I RIDE A BIKE — THE PODCAST

S5/E5: Patrick Conlon⁠ is a big fan of riding bikes (as you'd expect from a podcast guest!) — but he's perhaps an even bigger fan of YOU riding bikes. Having spent several decades now advocating for everything from safer bike lanes and better accessibility with organizations like ⁠Bike BS⁠ and ⁠Bike JC⁠, to organizing fun group rides and working as Trail Manager for the Eastern Trail, we had a really fun and informative con...

S5/E4: Growing up in Rhode Island, a young Ainsley Judge began riding bikes along side her family — often on fun road trips and camping excursions. But it was when she went to school in Minneapolis-Saint Paul that her true love of cycling took hold. She shares stories from one particularly memorable ride when she and a close group of friends rode around all 5 Great Lakes — finding some hilarious experiences, painful lessons, and an...

S5/E3: Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Bob Brown started (as many do) riding hand-me-down bikes in the neighborhood surrounding his home. But as he grew — along with his abilities, confidence, and passion for adventure — it was apparent he was in for a life-long pursuit of discovery on two wheels. He shares some stories of overnight excursions, then week-long rides, and eventually year-long adventures chasing an endless sum...

BIKE SHORTS Episode 6: This past spring, I took another spin down to Lighthouse Bikes to catch up with Leah Day (Season 4, Episode 6). Every year she closes down the shop for a month in order to get some much needed adventure cycling of her own. In this Bike Shorts episode she recounts this years trip to Morocco and Spain, where not everything went as planned. But when you’re as adept at rolling with it as Leah, you still find joyf...

S5/E2: Growing up in an outdoorsy, adventurous family, it’s no surprise that Laura Peaslee (Physical Therapist, SICI Certified Bike Fitter) would end up following a path so connected with the cycling community. We of course start with some early memories — family road trips, losing the training wheels, and first mountain bike adventures. But I especially enjoyed learning about the science behind, and Laura’s focus on helping cyclis...

SEASON 5/ EPISODE 1: I first met Chris Kesney when he randomly stopped by our moving sale in 2023, and after he offered up some interested bike facts, we discussed plans to get him on the podcast. So, after a way-too-long hiatus, I finally got the mics dusted off on a stormy April morning to kick off the season 5 sessions. Through life-experience tangents and old acquaintance shout-outs, Chris weaves fun memories of his beloved Gia...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 11: On a hot summer day I took a drive to Lewiston, Maine where I met 91-year-young Don Robitaille at his home of 63 years. His darling wife poured me a glass of lemonade over ice as we sat down at their kitchen table to record the final episode of season 4 — where Don primarily shared snippets and stories from his solo ride from Maine to Seattle at the age of 70. Full of great advice and stories of heartwarming ...

Season 4 / Episode 10: I met Tim Bruce while having post-race beers after Rasputitsa in East Burke, VT in April 2023. We were all chatting about the day and sharing our experiences, and then Tim started to share some bike stories from years past. I had him hit pause and asked if he'd like to share them on the mic (which didn't take much convincing) so we reconnected a couple months later to record this episode. There are th...

BIKE SHORTS Episode 5: We had just turned off the mic after recording the final episode of Season 3 when Jordan Parks started in on another story. I immediately stopped her and said “This is perfect for a Bike Shorts episode!” so we sat back down for a few more minutes, where she shares a mysterious tale of being watched by 100 eyes while riding at dusk in Ojai. What do you think it was?!

--

WHAT IS BIKE SHORTS? I often chat with f...

Season 4 / Episode 9: With Tira Denny's race season in full swing (and an energetic toddler at home), I was so appreciative that she shared a bit of her valuable down time to chat bike stories on the mic. We start with an early memory, where a long bike ride and a bit of bribery turned into a brand new bike thanks to her dad. Then we travel across the Atlantic to a time when an ambitious London adventure turned into a less-than...

BIKE SHORTS Episode 4: Last October (‘22) I sat down with my good friend and adventure buddy Eric Brackett to record this episode of Bike Shorts. He said he had a story he’d been holding on to, and wanted to get my honest reaction while we were on the mic. And this one certainly didn’t disappoint! Without giving it all away, it’s a stolen bike story that doesn’t go exactly as you might expect when a man known as Wolf enters the pic...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 8: When looking back at his childhood, Michael's single greatest Christmas was when we walked into the living room to find a beautiful gold and silver bike from Montgomery Ward leaning against the wall. And he's been hooked ever since. As he grew, so did his style of riding and the types of bikes that where associated — from BMX with giant back-yard jumps to a Schwinn Varsity that he took for a 100-mile r...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 7: Eric Desautels wasn't really into T-ball as a kid, so when his dad convinced him to take his first group MTB ride at the age of 6, it was on a bike that he discovered what would become his life's passion and joy. He quickly started entering some local races, and by the time he was in his early teens, he was already winning championships up against kids several years older. In addition to the races, the...

BIKE SHORTS Episode 3: When local kite-boarding legend and amazing trail builder Scott Furr first shared his story of an unexpected encounter with a porcupine while on a night ride, I knew I had to get him on the mic for an episode of Bike Shorts. It’s one of those things you just have to hear (and see) to believe.

Want to learn to kite board? Scott will show you the way. And there's no porcupines involved: www.KiteMaine.com

-...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 6: Bike-riding enthusiast, author, and super rad mom Leah Day was kind enough to share a few great bike stories between her Friday group ride and opening her bike shop to the public. Her fire for adventure was ignited at an early age while living in Philadelphia, and when you hear her stories of a cross-country bike tour with her son Oakley, or her recent solo ride over the Andes Mountains, her energy and excitem...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 5: Artist and photographer Mardi Millay rode her bike over on a beautiful spring day to share stories of her life's journey — which began in a Cambodian orphanage in the late 1980s. After an arduous beginning, Mardi and 9 international siblings were adopted by a family on the coast of Maine, where cycling really began to take hold. She recounts first memories of riding bikes around the Bar Harbor area, but it...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 4: Last minute sessions are some of the best. So when critical care nurse (and wannabe home remodeler) Garrett Curtis took a quick buzz through Southern Maine before heading back to Fruita, Colorado, we set up the mics and hit record. Originally from the booming metropolis of Bangor, Maine, Garrett recounted his early years on two wheels — from the time he accidentally invented the removable handlebar for a parti...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 3: He was in the middle of a move back to Vermont, but Dave Cohen took some time to put down the boxes and share some stories about his history and passion for bikes. We start in Queens, NY where he grew up as an adventurous young bike rider heading into Manhattan — much to the dismay of his mother. And how over the following years, no matter where life took him, the bike continued to grow as an important aspect ...

SEASON 4 / EPISODE 2: Jesse Abbruzzese joined me on a beautiful day in February to chat bike stories, and when you sit down with the “Director of Music and Entertainment” for the Portland (Maine) Bike Party, you know it’s going to be a fun conversation. We start with his early years in Illinois, recounting the thrills and injuries associated with an adventurous childhood in the country. As he rode into early adulthood, there were t...