Rider-Up

Episode 4 | Pro Rider Kerry Werner on gravel and mountain bikes and why he lives in Virginia’s Blue Ridge

Pro cyclist Kerry Werner of Kona joins hosts John Carlin and Dan Lucas for episode 4 of the Rider-Up podcast.  Kerry shares stories from the trail, gravel and 'cross events he's done around the world, while we mortals pick his brain abut what ti takes to be, just so well - awesome! Kerry is also a fantastic video producer, and he talks about some the ways he's created content for his YouTube Channel.
And as a top level gravel racer -- he answers the question about where the gravel scene is headed!
As usual Dan gives his tips from the shop on one of those tools the pros use, that you probably don't -- but could if you just knew what to search for on Amazon.  And an update on Dan's youth Downhill team -- which is crushing it!
SHOW NOTES
e-mail Rider-Up Podcast: rideruppod@gmail.com
Kerry Werner's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJapudlF3KDpTlrzyr75Ow
Creature from Carvins Cove https://bikeva.com/creature/
Visit VBR Gran Fondo http://www.muddysquirrel.com/gran-fondo.html
Carilion Clinic Ironman 70.3 Virginia's Blue Ridge https://www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge
USA Cycling Championships in Virginia’s Blue Ridge https://usacycling.org/article/roanoke-to-host-2022-usa-cycling-amateur-road-national-championships
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge homepage https://www.VisitVBR.com
Bike VBR https://www.visitroanokeva.com/biking/
Team Twenty24 https://www.teamtwenty24.com/
IMBA Ride Centers https://ride.imba.com/ride/where-to-ride/ride-centers
Roanoke Outside https://www.roanokeoutside.com/
Carvins Cove https://www.roanokeoutside.com/land/carvins-cove-nature-reserve/
SCB Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZo4N0lVPccBkSiuyVh4yg
Park tool JIS screwdriver https://www.parktool.com/product/derailleur-screwdriver-dsd-2
John Carlin Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/10853338
John Carlin’s Bicycle Blog http://carlinthecyclist.com/
John Carlin’s YouTube Biking4Boomers https://youtu.be/DcMBBsIYeXE
 

Episode 3 | Nicola Cranmer trains Olympic Hopeful Cyclists in Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

In Episode 3 of the Rider-Up podcast, Dan Lucas and John Carlin interview VBR Twenty24 creator and Executive Director Nicola Cranmer.  Nicola recruits the top women cyclists in the United States to join the team -- and many have succeeded in their ambition to represent the United States (and other countries) as Olympians -- with 13 winning Olympic medals! 
Nicola Cranmer (left) With Dan, John, and World Champion Amanda Coker, recording the Rider-Up podcast.
 
SHOW NOTES
e-mail Rider-Up Podcast: rideruppod@gmail.com
Creature from Carvins Cove https://bikeva.com/creature/
Visit VBR Gran Fondo http://www.muddysquirrel.com/gran-fondo.html
Carilion Clinic Ironman 70.3 Virginia's Blue Ridge https://www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge
USA Cycling Championships in Virginia’s Blue Ridge https://usacycling.org/article/roanoke-to-host-2022-usa-cycling-amateur-road-national-championships
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge homepage https://www.VisitVBR.com
Bike VBR https://www.visitroanokeva.com/biking/
VBR Twenty24 https://www.teamtwenty24.com/
IMBA Ride Centers https://ride.imba.com/ride/where-to-ride/ride-centers
Roanoke Outside https://www.roanokeoutside.com/
Carvins Cove https://www.roanokeoutside.com/land/carvins-cove-nature-reserve/
SCB Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZo4N0lVPccBkSiuyVh4yg
Park tool JIS screwdriver https://www.parktool.com/product/derailleur-screwdriver-dsd-2
John Carlin Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/10853338
John Carlin’s Bicycle Blog http://carlinthecyclist.com/
John Carlin’s YouTube Biking4Boomers https://youtu.be/DcMBBsIYeXE
The Following is a web-generated transcript of the interview with Nicola Cranmer.
Please excuse any spelling or punctuation errors.
Announcer: On this edition of the Riderup Podcast.
Nicola Cranmer: I would definitely call us the Olympic Development Pipeline.
Speaker D: Nicola Cranmer talks about how she's helping to train us Olympians.
Nicola Cranmer: The athletes have, uh, won all they've been in the program over the last three Olympic cycles have won. I think it's 13 Olympic medals.
Speaker D: It's all coming up on the Rider Up Podcast.
Announcer: welcome to the Rider Up Podcast, where we talk about how much we love bicycles. Dan's a crazy downhiller, and John will be walking with a cane in a few years. But nobody loves cycling more than these two. Coming to you from Virginia's Blue Ridge, let's meet the hosts, Dan Lucas and John Carlin.
Dan Lucas: Hey, I'm Dan Lucas. I'm a mechanic. I love writing downhill, and I love coaching kids. I'm a dad and just a cycling journey.
John Carlin: All right. And I'm the same. I'm John Carlin, the co host of the Rider of podcast A Baby Boomer. And I ride mountain, road, travel bikes. And my wife's Peleton. Uh, and you can follow me at Sark Fighter, uh, on Peloton, by the way. Also, I'm, uh, a blogger, a YouTuber, and in, uh, my real job. I'm, uh, a professional journalist and a board member for Virginia's Blue Ridge. But, Dan, we have such an exciting opportunity today with our guests.
Dan Lucas: Absolutely. Nicola, uh, Cranmer with Team 2024 is here, and we get to pick her brain about everything from past to present to future, what Team 2024 has going on and what we can expect to see.
John Carlin: But Nickela Cranbert, Team 2024, she is the person who essentially selects trains and places, American women on the Olympic team.
Dan Lucas: Yeah. It's a, uh, huge opportunity for us. She lives here in Virginia Blue Ridge, which is wild, and she's chosen it to be her location, her base of operations. It's a fantastic opportunity.
John Carlin: And so she's going to talk to us about why she came to Virginia's Blue Ridge. She's going to tell you listeners all about the riding opportunities here, and then we're going to learn about the team, and we're going to ask her about she has a person on this team who is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Dan Lucas: Yeah. It's really cool to be a part of, to hear her stories and to, uh, kind of get that first hand knowledge from her of, uh, what some of these women are going through, have gone through and expect to achieve. It's pretty awesome.
John Carlin: All right, so our interview with the Nicola Krammer is coming up next year on the Writer Up Podcast.
Speaker D: We'll get back to the Rider-Up Podcast in just a moment. But first, a quick note about Virginia's Blue Ridge. You'll hear Dan and I talk a lot about Virginia's Blue Ridge in the podcast, because that's where we live and rise. Virginia's Blue Ridge offers what we lovingly call a Metro mountain mix, a place where you can play in the mountains while enjoying the arts and culture in and around Roanoke, Virginia, home to many museums, restaurants, festivals, shopping, and so much more. We hope you'll bring your bike, go for a ride and check out all the region has to offer. Um, go to visitvbr.com for all things Virginia's Blue Ridge.
John Carlin: Welcome back to the Rider-Up, podcast. And Dan, joining us now. We have an amazing guest today, Nicola Cranmer, who is the founder and executive director of, uh, the Virginia's Blue Ridge 2024 Women's Cycling Team. And this is an amazing opportunity. Welcome to the podcast.
Nicola Cranmer: Thank you. It's great to be here.
John Carlin: So, Dan, what do we want to know first?
Dan Lucas: Oh, man. I stayed up late last night writing a note on my phone with a lot of questions because, uh, I'm excited to learn more about Team 24 and what you have going on for the, uh, juniors and the adult athletes that are going to be calling this area their training home in this year. Kind of, uh, your Homebase.
John Carlin: But let's not undersell this. We can't call you and I know we can't call you the Olympic Training Team. For all intents and purposes, you're the Olympic Training team for the United States women's team.
Nicola Cranmer: Well, yeah, I would definitely call us Olympic development pipeline before. Okay. We've been able to bring junior athletes through the ranks to become Olympic medalists, but also we've had juniors on the team and had them as professionals and sent them to Europe, and they raised for other teams and gone to the Olympics. But the team ourselves, while they've been in the program over the last three Olympic cycles, have won. I think it's 13 Olympic medals for the US, actually, a couple for Canada, too.
John Carlin: Well, we'll take that. North America. Go North America, right?
Speaker UNK: Yes.
John Carlin: So you have just moved your base of operations here to Virginia's Blue Ridge. So how do you, uh, like it so far?
Nicola Cranmer: I love it. Apart from the fact that I never know how to dress.
John Carlin: Well, the weather has been sketchy so far.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah, but it's great. It's so beautiful. I feel very comfortable here. I've been made to feel very welcome here. I mean, honestly, I've been all over the world cycling and traveling with my team around the US, and I've never felt such a welcome from, um, a community. And I can put my hand on my heart and say that it's been amazing.
John Carlin: Wow. We are so happy to have you here. I'm wearing my VVR board member hat right now. So I want to say we're just so excited to sponsor you and to be able to have you set up your base of operations here. So tell us about just generally what your training program is going to be here, but what are your aspirations for these women? Uh, right now, what's going to be wheels on the ground for you guys?
Nicola Cranmer: Well, we are adjusting to a new schedule. First of, um, all the last two years have been an odd couple of years in bike racing, as it has been for everything. And when our races shut down, we had to adjust and just kind of recalibrate what we were doing and how we were activating in communities and for our partnerships. So we were traditionally just strictly more of a road team with track racers that raced on the road. During COVID, we switched, um, to gravel. So the team competed in a lot of gravel events, which was an absolute blast. It just took us all over the country into different venues and small towns that we never would have been to. But now with Tokyo or, sorry, Paris, um, coming up in 2024, we're just going back to the road a little bit. We have a hybrid schedule. Some of our track athletes will be racing criterias, but they'll also do a little gravel, kind of mixing it up. And we're in the phase where we're just trying to keep the athletes, the professional athletes, engaged and psyched. Um, about Paris, for the juniors, we've got a huge event, uh, coming up here in Roanoke in June, which, uh, is the Amateur National Championships. And what that means for junior cyclist, because it's also the Junior National Championships is if you're in the 1718 age category. It's a very important event here, because if you, uh, win the time trial or the road race, that's an automatic qualification for the World Championship team, which then you'll represent your nation and go to Australia and race against the rest of the world. So we've got a lot going on right here in town in the next few months.
Dan Lucas: That's wild. That's something where we are hosting right here in Renault.
John Carlin: It's amazing.
Dan Lucas: I said it last week, our last podcast, but I'm going to say it again. I'm telling you, we're on the edge of the wave. Like, it's getting ready to start crashing down with more and more cycling events and exciting, uh, developments. And we might know some stuff on the inside, which is really cool, but just be prepared. I was looking at the Team 2024 website to kind of be prepared, uh, for this. And I see that you have a road, you have Esports road, you have a development, um, team. You support mountain bike, Para cycling, which is awesome. Um, is there a limit on what you'll do?
Nicola Cranmer: Well, not really. I do like to make it hard for myself because it's definitely a challenge having multi disciplines with scheduling and equipment and all of that. But we, um, don't actually have a cyclocross team at the moment. I used to have a cyclocross team, UCI level, but right now I'll stick with what we're doing. It keeps me busy enough.
Dan Lucas: Got. You so selfishly. I'm going to ask you, would you ever consider supporting a women's downhill mountain bike? Mountain bike?
Nicola Cranmer: Yes.
Dan Lucas: Well, you could say no.
Nicola Cranmer: Because I don't say no. I am always open to opportunities, and it wouldn't be a hard no.
Dan Lucas: Forte. What I like is downhill or Enduro riding. And I am on a, um, single minded mission to get more representation, uh, in that side of the sport, in the gravity side of the sport. So when I, uh, was typing up questions last night, this is why I was like, I'm going to hit her with this immediately.
Speaker UNK: Okay.
Nicola Cranmer: I used to respond.
Dan Lucas: Tell me more about that. Yeah.
Speaker UNK: Really?
