Speaker 1: 1:30

Well, it's time for Road Adventures with Cycling Men of Leisure, the podcast for cyclists who understand that riding is not just about getting to the destination, but the experience along the way. Now here are the original Cycling Men of Leisure Adam and Michael.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Welcome to Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure. As usual, I am Adam and once again I am joined with my good friend all the way from Central Time, kansas, mr Michael Sharp.

Speaker 3: 1:56

Hello Adam, Happy to be here. How are you?

Speaker 2: 1:58

Been pretty good. It's been a while since you and I have been together.

Speaker 3: 2:02

Yes, yeah, we had to record a couple of episodes back to back because you were headed out of town, and so, yeah, now we're getting another recording in.

Speaker 2: 2:12

Yeah, we were celebrating a special birthday for my wife and for her birthday she got the uh Florida virus and I'm not trying to be offensive, but I swear every time we go there it's like we're like an assess pool of everyone else's germs. And so she unfortunately got sick. Uh to the point, we flew home early. Delta said uh yes, mr Baransanski, we know that you're our best customer. And so they. No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 2: 2:39

I called I called the line and said what would you charge me to come home early? And he said well, looks like you had some problems getting out. We're like 15 minutes delayed, big deal. And he's like I think we can use that as an excuse. I can get you out today and I'm, like you know, with the hurricane coming and my wife not feeling well, I'll take it. And so we came home a few days early, but we still had a good time. We had still seven days in Florida it was beautiful, and before all the hurricanes.

Speaker 2: 3:08

And so, on a serious note on behalf of Michael and myself, anyone who is our regular listener, just anyone, anyone, and just we're sorry that you're going through this, michael and myself, anyone who is our regular listener, and and just anyone, anyone and just we're sorry that you're going through this and we're we're thinking about you.

Speaker 3: 3:21

so georgia, north carolina, florida, and then florida is going to get hit the way it's looking like with another one. So if, if they tell you to leave town, just leave town. That's all I'm gonna say. But I will say, though, you, you get this virus, or she gets this virus, or something. Maybe it has something to do with you.

Speaker 2: 3:43

Hang out in a house with a mouse I mean, my other house has mice, but uh, I, uh, I, I don't know, I mean I swear, every time we go there it's like it's always something. But all my employees tell me, like when school starts back up, all the germs start over and over and over. And they say, well, you know, you are going to a place where there's lots of kids. I'm like, yeah, but there's all kinds of adult things to do. So but we had a good time. Good, and got to celebrate a little bit, and then she's on the mend now. Good, we did have a few of our loyal listeners, the Cycling man of Leisure Army, if you will reach out to us, army Militarizing here. Okay, loyal listeners are the cycling man of leisure army.

Speaker 3: 4:38

If you will reach out to us and um militarizing here, okay, how about?

Speaker 2: 4:45

nation. We don't want to hear what he has to say. But, um, we got some people who are loyal and write us, and I'm going to bounce around here a little bit. Our friend, gary Vaughn, wrote us. He was also a brat. We mentioned many people at brat. He happened to write us after you and I had already recorded, and so I wanted to give a shout out to him. Gary, thank you for your wonderful email and we look forward to seeing you at Bragg and maybe something else. So hope that you are well, and so thank you for writing us.

Speaker 3: 5:22

He had a fantastic idea, didn't he?

Speaker 2: 5:24

No different gentleman, oh, different one. Okay, yeah, sorry, I don't want to give the idea away.

Speaker 3: 5:28

I just wanted to thank them.

Speaker 2: 5:29

No, no, we're going to get to that, okay, the gentleman who had an idea is our friend, matt Robinson. Oh, there you go. This is a two-parter because he's got a guest for our reoccurring segment, listener Spotlight, and so I don't want to give that away yet.

Speaker 2: 5:48

But he says also, I have some ideas for the podcast, because every time we end the show we're like hey, if you have an idea, write us. And we're saying it right here, right now if you have an idea, write us. So, um, he says what about a reoccurring segment called encounters with cars? In this, in the same voice model as listener spotlight, you could have people riding with their encounters. Now, after what happened to me yesterday, I was actually riding a ride, a group ride, um, and I swear I almost got breeded by a white f-150 and I gave him I know we said we're gonna keep the show clean I gave him the proverbial bird and, uh, he put on his brakes for a little bit and I thought go ahead, buddy, come on back. But he decided to keep rolling down the road. But it was pretty close. It was almost like that ride that we don't talk about. So, yeah, so, but I like the idea, matt.

Speaker 2: 6:53

I think, that we'll have to get that going. So if you've actually had an encounter with a car that was scary enough or storytelling enough, send us a message. We'd like to hear it, we'd love to. Or if you want to be on the show for a couple seconds and tell it, I mean, we could definitely record you and figure out a night that we could. You could tell the story yourself and, um, we'll find time for that.

Speaker 3: 7:19

so what about it? What about an encounter with an f-16? Does that count? Um that? That now that's another story. I'm just wondering if that would count for that goes back to the listener army.

Speaker 2: 7:31

So, um, paul wade wrote us and he says um, and he was, he was. This is a complimentary, positive message, but you got to read through it first. He says what do you think? It says that you rarely have listeners who write in and say hey, that's my town when you do the listener spotlight. He says I keep waiting for someone to do that, um, and I said and I told him throw in the flag.

Speaker 2: 7:59

I was gonna say it did happen. Actually, uh, our friend ed, um, he, he, uh, he did guess it. But paul says if someone actually guesses it, you guys gotta send them some swag. Um, well, interestingly enough, I think I agree with Paul. I think you agree with Paul Absolutely. And, as a side note, ed recently made a donation to the show. So, ed, thank you very much, thank you. So I am officially asking you, ed, text me your address. We'd like to send you some swag, but but text it in normal speed and not the 1.6 that you listen to our show at. Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, you know, you know, but, yes, uh, he's, uh, he's a 1.6 listener. And I did ask him. I said because you know, I'm, I'm an iphone guy, I can't even grab it on 1.6. And I said how do you listen to it? And he said on android, I guess that you can do it 1.6, so I can do 1.5 with apple podcast, but I can't do 1.6. So, um, we probably sound even better at 1.6 probably um tour to livingston.

Speaker 2: 9:12

I just want to get this out there. Yeah, I uh, how'd that go?

Speaker 2: 9:15

it went well. It went well. The weather was just absolutely gorgeous, little windy, but, um, uh, beautiful day. Normally when I do tour to livingston it's raining, it's cold. I mean, uh, this was great, I was um, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Global warming is a real thing. Um, beautiful day was definitely, um, um, I mean, you would never know, it was in october around here. So a little history on tour to livingston.

Speaker 2: 9:44

Livingston county is the county I live in, um, and for many years united way and rotary club um did this ride to bring, to bring funds in for those two organizations and then after a while people kind of started dying off a little bit.

Speaker 2: 10:04

And then with COVID, and then what happened is the GoLiveCo, which is an advocacy group, took over with Neil Glazebrook, who we did a ride with Shoreline, and so they brought it back this year and it was nice to see they had 100-plus riders and they had a couple things. They had some vendors, and what I mean by vendors is people who are educating people about non-motorized trails in the area and all the advocacy work that they put into it, which may sound simple but such as this big roundabout under a major freeway, and they were able to get a non-motorized path, to make the state of Michigan agree to do that. So they're doing some good stuff. And so we actually asked for a let's Bus, and so we actually sent a bus there and I had one of my employees doing some pr and information, so, um, and then I did 40 miles which, since I haven't been on my bicycle since you and I went up north, um, I thought 40 was good and had a great day, and, um, we got to go out to the GM Proving Grounds.

Speaker 2: 11:16

Oh, that was a good time On the track. It was a good day. Thank you to all of those individuals who put the hard effort into it. I had the easy part. I just showed up and I felt like a politician Shook some people's hands. They said oh, thank you for what you do, I'm like go ahead now, just to clarify there was a let's butts there yeah you did the 40 miles in the let's bus.

Speaker 3: 11:43

Is that what you're saying?

Speaker 2: 11:44

no, I did the 40 miles on my bicycle.

Speaker 3: 11:46

I sent you a picture, so oh okay, there was a bus there just so you sent me a picture, but that could have been picture from any ride I mean well, really, I mean iPhone does date it. I didn't have the date on the picture. Yeah, it is. I'm just making sure, if you look closer, it's there.

Speaker 2: 12:03

I didn't look at the metadata, but okay, it's there. But, yeah, I was sporting Cycling Men of Leisure, the full kit, and so I got a couple compliments because I had wore the tech jersey as well, I mean the uh. Yeah, it was a little chilly in the morning. And then, uh, everyone's like, oh, that's cool, where did you get that? I'm like, well, I actually know where you can get one. So, so, um, definitely definitely a good day. So, um, but yeah, it felt good and I had my computer needed updated and my radar needed updated. So I did all that and um successful ride and definitely had a great day. So, good, good. And I think, with that being said, um, we do have an interview that we're gonna we're gonna play here in a second oh, this is a good one too oh, it is, and fantastic, as a sidebar, I didn't get a chance to tell you this and I'm sorry, yesterday.

