On the show today is Mandy Hansel who recently completed and won the Women’s Fat Bike Division at the Lutzen 69er. The Lutsen 99er is an ultra-marathon mountain biking event in Lutsen, MN. There are 4 distance options, catering to all riding levels and abilities. The course takes cyclists on snowmobile and ski trails, Forest Service roads, and a bit of pavement and single track. The event begins and ends at Lutsen Mountains. Mandy also runs a great non-profit called the Storm Trail Race Series in the Minnesota area. And I want to give Jacquelyn a shout out for becoming the newest Patreon. You can support my podcast at www.Patreon.com/Murphology www.murphologypodcast.com www.lutzen99er.com www.thestormtrs.org

Murphology Podcast

Episode 82: Tackling the Lutzen 69er on a Fat Bike

This week it is all about the Paul Bunyan Trail which stretches from the Crow Wing State Park to Bemidji in Northern Minnesota. www.paulbunyantrail.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 81: Exploring the Paul Bunyan Trail

Rob and Todd are on the show today to talk about their Great Divide Adventure through Montana. In early June these guys loaded up their custom Salsa bikepacking bicycles and headed north to ride a portion of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. They rode 10 days of forest roads, single track and other varieties of terrain which provided them with over 40,000 feet of climb. They were able to ride with some of the racers doing the Tour Divide which is a race from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico. I would consider both of these guys elite athletes who train and race bikes year round, but they made it clear that if people train properly, have the right equipment, the right attitude, and enough time, anyone can tackle this route. You can head over to the Adventure Cycling website for more information about the route and I also found a great website about the race called tourdivide.org. www.murphologypodcast.com www.adventurecycling.org www.tourdivide.org

Episode 80: Riding Montana's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route with Rob and Todd

Today meet Diane who is on to talk about some of her bike adventures utilizing charter services who handle all the prep work, logistics and hauling of her gear. What better way to see beautiful views of the United States by bicycle, without the hassle of planning the who, what, when and where. She hasn’t always been a cyclist, but got into cycling as a way to cross train for cross country ski racing. She is going to tell us about some of the places she has gone with her bike, and also get a bit into her other two sports which are cross country ski racing and racing high performance catamarans. Sounds like a great way to stay fit all year round! www.birkie.com www.pkbelly.com www.bikemaine.com www.cycleadirondacks.com www.ragbrai.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 79: Bicycle Adventure Tours with Fully Supported Services

Today is all about the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. This unpaved crushed limestone rail trail stretches 63 miles through scenic southwest Iowa countryside, starting in Council Bluffs, Iowa and passes through some great communities including Mineola, Silver City, Malvern, Imogene, Shenandoah, Coin and Blanchard. Such a great way to generate tourism for small communities. The website is wabashtrace.org and a yearlong pass is only $20. Daily passes are $2. Most of the trail is lined with a tree canopy and this rail trail included over 70 bridges! On the podcast this week you will hear from a couple of the founders of this privately owned trail, who remain very active in keeping it maintained, and you will also hear from one of the participants in the recent Birds and Bees supported ride I did with the charter service called Pork Belly Ventures. www.murphologypodcast.com www.wabashtrace.org www.pkbelly.com

Episode 78: Exploring the Wabash Trace Nature Trail

Today meet Damien Boley, he is the Race Director for Humphrey’s Gravel Grinder which is a gravel race that starts and ends in Smithville, Missouri and offers multiple distance options, from 25 miles all the way up to 200 miles. I recently went to Smithville to do the 50 mile Humphrey’s Gravel Grinder and had a blast. Damien is an avid cyclist who participates in some pretty cool bike packing events in addition to all kinds of local gravel riding. Along with his day job, and his role as race director, he owns a bike co-op in downtown Smithville, and guess what, he is also the mayor! No wonder the town is so bike friendly. Use code “Murphology” to get 50% off your registration to the next Humphrey’s Gravel Grinder. How cool is that! You can go to bikereg.com for more information. I can’t guarantee you good weather for the race, but if you go to Smithville, I am certain you will have a good time.