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. So when I moved to America from England in 1986, I moved to Marine County in California. Mountain biking birthplace and mountain biking. And I was really lucky just to get swept up in that momentum. I wasn't a cyclist at that point. I was into horses.
Dan Lucas: Okay.
Nicola Cranmer: But I met some guys, worked in a bike shop, and they were mountain bike racers. And it was very. Just early days. And they introduced me to some now legendary founding fathers of mountain biking in the area, like Gary Fisher and Mark Slate. Charlie Cunningham.
Speaker UNK: Wow.
Nicola Cranmer: I mean, many people.
John Carlin: The big names, the innovators.
Nicola Cranmer: And so these were my people. All of a sudden. My first team was, um, DFL, which is, um, X rated name in the Bay Area. And they still exist. They are just a club of guys and some women and, um, just kind of a renegade team outlaw team. And they put on, um, some fun cross dress Cyclocross series in San Francisco and things like that. But they're amazing people. And then I raced for, um, WTB. And they actually used to make bikes. I was on a prototype called the Phoenix and raced for them, uh, for a couple of years. And then, um, after that, I decided and I wasn't training to be a professional cyclist or anything. I just used to ride my bike a lot. So I moved up through the ranks, and then it was like beginner sport expert, pro, and raised cross country. And then I, um, thought I really fancy doing downhill. And so I raced for ProFlex, a company out of Rhode Island Moonsocket or something like that. And I still have my bike, believe it or not, in my mum's attic. So, um, at the time, it was like pretty technology forward. But when you look at it now, even then, I raised the Kamikaze on it. And when I did my practice run, the thing was going to fall apart. I mean, it was so clanky and had a last emergency suspension, which really wasn't suspension for that kind of descent.
Speaker UNK: No.
Nicola Cranmer: And a German fork, which just bottoming out. It was so noisy. I was so terrified when I got to the bottom.
Dan Lucas: There's some real deep cuts in the story. If you guys don't know what a. I guess I say Garmin, but fork or, uh, a pro flex is or the, um, DFL team. Go Google some of this information, because there's some really cool history in what Nicholas saying. I love it.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. So I know downhill mountain bike.
John Carlin: Okay, great. What's Gary for sure. Like?
Nicola Cranmer: Oh, he's also. Yeah, he is.
Dan Lucas: I met him at, uh, Seattle.
John Carlin: Really? Okay.
Nicola Cranmer: To get him out here, he's always been a character. He's flamboyant.
Dan Lucas: Absolutely. And then he's wearing a full Tweet suit, diamond sunglasses, and he had his mustache all waxed up. And he was super warm and genuine and really nice for me, just walking up and saying, oh, my gosh, Jerry Fisher, kind of shake your hand. It is incredibly nice.
Nicola Cranmer: One thing I do want to mention about those early days in mountain biking in the Bay Area was the Kosky brothers. And they go pretty unsung, and they look up the Kosky brothers, and they were actually really responsible for a lot of the advances in mountain biking back then. And, um, they didn't have such a sort of forward presence as some of, um, the others did, like the WTV Group and Gary Fisher. But, um, yeah, you can't kind of talk about those days without mentioning them.
John Carlin: Yeah. I wrote a Gary Fisher Paragon for a long time. 26 inch hardtail.
Dan Lucas: My first legitimate mountain bike was a Gary Fisher Tasahara.
John Carlin: Okay.
Dan Lucas: That was my gateway bike.
Nicola Cranmer: Mine was an Ivy Avion.
Dan Lucas: Oh, wow.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah.
Dan Lucas: Very cool.
Nicola Cranmer: Yes. Which was then a very small company.
Dan Lucas: Yeah. Very small.
Nicola Cranmer: Yes. Scott and West Seaglar.
Dan Lucas: Um, I love hearing your backstory, and we're going to talk a little bit more about Team 24. But I'm geeking out on your backstory with, like, you were in the right place at the right time in the cycling industry. And it's really cool how that has shaped your future now, because you came for, uh, something totally unrelated horses to cycling horses.
John Carlin: And then you were a rider, but then all of a sudden you looked around at some point and said, there's an opportunity here to get women involved and to train women for the Olympic team, or potentially.
Dan Lucas: Yeah. And now you're doing that. It's wild. I love connecting those dots, uh, and seeing what it's taken to get to this point. It's, uh, really cool.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. And mountain biking back then and moving a little, uh, forward to the 90s, they have huge sponsorship. I mean, it was on TV, like, Grenadig was the main sponsor in Volvo, was huge sponsor of mountain biking. And then it just fizzled out. And I left the sport of cycling for a few years in the late, um, 90s, early 2000s, and then picked it up again and started riding on the road. My passion was definitely mountain biking. And my ex husband, uh, his sister wanted to ride a century, and she was not a cyclist. And she said, oh, can you start riding with me and show me what to do and build me up to this century? So I just started writing and inadvertently got fit and joined a local road team. And it was a co Ed team. And that's what inspired me ultimately to start a women's team, because the women were doing really, um, well on the team and winning local races, and they were hard races in the Bay Area. It was web core days and tip code days and really strong athletes. And, um, the men were doing okay, but they were getting all the support, and it just pissed me off. I said, I'm starting a business team. I don't even know what it meant. And the words left my mouth. And then now I better figure out what to do. So I did. And that's how it started.
John Carlin: Very organically, because I can remember, like, Connie Carpenter back in the day, won a gold medal, and she's married to Davis Finney, who I got to do a broadcast, uh, with once. But, um, the American women have done quite well, um, I guess probably since you took over and started before then, too.
Nicola Cranmer: But there's so many. I don't attribute people's success to me. I just basically am a platform for opportunity is how I look at it. I mean, there's so many other things that go into being a champion, being a gold medalist. And it's definitely not just about me. It's about a whole team of people around, uh, those athletes. But I have continued to just be a platform for really high performance athletes to script their own season. Just have a little bit more latitude than another team would mix it up a little. We're not just a road team. It's, uh, Jennifer Valente, who is a three time Olympic medalist. Just recently, two in, um, Tokyo. She wants to do a gravel race. Awesome. She wants to do a mountain bike race. Great. I mean, after the Tokyo Olympics, her and Jasmine, during one of our Canadian athletes, um, I said, what do you want to do after Tokyo? Do you want to shut it down for the season? Do you want to do another bike race? They both independently came to me, and they haven't talked to each other and said, we want to do Leadville. I'm like, okay, all right. We have track tracers, both of them.
John Carlin: Did they win?
Nicola Cranmer: No.
John Carlin: Really?
Nicola Cranmer: That's a whole different type of training. That is, like, insane. But Jasmine did get a top ten. They're going from 250 meters. Track racing, relative racing to Leadville.
Dan Lucas: Yeah. Leadville is the monster. There's a bike sitting in the fit room behind us, and I just put together for a guy who's going to race light bill this year.
John Carlin: Is that the s works? That's a beautiful S-Works. I noticed it didn't have a price tag on it, so I thought it might not be for sale. I probably want to know.
Nicola Cranmer: We can talk about that later. We have another athlete on the team, Melissa Rollins, who's currently competing. Well, she'll start this weekend at Sea Otter in the Lifetime Fitness Grand Prix, which is half gravel, half mountain bike. Six race series, and there's something like 40, um, thousand dollars price for the winner overall. But her family, and you look up her family, they're just, uh, like a legacy, Leadville family. Her dad. I think I'm going to get the numbers wrong, but you get the idea. I think her dad has raised Leadville maybe 21 times per month is 16 times.
Dan Lucas: That's why.
Nicola Cranmer: And she's done it three times, I think. And she got fifth or 6th last year. She's improved her time every year by an hour. So I expect to see her on the podium this year. Right.
Dan Lucas: Awesome.
John Carlin: What's her name?
Nicola Cranmer: Melissa Rollins. And her dad runs the Leadville podcast, which is a great podcast. Okay.
Dan Lucas: Check it out. Very cool. Yeah. I'm looking at you have quite a list, uh, of Olympic medals, uh, to the team.
Speaker UNK: Armstrong.
Dan Lucas: Kristen Armstrong. We have Lauren. I'm going to mess up, uh, all these names. Tomaya, Jasmine Durry. Yeah, right. There's some gold, um, silver and bronze. Right there. Kristen again with the gold, uh, in Rio. Uh, Jamie Whitmore with the gold. In Rio. It just, um, keeps going on. And most recently, team, uh, 2020 in Tokyo. Jennifer Glente. Uh, with the gold, we have Annabelle, uh, and Lee Davidson was on the, um, team. That's incredible. You have some big-name athletes that have put in you were saying, uh, your platform, and I like the term foundation. You're the thing everything's built off of. And I think that's incredibly important. I think you're selling yourself a little bit short to an athlete, uh, to be able to have a firm foundation to stand on. I'm a big visual guy, and that's what I like to see.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. After Kristen won her first gold medal in Beijing, she and I met before that, and she said, I love what you're doing with junior athletes, and I want to be a part of what you're doing. So she became a part of our program right after that. And she was retired, of course, because she wanted to have a baby. And then she decided to come back. And this is the first time she's, like, cycling's version, um, of Tom Brady.
John Carlin: Right. Retire, come back. Retire, come back.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. And she decided to come back. But at that point, as a previous Olympic gold medalist, uh, or the reigning Olympic gold medalist, actually, she could have gone to any team. Um, and I think one of the things that I am most proud of about our team is the fact that we really embraced balance. And she looked at us. I mean, she could have got paid a lot more to race in Europe, but she would have been racing. She would have had to leave her family and go race in Europe. And she didn't want to, uh, do that. And she knew that she didn't need that to accomplish another gold medal. So she became an athlete on my team, and she was amazing. And at the time, she worked full time in health care in Idaho, and she had a son, and he came on the road with us when she came back, and she, um, was still. Yeah, he was a baby. He couldn't even walk yet when he came on the road with us. And it was actually great to have him around, but she chose our team because of the flexibility. She could control her schedule. She could be at home. She didn't have to race much. Basically, we looked at the selection criteria for the next, um, Olympics, which was London, and, uh, work backwards from there. And it's like, okay, what is in that selection criteria? What does she have to nail, um, to get to that Olympic squad?
Speaker UNK: Right.
Nicola Cranmer: And there were a few things, and she went out, and it didn't go as smoothly as planned, but we knew we had a definite plan, and we just call it mapping and just kind of going to that ultimate goal, working backwards and then trying to sort of nail those key events, um, on the way. And like I said, it didn't work out so smoothly, but we got there in the end. But she chose the team for that.
John Carlin: So you're hooking us a little bit here. It didn't work out so smoothly. Were there training? Hiccups. Did she get sick? Was there an injury?
Nicola Cranmer: Oh, yeah.
John Carlin: All the above.
Nicola Cranmer: Um, arbitration and USA Cycling leaves, which is obviously the governing body of cycling, they kind of leave the door open for people to challenge, um, the selection. So even though your country selects you to go and represent them, other athletes have the opportunity, um, to say, I don't think that's fair. I think I should go.
Dan Lucas: Got you.
Nicola Cranmer: So the process of going to the Olympics is stressful enough in itself, never mind throwing in some arbitration, and it happens every cycle. Throwing in arbitration along the way is just something that the athlete has to deal with and pay for, by the way.
John Carlin: So I'm thinking we're going to select a marathon runner.
Nicola Cranmer: Right.
John Carlin: Okay, so we have a trial, and the top people go who finished first and second in the trial. But in cycling, it's not like that.
Nicola Cranmer: That's an interesting point, because the selection criteria has too many openings and variables in it, because it's not an Olympic trial. Whereas in the old days, like Connie Carpenter won an Olympic trial and went to the Olympics, it's not like that. Even though it says, um, winning National Championships and time trial is not in the selection process, but finishing top three world Championships the year before is. But if no American finishes top three, and then Kristen Armstrong's fifth, which is what happened. In one case, that door is open because, um, it doesn't say just because you're a top American, it says top three things like that.
Dan Lucas: Reading the rules and interpreting them the right way.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah, exactly.
