Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure
Adam and Michael’s friendship is built on a shared love of cycling. From tough trails to leisurely rides, their adventures are filled with stories, banter, and authentic connection. Their podcast blends entertaining anecdotes, heartfelt conversations, and cycling excitement—welcoming you into their community and the joy of the open road.
Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure
Musette Mystery Meat And A Photo Finish Town
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A flat Tour de France stage can feel calm right up until it suddenly isn’t, and Stage 12 is a perfect example. I’m recapping the day solo while Michael’s off the grid on family vacation, so you get all the facts, a few guaranteed mispronunciations, and a clear breakdown of what actually mattered when the race hit full speed. The headline is Tim Merlier’s hat trick: his third win of the Tour, sealed in a chaotic bunch sprint shaped by crashes, nerves, and the kind of positioning battle that decides everything in the final kilometers.
But the sprint is only half the story. We walk through the late-race attempts to blow things apart, including waves of attacks that briefly split the race and forced teams to react. Then we get into the green jersey drama: the intermediate sprint, the jury review, and a points competition that’s now genuinely tight. With the top four separated by just 50 points, every intermediate and every finish from here can flip the order, especially as the route gets harder and sprint opportunities shrink.
We also zoom out for the details that make the Tour so fun to follow: the stage’s connection to an F1 circuit, a town linked to the invention of photography, and a practical explainer on the musette, the iconic feed bag riders grab at speed in the feed zone. I wrap with a quick GC check, a note on how stable the standings stay on a sprint day, and a look ahead to Stage 13 as terrain and tactics shift toward breakaways and climbing.
If you’re learning the Tour or you just want a sharp Stage 12 recap, subscribe, share this with a cycling friend, and leave a review so more fans can find the show.
Adam and Michael’s friendship has grown through years of shared miles, challenges, and laughter on the bike. Their passion for cycling has carried them through life’s twists and turns, creating a bond full of stories, jokes, and unforgettable rides. In their podcast, they bring that same spirit to the mic—sharing adventures, trading banter, and welcoming listeners into their cycling community. Whether tackling steep climbs or cruising open roads, their conversations capture the fun, friendship, and freedom that cycling brings. Tune in for stories that celebrate the ride and the camaraderie that makes it unforgettable.
and Remember,
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All right. Welcome to Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure, our leisure breakaway. This is our mini-series covering the tour to France. I do apologize. My good friend Mr. Michael Sharp will not be joining this episode. He is on vacation with the family and does not have service where he's at tonight, but that's all right. I've got all my facts and figures. I'll probably mispronounce 85%, but I'm going to do my best. So stage 12. You'd actually be disappointed. Stage 12, I paid attention to. I saw some crash, uh a crash. I saw some green jersey drama.
Welcome And Quick Tour Setup
SPEAKER_01So let's get into it. Let's get into it. So where do we stand? Uh today the winner was Tim Merler, and he had a hat trick. This is his third win of the tour. Um, he beat uh Jasper and Olaf in a chaotic crash um Marge sprint. Um, but uh in the end he was able to take it. Uh Lottie Truk spent the final uh 40 kilometers trying to blow the race apart. Waves of attacks from Quinn, um uh Matthias, Matisse, and uh Mads Peterson. Uh they all split the race on an uncategorized climb, a dangerous group. Um, so
Merlier Hat Trick In Chaos
SPEAKER_01it was very neck and neck back and forth. We did have a breakaway. Baptiste um or Baptiste, uh, he went solo early, uh, was joined by Caruso, and and then uh then dropped them all, and his ride died when Ladytrak attacked. But we did have some green jersey drama. Uh Petterson won the intermittent sprint kick. Um, but then uh the jury reviewed it. Um and the results stood. So the green jersey now has top four within 50 points of each other. Uh we've got um uh Pederson at 357, uh Gourmet at 317, Phillipson at 311, and Merler today's winner at 307. So Green Jersey uh getting closer and closer. I remember asking Michael about um if those points would be uh close, and sure enough, um this is definitely close. Now, um, where do we stand after stage 12? So Toddy is still leading by three minutes and 36 seconds, um, which is exactly what he was yesterday. Everpool four minutes and six seconds. Um, so um top 12, uh top 10, excuse me, there was unchange. Um and then uh Vandegaard, I saw this, he needed a mid-stage bike change, but he rejoined easily. Um and then uh it ASO keeps the white jersey. Um so there we go. Fun facts uh all three Merler
GC Check And Stage 13 Preview
SPEAKER_01wins came in a bunch sprint, and with the mountains looming, uh, this was likely the sprinter's last chance for a while. Stage 13 is billed as a breakaway day, and so I hope uh I'm glad Michael should be back tomorrow. He really enjoys talking about the breakaways. So uh contrast of the day, uh our winner who won yesterday, stage 11 into Nevers. Um 24 hours later, he was on the tarmac. So um stage the start uh was uh today the stage uh the start was an F1 circuit um and hosted the uh French Grand Prix in 1991 through 2008, and then Schumacher and Probes made the debut as a tour stage host today. Um Charlon is the birthpace of uh now. I looked this up for pronunciation, let me make sure.