Episode 77: The Humphrey's Gravel Grinder with Race Director Damien Boley

Today meet Scott Grow who is the Tour Director for a local bike club in Iowa called Hawkeye Bicycle Association. The HBA has been going strong since 1971 and the organization promotes bicycling safety and advocates bicycle friendly communities, roads and trails, as well as bicyclist rights. Scott is going to get into the ins and outs of group riding when not everyone is at the same speed. It’s great information if you are part of a club, or want to start a bicycle club in your community. If you are local and would like to join or ride with the Hawkeye Bicycle Association, or if you need some inspiration for your own bike club, check out hawkeyebike.org. www.hawkeyebike.org www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 76: The Inside Scoop on Running a Successful Bicycle Club

On the show today is gravel racer Kae Takeshito. Growing up in Japan, Kae always looked at the bicycle as a means of transportation rather than recreation and she didn’t get the gravel racing bug until adulthood. It is obvious she is a quick learner as she continues to embrace and dare I say she enjoys the sufferfest of endurance racing in terrible conditions like rain, cold and mud. On this episode she is going to give highlights of her most recent race, and 1st place win, of the Iowa Wind and Rock which is a 340 mile gravel race. I am so impressed with Kae’s physical and mental capabilities and you can bet I will be keeping an eye on what she does next. www.IowaWindandRock.com is the website if you want to find out more about this race. Also, if you go to Kae Takeshito’s Facebook page you can read her amazing and detailed recap of the event. www.iowawindandrock.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 75: Ultra Endurance Gravel Racing with Kae Takeshito

On the show today we have the Trail Manager for the Mickelson Trail, located in South Dakota, which has been a bucket list trail for me for quite a while. This Rails to Trail crushed limestone trail spans over 100 miles through the heart of the Black Hills. With 4 rock tunnels and over 100 bridges, this trail is open year round to bikers, hikers, and horseback riders. Dana Garry-Reiprich is the Trail Manager for the Mickelson Trail, and is on to tell us more about all that the Mickelson Trail has to offer. To learn more, the website is www.mickelsontrail.com and is loaded with information about the trail itself as well as the communities the trail goes through. Events are listed as well. You can donate to the Mickelson Trail efforts at parkswildlifefoundation.org. www.mickelsontrail.com www.parkswildlifefoundation.org www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 74: Everything You Want to Know About the Mickelson Trail

Today meet Chris Van Roekel, a retired Veteran who is on to talk about off season training. So when RAGBRAI offered a virtual event in 2020, Chris saw this as an opportunity to rediscover his love of cycling. He completed Virtual RAGBRAI and enjoyed those miles so much he just kept on pedaling. What started as a mission to burn 1,000 calories of activity a day turned into something that offered Chris both mental and physical benefits that have paid off in many ways. Chris is shooting for 5,000 miles on the bike this year and by the sounds of it, he is well on his way to his goal. He is so right when he says the more training time you put in, the more capable you are going to be to do things you didn’t realize you could. If you are on Facebook, check out his podcast called Disgruntled Veteran Productions https://soundcloud.com/justgobike/episode-16-mountain-bike-flat-midwest www.rwb.org www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 73: Off Season Training with Veteran Chris Van Roekel

Today meet Tammy from the Pork Belly Ventures. For almost 30 years Tammy and her brother Pete, along with a top notch crew have been providing support to cyclists, supporting them during Iowa's 7 day tour called RAGBRAI along many other Midwest bike rides. Amenities with Pork Belly Ventures are many...from hot showers and bottomless coffee each morning, tent set up and take down, to PHAT trailers which feature a bed and air conditioning. Their support could mean the difference between a complicated, exhausting bike trip and a carefree athletic adventure. Be sure to check out the Pork Belly Ventures website at pkbelly.com for more information on all they offer as well as bike rides they support. And if you are listening to this episode before May of 2021, register to ride the Birds and Bees ride in Council Bluffs and you can ride with me! If you click on the 'Murphology Outfitters' tab on my website, you will find a list of rides I will be on this year. www.pkbelly.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 72: Tammy with Pork Belly Ventures, a Full Service Charter Service for Cyclists