Speaker 2: 13:03

I'm riding and you know, I'm down on my aero bars I got my the brim, of course and I look down and I look to my right and I see the word cruise bike and and I look over and I said you like podcasts? And the guy goes yeah, I love podcasts. And I said, well, what if I told you, a week from today, which was yesterday, but a week from today, we are putting on an interview with the CEO of Cruise Bike. And he goes, maria, and I said yes, maria, and so her name is Maria Parker and she is the CEO.

Speaker 2: 13:42

And, truth be told, our friend Matt from Ohio, who gave us a ride at Bragg, gave us her information and so we were able to sit down with her. And so, anyways, the gentleman yesterday. I said yeah, and he said how do I find it? And he knew a lot about her as well, and so at least I could have a normal conversation, because we talked about her sister and the 3000 miles and et cetera. I don't want to give the interview away, but we were definitely going back writing me. And he said, oh, cruise bike gang. And I said all the cruise bike group is going to have their own little thing. And he's like, oh my gosh. So when we stopped he got all the information for the podcast. So sweet, we may have got at least one listener.

Speaker 3: 14:28

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Speaker 2: 14:30

Oh, what did I miss?

Speaker 3: 14:33

What everybody tunes into the show for.

Speaker 2: 14:43

Me talking about the one and only listener spotlight. Look at that.

Speaker 3: 14:45

Well, that's nice. He's got a cool little graphic going on. If you're watching this, yeah, and if you're not watching, you almost forgot, didn't you?

Speaker 2: 14:52

No, I didn't forget. I got it up. I got all my notes on the board here. I'll tell you what. For those of you who don't use Zoom and the whiteboard, you are missing out. I mean I got everything. I mean I used to have all these scratch notes everywhere. I got everything on the screen. It's beautiful.

Speaker 3: 15:17

It's a beautiful thing. He was still going to forget me, so you.

Speaker 2: 15:20

We do have a guess, but I think per usual. Why don't we let you give the clues first and then?

Speaker 3: 15:27

I'll give you the guess. Okay, clues for last episode's listener spotlights are as follows it's named after a fur trader From this town or community. You can see three states. The settlement which became this town was originally created by miners. It was the first settlement in the area and it was there before that area was actually a state. Following the Civil War, the economy flourished based upon transportation and lumber, and this town pioneered, helped pioneer TV reception in the 1950s.

Speaker 2: 16:15

St Louis. No, just kidding, I'm just teasing. I'm just playing with my new toy. So hey look at that. So you know I was excited about the transportation guest, but our friend Matt Robinson has a guest. Okay, and what is?

Speaker 2: 16:35

that one. He says Soda Springs, idaho, is my answer and in a teasing manner he says it wasn't even that hard. He said actually it was pretty tough and I hit my limit on chat GBT questions but as far as I know I could be way off. So Matt Robinson, who also has the idea of encounters with cars, has guessed Soda Springs, idaho.

Speaker 3: 17:03

Easy, huh. Well, I will tell you that you got the first letter of the state correct. That's about it. I would have liked to have known his justifications for Soda Springs, but he's an avid listener.

Speaker 2: 17:27

If you could write us in the next few weeks.

Speaker 3: 17:31

I'm interested on how he came up with soda springs, but this week's listener spotlight town is dubuque, iowa hey, we've been there.

Speaker 3: 17:44

We have been there and uh, basically it was named after julian dubuque, who received permission. He was a fur trader and then he received permission from the spanish government, as well as the local native people, to mine the area. Um, it obviously big into transportation because it's right on the? Uh the river there and uh the whole the town helped pioneer uh tv reception in the 1950s is, if you've ever been to dubuque, um, there's a river on one side and there's big hills on the other and tv reception was horrible, especially back in the 50s and in 1954. Um, they were one of the first communities to have many miles of coaxial cable laid for the purposes of getting cable TV. So Interesting, there you have it.

Speaker 2: 18:45

Well as usual. Thank you, listeners from Dubuque Iowa. Thank you all listeners, but especially this time those from Dubuque. Listeners from Dubuque Iowa. Thank you all listeners, but especially this time those from Dubuque Iowa. Dubuque Iowa Cool. Well, I'm excited about this interview. We've been holding onto this for a little while. We sat down with Maria some time ago and we were able to get her because she was doing something cool which she'll talk about in the interview. So, um, we're gonna play that now and um, where we think we got something really great for you guys.

Speaker 3: 19:16

So this will be a good one.

Speaker 2: 19:18

Looking forward to it all right, here we go. Well, we have a very special guest today. Um, a good friend of ours who we met at brag in georgia, connected us with somebody who he felt that would be a good guest for the show. And, continuing the Cycling Women Leisure of Series shows, I'd like to bring on Maria Parker, who's the CEO of Cruise Bike, which are recumbent bicycles. She's the founder of 3,000 Miles to a Cure, which is a brain cancer research fund. She's a podcast co-host so she's got to be great of Champion Cocoa and the author of Do Tough. Ladies and gentlemen, let me welcome Maria Parker. Maria, thank you for giving us some of your time tonight.

Speaker 4: 19:59

I appreciate it. It's a delight. I read a little bit about you guys and we could just talk all night.

Speaker 2: 20:07

Well, listen, I'm my father says I can suck the oxygen out of the room, so, but well, I just want to personally welcome you to come coming on with us and we talk about all things cyclists. We welcome everybody, whether it's an e-bike, a recumbent Our good friend Scott Garwick got us talking about recumbent bicycles before Scott Garwick got us talking about recumbent bicycles before and and. But you know, we got to meet Matt, our friend from Ohio, who had a cruise bike, and he was very helpful to us on Big Brag 2022. We were trapped in a hotel with our bike boxes and our regular bicycles, if you will. And he says I can help you guys.

Speaker 2: 20:51

And at the time he was just going to give us a ride to the start. And so we got a ride to the start, and then Michael and I were concerned about our bike boxes and we were like they're not getting loaded on the truck and we were a little bit concerned and all of a sudden we said to Matt hey, can we put our bike boxes in your car for the week? And so he turned out to be a wonderful friend and he turned us on to you, but during the time he told us all about what we now know as Cruise Bike, and I'd like to let you talk about that.

Speaker 3: 21:21

He was a huge fan, a huge fan.

Speaker 4: 21:23

Yeah, he still is, he's an amazing friend and customer. He's been with us for a long time.

Speaker 2: 21:29

So what is it about a cruise bike? What makes a cruise bike different?

Speaker 4: 21:34

Well, as you mentioned earlier, it is a recumbent bike, although we're sort of moving to a different term. We're calling them aerocycles. I think recumbent bike has maybe some sort of baggage. I think a lot of people who think about recumbent bikes they think about um, I don't want to offend anybody, but you know aero bellies and and you know engineers and tie dye shirts and you know that sort of that sort of thing.

Speaker 4: 22:02

So, um, but our, our bike is a lot like a road bike. It has a similar drivetrain. It's short. What makes ours a unique unique is that it is front wheel drive. So the pedals which are out in front of you, as they are in all aero cycles or recumbent bikes, actually drive the front wheel, and we're the only ones. Well, there's probably a few others out there, but but cruise bike is the major front wheel drive brand and there's a lot of advantages to front wheel drive. You like, as I already mentioned, it's it's the same basic drive train as a traditional bike. We call them legacy bikes and, um, those are the nice names. We have other names for them but, uh, but it's got.

Speaker 4: 22:53

So you. So you have a short chain. You know you can, you can actually put upper body and, uh, abdominal effort into it, like you can on a legacy bike where you might stand when you're climbing a hill and move the bike from side to side, so, um, but then it has the advantages of comfort, uh, extremely ergonomic. No back, uh, wrist, neck or groin pain, um. So yeah, and it's funny, I, we started the company years ago. It's been, I guess we started in 2016, so we're in 18, I mean 2006, so we're 18 years.

Speaker 4: 23:31

But my husband, I was doing triathlons on a traditional bike and I was begging my husband to ride with me and he was like he's a radiologist, he's like I'm not putting, I'm not, he used to when he was young. But he said I'm not going to ride a traditional bike and you know, and and put all that pressure on my perineum. So he started looking at um, at all kinds of bikes and he found this little weird uh bike out of Australia and he bought one. It was a kit, it was really funky. He bought one and I was like that is the ugliest looking thing I've ever seen. I will never be caught dead on. One famously said that multiple times. And then we started riding together and he was having way much more fun than I was. So I said finally one day I said all right, let me give it a try. And I tried it and pretty much haven't been on a traditional bike since because it was it brought back?