John Carlin: But she got to the team.
Nicola Cranmer: She got to the team, yes. And nailed it. And I was there, and it was amazing to be an Olympics in my home country, and it was an incredible experience. And Lucas was there as well. One of my favorite moments in my history in cycling was in London, because the whole reason she started this goal for London was because her husband said, oh, wouldn't it be cool to have your kid on our son on the podium? And that was a whole other story in itself of trying to actually get she won the goal, and then we're like, oh, we better get him. It's not that easy. It's not the security around Hampton Court and the podium presentation and trying to get in. Um, and there's special forces, and, I mean, it was insane.
Dan Lucas: But we got in there best team manager. How many diapers did you change personally?
John Carlin: There you go on the Writer podcast.
Nicola Cranmer: I have a great photo, too, of after the medal ceremony, we had to go to press, and Kristen's in a taxi with me. She's got a gold medal dangling around her neck, and she's changing her son's diaper.
John Carlin: And you have that picture?
Dan Lucas: I do.
John Carlin: If you share that with us, we could put it in the show notes. Would Kristen be okay with that?
Nicola Cranmer: You can, uh, just see what she's doing.
John Carlin: But still, I mean, who wears a gold medal and changes the diaper?
Nicola Cranmer: I know that's got to be it was business as usual.
Dan Lucas: You might stop being a mom.
Nicola Cranmer: Right back to being mum.
Dan Lucas: You don't stop being a mom. That's awful.
John Carlin: Let's talk a little bit more about. So now you're here. Your base of operations has moved to Virginia's Blue Ridge. You'll be here for three years at least. So if someone's thinking about getting in their car and riding their bikes here, which you described, and you've been all over the world. So what is the terrain like here that you like and describe it to somebody who's never seen it before from your new eyes perspective with the world perspective.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. Well, it actually reminds me of England, but not everyone's been to England, but there's nothing flat here. Uh, which I quickly discovered. Uh, I am more of, like, a flat lander, but the punchy Roley Hills, which there are plenty of, literally everywhere, are perfect. Um, the road surfaces, for one, are really good. I think it's because it's not that, um, populated here, so there's not a lot of cars messing up the country roads here that beat out.
Dan Lucas: Good job.
John Carlin: Nice job. As long as, uh, you like chip seal surfaces, they're great.
Nicola Cranmer: And a big shout out to VDOT for putting up the signs during our junior camp, which is amazing.
John Carlin: The safety sign up.
Dan Lucas: Yes.
Nicola Cranmer: Which, I mean, the girls were so touched that it made them feel really special when they saw it. Our junior girls, it was amazing. So, yeah, just beautiful countryside. The cars have been really, um, gracious and when we were riding through some of the smaller towns, people were waving at us. It was very different and very welcoming. The media has done a really good job of, um, alerting the community that were in town, so I appreciate that. So people are wondering what just happened. This bunch of riders just rode by but I love it here and, um, it's great training roads already, actually, since we've announced, um, being here, a Canadian team messaged me on Instagram and said we saw that you were riding in this area and how great it was. And so we've done a little mini training camp here and they messaged me on Instagram yesterday and asked for roots.
Dan Lucas: Great.
Nicola Cranmer: So, yeah, they're here actually riding now and experiencing what we experience.
Dan Lucas: That's funny. A place I used to work would host a, uh, group from Quebec, Team Centrifuge and the gentleman who runs Asians Market for. And they would come down because it's still snowy road terrible up there and they wanted the early season training and they chose it's in Craig County and Boba Talk County is where they ruined the most. But they would come down for four to six weeks and they would have people, uh, coming in and out the entire time. Some would stay the whole time and some would go back to Quebec and they're everyday people and they're juniors, um, and they're immense elite athletes that are racing in World Cups and stuff like that too. And so it's cool because you can see this evolution of people learning how good it is.
Nicola Cranmer: It will happen. A lot of Canadians go to Tucson at the moment, but the riding isn't as good there. Um, it's pretty limited. You've got guaranteed weather down there, but the roads here are endless. I mean, um, we were based at campbessel for our junior camp recently, so we did all rides out from there and it was perfect. We ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Finn Castle area and Springwood Loop and it was honestly absolutely amazing riding and all the girls were explaining that every day. Oh, this is so beautiful. It's so green here and there aren't even leaks on the trees at my wife come back in a month.
John Carlin: It'S going to be even more amazing.
Nicola Cranmer: Exactly. So, yeah, I would say if you need climbs, you've um, got climbs here. Obviously you don't have like mountaintop finish type of climbs, but you've got some serious climbs here and you just go out on a two hour ride and you think you're going on a sort of a more flat route and you've done 2000 piece of climbing without hardly even knowing it.
Dan Lucas: I think that's, um, a pretty typical Roan? Ochre. If you ride mountain, um, or you ride road, you're going to get a minimum of 1500ft, probably at about every ride.
John Carlin: I have a loop from my house. It's 14 and a half miles, and it's 1400ft of climbing. Yeah, that's when I have a little over an hour to ride in the middle of the day. That's just like my training loop. And you just can't avoid declining.
Nicola Cranmer: No, I think it's great because you just inadvertently get a little fitter by doing Hills and you have no choice. And I haven't explored the gravel roads yet. I've been on some, uh, mountain bike trails up Explorer Park, so I'm really excited to do that this summer and get out on some ride with me.
Dan Lucas: I'll take you out to Carbon and shave some good stuff.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah, I actually went out there.
Dan Lucas: Okay, great. Yeah. You can literally throw a rock in any direction. You're going to hit a good trail or a good road or some good gravel. And out west of us in Craig County, there's, uh, some epic gravel. I don't know if you've met Gordon Wadsworth yet. He's a local pro in the area. Fantastic guy. And you want to find some good roads, good gravel roads. Talk to him. He'll get you set up and get you straight. Yeah.
John Carlin: His nickname is Quadsworth.
Nicola Cranmer: Oh, I've heard that.
John Carlin: He's amazing.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. And Emily one or two. I want to connect with her. And they're doing some gravel stuff out here, and she also made a cake for one of our girls.
John Carlin: Uh, how cool is that? There's so much to talk about. We're going to have to have you come back. You have a Nobel Peace Prize nominee that you are training with your team. Should we just go into that real quick? It's a bottomless pit of stuff I want to ask you, and we only have so much time.
Dan Lucas: I think I got three questions out of the probably 20 I have here.
John Carlin: Okay, so how often Nobel Peace Prize? What? Tell that story.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. So this is an interesting story. And of course, we don't know how it's going to end yet, but two years ago, a gentleman in Boise, Idaho, where I was living, and I still have a place there, reached out to me and, uh, Afghan gentleman and said, uh, hey, would you and Kristen consider coaching, um, women's team in Kabul or just helping them, which is in Afghanistan? And we said, yeah, we didn't, um, know how that was going to look. So we tried to formulate a plan, and, um, we said, oh, maybe they can all get on Zoom sessions with us or actually join in our junior Zoom sessions because they weren't at a professional level. This was a group of women that were doing, uh, some local races and training together in Afghanistan. So they were lacking equipment and coaching and guidance. Even though they had a coach there, they really needed more. So we were trying to figure out, um, how to do that. And even when we were having meetings on WhatsApp, um, with the leadership there the women that were trying to encourage us to participate. We faced challenges. I mean, just the Internet wasn't working so well, we couldn't even have a WhatsApp call. So forget having a Zoom video session. So we were kind of muddling through all of this. And then we were talking about sending a couple, um, of bikes to the top. Girls there because they were on equipment sometimes didn't fit. There was a lot of issues with. There were, um, plenty of people that wanted to help this group of women, but they would ship things over and then whoever would take them. I knew the girls wouldn't even see them.
Dan Lucas: Oh, my gosh.
Nicola Cranmer: So, uh, there were all these limitations and hurdles. So it kind of stalled out a little bit, to be honest. Although I stayed in touch with everybody, just on WhatsApp message, asking how they were and everything, and just giving them little tips.
John Carlin: These are women cyclists in Afghanistan.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah.
John Carlin: Where women are not highly regarded.
Nicola Cranmer: No.
John Carlin: What you're doing here is not just helping some athletes in a third worldish country.
Nicola Cranmer: No.
John Carlin: So what were the political ramifications and what ultimately happened then when the Taliban came into.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah, so these women had to ride. I mean, literally, they were faring, um, for their lives just riding a bicycle. And to us in the Western world, it's a rite of passage, just learning how to ride a bike. We all do it, and we take it for granted. And these women were not allowed to ride bikes and not allowed to show any skin on a bike or anything like that. And they would get rock thrown at them and abuse yelled at them by men. So they had to truck out of town to ride in, um, the desert. But then you were kind of moving into Taliban country when you were out of the city. So that was just another risk. But they did it anyway. Um, and they were determined that Ripsar was the captain of the team. Ripsar Habib, who I had met on WhatsApp? And she used cycling as a platform to just. And she wasn't thinking this in global terms at the time. It was just, I want to show other Afghan girls that women can ride bikes. Women don't have to just be shut in the kitchen and Cook all day and have babies, which is literally their role there. Although in recent years, there were advancements, like, women could attend University. Um, she went to University for five years, and that's another, um, pretaliban takeoff pretaliban. And there were women in sport marketing, um, women in the media. And so things were, um, slightly advancing for them. And then, of course, Taliban came, um, back. And really quickly, our conversations went from how can you get better in cycling to how can you get out of Kabul? Because she would be a targeted female as someone that was so outspoken. So her team was nominated for a Nobel, um, Peace Prize. Her and her team for what they did for women's rights, for Asian women. And in a really short period of time. So they're very bold, brave women to stand up for their beliefs in, um, that environment. And it just went from bad to worse. During her exit, she was literally at the airport when the ISIS bomb, the suicide bomber went off. Um, so she was there. And her story of just being there at the airport at that time where they, she had to wait for days outside the airport. There were multiple gates to go through, not just before they uh, shut down the evacuation. There were still um, multiple gates. And she kept saying multiple gates. I said, what does that mean? She said, well, you would have to go through like, because there are still US forces there, but you would have to go, um, through Taliban gates first. And so you'd have to get through there and then you'd have to get through to get to an airplane, to get to an airplane, literally. So it's interesting because when she describes the process, she uh, used a tactic where she acted hysterical. You have to hear it from her. But she wasn't. Just because she tried to like, please let me through.
Dan Lucas: Didn't work.
Nicola Cranmer: And so she just said, I was uh, acting hysterical until they got tired of me and couldn't stand me being there anymore and let me through, just go, yeah. But I said to her, I said, we only know what we know here. And she's there face to face with Taliban, like, having conversations with them. And I said to her, we just all have this image of what they are. But these are humans. These are people too. You can't lump them all together, right? There are individuals, there are people that, that's just their way of life, that they were born into.
John Carlin: The Taliban.
Nicola Cranmer: Yes. And you take a man that he's a father, he's a husband. I mean, we're talking like, just because we don't agree with the life that they all lead as people, it doesn't mean that we should judge all of them. And I said, did you have any interactions with the soldiers? The Taliban soldiers? And she said, yes. She said, this one man when she was going through one of the gates, actually the final gate before she got into where the armed forces were on the US side, um, as well as US British friendlies, alleviating people friendlies.
John Carlin: Okay.
Nicola Cranmer: He knew that the ISIS bomb was going to happen because somehow they know, right? And ISIS, apparently it's a lot worse than the Taliban. So she said, yeah. She said, I had a conversation with this man, uh, and he was terrified because he had to be there in his position, doing his job, knowing that any person that walked by with a backpack could have been a suicide bomber. And she said, yeah, he was humanized in that moment, for sure.
John Carlin: Never would have thought of that.
Dan Lucas: Just imagine living in a place and being afraid for your life or your family or whatever, to just go ride your bike. Right. And then having the courage to not only do that to be successful, make your way out.
John Carlin: Which is wild, but she's in the United States now.