Course Trivia And Rain Tension
SPEAKER_01Uh I found it very interesting as a photographer myself who did photography for many years. Um it was uh photography was invented by uh Nase Bourneps, uh inventor in photography, uh fitting for has many photo finishes. Um mid-stage uh rainstorm today, uh had you know added nerves without splitting the race, and then um definitely definitely more of the same. I mean, just as Michael mentioned before, um that that toddy is you know hard, it's gonna be hard to beat. Um I did look up uh Michael always keeps mentioning the musette, um, small lightweight cotton shoulder bag handed to the riders in the feed zone mid-race. Um it's uh stuffed with food and Biden's water bottles, traditionally sandwiches, cakes, and fruit. Nowadays, mostly rice cakes, gels, and energy bars. Um the rider snatches it on the fly, which is what we talked about in the feed zone, had some crash, but on the fly um from the team helpers, holding it out at arm's length, slings over the shoulders, transfers the contents to the jersey pockets and bottle cages, then tosses the empty bag aside. Spectators love grabbing them as souvenirs.
The Musette And Feed Zone Risks
SPEAKER_01Um the name comes from the French for the horse nose bag. Uh writers sometimes call it a feed bag, and grabbing it at 40 kilometers an hour is a genuine skill. Botched handoffs have caused crashes, which is why the feed zone are marked and rules govern where handoffs are allowed. Um the Mazette is such an icon of cycling culture. Um some fashion brands even sell uh special bags, essentially the same simple flat cotton sack with the tour used for uh for a century. So um tomorrow, of course, is stage 12. I mean 13, forgive me, stage 13. I do apologize. Today was 179 kilometers, uh, mostly flat, uh, but tomorrow it is it is definitely mountain climbing. So um the Magni Corps, where that starts, um uh this debuted, of course. Um and and then of course, the forgive me, the finish was Charlotte, and the tour first uh passed through there in 1926, uh, but its first stage uh finish came in 1959, where Brian Robinson
Town History Plus Final Wrap
SPEAKER_01uh was there, the first Brit to ever win a tour stage. Um he was had he had about a 20-minute lead when he did that. The tour returned in 1961 with enormous local enthusiasm, and the city is now hosted five times since 1959. Um so love the idea that that that uh Shallan is the birthplace of the inventor of photography. That that I really like that. So there we go. Um uh miss my friend tonight, but I'm happy that he is enjoying the great state of Arkansas. Um, I know that he is sad that he's not here, but listen, you get the you get the leisure breakaway song twice. You get to to see me in my my beautiful my studio here. Uh you probably got to laugh at my mispronunciations, but that's all right. That's all right. That's what this is all about. Um learning a lot, really enjoying it. I hope I hope maybe someone else is is like me who was a novice and and uh and learning along the way. So uh let's mention our our meetup for July 18th. Um Keith Erickson will be at a ragbarai meetup there, um, been watching the weather, and um here we have lots and lots of smoke. Um so I'm hoping that that doesn't get anywhere near there. I know it's the Midwest. Um we also have 100,000 downloads. I just can't get over that. So uh ever since we jumped into the video side, looks like a lot of people are really enjoying watching us. So um we will uh be back to our normal selves uh with Michael on board. But uh a lot of good stuff. Appreciate all of you. Um, and with that, let me just leave you with this and hope that you all have a wonderful, wonderful day.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the session.
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