Speaker 4: 24:22

it's when you're sitting up, so you have a different view of the road, and the only way I know how to describe it is like riding a magic carpet. You know you're sitting up, you more, you know, just a different view. It's much. And then, of course, you don't have any of the you know discomfort that we're always, you know, traditional. It's like we're shaking out our wrist. We're, you know, sitting up, stretching our backs and trying to get our neck, you know, in good shape, and you don't have to do any of that on a on specifically not on a cruise bike. So so, yeah, then I got one, and then we bought the company and then I did race across America and the rest is history.

Speaker 2: 24:56

That's cool.

Speaker 3: 24:58

See, here's the problem I have, adam, and it's my problem it's you know, they look really comfortable, right? I have sleeping problems as it is, I'm worried. I'll just be leaning back here.

Speaker 4: 25:10

I have sleeping problems as it is, I'm worried, I'll just be leaning back here, get on a hill cruising down and Michael falls asleep and drives off the side of the road.

Speaker 3: 25:20

Well, that's not happened yet to any of our customers as far as we know. I'm just saying for me that would be an issue, because it would just be so comfortable that I would.

Speaker 4: 25:25

It's funny because a lot of times we're on a big ride like Big Bragg. People will go by and say is that comfortable? And I always think is that comfortable when you're riding? So you know, I think it's what people are really saying when they ask that question is what is that?

Speaker 2: 25:41

What are you?

Speaker 4: 25:42

riding, and you know, is that a bicycle?

Speaker 2: 25:45

Yeah, it's. Anytime something is different than what they're used to, they don't you don't know or question. It's like a tandem. I always say to that person hey, they're not pedaling in the back, which I'm sure is the oldest joke in the world. Yes, we always joke that tandem is either a marriage maker or a divorce maker.

Speaker 4: 26:01

Yeah, yes, People call them divorce-icles. If my husband and I were to ride one, it would certainly be a divorce-icle.

Speaker 2: 26:06

We can really get get through breakfast oh yeah, we love when we do brag or brag, where I, and all of a sudden you're like, stop peddling, do peddle. We always, we always for those who make it. Kudos to you. So, good for you. So, a good friend of the show, good team member of ours, her and her husband have one and they, they love it. They seem to absolutely thrive on it. But, yeah, I'm not sure my wife and I would be able to do that.

Speaker 4: 26:33

So um, one time we were on a I think it was a cycle and C and there was a big group of tandems maybe 20 or 30. And and we got into a uh, a tandem train. That it was amazing. They should, in theory, be faster than any other Because you've got two motors and one bike that's heavier but not as heavy as two bikes. They're amazing, but Jim and I could never do it.

Speaker 2: 27:05

Any works of a tandem cruise bike in the works.

Speaker 4: 27:07

Actually we have one of our customers built for us a back-to-back tandem.

Speaker 2: 27:12

Oh, wow.

Speaker 4: 27:13

Which actually this works well for Jim and I. We love it, it's fun. We will probably never produce it, but it's so. We're not facing each other, but we can talk because our you know and we each and you know and we can each pedal. We each have our own drive train.

Speaker 4: 27:29

Oh, that so, yeah, it's actually really cool because I usually go in the back because the heavier person has to be in the front. Okay, I usually, and you can see it feels really safe because I can see drivers. Yeah, you know, and I'm like, you know, I'm a person, I'm on this bike, be careful. So it feels it feels really safe and yeah, and then we will. We've ridden it for miles and just had long conversations because we're not looking at each other. So, yeah, we won't produce one, but it is fun. I mean, unless we really make it big. If cruise bike really makes a big like track, well, we'll make some.

Speaker 2: 27:59

Sure, sure, you'll. You'll have no choice, because it would be there. So, upon looking at your website, I see you have a few different models and I wanted to make sure we give that some time here. So you have, you have one that is, of course, those who want to go fast, ultra fast one. You have one that's more for all terrain as well, and then you have, you have four models, I think. Is that right?

Speaker 4: 28:22

Sure, yeah, the, the, the sort of the base model which I would call kind of more of a cruiser, is our T50. It's the most affordable it's. It's real easy to learn to ride. It looks a lot like the very first cruise bike ever made. And then the next one up in terms of cost is Q45. It's maybe our most popular bike. It has suspension. Be our most popular bike, it has suspension.

Speaker 4: 28:47

That's the one you refer to as sort of all train and um, yeah, that's probably my. Well, I love them all. I really like the q45. It's we're going to take it next year in the cno and gap because it's perfect for that kind of surface a little bit of. You know they're great for trails, you know it's got, like I said, it's got suspension. I wouldn't take it down a you know steep side of a mountain, but it's it's. It's got, like I said, it's got suspension. I wouldn't take it down a steep side of a mountain but it's a great for multi-surface type riding and it's got an adjustable seat back angle which a lot of people like.

Speaker 4: 29:17

And then the next one up from that is the S40, which is their number refers to basically the seat back angle. So T50 is most upright, but actually the T50 has an adjustable seat back angle. The Q45 after that and then the S40. And the S40 is most like a road bike. The Q45 and the S40 are biggest, are number, you know. One and two, you know, depends each year. It's kind of neck and neck. It's easy to learn to ride. It's very equivalent. When I ride my S40, I'm riding at the same pace as my friends on Legacy Bikes. It's a really social bike.

Speaker 2: 29:54

Okay.

Speaker 4: 29:55

As far as you can be social. You know, as I was coming over here to record this, I passed a huge peloton of about 40 cyclists, you know, and they're all you know. It's hard for a recumbent bike to mix into that. We either have to ride at the front or the back, because people are kind of uncomfortable because we do accelerate and brake a little bit differently.

Speaker 4: 30:18

So I don't you know, I don't blame them, although I've ridden in big Pelotons, but in any case, the S40 is the bike I pick when I'm riding with other legacy cyclists, because it's matched in speed and you know, and it's a little bit more upright. So my head is, you know, up and I can talk more easily. The V20C is our super fast race bike. We claim that it's the fastest road bike in the world and we have set record after record after record on it. I've set records, my husband has set records, Other riders have set records. It's just, it's fast. And it's not fast because we're fast. It's fast because it's extremely aerodynamic and we just can put out less power and go faster. So that's the one that we race all the time. That's you know. That's the one that we have all our records on, Um, that's you know. That's that's the one I'm going to take to a big event, usually, especially if I'm riding with other cruise bikes.

Speaker 2: 31:23

So I was wondering what the numbers were were, I didn't, but now that you talk about the angle of the seat, that makes complete sense. So that was one of the things that Matt said, that how the inertia or energy that he had to put out to maintain some of the rides and in 2022, we had, you know, decent, decent ride. Not a lot of elevation that year, not as not super big peaks, but now 23.

Speaker 2: 31:55

23 man, there was some there was a mountain but um, that's what he was telling us, that, um, and how much enjoyment he got from riding it, and yeah.

Speaker 3: 32:09

So when he gave us your information, we were like, yes, we would love to talk to her um one thing I'm going to say, adam, uh-oh, we had a just to give a kind of a background here. We had an interview with another person two days ago and their episode will be coming out here in a week or two. One of our teammates, and you noticed she also mentioned the C&O and Gap Ride. She did yeah. So I'm thinking this ride keeps coming up and keeps coming up.

Speaker 4: 32:39

that's when we got to put on the list.

Speaker 3: 32:40

That's weird, that it came up in two interviews back to back. So it's.

Speaker 4: 32:42

It's been in my bucket list forever. I mean, I've ridden all over the place, but I have always wanted to do that ride and the q45 is the perfect bike for it. In fact, we're going to take my husband and I, my, my daughter and son-in-law, my two grandchildren on it next year, so looking forward to that.

Speaker 2: 33:00

So one of the things on the website is your husband, I believe, makes a statement that he feels that it's the safest bicycle, and I was just curious if you would. Would you mind touch on? See, I really did do my research, you did touch on. See, I really did do my research, you did.

Speaker 4: 33:21

Could you talk about why that statement is there or why you feel that Sure? Well, you know, we didn't think a lot about it initially, but then we had a customer get back to us after he'd had a T-bone somebody had pulled out in front of him and he he T-boned it and he had broken both of his ankles. But he said I feel like if I had been on a traditional bike my head would have hit, I would have been dead. And so we started thinking about that and thinking, you know, that's that our body position probably is safer. We never go, that our body position probably is safer. We never go.