Nicola Cranmer: The old thing is, the serendipitous thing is she's in Virginia. So the process is she got out, and then she went to the Middle East, where she, um, was held for a few days, and then she went to Germany. And then she was kept for a couple of months in a military base, which was horrific experience for her. You're with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of refugees.
John Carlin: Refugees.
Nicola Cranmer: Uh, and you're in a giant tent. The conditions are poor, but she was still also at the same time, I was communicating with her at this point because there were a couple of individuals, um, this woman, Leanne, who used to work for, um, Outright Foundation, I think she said Google Now was sending SIM cards to her, and she actually helped get Ricksunrun an evacuation list to get out to begin with. And so we stayed, um, in touch. And I haven't bought up our team at this point. And she was already in, uh, the military base for a few months, and we were communicating. And I thought to myself, you know, I knew at this point she was coming to Virginia because her brother lives here. He fled to Taliban a while ago. He was the Mayor of Kabul.
John Carlin: Oh, my gosh.
Nicola Cranmer: Oh, wow. Yeah, I just found out. I said to her, I knew she was coming to Brute. And I said, hey, I know this sounds so frivolous at the moment because you're dealing with just these massive life challenges, but would you want to be on the team? I don't even know how you ride, but we can work with at least you would have something mentally to look forward to. I'm like, I don't know if I should bring it up or not, because it just seems silly. It's so insignificant compared to what she was going through. But it turns out when you talk to her, that moment was very pivotal in just uplifting her spirit and having her feel like there was, uh, light at the end of the tunnel, like something to look forward to. And who knows if she's going to be an Olympic level cyclist at this point. I mean, we have a long way to go.
Dan Lucas: Doesn't matter, right?
Nicola Cranmer: But at least she's here. She came to junior camp. She has a long way to go.
John Carlin: How old is she?
Nicola Cranmer: 23.
John Carlin: 23. Okay, phenomenal.
Nicola Cranmer: So we might be looking at La 2028.
Dan Lucas: What? Um, a great story and a great ending to that story. Um, I got to say, it's been really awesome. Um, to talk to you and listen about this uh, and I kind of alluded to this before, but I want more representation in cycling. Um, for women specifically. Yeah, sure. And, um, very near and dear to my heart. I have two little girls, a girl dad. And my older one is this weekend on this proud dad competed, um, in her first downhill, uh, race. She did great against the boys. Against all boys. There's no other females in, um, her class, and she did awesome. And I was so proud. And so when John said, we get to talk to you on the podcast, I was very excited to hear because what, um, you've done is great. And I don't think I, uh, would have the same appreciation, not being a girl dad. But now being on this side of things and seeing it, it is vitally important that we support these programs to get more ladies in the sport and, uh, represented at, uh, the highest level, at all levels, but also at the highest level. I appreciate what you're doing, and I might have to pick your ear about my little team and see if you have some, uh, advice you can give me.
Nicola Cranmer: Oh, for sure. And that's one of the things about Virginia's Blue Ridge and visit Virginia that I am super grateful for is that they chose a women's team, and they're very diverse women's team at that. I mean, they could have picked a men's team, which is most people's default.
Dan Lucas: Uh, probably a whole lot of those laying around waiting to pick up a sponsor.
Nicola Cranmer: Yeah. And, uh, they chose a women's team, which, of course, is very, um, to me, it's the best thing that could have happened to us. It's such an incredible sponsorship and partnership, and I feel like I have all these additional staff all of a sudden who are really invested in what we're doing and a community that's supportive. And, I mean, I went into literally to target and sleep feed, and nobody knows me here except the press. So far, people said to me, oh, I saw your teams in town. It's amazing. Uh, how can we help? And they were very sincere about it, and it's very welcoming.
John Carlin: We're very excited to have you. Um, thank you, Nicholas. Thanks so much for joining us.
Nicola Cranmer: You're welcome. Thanks for having me. Good fun.
Dan Lucas: Thanks to Nicola for spending time with us, being so gracious with her time and her stories. It has been, uh, fantastic to hear from her. If you see Nicola out riding her bike, if you see the team out riding their bikes, if you can stop. They're pretty fast, right? Say, uh, hey, welcome them to the area. They're excited to be here, and they're a great, um, addition to the case. Blue Ridge.
John Carlin: We're just so excited. And as you've said, the wave is crashing. The cycling opportunities is here. We can't call them the Olympic team, but the Olympic, uh, hopeful team.
Dan Lucas: The Olympic Hopeful team.
John Carlin: This is where they have chosen to ride their bikes. And having Nicola here and have that resource and all the things she's doing is just great. Good luck, by the way, to your daughter.
Dan Lucas: Yeah.
John Carlin: With her downhilling proud dad.
Dan Lucas: She raced in the zero to twelve Cap 23 category, uh, at Wind Rock Bike Park for the downhill Southeast, uh, this past weekend, it was her first time at Wind Rock, first time on that track, and she put a good run together. She tried hard all weekend. Um, she swallowed all that nervous energy and fears, and she performed, and I could not be more proud of her. So downhill team is going, uh, great. We'll have an update on the next episode.
John Carlin: Real quick.
Speaker D: Before you go today, I want to give you a quick update on some of the cycling events happening here in Virginia's Blue Ridge. Um, I'll admit some of these are ways out, but if your calendar is anything like mine, trying to schedule all your cycling activity and everything else life is throwing at you, you might want to pencil some of these in early, whether you want to participate or whether maybe you just want to be a spectator. But here they are real quick. The Karelian Clinic, Iron Man 70.3, Virginia's Blue Ridge. That's coming up on June 6, 2022. And no matter what time of year you come, if you're into the cycling side, you might want to just come and do the I think it's a 56 miles ride from, um, Carbons Cove, which is a road bike, uh, ride and takes, uh, you, uh, up through the town of Buchanan and then the major climb, which is becoming more and more famous or infamous out of the town of Buchanan to the Blue Ridge Parkway and then back into downtown, uh, Roanoke. So that's a ride that you might want to do any time of year just to say you did it. But anyway, the event itself is June 6, 2022. On June 29, Virginia's Blue Ridge is hosting get this, the 2022 Amateur National Road Championships. So that's something to look forward to. Come out and enjoy the races. Don't forget the visit. Vbr Gran Fondo is on October 9 in beautiful Bodhaw County. I've done it many times with several different distances. Depending upon your ambition. I'll be doing the 50 miles this year, and the Creature from Carbons Cove Mountain Bike Race is coming up on October 16, 2022. We'll have links to all the cycling activity in Virginia's Blue Ridge, as well as a deep dive into local cycling. Some of the places you might want to go, stay, do whatever. If you're listening from out of the region@bikevbr.com. And while you're at it, why not to check out my personal cycling blog@carlinheyclist.com. And you should definitely listen to our previous episode where Dan and I interviewed World champion and Team 2024 member Amanda Coker, who is just amazing. But among all of her accolades. She holds the record for riding the most miles in a year by any human averaging over 230 miles per day. She rode over 80. 0 mile in a single year. She broke the record by over 10,000 miles and I think she averaged 20 miles an hour riding that many miles a day. Many people would work up to a, uh, double century and say they did it once. She did 230 miles every day. I'm just saying thanks again for listening to the Rider Up podcast presented by Virginia's Blue Ridge America's East Coast Mountain Biking Capital All the information is in the show notes of the Rider Europe podcast for Dan Lucas I'm John Carlin and we hope to see you on your bike here in Virginia's Blue Ridge.
 

Episode 2 | World Record holder Amanda Coker on cycling 86,000 miles in one year. (230+ miles daily!)

Amanda Coker is nothing short of amazing.  The Florida-based cyclist averaged over 230 miles per day, EVERY day for a year to become the world record holder for annual mileage.  And it isn't even close.  In Episode 2 of the Rider-Up Podcast, Amanda stops by the bike shop in Virginia's Blue Ridge - the new home of Team Twenty24, to talk with Dan and John about how she was able to ride so many miles and stay so determined and well, energetic.  Most people would train for weeks or months to complete a double century, and then take it easy.  So Imagine doing one and then getting up and doing it again.  Every day.  For a year. 
John Carlin, Amanda Coker and Dan Lucas at Cardinal Bicycle in Roanoke, Virginia.
 
SHOW NOTES
e-mail Rider-Up Podcast: rideruppod@gmail.com
Amanda Coker Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Coker
Bicycling Magazine's Story https://www.bicycling.com/rides/a20038645/is-amanda-coker-for-real/
Amanda’s Website https://goamandacoker.wordpress.com/
Amanda Coker Coaching on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AmandaCokerCoaching
Tailwind Nutrition: https://tailwindnutrition.com/
NELLA Probiotic https://nella.fitbiomics.com/
Creature from Carvins Cove https://bikeva.com/creature/
Visit VBR Gran Fondo http://www.muddysquirrel.com/gran-fondo.html
Carilion Clinic Ironman 70.3 Virginia's Blue Ridge https://www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge
USA Cycling Championships in Virginia’s Blue Ridge https://usacycling.org/article/roanoke-to-host-2022-usa-cycling-amateur-road-national-championships
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge homepage https://www.VisitVBR.com
Bike VBR https://www.visitroanokeva.com/biking/
Team Twenty24 https://www.teamtwenty24.com/
IMBA Ride Centers https://ride.imba.com/ride/where-to-ride/ride-centers
Roanoke Outside https://www.roanokeoutside.com/
Carvins Cove https://www.roanokeoutside.com/land/carvins-cove-nature-reserve/
SCB Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZo4N0lVPccBkSiuyVh4yg
Park tool JIS screwdriver https://www.parktool.com/product/derailleur-screwdriver-dsd-2
John Carlin Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/10853338
John Carlin’s Bicycle Blog http://carlinthecyclist.com/
John Carlin’s YouTube Biking4Boomers https://youtu.be/DcMBBsIYeXE
The following is a web-generated transcript of the Amanda Coker interview.  Please excuse any typos!
Coming up today on the Riderup podcast presented by Virginia's Blue Ridge. • •
My current world records are the most miles ridden in a year, 86, 533. 2 miles, which is the average of 237 miles miles a day, a day.
Ultra endurance cyclist Amanda Coker shares the secret to her amazing story.
I like to joke around that it was a 423 day adrenaline rush. • • • • • •
Uh, welcome to the Rider Up podcast, where we talk about how much we love bicycles. Dan's a crazy downhiller, and John will be walking with a cane in a few years. • • • • • • • • • But nobody loves cycling more than these two. Coming to you from Virginia's Blue Ridge, let's meet the hosts, Dan Lucas and John Carlin. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Hello, and welcome to the Rider Up, uh, podcast presented by Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge. I'm one of the host, John Carlin.
And I am Dan Lucas. And I am here with Amanda Coker. Um, we are sitting here in the new lounge at Carnival Bicycle. So if you hear some stuff in the background, that's what's going on. But we are excited to talk to her about • • her experiences on and off the bike, um, • • and everything in between. Amanda, um, • first of all, we want to know, what is it • • that has driven you? And can you please give us some of your accolades, these world records that you have. Can you give this to us?
Of course. I'm glad to be there. John and Dan, um, my current world records are the most miles ridden in a year, 86,573.2 miles, which is the average of 237 miles a day, a day. Uh, I also, along the way, set the most miles ridden in 30 days, which is 8012 miles. And after I finished the year record, I continued on to complete 100,000 miles in 423 days. • • And that was from May 15 16th to May 14, 2017. And I went on to the 100,000 to July 11. And • • between that time and October 23, 2021, I joined Team 2024 and had been racing time trials, gravely and road. And October 23, 2021, I became the first woman to ever ride more than 500 miles in 24 hours with 512.5 miles. And along the course of that day, I also set ten other world records, two being the 100 miles road course at 23 point 33 mph. And the twelve hour record was 270.6 miles.
So that is a lot of numbers and a lot of data. And if you want to learn more, • • • you, uh, can look Amanda up on the Internet, I think go. Amanda@coker.com is her, • • • • • • uh, webpage, so check that out. And, um, we are going to get into • • a lot of really cool backstory about Amanda and everything she's experienced. So hang on tight. Routers up podcast, uh, starting right now. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Welcome to the Routers Up podcast. How are you doing?
