points of view. ‘

    A lot of people are in the same boat as you, where they can see it from both points of view. Its these people that need to raise awareness of cyclists to other drivers, no-one else is in a better position.

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