Speaker 4: 33:55

And like all of our legacy friends, our friends who ride legacy bicycles, have broken their collarbone at some time or another. Many, many cyclists have done that. Because when you go over the handlebars which you usually do because your head is forward and your body weight is forward you break, you often break your collarbone. So we don't. We don't have those kinds of falls on a cruise bike. Our body weight is low and centered between the wheels, and so it's not that I don't wreck. I have wrecked many times, but it's always a slide out and you know, I ended up scraping my hip or something. So you know, we, we have a good view of the road. You know, I think mostly just we have a good view of the road. You know, I think mostly just.

Speaker 4: 34:40

I remember I got back on a traditional bike after many years on the cruise bike, because I wanted to do a triathlon and USA triathlon doesn't allow recumbent bikes, and so I borrowed my friend's bike and I remember thinking, oh, yeah, this I forgot how high and forward my body weight is that it felt, you know, tippy high and forward my body weight is that it felt, you know, tippy. So, um, yeah, we, we really, you know we, we'd love to do some real testing, but we, we, you know, we have had, we've sold many bicycles and our bicycles, people really ride them a lot. It's not, you know, it's not something you stick in your garage because it's comfortable, and so you know we, we haven't, we haven't lost people in bicycle accidents. Um, not to say that it can't happen or wouldn't happen, but um, but you know you don't, you just don't go over the handlebars, and I think that's the most dangerous part of a of a traditional bike wreck.

Speaker 2: 35:29

You know it's funny. You say that because, um, while Michael and I are definitely not racers well, michael, I won't speak for you. I'm not a racer, but I, I knew he wasn't, but I was trying to be but we both do ride with aero bars, but the aero bars are more for comfort of being able to lay down on long periods of long stretches changing positions.

Speaker 2: 35:50

That's what you're talking about which is you know of, of you know becoming complacent, lying in the prone position or whatever you want to say up front, just laying down while you're pedaling for a long period of time. And then, of course, if a car pulled out in front of you quickly at a T-bone, I feel like I would be sliding across the, sliding across the roof, so I could. I really appreciate you explaining that. I was wondering what statement was for and I appreciate you telling us about that. Something I'm curious about is the 3,000 miles to a cure. Would you mind the touch on that?

Speaker 4: 36:35

a passion project. Well, actually, cruise Bike's kind of a passion project too. It started as a hobby business and now it's. You know it's a real business, but it's. We do it because we absolutely love it. But 3,000 Miles to a Cure started when my sister, jenny, was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, gbm, which is a kind of brain cancer that's very serious. This happened. She was diagnosed in 2012. And she was.

Speaker 4: 37:03

I come from a family of six. She was 10 months older than I am and we were best friends and we had kids the same ages and she, I mean, she was just my heart and soul and she was 50 something 51 when she was diagnosed, with five children, some still young. And I was just so angry because I remember, you know, my husband is a physician and we looked, we quickly got into all the research and there was all this research that was being done in mouse models and there and there wasn't the money to bring it to human clinical trials and I knew that Jenny would probably not survive. But I decided that I was going to raise a million dollars. Just a rash. I was 49 years old, so she was 50. I'm going to raise a million dollars for brain cancer research and in my sort of grief I was delusional about A a million dollars isn't that much in research world and B a million dollars is a lot when you're trying to raise it. But I decided to.

Speaker 4: 38:11

I was riding the bike the V20 at the time and racing a lot and setting records, and my husband had been trying to get me to do Race Across America, which is a race that starts in San Diego and ends in Annapolis, and it's a I don't know if your listeners are familiar with it, but it's a one-stage race. So basically the gun goes off in San Diego and the first person to Annapolis wins. And it's famous in the ultra-cycling world, which we're very much involved in, because ultra-cycling welcomes recumbent bikes and so we're always doing these 12 and 24-hour races because they let us in, they have divisions for us, whereas the traditional USA cycling is not welcoming to recumbents, and so in the ultra cycling world it's just kind of. Everybody knows about it and it's also, I think Outdoor Magazine said it was the world's toughest race. Wow, Because basically you don't sleep much, you just pedal and pedal and pedal and pedal over all those mountain ranges, and so Jim had wanted me to do Race Across America and all of a sudden, I had this just grief and frustration, and I said I want to do it, I'm going to raise some money.

Speaker 4: 39:24

So we started 3,000 Miles to a Cure. That's why it has that name 3,000 Miles to a Cure because it's a 3,000 mile race and I did it in 2013. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was truly, you know, just really really tough. Probably not as hard as brain cancer, but really really hard. We had a, we had an accident. Our follow vehicle was was destroyed early in the race and we came back we kind of were early in the race and we came back.

Speaker 4: 39:57

We kind of were out of the race. Then we came back. There's a movie about it called Hope that's on our 3,000 Miles to a Cure website but in the end I won. I was the first female finisher, Took 11 days I don't like the audio stuff so that was in 2013. And we raised something like $70,000 for brain cancer research, which is just a drop in the bucket. So I was just after that. Jenny was getting sicker and I was spending more time with her. We had other people do Race Across America for 3,000 Miles to a Cure. She died in 2014, in June, June 19th, 2014. And so it's been 10 years. I'm sorry, yeah, I miss her every day and I was just like I got to make some meaning out of this stupid, senseless loss, of this amazing. I mean, we were going to. We always talked about, you know, being in the nursing home together when our husbands were dead. We were definitely planning on growing old together.

Speaker 2: 41:01

So it's a cruise bikes down the hall.

Speaker 4: 41:06

I don't know about Jenny, she's too nice but I probably wouldn't. But yeah, so and since then then we've been continuing to raise money for brain cancer research. Our, our biggest fundraiser now is is called Crossing the Canyon. We go across the Grand Canyon every year. In fact, we're going a week from Monday. We're going to be crossing the Grand Canyon. This year we usually have 25 or 30 people that go with us.

Speaker 4: 41:34

We do it in a day. We stay in the North Rim and then get up early in the morning and we hike down the North Rim, across the Grand Canyon up to the South Rim. It's about a 26-mile hike, just tons and tons of elevation. It's a really, really challenging hike to do in a day, but it's a great fundraiser and lots of times people who do it have been impacted by brain cancer a great fundraiser and lots of times people who do it have been impacted by brain cancer. It's extremely beautiful and healing to go through the Grand Canyon and with other people who have sort of had that loss, and we have a lot of people come back year after year, some people who have lost family to other diseases, just because it's so. It's so incredibly healing. So we're doing that.

Speaker 4: 42:12

And then I the book that you mentioned I wrote called Do Tough, is actually about my sister and about doing Race Across America and it's it's, it's. All of the proceeds the sales of the book go to raising money for brain to brain cancer research, every every penny. And I would say it's it's about I kind of tell stories about Jenny and stories about Ram and it's really like how do you get through something that's hard that you didn't choose, unchosen suffering, like what Jenny was doing. And then how do you do something hard that you did choose, like a lot of athletes do, hard things like race across America, and it's just, you know, I think it's, it's pretty good, it's not it's not you.

Speaker 2: 43:02

can we have a decent listenership that like your support? Where would someone find that book Is?

Speaker 4: 43:08

that on Amazon? It is on Amazon. Yes, it's called by Maria Parker.

Speaker 2: 43:13

Okay, and what?

Speaker 3: 43:14

we're also going to do is I'm going to also drop your 3,000 Miles to a Cure website. Oh, thank you. It'll be in the notes of this show and I'll drop it on our website as well. So if people want to go check that out, we're going to urge them to do so.

Speaker 4: 43:29

Yeah, thanks, yeah, so it doesn't everything. I'm an athlete, I have an athlete's mindset. I I like to do hard things. I'm my, my father's, my, my dad's 94 and still alive and doing well. I'm my father's daughter, for sure, but it it doesn't. You know, the book isn't about, just like I said, about doing hard things because you chose them. But it's like you know we all.

Speaker 4: 44:00

Nobody gets through life without suffering. You know some of it's, some of it's. You know some of it's planned. You know some of it. You know about some of it, you don't. So it's, you know it's. And I think one of the things that I look at and I have four adult children and now nine grandchildren, and I think one of the things we've kind of gotten away from in our culture is like, what do you do when something hard happens? You know a lot of people don't really know. I mean, we have such a good life, we have such a soft life in a lot of ways, that when something comes along that's unexpected or difficult emotionally, physically, you know, people don't really know. And I would maintain and I don't know if you guys would agree with this, but I would maintain that a little suffering is good that it makes you know that it teaches us something. Teaches us about ourselves and about life, and so the book's about that Absolutely?

Speaker 2: 44:46

Yeah, I would agree. I mean such as why this is really selfish. But like things like brag and rag bride doing things like that where you sign up for it, you know you choose to pay the money, right, but the accomplishment feeling sometimes in the middle of those rides I'm like what?

Speaker 4: 45:01

Why did I do this?

Speaker 2: 45:05

Yeah, exactly. But then again, you're absolutely right, even when it comes to things that are non well, it's fun for me, I'm not sure someone. Although we always laugh when you sign up for like a ride, they're like, okay, we need your id. Like who the heck would sign up for this if they really wanted to? So who would be?