Dan and John, it's great to be here.
Yeah, we're excited about this because Amanda is part of Team • • • • • • • • • 2024. If you haven't heard. I'm sure you have. Is calling Virginia, uh, Rich, their home, their home, • • • their training, • • uh, • • place of choice. It's exciting for us, and I hope it's exciting for you guys to be here. So welcome. And we're excited to ask you some questions. Yeah.
Amanda, because you have done the most amazing things on a bicycle that I can possibly imagine in terms of endurance. • You averaged 230 something miles a day every day for a year. And first thing was you're out of gates. How did you do that? How did you recover? And how were you just not wiped out after one day?
I like to joke around that it was a 423 day adrenaline rush. • • • • • •
It has to be some rush. • • •
It's just a methodical rush of just being in a routine every day. • • • • • • • •
Your body didn't break down. How did you do that? • •
It broke down. I just didn't show it.
Right.
Okay. • • • •
Uh, were there hard days, • • • • • • • • • would you say more mentally challenging or more physically challenging?
I would say • • • environmentally, with the climate, with the weather and all the elements of that, and having to battle Florida weather all year long, whatever it threw at me. Hurricanes, tropical storms.
Right. • •
So you would ride anyway?
I would ride anyways.
Why? • •
Because I wanted to win. • • • •
So that's what it is.
I want to ride as far as I could every day.
You have the singular focus on, um, • • a record. So let's go back and start with • • • • • when you decide to do this, what was going through your mind? What was your mental preparation? And when did you just say, all right, I'm going to do this?
The original intent started January of 2016, when I was riding with a fellow ultra cyclist, and they're like, hey, Amanda, you're riding pretty far every day right now as it is. And, uh, why don't you go for the women's world record, which is 29,604 miles? I was like, yeah, I think I could do a little over 100 miles a day. So I talked to my parents, but I said, Can I take a year? And we can all work together to get a great wounds? Yeah, we can do 100 miles a day. And ended up starting my very first day, I did 250 miles, and I was thinking to myself, I'm going to try this again tomorrow. And I think I did 233. And • • • that, um, is the furthest I've ever been in the day. And I was like, okay, I'm going to try again the next day. And it just kept riding that far every single day, just running basically from when the park would open and close. And • • • my mom was like, what are you doing? I didn't sign up for this jokingly, of course. It just kept going day after day. And on day 133, I broke the women's record, and I just continued going on.
On day 133, you broke the women's record.
So a third of the way through the year. • •
And then you just kept cruising that as well.
Uh, • • • so you were doing this in a park in Florida. So tell us about the park. What does the terrain look like? • • Why was that your base?
I started riding flat when we first moved down to Florida in 2015. • • So I just kind of started meeting a lot of cyclists there. And it's, um, closed to the traffic, close to the vehicles. Motor vehicles, runners, skateboarders, cyclists all train out there. And a lot of people make fun of it because they think it's an actual loop. But it twists and turns where you never really feel like you're going in a circle. And I think it's the greatest place to train because you never have to stop. You never have to worry about anything. If you have intervals a day, you can get those intervals done. • • • • • •
Basically, • • even though twisting and turning, you're routing a loop. And you were just crushing that loop every day as much as you possibly can.
And it's windy out there.
Yes, I imagine I told John this before we started, but I've, um, long said that people from flat areas • • are, on average, way stronger than people from hilly or mountainous regions. And I've learned, • • • • uh, I've been humbled by people • • • • from very flat places. And I've seen other people from really mountainous places, very humbled by even us. Out here, we don't have as much elevation because • • you're, uh, pedaling the whole time.
You never stop. Right.
And • • I think that's something people need to understand • • • that, uh, are out there. Usually they're like, oh, man, they don't have mountains. What are they going to do? But • • • if you're from somewhere that doesn't have a lot of elevation, • you have to keep the lights going if you want to keep moving every day, the whole time. • • • How many teeth are on your front chainring? What are you pushing?
I think I had a 53. 53.
Okay, cool.
Usually ran a 50. 311. 23. Okay.
Got it. Yeah. Not crazy, right?
But I did keep my cadets really low, like, in the 60s.
Yeah, you did.
So you're pushing your biggest gear then, but you got to have strong legs to do that, because if your legs aren't strong enough • • for me, if I was doing that, • • I'd go a couple of miles and I'd be tanked.
Yes, Nicola, uh, compared, uh, it to a metronome. And • • • • • • I, um, can see that comparison if you're only pushing 60.
Well, it's actually funny because I ended up averaging 20.3 mph for the whole thing. And it started out because, um, • • I had some fast buddies who would always tease me, like, oh, we're not going to ride with you. We're not going to go 20. And it kind of fired me up. They could come out every day around 04:00, and I wanted to ride with them because friends. So I just started trying to keep up with them, and they would be like 26, 27. And after a while, I was able to start riding that fast with them at the end of the day. Every day, and ended up setting the Q-O-M. At. I took a bunch of Q-O-M. Throughout the year.
That's fantastic.
I would hope so. • • • • • • • • • • • • At the end of the day. So, 04:00, you would start riding free Sunrise every day, right?
We would wake up at four, and mom and dad are actually through all this. I always joke. I say they should get asterisk beside on my world record. Longest time sitting in a parking lot • • watching our daughter do something insane • • • • because they're just there to support you all day long. They were non stop the whole day, too. And dad would probably ride 50, 60 miles every day.
Really? • • • • • • That's cool. • • • • • Uh, • • I love hearing about stories like yourself because, • uh, • • parents and they see that you have a love for something and doesn't matter if that's not something that they necessarily love. They will do whatever they can to help you achieve those goals. And I think that there's something like, really, • • • • it's heartwarming. Right. But, • • uh, also just a really cool testament to their dedication to their child. I think it's great.
Yeah. And did I read somewhere that your mom and dad said that they were just about broke at the end of the year because they had taken a year off to do it?
Other than the generosity of some people from • GoFundMe, um, it was all funded by us.
Wow. • • • • • • You got some sponsors now, though.
Yes, • • • we're still working on it.
Yeah. Rightly. • • •
Pro, female cyclist. Yes.
If you're out there and you're hearing this and you want to help Amanda, you should get in, uh, contact.
Well, absolutely. So who are your sponsors? • • • • •
I am, uh, sponsored by a company, uh, called Nellofit, uh, Bionics. It's a • • • probiotic for gut health and • • • • life changing for me. • • Really? I tried it before I got in touch with them for sponsorship. •
You like the product?
Oh, I love the product.
Yeah.
Is that something everybody can take? • • • • Okay. Because some of those probiotics are sort of tailored to the individual.
But yours are made for athletes.
Okay. • • • • • • • All right.
And kept my stomach fine during the whole 24 hours.
I imagine, too, you're taking a lot of, like, pre and post workout stuff, and a lot of times that will tear you up.
Uh. • • • • • • • • • • •
In, uh, Goo's and whatever sort of. And I have questions about what you're feeling yourself with, too, but all those things are not necessarily • • • • • conducive to riding 207 miles every day and eating it every day. And I'm sure you can get used to it, but • • that's kind of cool that there's a company that's thinking about that for endurance athletes that are eating this stuff well.
Your gut health is so very critical. I've been monkeying with that, working with a dietitian also, so I'll be curious about this product. • • • The name of it again is What Nella? Okay. All right. And do you have, like, a bike sponsor or through Virginia?
Uh, Blue Ridge • 2024.
Right. Okay.
Felt.
Felt bikes. Right. Okay. What kind of bike were you riding? I know you wrote three different bikes every day. • • What kind, um, of road bike were you riding during your conquest? • • Okay, we'll go on from that. • • But you rode a recumbent also, and a time trial bike.
And a time trial.
Okay. And that was because. Why?
To • • • • vary my muscle use so I wouldn't wear out specific muscle group because rubber combinate helps your, um, • • you need your hamstrings and your glutes for that. So it would give my back, my neck, a break. And then when that got sore, because I did get sores from each bike, each bike, no matter what bike road I had sores. • • And then I was going to keep you bike to strengthen my hip flexors and the top of my quads. And then the road bike was to just mix, um, it up in between the two.
Okay. Where would you spend the majority of your time?
I didn't keep track of that, • • really.
So it was roughly a third, • • like, okay. And so your dad just had the other bikes on the car. And how long would you stop when you made a bike?
I made a joke that every three minutes is a mile. So I probably stopped on an average of 30 minutes total every day.
Oh, my gosh.
My longest break was usually around lunchtime, and I would eat a lunch for maybe ten to 15 minutes and then head back out.
So we were talking about, • • uh, what you're using for your gut health and that you're using energy products to maintain. But did you have a specific diet that you worked out that you were eating every day? • •
My main • • source of fuel on, uh, the bike was tailored nutrition. Yeah, I still use that today. That's the only thing I use.
We have some tailwind here at the shop that's • • popular products.
So that's just, uh, a powdered, uh, drink mix.
Yeah, • • • • • • • • • • • • • there's, uh, a couple of different products.
Uh, so you're using that on the bike. What would you when you stop for lunch.
I would eat anything, right?
Yeah, anything. • • •
I convert about seven to 9000 calories a day, plus my BMR, • so I would have to eat high, dense foods. Nutella. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • My friend Kitted me, he said, you're killing so many palm trees because you eat so much Nutella • • • sandwiches. • • • •
So you're, um, like just a sandwich from the deli, like a Turkey and cheese sandwich. Just regular everyday people food, • • • because • • • • that doesn't.
Well, I know a lot of athletes. • • They're like, I can only have organic Brown rice and • • these very lean meats and stuff like that. But • • when you're burning 79,000, I don't know if it necessarily matters what you're eating at that point. As long as you have.
Just when I go home, that's when I eat all my nutritious. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • My mom would make me these big salads with nuts, um, and meat and cheese. And • I had to have Caesar dressing because it was the fattiest one, because I couldn't keep fat on me. • • I actually made sure before I started the records to bulk up. I was like, oh, my gosh, you want to go to a buffet today, man a shirt. I gained ten extra pounds before I started, so the shock of the record wouldn't attack my body.
Right.
So I went in with a ten pound buffer, • • and it melted off the first time.
I was going to say they didn't last long.
Yeah. I liked that • • • • • you and your family thought this out. It wasn't just, like, from changing bites when • • you got sore, whatever your neck was hurting to • • • bulk up and hitting the Chinese buffet or whatever to make sure you had extra pounds on. I think it's really cool, and I love that it was like a homegrown thing. • • • • • Aside from a couple of people that were funding you through GoFundMe, • • • • mom and dad took this on. I think it's such a cool story • • • in a cool family memory • • • • • to be able to for sure. • • • •
It was nice having them. And then we also had a lot of friends that we made along the way and lifelong buddies • • with, • • um, behind the scenes who did a lot of things for us. And • • I appreciate all the help. I always try to make sure that people know that a lot of people help me through that, if not financially • or just emotional support.
Emotions. • • • • • • • • • Um, you had people start hear about this because it took a year. Right. So talk a little bit about the people that just started showing up at the park who are either curious or wanted to ride with you, • • • and they came from great distances. Can you tell us about that?
We'll start with the good stories. • • •
Yeah, the good stories. Sure.
Yeah. When I started going and the curiosity would grow, people would come out from seeing stuff on Strava and social media, and they come and say, oh, man, you're so inspirational. I want to come out here and ride • • • for this I've ever ridden before, and people just started doing that. One of the main people I would ride with created these boards called the 100 Miles Board and the 200 Miles Board. So say John came out and said, I'm going to ride a century, but not necessarily with me, but just at Flatwoods. He would ride the 100, and then we would write your name on the board and you stand and take a picture with it, and then we all would post that, okay? So when people come and do 100 miles, 200 miles, or in between, we would take a picture with them, and it just motivated more people, and that motivated me, which caused me, not cause me. But that's how I started saying inspiration is contagious because I was out there. And to see someone out there pushing themselves, • even if it was a really crummy day, I was like, all right, they're pushing themselves the hardest for them. • • •
I think we need • • • • • Amanda 100 or 200 miles board here • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • happening somewhere.