This week meet Henry Gold. Henry tells the frightening story of how he came face to face with an angry elephant while cycling, and lived to tell about it. He is also Founder and Director at TDA Global Cycling, an adventure cycling tour company with some epic bucket list expeditions available. Many years ago Henry had a crazy vision to create Tour d’Afrique. A test of mind, body, and bicycle, it was to be a bicycle race in Africa that takes cyclists north to south, from the pyramids of Giza to Cape Town. This dream became a reality in 2003, when 33 riders saddled up for the 4 month expedition and Tour d’Afrique still exists today as a popular tour, along with many other options for the cycling adventurer. Be sure to go to TDAglobalcycling.com. There is so much information, inspiration and many tour options are available. And consider me available if you need someone to go on one of their tours. :) www.tdaglobalcycling.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 71: Cycling Tour d’Afrique with TDA Global Cycling's Henry Gold

This week I am going to respond to some listener mail. Questions about my sleep set-up, how to get stronger on the bike, first time bikepacking, and tracking miles are on the agenda. Also, I have joined Patreon which is a platform loyal listeners can subscribe to for bonus content. It costs a few bucks per month and helps me keep the podcast going. Of course you can continue to listen for free!! www.patreon.com/murphology www.instagram.com/murphologypodcast

Episode 70: How to Get Stronger on the Bike, Plus More Listener Mail

All right Pork Tornadoes fans, this week Mike Schulte is on the show to talk about his perspective on what it is like to play in a band during RAGBRAI. The Pork Tornadoes is a popular band in the Midwest and cyclists who spend the last week of July each year pedaling across Iowa as part of the longest, largest and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world known as RAGBRAI, have most likely experienced this great band. Mike is the drummer and I can only imagine what it is like to be on stage, playing popular sing-a-long covers to thousands of high energy cyclists. I can tell you first hand that they are such a fun band to experience. And it is pretty cool to hear Mike’s story about getting back into cycling. Look for the Pork Tornadoes on any of the social media sites to find more info as well as contact info to get them to play at your next event. https://linktr.ee/theporktornadoes info@porktornadoes.com https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-confused-breakfast www.ragbrai.com www.murphologypodcast.com

Episode 69: The Pork Tornadoes, a Popular Band for Cyclists

Did you know there is a bicycle themed resort at the base of a mountain in Colorado Springs?? I was lucky enough to spend a weekend at the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort and let me tell you, Torie the owner has it figured out! Torie Giffin, the Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort’s visionary and intrepid leader, has always led with her heart and passion for others. Hospitality is at her core. So, when she decided to create a resort for cyclists there was no question she was going to make it great. During my visit, even though it was colder than normal and there was snow on the ground, the resort was buzzing with energy. 47 bicycle themed rooms on 4 acres of space. Along with bicycle events throughout the year, every Saturday year round Torie leads the Buffalo Lodge bike tribe on a bike ride so I was able to join in on the fun after our interview. She took us through Garden of the Gods and I was in awe the whole ride. www.murphologypodcast.com www.bicycleresort.com http://bicycleresort.com/event/daniels-walk-run-roll-fundraiser-2020/?instance_id=23437 https://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/ https://www.ridetherockies.com/rtr-getaways/gold-rush-gravel/ https://www.pikespeakapex.com/ https://www.lymevents.com/chasing-santa-5k-cycling-15k.html http://www.granfondoguide.com/Events/Index/5357/rampart-rager

Episode 68: The Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort is a Haven for Bicyclists

The podcast about biking experiences from bicyclists who have pedaled to amazing places within the United States. Each week we will get to know new people and explore great destinations to ride your bike. As you listen to the great adventures cyclists share you may wonder, why haven’t I done that yet?

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Murphology Podcast

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