Speaker 4: 45:19

like yep, I'm adam I'm covering for somebody else, you're right.

Speaker 2: 45:26

Sometimes things happen at work where you never expected it or wanted it, or sometimes things come up in life and obviously with your sister, and and how do we get through that? So no, no, I think that's great, I think that's. I'm actually interested. Now the Grand Canyon Walk. We happen to know this is coming out early October and you're already going to be done with the ride. If we had the link, would it still be helpful for the listeners.

Speaker 4: 45:50

Oh yeah, yeah, People can donate anytime.

Speaker 2: 45:52

Okay, I'll tell you what when we're done. If you don't mind to email me the actual link, we'll get that put on as well.

Speaker 4: 45:58

Absolutely. Thank you. I really appreciate that. No, absolutely that her stupid, shitty, sorry, bad death. You know, you know just this bad thing. You know that that we're going to try to make some good out of it. And I think when one of the great tips on when you do, you know lots of times, lots of times things come quickly like you're doing your life and you turn the corner and something you know bad happens. You know it's sudden and and and it's. It's good to remember in those moments that you can. It's somewhere along the line you're going to. You can choose to make good out of it in your own family, in your life, in your mind or for the world. And so I I hope that the fundraising that we're doing for brain cancer research is going to make a difference, even though it's still just a drop in the world. And so I hope that the fundraising that we're doing for brain cancer research is going to make a difference, even though it's still just a drop in the bucket and it's also just a great memorial to my sister.

Speaker 2: 47:03

Absolutely. I respect that and even though you know, I completely understand what you mean by when you say drop in the bucket, but think about those buckets start to add up. So, without your efforts, um, it could be even more in the rear. So, hopefully, um, it advances. Uh, it's amazing how you know you'd think in 2024 the technology that we have medically would, you know, be so far advanced and we keep it's getting there yeah we're close, we're close.

Speaker 2: 47:31

Yeah, you know. You always see movies where, like the oh, they show the hologram, like, oh, his arm's broken. We could just know, meld it with this. You know, which would be fantastic if they could hurry up and figure that huge breakthrough, like right now there's been a huge breakthrough in skin cancer.

Speaker 4: 47:57

People still die of skin cancer but there's been just the immunotherapy is just like it's turned the corner. Think about leukemia and lymphoma, like when I was a little girl, our friend, my friend, I had a friend who died from it. Kids don't die from that anymore Thanks to the leukemia and lymphoma fundraising. And same thing with breast cancer my husband's a mammographer and thanks to the people, many, many, many, many people who've been out there raising money um for, for breast cancer. You know we have a whole month now dedicated to breast cancer.

Speaker 4: 48:38

You know it's not a death sentence. Many of my friends will get breast cancer, including my sister, but they won't die from it. So you know there's it's, it's, there's a lot of hope. And you know, I would also say I think we tend to be I've noticed this. I've talked to groups about, you know, raising money for brain cancer research and other things, and I think we tend to be cynical. You know we like, ah, it's hard and this, my five bucks, isn't going to do anything. But I think we have a soft side of it.

Speaker 4: 49:06

Like if you're moved, whatever, I always really try to live this way myself. If somebody asks me for something or if I'm moved by a story, I try not to let the cynical side of myself say this isn't going to do it or this isn't going to mean it. I try to just give and I encourage people give, do work. It's like, if you're moved, don't listen to the cynicism that says this isn't going to do any good. My little things, the dollar that I drop in the homeless guy's cup is not going to make a difference. If you're moved to do it, do it. Listen to the grace moment in your head.

Speaker 2: 49:37

I didn't have this written down, but can I ask you a question Did that change for you after your sister's diagnosis, or were you always that way?

Speaker 4: 49:48

No, definitely after Jenny, I was well, I was, you know, I guess before Jenny was diagnosed, I was just living my life.

Speaker 4: 49:56

I really wasn't thinking about anybody but me and her. But actually, though, jenny's sickness and also the act of creating a nonprofit and trying to fundraise yeah, and a lot of people are out there trying to fundraise and people are constantly asking you for money on Facebook oh my God, if I know them and I, like I said, if my heart is moved, like lots of times I just go right by it, but a lot of times I give to so many MS rides, so many, and I feel like that's making a difference and we can't let our we just can't, like I said, let our cynicism keep us from doing the little bit of good, because it's all the people who donated to our campaigns, right, and it's not been one person, people who donated to our campaigns, and it's not been one person. There's been I don't know how many thousands and thousands of people have donated over these last 10 years or 12 years, and together we're going to give a million dollars for brain cancer research. So give, give if you're asked, give if you're moved.

Speaker 2: 51:02

Now you seem like a very respectable person, but I do have a little bit of a recommendation. Between now and November I would put your cell phone down, because both parties are going to ask for more and more money. I'm just kidding, I'm sorry she said she has to feel moved.

Speaker 4: 51:21

So you know there's a caveat in there, I swear.

Speaker 2: 51:23

Every day I pick up my phone I'm like, OK, I get it, and that's the problem with the election season, and you know it comes out of the woodworks. And then afterwards you're like, oh, I got a couple of years before this starts again.

Speaker 3: 51:44

Well, politics is something else, yeah, and we don't talk about that on this show. So, um, really different show. But I want to. I want to switch up our topics a little bit because, um, you are a fellow podcaster, yes and uh, adam, and I checked into it and listened to it and I was a little surprised when I looked at it. It's called the champions mojo for master swimmers, right? So tell me about that, because you're a cyclist and you're on a podcast for swimming. Explain how that worked out?

Speaker 4: 52:12

That's a great question. So my husband's sister, Kelly Pallas, who's my co-host, is the most amazing person you'll ever meet. Today's her birthday. I'm going to send her this podcast so she can hear me saying these things about her. I love her so much.

Speaker 3: 52:28

Happy birthday, kelly. Happy birthday, happy birthday.

Speaker 4: 52:31

So she's been well. She's my sister, you know, sister, lost sister, and she is the reason that I am in sports, because when I first married her baby brother, I was 22 years old and I was kind of a chubby little. I mean, I just was not an athlete for sure. I call myself a born again athlete because I didn't, you know, she encouraged me to start running. She encouraged me to start doing things and I remember one time I, you know, I had been running for several years and she got me to do this, my first 5k. I write about this in the book and I, I went out way too fast and I almost had an accident. I mean, it was just, it was just so funny. But she just kept encouraging me over the years to do sports. And then, uh, at one point she said I said, well, I'm not really an athlete, and at this point I'd been running, you know, I'd run a marathon. She said, just, stop saying that, maria, you are an athlete. And I started thinking of myself that way. So she's been sort of my coach, my mentor, my friend, and so she decided she wanted to do a podcast about well, it was really.

Speaker 4: 53:42

It didn't start out about swimming. It started out just talking to people who were, you know, just doing amazing things. You know, champions basically. But she was and is an amazing swimmer. She was a coach, she was an Olympic trials qualifier, she was a division one coach and she is now a world record holding master swimmer. So she's been a swimmer her whole life. So we ended up talking to these amazing swimmers and coaches and Olympians and it became clear that master swimming was a really good niche for us. So we started talking about and to master swimmers.

Speaker 4: 54:20

Now I swim and now there's a. There's an organization that allows recumbent bikes called California Triathlon, caltri, and so I have been swimming so that I can participate in these triathlons. But I am nowhere near I mean nowhere near the speed or quality of a swimmer, but I like swimming, I'm interested in swimming, but mostly I'm just interested in the mindset of people who get up every day and go to a pool and put their head down and swim yards and yards and yards and who compete. The thing about master swimming that's really amazing is you can do it your whole life. Like there are 90, lots of 90 year olds doing master swimming events. So these people are amazing and they're smart and they're inspirational.

Speaker 4: 55:12

So once it moved towards master swimming, it's like you know, I'll do some swimming. I'm probably never going to put right, not never, but at this point in my life. I'm more serious about my cycling, but I love talking about it. So that's how I got to be the co-host of a master swimming podcast and also we sort of manifested this. Kelly and I love talking to each other, but we live in different places and we're like we're going to try to talk once a week and we just wouldn't. And then, once we started the podcast, now we're talking once a week about the things we're really interested in, which is you know, how do you succeed in life, how do you be a nice person? How do you? You know, how do you do what you can to live the best life that you can?

Speaker 3: 55:50

Well, that's funny because Adam and I don't live anywhere near each other. We're nine hours apart. I'm in Kansas.

Speaker 2: 55:56

City. He's right outside of Detroit. We're not going to hold that against him.