Yeah, we should.
I'm also likely. • • •
Excellent. • •
So you can tell people how to do this.
Maybe not all my secrets. • • •
All right, keep some free shop, but let's make that happen.
I think, • • • • • um, • • what's the furthest to anybody came to do this? • •
Oh, wow. • • • • • • • • I think a guy from the UK. A guy from UK came out. He was going to Walt Disney World, and he came out and wanted to check it out, which I'm an hour from Disney.
Sure. • • • • • • • •
Oh, yeah. • • • • • • • That's, like, the one thing my parents and I have that it's just the escape reality, just fun. And then it's all bikes after that. • •
All bikes. That is so cool. • So a guy came, uh, from the UK • • • • on an average day. How many people might come and just, like, ride with you or ride because of you?
Well, in the beginning, • • I was okay riding with different people. But as it grew popularity, so did the negative • things. And I've had some people come out and try to wreck me, purposely • • harm me, yell at me, curse words. So after a while, why? I never understood why. • • • • •
What would they say?
I'm a fake. Uh, I have a motor in the bike. All I do is draft. • • • • • Um, • • it's not true. • I'm a woman. There's no physical way. She's a man in disguise. It's just insane things. One guy, actually, I Googled my name, and a form came up, and he was bragging how he flew all the way over from the UK and hid in the woods and watched me to make sure I was doing it for real. And I was like, It's so weird. • • • •
I think that people performing sometimes brings the worst out. • • • The Internet has provided this as a way for people to find • • those stories. And there are people out there that unfortunately like to see others fail at achieving something great. It's such a bummer.
It's like, imagine the trolls that are, like, posting all the crappy stuff on the Internet under a post showing up in person.
Right?
Like, you have the actual trolls.
There actual trolls there. • • • • •
Imagine, uh, how sad and small their lives are.
No kidding. All they want to do. • • • And in my mind, if you drafted the whole thing, it would still be increased if you had a motorcycle in front of you for every day, for 13 hours. • • • • • • • But I'm sure there were times when you were drafting on people. I mean, your other riders. But what's wrong with that?
I never asked any of my friends to come out and ride. They all just showed up on their own because I didn't want to take the fun out of cycling for them.
Right.
But I enjoyed when they came. And I also pulled in the Paceline, too. Right. I never just sat on • • it's not their record. So I was thankful because I lost it when they would come. And • I had one friend who would come, and I did. All right, story time, Allen. And he had the greatest stories, and I would just sit behind him and he'd talk and talk and talk, and then I'd pull • • stuff like that meant more to me than. • • • • • • • •
Uh, • • • • • • you averaged 20 miles an hour throughout this whole thing, which is phenomenal. I can't average 20 miles an hour on a Greenway.
I can't do it.
Yeah.
Downhill. • • So you're doing that. • • • • • But guys would show up and you were friends. They would joke with you and say that you were slow • • • because they could average, what, 25 miles an hour on a ride. So could they drop you or how did that all play out?
In the beginning, they did drop me, but every time they'd come out during the week, I'd push myself, and I'd probably random line my heart rate a little bit after it's. Sitting in endurance all day. But • • after a while, um, • I could ride with them and switch off the one that fast. And we set some Q-O-M out of the park, like, three laps, four laps.
I bet you are the local legend. • • • • • • • • • •
Back there. • •
You have no kidding, right? Everybody who know, nobody else was there 13 hours a day, every day.
It actually made me stronger to do intervals almost every day.
Yeah. • • • •
Uh. • • • • • • • • •
I can't believe your muscles are able to recover that quickly. • That's insane.
Every night, my mom would massage my legs, actually.
But do you not feel pain? Oh, yes, I do feel pain.
Oh, yes, Nicole, that you don't feel pain?
I feel pain in different ways. • •
What about cramps?
I never had cramps. • • Seriously? Honestly, never had cramps. • • •
I was a marathon runner for a part of my life, and I had marathons where I was determined to run through the pain no matter what. But then my legs would literally just • • seize up and stop working. • • • • • And I've done that in mountain bike races, too. I don't beside the trail next to my bike because my legs, like, I don't care about this thing. I'm going to keep going. And the legs were like.
No, you eventually get to the point they won't go anymore. Right.
But you never reach that point. • • Is there • • a secret, or are you in a tailwind?
Potassium, magnesium, balance. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Uh. • • • • • • • • •
That'S what it is. If they're not your sponsor, • • • they need to be on the phone before this podcast is over.
I have a question for you. It's Changing Gears is a little bit because I'm a mechanic. • • • • I work on bikes every day, and I love working on them. So I always have questions about • • • • • • • • • • • • • the reliability. So, first of all, how many change did you go through in a year, do you know? • • • • • • •
I believe • • • • • • • • • • a lot. I know it was a lot because my dad did most of the maintenance on the flight.
Yeah, that was going to be my next question.
Because you're going to get some chain stretch for sure.
Well, she's going to burn them out • probably every five or 6000 miles • • maybe. • •
That's a lot. Yeah.
Switching between three different bikes to kind of stretch it out longer still. And a component of it is two and a half chains, right? • •
Yeah, that's a long chain line. Okay.
A lot of, uh, spiky cassette teeth.
Yes.
I wore through the 1112 and 13, and I would donate. I would give the upper ones to friends who needed the upper ones, and they'd give me the lower ones.
Right.
That's great.
Tires went through a lot of tires. Just wearing them out.
Yeah. So your dad, um, did most of the maintenance. • • Did you have any local shops that would help you out? No, nothing. • • Oh, my gosh. • • • • •
I don't understand how this was such a sponsor. You had a recumbent sponsor? Who is that?
Schlitter.
Schler. • • • • • • • •
And he did service my recombinant.
Okay, great.
Okay, good. Nice.
Well, • • • yeah, I'm always curious when people do these crazy marathons or even eversting and stuff like that. • Eversting is usually in a 24 hours period, but still, bikes, there's mechanicals that just happen, • • and it's always interesting to hear. But I bet you have some gnarly looking chain rings and jockey pulleys. Oh, yeah. • • • • • • • • • • Uh, the jockey pulleys are in the cage on the • • • derailleur, and I bet, um, he was swapping those out.
Oh, yes. Had to put the good ones on there.
You know what? That's expensive. • • • • • • • • • • •
I want to talk to your dad and found out what your chain budget was. Okay.
His name is Ricky. •
Ricky.
And my mom's name is Donna.
Oh, my gosh. Ricky and Donna, please come up. I wouldn't talk to you.
Right. • • • • • • • • • • What was your heart rate throughout the day when you said you got in that big year? The low cadence? • •
Well, I think somebody ended up figuring out an average of 118.
That's actually. I know. Whoa.
I wasn't expecting that. I usually kept it under 140. • •
That's super impressive. Do you know what your resting part rate is in the 30? I was going to say. • • • • Got it.
So • what would happen if you went out and joined the women's team and started racing at the Olympic level? If you took what you're doing, which is this ultra endurance stuff? I mean, is that an aspiration for you? Is that something that can happen?
Right after I finished the hammer, I started gearing towards time trials, and I ended up • winning the Florida state time trial until • • • • • 27.9 average for a 30K. And that's how Nicola saw me.
Okay. • •
She said in July of 2018, she said, okay, I'm going to come out to Boise and do this. Kristen Armstrong Kernel time trial, the amateur race. And if you do good, I might consider putting you on the team. When I went out there and I won the amateur Windows race, and then I said, oh, my goodness. She's like, yes. So I've been on the team ever since then.
Okay?
That's how I got on the team.
So • • if everything went according to your dreams and or expectations, what happens?
What happens?
Yeah.
What are your goals?
Are you our next • Olympic time trials? Uh, for the United States.
That'S a mass meter dream. I think. Continue just to keep setting world records. I'm getting into gravel, actually. I'm doing the spokesville gravel race on Sunday, • so I'm going to test the waters in that. If I do get go from there and continue to get stronger in the time trial.
So when you show up in this gravel rates, do the people around you have any idea who you are or what's coming?
I don't like them. No, I like them.
You're sneaking up on.
I try. • • • •
Your reputation is going to begin to precede you. Right. And you'll be wearing the team 2024 kit, right.
So they're going to be like, okay, you're going to be marked already. • • • • • • • •
But do you know who the other competitors are? Because you're going to be off the front. It's going to be you and a select I group.
Don't know about that. I never count my tickets before they hatch.
Okay, • • I'll go ahead and count. Let's say it's you and a select group. Oh, • • um, • • uh, but you know who the other players are from checking registration every year. Right. Okay. • • • • Do you have Olympic aspirations?
That's a goal. It's just a lot, uh, of hard work, a lot of doors. • •
How much hard work can there be after what you've done? • • • • • • • You cannot work any harder than you already did.
Yes, you can.
You can.
You have to increase your anaerobic strength. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
So it's not the amount of work. It's the type of work.
Yeah. To increase your intensity.
Yeah.
Okay.
Kristen Armstrong knows exactly what I'm talking about.
Right. And you've been riding.
I've been with her a couple of times. • •
How do you guys compare? • • • •
She's world class. • • • • I think she's the greatest female time trial ever. Crosses Earth. And I honestly think I joke with her. I say she could enter into this next Olympics, and she would probably win just because she's Kristen Harmstrong. She's a great role model.
Right. • • •
I got to say, I appreciate how homely you are about all these things, because a lot of people could let this go to their head. And you were incredibly humble and gracious, and I appreciate that. Thanks. Especially, • uh, • • • • • • • uh, given what you've achieved. • But, uh, • • • • • uh, I like that you're thinking big, too. That's cool.
Hey, let's shift gears just a little bit here. But I'm bummed • • • • • • you and your dad were in an accident when you were younger. Tell us about that.
In June of 2011, my dad and I were on a training ride when we lived up in North Carolina, and a car just came flying upon us and hit us full speed and sent us fine. About 50ft into a ditch. Knocked me cold. • Dad almost broke his back and Happy ended up having two spine surgeries. I had one spine surgery, and I had a traumatic brain injury, a broken leg, • • and so many lacerations and confusions. • • • • •
So you were lucky to live.
We were very lucky.
And did I read the driver was just cited for a minor infraction • • • that drives me.
I don't understand after that's. Another thing I was talking about, though, with Nicholas. All these cyclists get hit and killed and injured and why isn't there more manslaughter? Why aren't they getting charged a manslaughter?
There's a lot of people that aim for it.
Doesn't make sense to me.
Yeah, this guy, uh, just didn't see you. A distracted driver. As far as you know, • • • it's straight road. Uh, right.
No • • • distractions in the road.
You could have been looking at his phone.
Probably on his phone. Never know.
Right. Okay, • so you recovered. You were how old then? Eleven years old.
Oh, no. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Uh. • • • • • • • •
That was all before you decided to take on all this. • • • • •
Yeah, I have a question about that. So • • • • • • • when that happens and you woke up and you're in the hospital and you have to overcome all this stuff, you were already sold out cycling at that point in your life. Right. • • Okay, so • • • what was it like to try and come back from that, • • all those injuries? Was that a struggle for you?
I never thought I could ride again. • • •
Really?
I remember just sitting. I had a recliner because • • • • I had shoulder surgery, and it was the only thing I was comfortable. So I remember just sitting there going, Am I ever going to be able to ride my bike again? I'm not even the fact that the PTSD of being on a road, but alone, just riding again. So I didn't really • try to get back on the bike until 2012, but I was still having injuries from everything, and I ended up having spine surgery in 2013. • • So I didn't actually start riding my bicycle again until we moved down to Florida to just get away from all the • • crazy • • negative energy and start new • • • • Flatwoods. • • • • So that's why Flat Wood is so special.
Because it's a park.
Because it's closed and it's safe. • • • • • • • I can actually get back on the bike there. A lot of people are like, oh, it's special.