Speaker 3: 56:02

So this gives us an opportunity to talk too Exactly. To go back, just in case you still have any doubts that you're not an athlete, I looked up some of your records. You are a world's record holder in 24-hour road racing. 12-hour road racing. Listen to this Adam 200-mile road racing. Listen to this Adam 200 mile road race. She went like 21 and a half miles an hour for 200 miles.

Speaker 2: 56:30

Average 21 miles an hour.

Speaker 3: 56:32

Yeah 21.54 to be exact.

Speaker 2: 56:35

If you say yes, I'm getting out my credit card. That's the bike.

Speaker 3: 56:40

So you know, I mean, there's no doubt you're, you're definitely an athlete.

Speaker 4: 56:45

So yeah, well, I'm a, I'm one of these, I'm at the endurance mindset I like. I like to just sort of put my head down. And my husband, on the other hand, he's a sprinter and he just, you know, I always laugh when we ride together. He goes ahead, I catch up, he goes ahead, I catch up, he goes ahead, I catch up, he goes. Hey, cause he? Because he pedals and coasts. I never coast, we always laugh Like.

Speaker 4: 57:07

I don't coast, I always pedal and he just goes really, really hard and then he goes. So it's, you know, it's just a different kind of thing. I it's. It's hard for me to think of myself as well. It was hard for me to think of myself as an athlete. Now I know, you know that I am because I, I'm disciplined and I put the time in and and I don't mind suffering a little bit. Do you want to tell you I'll go?

Speaker 3: 57:34

ahead I take advantage of the coast Anytime I can get it. Mother nature wants to. Let me use gravity.

Speaker 4: 57:38

I'm all in. So that's how Jim is too.

Speaker 2: 57:41

So, maria, you may not know this, but I recently lost about 87 pounds. I also enjoyed it. Thank you so much. I used to enjoy the coast too Downhill, Not so much the uphill. I never liked going uphill.

Speaker 4: 57:53

Yeah, you kind of lose that when you lose that weight you're not going as fast downhill.

Speaker 2: 57:57

Oh yeah, because sometimes I'd be like okay, see you at the bottom and then like, okay, see you at the bottom and then they watch people pass me like I'll catch you at the top.

Speaker 2: 58:06

And now he's like I'll see you at the top and I'll be like, oh crud, I've got to really like kick it in here so when we do those long distance things like brag or rag, where I, if we get separated, we have a, just an agreement. One of us will just get so far down the road and we'll just stop, we'll pull over. I mean, there's nothing, there's no reason to race through and get to camp at early just to just to set up camp and stare at each other.

Speaker 4: 58:29

So we that's so true. You know, when we do that I am always telling people we need to do. When we do these events, I'm not racing, I'm just, you know, having fun and stopping and stop at every rest stop eat all the food, you know, see everything, Cause that's that's the point of it.

Speaker 4: 58:44

I do race, and that's a different thing, but I love I was just. It's funny that we've been talking about this, because today I was talking to Jim like, hi, I want to do more touring, I want to do less racing. I just really love especially these kinds of events where you all met and became friends. Yeah, it's so fun to gather with a bunch of other people and everybody at the end of the night. When they get to, you know, after the 55 or 16 miles, they're high, they're happy, you know, they're relaxed, they come out of their the shower truck, they're feeling great. It's just it's, it's a rolling party. It's just. If people have never experienced a multi-day cycling tour, you guys are missing out.

Speaker 4: 59:23

I know I'm probably preaching to the choir with your listenership.

Speaker 2: 59:27

Most of our listeners have have done it or are considering it, I think. I think we pick up organic listeners, who, who might not have had the chance yet. But you know, we talk about it a lot and for us I think it's the same thing. It's like the high of being multi day and going, of being multi-day and going. I recently told Michael that doing a century for me parking at a parking lot and doing a loop and coming back to the same parking lot, is nowhere near enjoyable as starting from town A and finishing in town B Definitely much more enjoyable. Like, yeah, I went, you know, in my most jagged way, but I went from A to B.

Speaker 4: 1:00:07

Absolutely. And if food is involved, if beer is involved, if coffee is involved, all the better.

Speaker 3: 1:00:16

We're throwing a little bourbon too.

Speaker 4: 1:00:17

Bourbon, bourbon cigars.

Speaker 2: 1:00:21

Yeah, that's our thing. A lot of people go and people who don't know us. They'll say you guys go out and pedal 100 miles and have a cigar. Yep, like, doesn't that hurt your cycling? I'm like, well, I'm not inhaling. And I'm just you know, I'm sure it's not the healthiest, but everyone has some sort of vice.

Speaker 3: 1:00:35

Yeah, yeah, Go ahead. You know, if that is going to hurt me by you know five minutes, I really don't think that's a big deal because I'm not racing.

Speaker 4: 1:00:46

So if it slows me down, a little bit, it's okay.

Speaker 4: 1:00:49

And, and the, the. I love the little towns that we go through and the people that you meet, and and I'm, I'm. I wouldn't call myself a foodie because my tastes aren't that sophisticated, but I love to eat and I love to try new foods. So these multi-day events, you know, they allow you to try different things and you're cycling all day so you can eat whatever you want. You don't have to be disciplined at all, which and like, if I'm doing a cycling, a multi-day cycling events, ice cream every night, every night.

Speaker 2: 1:01:18

That was a nice thing about Bragg, where they had those. Italian ices on the last rest stop. I'm like man, I miss Mood Dog Cafe right now. I would love to see those guys.

Speaker 4: 1:01:30

They were great. They were great and we were up in Michigan.

Speaker 3: 1:01:33

I mean, I think the lady just had memorized my credit card number at the DQ. We were literally, especially the layover night. We were at DQ like three times in those two days. So oh yeah, a lot of ice cream.

Speaker 2: 1:01:45

I started the week being a good boy and I said I'm going to have a small, I'm going to have a small. And then one night we had a layover night and I'm like I'm going for the medium, which doesn't really give a deal. But you know, I've worked so hard to lose the weight but I'm having a medium. And I got home and I thought, okay, you know you're pedaling and moving so much. So, like you had a big tent and you were doing promotion, do you do a normal week-long ride a year? Is that something that you know? You put that out there, yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:02:36

Well, we were doing. You know it can be lonely I'm speaking to all your recumbent riders out there it can be lonely being on a recumbent. You know you're not, you know you're like the odd kid on the block. You, you feel like a cyclist. But other cyclists, you know just, they're usually polite and curious, but sometimes they're rude. And so we started having these we call them ride retreats, where we get as many customers as we could. We had one in Oregon and we've had, um, we've had. We had one in Indiana, we've had, we have them kind of all over the place in North Carolina. And then we decided why are we organizing these things? Because there's all these wonderful organized rides all over the country.

Speaker 4: 1:03:19

You know why don't we just glom onto one of them so?

Speaker 2: 1:03:23

we started.

Speaker 4: 1:03:24

I think um, um, uh, big Big Brag was maybe our first big ride together and we had a ball. We put up our tent just as a place to hang out, but it makes our customers. I don't know how many we had there, maybe 20, maybe 30.

Speaker 2: 1:03:40

You had a big group. I remember you had a big group.

Speaker 4: 1:03:43

And for the very first time for many of our customers, we were the cool kids, like we had a community. And I'm telling you it's, it is hard to be the nerdy kid riding the weird bike. You know, I've been doing it for 20 years now and it's, it's, it's. You know, I like to fit in just as much as the next person does. I'm not willing to to ride a traditional bike, but I, you know so.

Speaker 4: 1:04:06

So we had these events and and Big Brag was super fun. Everybody came and gathered and um at the tent every night and we talked, you know, about our bikes and we bring our. Uh, robert Holler is a part owner of our company and also our chief mechanic and you know, he kind of helps people work on their bikes and, uh, it's just super fun. And and Big Brag treated us so well. It was, you know, he kind of helps people work on their bikes and it's just super fun. And Big Brag treated us so well. It was, you know. They said please come back. But then the next year, just out of convenience for my husband and I, we went to one in Florida I forget what it's called.

Speaker 2: 1:04:39

Safari.

Speaker 4: 1:04:40

Bicycle Safari. Yeah, and that was amazing because we didn't. You know, we just camped in one place, so there was, in some ways it was a lot easier. We did that for two years, but we're doing next year. I've always wanted to do RAGBRAI, never done it. So next year Cruise Bike is doing RAGBRAI and I've got to get into the logistics of how we're going to do it and maybe you guys have done it a lot.

Speaker 2: 1:05:04

I assume we could definitely help you. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:05:06

We've done it many years.

Speaker 2: 1:05:08

Michael's done it six times, I've done it five, so we would definitely extend courtesy of just giving some opinions such as charter versus non-charter.

Speaker 2: 1:05:17

you know, especially like if you have the cruise bike community, it all agrees on one charter. I think you guys would be able to stick together and have that bonding time again. And I can certainly understand what you mean, Because Cycling Men of Leisure and Cycling Women of Leisure is just an idea of a club. It's a mindset of being good stewards of good people and doing the right thing and treating people the right way, which made me kind of chuckle when you were saying that people don't treat recumbent riders in a respectful manner. If you belong to the social media part of RAGBRAI, I'll tell you what they really slam on e-bikers out there.

Speaker 4: 1:05:59

So I think you'd be one step ahead of the e-bike.

Speaker 2: 1:06:00

I don't understand that, Do you?

Speaker 4: 1:06:01

I mean you want to ride an e-bike? Go ahead. That's your prerogative.

Speaker 2: 1:06:04

Exactly.

Speaker 3: 1:06:05

I mean I just, that's what we've often said. We did an episode on e-bikes. You know that there's differences in them and they're not you know, pedal assist and all this, and we broke that down, but it really came up that you know what? It's a way for people Not everybody, but it's a way for a lot of people to get the opportunity to go out there, enjoy the outdoors, enjoy the community and be able to ride, who otherwise may not be able to due to you know, absolutely, that's what I'm saying there's other people just riding them for the heck of it, and that's fine too.

Speaker 3: 1:06:40

I mean, you know, we don't, all you know, drive Fords or Chevys or whatever. Yeah, I do not understand the you know drive Fords or Chevys or whatever.

Speaker 4: 1:06:45

So, yeah, yeah, I do. I do not understand the. You know, I actually do understand it. And I'm going to take a little side trip here, because one of the things that we've learned as we've come along the road and producing cruise bikes is that the traditional cycling community is extremely conservative I mean extremely. And they don't, you know, they don't like change. One time my husband well, I won't tell this story because it's so negative, but they don't like change.

Speaker 4: 1:07:24

And you guys have heard about the rules, rule number five you know, you know that kind of stuff is just that's keeping women and other people out of cycling you know, and and I know I walk into most bike shops and I feel bad, I do not feel seen, and I think a lot of women feel this way it's a, it's hard, it's, it's, you know, it's get. You know bicycles are gadgety and you know they're fidgety, and you know, and there's all you know. I mean now I know all the terminology cause I own a bicycle company, but before I didn't you know bottom bracket, what the heck's a bottom bracket? You know. It's a bearing. No, just kidding. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:08:02

So, I guess my point is you know we need to be a bigger tent and we really we need to help people feel accepted in the cycling community, no matter what. I mean. They're three wheels, four wheels, electric. You know I can understand people not wanting a gasoline powered. You know a bike making a lot of noise nearby, but an electric bike. You know a bike making a lot of noise nearby, but an electric bike. You know who who cares? I, I just and, and, and I think that comes it. Just it's because the traditional cycling community is extremely conservative and it's starting to break open a little bit.

Speaker 4: 1:08:37

I think e-bikes has been the best thing that ever happened to the cycling community because, as you said. So take a guy who likes to cycle and he's he'd love to cycle with his significant other, but she can't keep up with him and she gets a bike with a little pedal assist. All of a sudden they're having a great time every weekend riding together and she doesn't have to be scared that she can't get up that hill and so, yeah, bring them in whatever.

Speaker 2: 1:09:03

Only because you mentioned this company. I would never mention another company with with speaking to you, but you mentioned trek and trek as it's trek travel, and they do that.

Speaker 2: 1:09:11

They do offer the e-bike version for family members who can't climb the hills and yeah so I I think you're absolutely right, and even you've never had a chance to see our flag. But we bring a flag to these events and on the flag we have an e-bike on there, we've got a unicycle, we've got a regular. That's great. I mean, we tandem, we welcome every well, tandem.

Speaker 2: 1:09:31

I'm kidding, but um, there's where we draw the line you know, we, we, we believe in, like michael said, just getting outdoors. I mean, we're concerned that what we're seeing is is the older generation, and I think this goes along with right what you're saying with being conservative, that the cycling community is aging together. Now, I'm sure you have a few, but not a lot of younger people we always notice are not getting into. When I was a kid, we lived out in the country. I literally rode my bike like seven, eight miles, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it was a one-year For a kid yeah, like a little BMX bike, and I would ride it into town because I wanted to get into town. So I think about that now. And then, when I was getting back into cycling, someone said oh, you got to buy a bicycle. I said bicycle. I've ridden a bicycle since I was a kid.

Speaker 2: 1:10:22

They're like, oh man, it's great and I just re-fell in love with the idea of being out there and the freedom of being outdoors and being with my friends and meeting the people along the way, and I mean, like Matt, who's introduced us to you I mean, you know, cycling has done so much and my best friend, who I'm sitting here on a digital screen with, yeah, that's amazing, isn't it?

Speaker 4: 1:10:41

I mean, so here we met. It's kind of a miracle.

Speaker 2: 1:10:43

Yeah, I mean on this ride, and then we got interest together and if we haven't had interest together, like he's taught me some stuff about you know, things that he and his family are into, and then I showed him my addiction, which is the wall behind me, and it's not so much drinking, and everyone always says to me well, how come you don't seem like you drink a lot? Because it's more of the history and the collection and the color, the color.

Speaker 4: 1:11:09

There's so much color in it, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:11:11

And then the distilleries that we go on cycling trips. So we make it on purpose, we kind of mash it all together, yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:11:18

Yeah, no, I love it. I think that's right. Yeah, I would encourage you know, reason we three love cycling is because when we were I always say this when we were seven years old, we could get on a bike and we had freedom. I think some people.

Speaker 4: 1:11:37

This happens with boats, but for me it was a bicycle. I cycled away from my parents, I cycled to the store to buy myself something. I cycled and I think when you get back on a bike as an adult, you're sort of recapturing. It's a different kind of freedom, but it's still. It's freedom from your life, from your computer, from your you know you're, you're out and you can't talk on the phone. While you're on a bicycle, you cannot be in your Instagram while you're on a bicycle, you have to be enjoying.

Speaker 2: 1:12:08

Please don't, please don't. That's the one thing about RAGBRAI. You talked about cruise bike. Looking into that. That is going to be the best thing, because one of the best things about RAGBRAI is I have a personal phone and a phone for work and they're like anchors and I carry them everywhere in my personal life and when I'm out in Iowa. It doesn't work. I'm fine with that.

Speaker 4: 1:12:28

It's true at the bottom of the Grand Canyon too, if you want to go someplace.

Speaker 2: 1:12:32

There's no cell service, there you go Forced disconnect.

Speaker 3: 1:12:37

You can't do it, so there's no point in worrying about it.

Speaker 2: 1:12:40

Right, right, right. I do have one quick funny story. In 2016, when we did Ragbribri, unfortunately someone made a mistake and did something they shouldn't have, and they and they.

Speaker 2: 1:12:51

They met their maker by doing. They told them not to go out to the river and he decided to go out to the river. It was early and he got hit by a truck, and I'm not taking anything away from that being light about that, but what ragbri did at the time is they sent out. They had an app and they sent out a push notification that says man dies at rag rhyme.

Speaker 2: 1:13:07

And my my now wife and I had just began dating, but it was like we knew that this was going to turn into something more, and so I then said I'm going to go to Iowa for a week and we were traveling, and so she texts me because she was at home, who had the app, who got the push notification, and she said. She said I'm sure you're fine, but could you please let me know you're okay? And then I didn't know it, but throughout the day the texts had gone on and on. Well, we were out on the road for eight, nine, ten hours and then I got into town and I had like 18 messages and they ranged from I'm sure you're fine to the last one, and Michael can tell you if I'm lying. Oh, I'm just going to assume you're dead.

Speaker 3: 1:13:50

It was good knowing you had it. You could have had a wonderful life, but you had to go cycling. She had no idea that there wouldn't be and, like most people, they think, oh well, you're out riding, well you can just pick up the phone. But they don't have any idea that, like a lot of rides, and still there's a lot of places in the United States that doesn't have good cell coverage, that you know you go to RAGBRAI and there's 15, 20,000 riders there. They dismantle, you know, the cell towers pretty much.

Speaker 4: 1:14:19

Oh, I bet that's good when I called her and she heard my voice.

Speaker 2: 1:14:23

She was happy again. We've been married eight years, so we're good.

Speaker 3: 1:14:28

She had a bad date with Dave, right, it's like okay, I don't need to go out with Dave now.

Speaker 2: 1:14:34

Dave, I can't go on that date now. He's a liar.

Speaker 4: 1:14:38

Turns out, he's fine.

Speaker 2: 1:14:44

Well, I have had such a wonderful time talking to you. I am so glad that you talked to us about Jenny, your sister, and we will definitely please do you and I have been emailing a little bit Please send me the links for the fundraising and we can get that on there. And so great to talk to you and Michael, do you have anything else that you have?

Speaker 3: 1:15:03

One thing I'd like to say is you know, keep us up to date what's going on at Cruise Cycles?