I mean, right. That's probably a big place of healing to, uh, be able to get on and not worry.
It is.
And just be able to get in your zone and do your thing.
Not have to worry about a car. Go, • • • it took a long time for me. Like, I can ride on road now because I ride with a mirror. Nickel gives me the hardest time for it. But I'm like, I need that little if I can see it coming in my mind. • • • • • • • • • • • •
I, uh, mean, because a lot of the really cool cyclists won't put a mirror on their helmet.
Everybody should wear them. I don't care how silly it looks.
One thing I have said as a coach, I want the kids that I coach to be • • comfortable, and if you're comfortable, you're going to be confident.
Right?
And that's one of the biggest things, uh, I think in cyclists, whether you're on the road or on a mountain bike, being confident is going to change your ride and change your mental state. Uh, and I think that's a comfort thing for you, and I think that it's super important that you continue to use that, because it's going to make you confident, make you faster, make you be able to do your job.
And it's supposed to have flat ones when you're doing intervals, passes them by saying, I got to keep pushing. •
You can see them in the mirror. • • • • • • •
Motivation.
Yeah.
Where does your competitive spirit come from?
Being told I can't do it. If someone tells me I can't do something, • • • • • • • • • it reverses all the negative comments on Strawberry and my hammer. I just laughed at it because it just motivated me more. I'm like, oh, that's hilarious. You're trying to make me feel bad. No, it's going to work exact opposite how you play it out to me. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Does it ever wane? I mean, is there ever a day where you just sort of say, • I don't care? Today I'm just going to do the miles • • • • • • for the hammer, for the competitive spirit. • • Oh, I have fun • • every single day.
It never goes away because I almost had it taken away from me. I don't take it for granted. • • • • I love it. It's my release. I think, you know, cyclists, it's how we all go. I need to go ride my bike, even if it's just for an hour.
My wife says I'm a better person after all. • • •
I totally am. • • The best news cast I do for the 11:00 news are the nights where I sneak out for a bike ride. Between the six and the 11:00.
I'll crash and come home with Jabs and stuff, and I'll still be in a better meeting.
Right, • • • • man. • • • So this gravel thing, • • • • • do you like gravel? Because there's fewer cars, and that's the deal. And so are you going to do? I can't remember the name. It, uh, used to be Dirty Condo, and we're not supposed to say that, but I can't remember the new name of that rate. Unbound.
Yeah.
So are you going to try and do unbound or something like that?
I actually am going to be back here doing the relay for the Iron Man, • • • so I'm going to miss on down. • • • • • •
All right, • • so we should talk about that. That's the visit. Virginia Blue Ridge Half Ironman. Right. Sponsored by Karelian. And there's a very long name for that. I can't remember, but I think I've hit all the high points. • • But there's a 54 miles bike ride. • •
56, 56, 56 miles. • •
But there's a big climb. I wrote it last year. • • • •
Is it 42?
Uh, it's Route 42.
 
So you climb out of Bokan and up to Blue Ridge Parkway. It switches back all the way. Then you get to the Parkway and you climb for another mile at least. • • • But then there's some nice long downhills, as well as some significant climbs on the Parkway. • • You haven't ridden it, uh, yet. How do you do with climbs? How do you do when you get out of Florida?
Like, I'll go out today and I'll get some practice in. Once I get a few rides in with it, I feel more comfortable. It's like muscle memory. Just got used to going downhill. I haven't done that in a while. It's been a few years. Yeah. • • It'll be nice to power up a Hill and then rest. I haven't coasted in a long time.
Yeah. You're biopripe, right? • •
How does your coaching thing work? Are you coaching athletes? Do people call you, sign up, pay you? How's that?
I get inquiries all the time.
Yeah.
But I'm always open, um, up for more athletes. I use training pieces of my platform, and then I use a different specific software. And I don't like cookie cutter workouts. I make sure each athlete is getting custom made. I like to take the extra time every day, even it takes me hours to analyze the cyclist, because I don't want somebody feeling like they could just. They're just a number and they can feel like a person because I coach how I would want to be coached.
Yeah.
And it's awesome. Last night I had two athletes who Swift races, and they each got their best 20 and 30 minutes ever. • • That's awesome. • • I like to celebrate those little work.
That's great. • • Are you coaching men and women or just women? Men and women.
All different kinds of athletic abilities, um, levels, • • ages • • • • don't discriminate.
Wow. That's great.
Everybody wants to get stronger.
Yeah.
So somebody comes to you. How do you analyze them to figure out what custom coaching they need?
I check their, • • • • • um, heart rate and power is my main. Like, I don't train if they don't have heart rate or power. And then I go by their training readiness, • • TSS scores • • and their goals, and I make sure that they're always within their optimal training performance. And if they ever have an overload, I make them rest. Most importantly, it's smart to do an on day off day. You don't want to do too hard days or unless you train for state races to get acclimated that. But rest is the most important thing to help recharge your mitochondria. • • • •
Which are the little things in your cells. • • • • • • • • •
Energy. •
Yes. So aren't we all smart? • •
I feel really smart for knowing what that was.
Right. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • But I remember training as a distance runner that those long runs are building mitochondria, • • • and that's about all I know about it. • • • But it worked because • • one weekend, 12 miles was as far as I could run. And the next weekend.
Somehow, I ran 14 running so different. • •
It is. It really beats you up.
Could you imagine running across the country? • •
No. But I know people that have done it 70 days or something.
I think the guy is going to try it this year.
Yeah. You've ridden across the United States?
Yeah.
How was that?
Like, that was my official first get over everything I've accomplished. This is the next step. That's actually how I started getting into endurance riding.
Okay.
How far would you ride going across the country average 92 miles a day. 92 a day. So big day. • • •
My mom would drive. We lived in an RV when we moved down because we lost everything, and we just had to get what we could. So we lived at RV for a while. Right. • •
You lost everything. What happened?
Financially, financially, because of all the medical bills.
Okay. •
Um, he did not have good insurance. • • •
Wow. • So you had an RV?
We live in an RV, and we went from Fernandina Beach, Florida, to Venture of California. My dad drove a three wheel, • • • 150 CC scooter.
I read that.
I thought • • • • • • • • • when I was growing up, we always joked, hey, let's ride our bikes across the country. But his injuries are so bad, he couldn't. So we did it together • • through that.
And • • • he would ride scooter and, uh, you'd ride bike, • • • so he'd be behind you, like all these reflectors and everything.
Wow. • •
Dad's a hero.
He is a hero. So you lost everything. • • There's so many storylines here. You're living in an RV, • • and yet you're making cycling the most important thing that you're doing. • • What's your mom thinking about that?
Mom think I'm crazy, but she loves me. • • • •
The love of a mother is something that • she's not going to stop it. She's going to truly be the whole way.
My mom would have said, I'm bored. • •
She got to drive the RV. Don't let her fool you. She is late.
She likes RV.
It's funny. Growing up, she always wanted to be an 18 wheel driver.
That's hilarious.
She got her semi dream to do that. • • • • • •
Wow. But your dad got well enough that he was riding, what, 50 or 60 miles. • • • • • • •
Covered it. I think he just kept his pain in secret that whole time. • •
So he no longer got to say, I'm a dad of two girls, so, • • • uh, I would do anything for those two. And • • • • • so I feel like I can understand Ricky's motivation, • especially if it was something that you guys shared. It was kind of • • • • • taken away from you in a very traumatic way. • • Being able to give that back to you, uh, that would be something • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • he wants, uh, to give you all those things, and I think he's as big a part of the story. Your parents are as big a part of the story, uh, as you don't take that, dad. I think that • • their love and their • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • I think it's fantastic. • • • • • They work that hard, and • • you are a testament of what they've been able to do. I think it's great. Yeah. • • • • • • • • • • •
Was your dad working? Where was the money coming from? • • • • • • • I don't want to get, like, pride too much. I'm just wondering, how did you guys set this up so that your mom and dad would come and their full job was to support you every day. But there was money for these bike chains and all these products, tires, everything you were wearing out, because • • • • • • if I have to replace something expensive on my bike, it's a hardship.
What if it was from the bike accident settlement?
Okay.
It was much • • • • under insured. • •
So you just had some money from the settlement, and then your folks bought • • • a small, uh, home in Florida. Uh, and you guys just settled in, and that's what you did.
That's awesome. • •
We live in a tiny house. •
So you're 29. • • Endurance athletes usually peak sometime in their late 20s to mid 30s, right? • Well, usually, but • • usual doesn't apply.
Usual does not apply.
Yeah. Look at Amber nievan and Kristen Armstrong. They were, like, in their late 40s.
Yeah. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
So forget what I said. • • • • • I was just leaving up to • • • what do you want to do next? I mean, • • • you've accomplished so much, and you're creating these unbelievable things. • • • • • There could be a letdown if you don't keep doing that.
I just want to keep setting world records.
You do? • •
Looking for other ones for me to do. • • My next two that I really want to do is the indoor 24 hours record and the outdoor 24 track record.
Okay.
I got to find an outdoor track and indoor track. We need to stretch out our resources. Right? • • • • • • Everybody can come to the venue and watch. We can make it a big.
Richmond has. • • • • • • Richmond has indoor.
Cool.
Right. • • I wonder if you wonder if, like, outdoors, if we could get the Martinsville Speedway to Andy up.
That'd be cool.
Uh, • • we could probably make that happen. • •
I know some guys.
I'm up for it.
Yeah.
A little bit of time to • • • • • Nicola had an idea when we talked to her the other day as well. • • • • We were talking about blue, um, Ridge Parkway, and she's like, oh, I wonder how fast. I wonder if she could do that and raise that record.
Well, that would be. • But the Parkway is closed right now, right?
It's closed currently. • • • •
No. There are repairs. Road repairs. But by October, it's supposed to be completely reopened. So then you could ride from Carolina all the way to Virginia. It's 460 miles. • • • • • •
Yeah, you're right. Uh, it's like, 462 or something. • • • • • • • • • • •
What would you estimate? •
I • • • can't begin.
I wouldn't want to begin to tell you.
There is some monster climbs. There's some here, and, uh, there's some in North Carolina. They're pretty big. • • • I think you probably have to change your training a little bit yourself to be able to do that. But, uh, • • • looking over your, um, credentials, I think you got it covered.
I used to ride it down near Bervard. Um, • • • I love that area. • • • • • •
Okay. So • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • would you mind sharing, um, some of your • • dimensions, like how tall, um, you are and how much you weigh?
Oh, you're trying to calculate my Watts per kilogram? • • • • •
Well, I'm not, but some listeners might be. • • • •
We'll just keep them guessing. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
So big quads is, uh, that where your strength is.
They're pretty mean, but they're not massive.
Right.
That is where my main strength comes from.
That's where your main strength comes from because you're pushing those big years. Right. • • • • • • • And did you get stronger as the year went on?
I started up 18 and a half miles per hour, and it just got faster. •
Wow. And you were fastest, I would assume, on the TT bike.
Yes. • • • •
Right.
It's always been fast on TT bike, right?
I mean, that's kind of you would expect that • • • • • • • • • average miles per hour on the road bike versus the TT bike. What would the difference be? Like two 3 miles an hour speed average, • • probably mile.
Mile and a half mile. Mile and a half the speed I was keeping.
Right.
You're talking in regards to the hammer.
Right. So if you're off the riding the road bike, you may be doing 21 miles an hour, but you might be doing 22 if you're on the time trial bike.
Okay. • • • •
That is significant, right.
I bet it was funny seeing me go around with a disc wheel all the time. • • • • • • • • 200 plus miles a day.
Is it true you rode in a Hurricane?
Yes. • • • Two different Hurricanes in a possible state. • • • • • • Her mind came through, I believe, in September of 2016, and they shut down the park. So I went and rode in a neighborhood beside for 55 miles. And my parents find, okay, there's trees falling. You're done. We're going home.
Really?
So is that that • • • • • • wind gusting at wind gusts, 40, 50. That's insane. I hope you weren't riding the time trial bike that day.
No, I was on the road bike • • another time. Tropical from Colin came through. • • • • I stayed on the bent for a, um, little longer than normal because it was lower to the ground and I held onto the handlebars so much, I had blisters just like on my hands. I think I took pictures of, um, there just bubbled all over my fingertips. • • • • • Because you were • • • • blowing the tree sideways.
Why not just take a day off?
I only did 120 that day.
I think • it was the easy day. I liked that. Yes. The Hurricane was the one.
You took it easy and only 55 and then the other Hurricane, you wrote 100 and some I think so, yeah.
There's only seven days. I did under 200.
Wow. • •
And did I read, uh, your road, like in the hailstorm at one point rainstorm.
Hailstorm • • • • Flatwood is actually made as a water retention. • • • And they ended.
Uh huh.
Up paving the reports around • • it for all the service stations are. And they opened it up to the public like thirty, 30 ago. Okay. And it was made to hold water when it was filled up down because it rains a lot in Florida. Sure. And this one section, about two, 2 miles, the loop called Clay Gully and it would flood • • over so it would stay flooded almost all summertime. So I would have to slow down and roll through it and then do that every time around. Also the first year they paid the whole course during my hammer, so they had half the course load, so I would have to go parking lot, parking lot. And then they'd flip it. Parking lot, parking • lot. And I actually had one bad crash because they had dump trucks coming out bringing in pavements. And a chunk was in front of me. I didn't see it because one day and I hit it and went • • • flying. Like skin has some hematomas and some.
Did you think it was over, did you. • • • • • • • • •
Think? Yeah, I got some bumpy ones now. I just got up, they fixed that bike and I got another bike and kept • • • • • going.
Did you become friends with any of the rail workers you see all the time? • • •
Oh, construction guys. Every time we go. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Around.
I wasn't looking to look at because I had granny pants on the sunscreen pants. Those leggings. No, I • • don't • • • • had arm coolers with sun sleeves. And I had the leg ones. Oh, my • • goodness. If she knew me, then she would have just shook her head. Oh, why are you wearing that? But my • • • • skin if I didn't wear it.
My skin would • • burn. Florida sun that all year long.
Every • • • • • • • • • • • • day it faded. My clothes. My ponytail actually was blonde by the end of everything. I had a blonde ponytail on the • • • • brain. • • Really? After the • • hammer, my fingers were Brown. And I remember going to a cash register one day and somebody the cashier looked at my hand because it looks like my fingertips were dirty. • • • Yeah.
It was Super • • Tan because you were doing this in Florida so that you got humidity, you got heat. All the other weather we talked about, were you drinking. • • • • • • • • •
Constantly? Yeah.
Hydration is probably I went through a • • • • • • lot. Do you have a hydration pack or bottles?
Bottles. My dad would actually ride out backwards and give me bottles and I keep going. Just like hand offs.
Yeah. And one loop was what, six, 6 miles, 7 miles?
Twenty. • • • • • • •
And what did you do to prevent boredom?
Boredom. I had music in one year and then, uh, my friends would come out and ride and talk and share • • stories.
Did you listen to podcasts or you did?
Okay, yes. Next time you can. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Listen, do this again.
So you're glad that's behind you. What was your feeling like on December thirty 31? You were done?
Um, actually I started May fifteen 15, 2016. Okay. And I the year on the fourteen 14th 2017 of May, and I finished the one 100,000 July 11. Interesting because I started out just going for the year and then when I realized I was at eighty 86, buddy was like, hey man, you only got only fourteen, 14,000 more miles to one 100. And I are you going to be the one that's telling my mom or am I going to be the one? And it's funny because my mom said, oh, we're going to leave it up to your grandmother because she'll probably tell you to spot. She's like, oh, no, do it. And my mom was like. • • • • • •
Mom, your grandmother told you to do the other fourteen, 14,000 miles. Do you believe we're having this conversation? • • •
Uh, there are so many • • • stories.
I just can't wrap my head around it. So when you got to one 100,000 miles, broke what record?
The one 100,000 set by Tommy Godwin. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
In yeah.
I remember reading something like seventy 77 old record though, and I broke it by seventy 77. That was not planned.
That's cool.
That's five, 500 record.
It's just • • • • • happened. You hold the male and female record for the first person to one 100,000 miles. When that was done.
Did you • • • say finally I snuck out the next day and my dad and I rode fifty 55 miles nowhere • • • • • • knowing we didn't tell anybody. After I finished, I said, dad, I got to get a ride, but I kind of weaned down. I went to one 100 and down like seventy 70. And the most I do is three, 3 hours.
Okay. I ride one 100 • • • miles. Was it an endorphin fix that you needed or what was it?
I just want to shock my body.
To shock your • • • • • body. Not doing something one day after doing it for three 365 and cut back on food, I did that.
I was actually okay. Not eating that much anymore. Yeah, it got tired, it got • • boring. I know it sounds crazy, but eating that much food every day.
Yeah, it got old. How many calories were you trying to put in every day? Seven and nine, 9000. Seventy 79. A lot of pasta, a lot of bread.
I don't want pasta rice anymore. Okay. She said, you got to have some • • • • • • • • • • pasta. I like • • • • • potatoes. I love vegetables. Lean • • • meats. Correct. We could tear that up.
Okay.
All • • • • • • • • right.
All this left is what's left? What's next for you? So you're going to try to • • • • • gravel. You're going to keep focusing on the time trial and you want a couple of big time trials. Is that next for you?
Always trying to focus on getting trying to because that's always been my • • • first race against the clock. Just you get to the clock. • • •
Right. Uh, so what are you going to do? How are you going to train? What are you going to do with Nicola and team Twenty 2024?
Are you going to go keep pushing my comfort zone? Got to keep pushing past my comfort zone and go for some more ultra • records and gravel. So there's a lot of different things I can do. I just got Hone in on the specifics.
Okay. And were you on Swift last night? Yeah.
What's that all • • • about? Every week since July two, 2019, Blue Ridge Two 2024 had a Thursday morning at nine. 09:00, where we average about two Watts per kilo on wattopia's TikTok course, which is two laps. And everybody can come and socialize with me and Nicole and other ladies on the team. We have special guests • • • sometimes just chit chat and learn more about the team and share everybody and motivate everybody. It's a great way to start Thursdays.
Yeah. Okay. So you were doing that every Thursday? Every Thursday.
We did that yesterday at BBR headquarters.
Cool. • • •
Yeah.
I think I saw a Facebook post.
Yeah, I saw some posts on, uh, it. That's very cool.
Right. And you also have an Instagram post. Yes. • • • • Okay. Can anybody follow you on Instagram or is that invitation. • • • • • • • • • •
Yes, that in Facebook and Strava.
So tell us where to find you on all those.
Uh, social media platforms. Facebook is Facebook.
Comgoamedacoker.
Uh, and my website is gomanacooker, gomanacooker.com. And Instagram is at • • • Amanda two Underscores and Coker.
Okay.
We'll put all • • • those if you can. You should follow Amanda and see what she's doing, see what she's up • • to. Thanks for listening to her. Amazing story. I also want to say thank you to Ricky and Donna.
No kidding, right?
Yeah.
Thank you, • • • mom and. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Grandma. This is only a couple of interviews in for us on this podcast, and it was, uh, an absolute joy to to able be talk to you and learn about your whole story. It's super cool.
Thank you. I hope to come back with more achievements to talk.
Please do. • • • • • • • • Yeah. You and Nichola both have been phenomenal, and we really appreciate taking the time.
And we wish you I hope you just crushed the, uh, field in this gravel event that you're going to do.
We'll see about • • • • • that. Thanks, Amanda.
Thank you. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Uh, before you go.
Just a couple of quick notes.
First of all, thanks for listening to the Rider Up podcast presented by Virginia's Blue Ridge America's East Coast Mountain Biking Capital. If you want to know more about riding your bike in Virginia's Blue Ridge, you should go directly to bikevbr, bikevbr.com, bikevbr.com kinds of information there. All of the many accolades the region has received from many of the bike.
Orgs.
You know, for instance, Virginia's Blue Ridge is an IMBA designated Silver Level Ride Center, and that's very rare in the Eastern half of the United States. Just a couple of us. Also, the League of American Bicyclists designate the region as a bronze level bicycle friendly business. And as you heard, Dan and I say it's also home to team two 2024, the women's team in the United States where top athletes are Olympic hopefuls and record breakers and Meddy have made it to the Olympics and won medals in the past and this is where they call home. The fact is that this region is a fantastic cycling destination for mountain bikes, road bikes and gravel bikes. Just look at the calendar for this year. The Karelian Clinic Ironman seventy 70.3 Blue Ridge Triathlon will be set for early June here in Virginia and Virginia's Blue Ridge. The two 2022 cycling Amateur Road National Championship will be from June twenty 29 to July 2. The Gran Fondo is set for Sunday, October nine 9 and the from Carbons Cove mountain bike race will be Saturday, October sixteen 16 and 17th and part of the Virginia's Blue Ridge Endurance series. So all kinds of great events and I'm just skimming the tops right there links to everything we talked about in the podcast as well as a link to an awesome YouTube video that is just music and beautiful scenery that shows you in about the highest quality. I have seen this side of Hollywood. All the many places to ride here in Virginia's Blue Ridge. For Dan Lucas, I'm John Carlin. Thanks for listening and I hope to see you out there in Virginia's Blue. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
 

Episode 1 | The Rider-Up Podcast gets things rolling

Hosts Dan Lucas and John Carlin barely knew each other when they decided they had enough cycling in common to launch the Rider-Up Podcast.  Strange, because John is mostly a roadie and Dan refuses to ride on the road, preferring to huck down the hardest downhill terrain he can find on his mountain bike.  Dan works in a bike shop.  John, well -- shops at the shop.  But both of them enjoy living and riding in Virginia's Blue Ridge -- America's East Coast Mountain Biking Capital.  In episode 1 listen as Dan and John get to know each other and talk about a few of their adventures.  Dan will tell you why you are probably using the wrong screwdriver and talk about the time he crashed and bashed his teeth in.  (Don't worry -- it's not toooo gory.)  
Dan Lucas and John Carlin recording a Rider-Up Podcast. Left to right: Nichola Cranmer, Dan Lucas John Carlin and Amanda Coker
Show Notes
e-mail Rider-Up Podcast: rideruppod@gmail.com
Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge homepage https://www.VisitVBR.com
Bike VBR https://www.visitroanokeva.com/biking/
Creature from Carvins Cove https://bikeva.com/creature/
Visit VBR Gran Fondo http://www.muddysquirrel.com/gran-fondo.html
Carilion Clinic Ironman 70.3 https://www.ironman.com/im703-virginia-blue-ridge
USA Cycling Championships in Virginia’s Blue Ridge https://usacycling.org/article/roanoke-to-host-2022-usa-cycling-amateur-road-national-championships
Team Twenty24 https://www.teamtwenty24.com/
IMBA Ride Centers https://ride.imba.com/ride/where-to-ride/ride-centers
Roanoke Outside https://www.roanokeoutside.com/
North Mountain https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/7012288/north-mountain-trail
Carvins Cove https://www.roanokeoutside.com/land/carvins-cove-nature-reserve/
John’s Strava Link to School House Trail at Carvins Cove https://www.strava.com/activities/6458090626
SCB Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZo4N0lVPccBkSiuyVh4yg
Park tool JIS screwdriver https://www.parktool.com/product/derailleur-screwdriver-dsd-2
Parkway Brewing Company https://parkwaybrewing.com/
John Carlin Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/10853338
John Carlin’s Bicycle Blog http://carlinthecyclist.com/
John Carlin’s YouTube Biking4Boomers https://youtu.be/DcMBBsIYeXE
 
 
 

Rider-Up Trailer

When there's a rider coming at you on the trail, you yell "Rider Up" to let everyone behind you know to get out of their way!  Now when you hear Rider Up, you'll know it's your favorite bicycling podcast.  Give a quick listen to the trailer to see if Dan and John are talking about what you want to listen to!  Then subscribe and happy riding!