Speaker 3: 1:15:08

and you know the activities that you guys are doing on the for the charity work. Yeah, three thousand miles, you know. Every once in a while, if you think about it, drop us a line, let us know what you're doing and we'll certainly pass that along, because we definitely, you know, want to want to it's about community and we definitely want to, you know, hang out and keep the community going, and although neither of us have a tandem or a recumbent bike, you never know.

Speaker 4: 1:15:36

So yeah, yeah, yeah, you may want some one someday. I will tell you about an event we're doing. That's also a fundraiser for 3000 Miles to a C cure in November, november 3rd, um, we, we met this couple who both of them had bought cruise bikes and they were my husband's and I and my age roughly.

Speaker 4: 1:15:58

It was great they they live in 29 in Arizona, and so so we decided we do some events together because they they like to race too. And so in November we're going to the world ultra cycling time trial championships in Borrego Springs, and I am teaming up with Laura, and my husband is teaming up with John, and we're racing the boys against the girls who can do more miles in 24 hours. So, um and, and we're going to have a web uh, on 3000 miles to a cure. We'll have a um. We haven't started yet cause we're doing crossing the Canyon right now, but we're going to have a little place where you can vote with your money, because we have two charities 3000 miles to a cure and then another charity that people can can give to. That is Laura's um charity. So we're trying here. So I'm just going to put it out there and this is going to laying my the challenge down we're trying to do 500 miles and 24 hours. Wow.

Speaker 2: 1:16:58

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 1:16:59

Okay, never done that, so it'll be interesting.

Speaker 2: 1:17:02

That's our goal. You're not an athlete.

Speaker 4: 1:17:07

But I will say right here the girls are for sure going to beat the boys.

Speaker 3: 1:17:10

Well, if I was. Just I don't know the guys, but from what I've heard here I'm willing to put my money on the women in honor of the cycling women of leisure series shows.

Speaker 2: 1:17:22

There you go, ladies. Let's, let's go.

Speaker 4: 1:17:24

Ladies, yeah, thanks, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about that and to talk about cycling with you guys. Yeah, let's keep in touch, and I do need your help on the RAGBRAI, so I'll be, emailing you.

Speaker 2: 1:17:38

Even if it's not for a show. You want to just pick up the phone. Michael and I would be. You know we always joke about, hey, we could help out, you know. So you know, we know which way we like to do it. Does that mean it's the right way? No, I mean, it's just what you know. But we do have some opinions, if you guys have never been, and just some things that I wish you know, wish I would have known.

Speaker 4: 1:17:58

You'd known the first year.

Speaker 2: 1:18:00

Michael actually went before with his brother-in-law, and then I with his brother-in-law, and and then, um, I remember our first phone call I'd be like, well, should I do this, should I do that?

Speaker 3: 1:18:09

and they're like, no, like I remember everything that got written on that pad, adam, don't do any of that.

Speaker 2: 1:18:15

Yeah, I remember, like, because I I'm like a big planner, I'm a planner, I want to know this. Should I bring this? And, and you know, boy scout, boy scout, boy scout, should I? I want to be prepared and I'm like, well, do, like well, do you need this? No, do you need this? Uh, there's phone doesn't even work. Do I need this? No, and and so some of those things we could definitely definitely be willing to help and we would love to do that, because I really appreciate your time tonight.

Speaker 4: 1:18:38

Well, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity to talk to people who are enthusiastic and welcome to all kinds of cyclists. Thank you.

Speaker 3: 1:18:44

Absolutely Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2: 1:18:49

Well, she was absolutely a joy to have on. I highly enjoyed that.

Speaker 3: 1:18:53

She was a lot of fun.

Speaker 2: 1:18:55

And you know, something I missed before is is she was actually part of our cycling women of leisure series. So last episode we were able to have Melanie on, and, and this time Maria, and so we um. When we find some good ones, we try to bring it to you, and so um you know I like those women in cycling.

Speaker 3: 1:19:17

That's, that's always cool.

Speaker 2: 1:19:18

Absolutely. I mean talk about she sounds extremely um, achievement, achieve, all the achievements she's had is just amazing. So, and the sister and the inspiration there, and and we'll put the links, as we, as we mentioned in the interview, we'll put those in the in the episode and so you can find that. So, maria, on a serious note, thank you, I promised to send you this link. Thank you, excellent, excellent, excellent time with you. I'm so happy. Sidebar, we have been kind of helping out a little bit. She had some rag-bite questions. She does want to take the cruise bike group there and so I've been helping her from our years. We could be consultants, my friend. We could be. We've done enough of these rides.

Speaker 3: 1:20:07

I think, yeah, hopefully one of these days we'll be able to hook up on a ride with the Cruise Bicycle Group and do a few miles with them. That'd be cool.

Speaker 2: 1:20:17

Yeah, no for sure. I mean actually, the gentleman I met yesterday, he even said that he had never heard of Cruise Bike and then he caught a YouTube video and he got to see some inspirational stories about the bike and about Maria being such an inspirational person that, sight unseen, he bought the bike and so I thought that was really cool. So I know this show has gone on for quite some time, but thank you to all the ladies that we wanted to honor you, and I know everyone really looks forward to your hard work, so why don't we give it one last listener spotlight? All right.

Speaker 3: 1:21:05

Love those graphics that's spotlight. All right. Love those graphics that's awesome, All right. This episode's listener spotlights hints are as follows this community was founded in the early 1800s at the confluence of two rivers. It is named for a European explorer. The area was originally controlled by the French. However, due to the Treaty of Paris, the British Empire took control of the area. This town was instrumental in helping create the labor organization movement and it has a very notable connection to the Heisman Trophy Very notable connection.

Speaker 2: 1:22:05

Any guesses?

Speaker 3: 1:22:12

I do, oh, listen to that. I like that.

Speaker 2: 1:22:15

He didn't just throw out St Louis. He's like I know what this one might be. Okay, cool, I'm not even going to say it out loud because I want people. I'll tell you, I'll text you. You can tell me if I'm wrong or right. But I'm not even going to make a guess on the show because I don't want to lead people. I love when people guess, but I promise you I'll text you when we're done recording.

Speaker 3: 1:22:30

Okay, we'll see. Your batting average hasn't been very good, but there's always time for improvement. I like the fact that you said it with a lot of confidence. He's like yeah, I know this one, so that's good. That's good. It gives me hope that you do in fact know it.

Speaker 2: 1:22:51

We'll see and I will answer honestly next time we record.

Speaker 3: 1:22:56

So whether I was just completely wrong or I, think you know it from your actions and how level headed you were and how cool you were like yeah, I know what this one is. I'm going to say that you know it, so we'll see.

Speaker 2: 1:23:13

Well, listen. As usual, I want to express my gratitude for those who take the time to write us. Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 1:23:22

Whatever platform you like, whether it's an email, whether it's text me or the messages that you can do from our cyclingmanableasurepodcastcom there's a link there. You can send us a one-way message. You could tell us to go get bent. I can't do anything about it. It'll come to us. So please don't, but if you felt that way, or you can email us, whatever. I mean, you guys are awesome. You're all reaching out to me, whether it's Instagram messaging or Facebook messaging or whatever. Oh, I almost missed one. Our Canadian friend has a little bit of a competition Italo from Canada.

Speaker 3: 1:24:07

Oh okay, I was going to say which Canadian friend, Because we've got way more than one. So okay, Yep From Quebec, I believe.

Speaker 2: 1:24:14

Yep, they bought the new Cyplus, the Cyplus pump that you had. There's a new and improved version that is about 50% of the size that yours is. Now that could have pros and cons. I mean the con is yours fits in a water bottle and and and the con I mean the pro would be is if you're looking for something smaller. But he sent us a video and they were using it and he had a cycling metal leisure Jersey on when they were using it.

Speaker 3: 1:24:39

So I just want to see that. I haven't seen that one yet, but, um, they had the littler ones when I bought that one but I got very concerned that it was a lot smaller and I was concerned with the amount of power and stuff. But I'm glad to see somebody's done that and it'll be interesting to see how he likes it. So that's cool.

Speaker 2: 1:24:55

Perfect, perfect. Well, on that note, thank you all. Appreciate your continued listenership. Our downloads are increasing and it's because of all of you, so thank you so much. Um, if you want to see some of the fun graphics, watch us on YouTube. But got a, got a new toy for the, for the show and uh teaching myself some pretty cool stuff. So, uh, on that note, anything else, sir, I want to give you your last minute here.

Speaker 3: 1:25:22

You know what? Today was a great day for a bike ride. It was indeed. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 1:25:30

Thank you for coming along with Adam and Michael on Road Adventures with Cycling Men of Leisure. If you have enjoyed this, please subscribe to the show on the podcast app of your choice.