Best Adrian Townsend Podcasts (2025)

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“Driving a car is just too easy”: Bikehangar inventor on theft, the need for safe cycle storage, and why “there are too many cars on our streets” 37:52

12d ago37:52

37:52

Send us a text To mark Security and Storage Week on road.cc, this week’s episode focuses on one of the most useful and controversial – if you’re a grumpy SUV driver, anyway – urban cycling innovations of the past 15 years: the cycle hangar. Invented by Cyclehoop founder Anthony Lau, and spawning a host of imitators, Bikehangars provide secure shelt…

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Yiyun Li Reads William Trevor 1:11:01

12d ago1:11:01

1:11:01

Yiyun Li joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Piano Tuner’s Wives,” by William Trevor, which was published in The New Yorker in 1995. Li has published eight books of fiction, including the novels “Must I Go” and “Book of Goose,” a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and the story collection “Wednesday’s Child,” which was a fina…

1
What do Donald Trump’s tariffs mean for cycling? We chat to an industry insider about price rises, staying positive, and why the tariffs present an opportunity for UK brands 43:09

19d ago43:09

43:09

Send us a text With the cycling industry gripped by yet another period of uncertainty, this week’s episode of the road.cc Podcast focuses on the story that’s dominated the front pages all month – Donald Trump’s chaos-creating global tariffs. And why, at least according to one industry insider, they aren’t going to, as feared by many, “sink the ship…

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“We’ve made huge strides, but there’s still a long way to go”: Double Olympic champ Kristen Faulkner on Paris, being an outsider, and the growth of women’s cycling + Rainbows, frites, and sunburn at the ... 55:21

1M ago55:21

55:21

Send us a text We’re deep into classics season, with Paris-Roubaix looming on the horizon, so this week’s episode of the road.cc Podcast pays homage to cycling’s biggest one-day events. In part two, double Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner joins us from her altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, as she prepares for the upcoming Ardennes classics …

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David Wright Faladé Reads Madeleine Thien 1:16:54

1M ago1:16:54

1:16:54

David Wright Faladé joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Lu, Reshaping,” by Madeleine Thien, which was published in The New Yorker in 2021. Falade is the author of the novels “Black Cloud Rising” and “The New Internationals,” and the nonfiction work “Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesav…

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“I’m impartial on everything – except my own safety”: Jeremy Vine on his cycling “radicalisation”, Twitter trolls, the “gaslighting of cyclists”, and why bad streets and bad drivers cause road danger 1:12:47

2M ago1:12:47

1:12:47

Send us a text It’s the road.cc Podcast’s 100th episode! And to celebrate our century, we’re joined this week by a staple of our news and live blog coverage: broadcaster, cyclist, road safety advocate, and self-confessed road.cc fanatic Jeremy Vine. During a brilliantly entertaining chat, Jeremy talks us through his conversion to cycling in his 40s…

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Is this the UK’s worst city for cycling? Riding around Belfast’s abysmal bike network (and why drivers should be cycling campaigners’ best friends) + Do cycling culture war stories harm the bike industry ... 1:02:15

2M ago1:02:15

1:02:15

Send us a text What is the worst, least hospitable city for cycling in the UK? While we’re sure you all have your own ‘favourite’ contenders for that particular accolade, in this week’s podcast episode – our 99th, if you haven’t noticed already – Ryan decides to settle the debate once and for all, by jumping on his bike (and pushing and walking it)…

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Paul Theroux Reads V. S. Pritchett 1:05:25

2M ago1:05:25

1:05:25

Paul Theroux joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Necklace,” by V. S. Pritchett, which was published in The New Yorker in 1958. Theroux’s nonfiction books include “The Great Railway Bazaar” and “On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey.” A winner of the James Tait Black Award and the Whitbread Prize, he has published thirty-nine books o…

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“I was more stressed about Tom’s contract than my own!”: Tom Pidcock’s new teammate Rory Townsend on how “maverick” Olympic champ has lifted Q36.5 (and why you shouldn’t drink too much pickle juice) 1:02:37

3M ago1:02:37

1:02:37

Send us a text One of the cycling transfer stories of the winter – and possibly the decade – was Tom Pidcock’s decision to break his contract with the Ineos Grenadiers three years early to join Swiss second-tier ProTeam Q36.5 Pro Cycling. And, despite the messy, protracted saga that preceded the transfer, it’s fair to say the move has worked out pr…

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“A bike race is complete madness”: David Millar on why cycling is “inherently dangerous”, the demise of CHPT3, and his new Factor role + Is TNT set to destroy cycling in the UK? 54:09

3M ago54:09

54:09

Send us a text Since it was announced early last week, Warner Bros. Discovery’s controversial decision to ditch Eurosport in the UK and Ireland, after over three decades of quirky, wonderful broadcasting, and move all of its cycling coverage to the all-encompassing, £31-a-month TNT Sports (hiking the price up by 443 per cent in the process), has be…

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Anne Enright Reads John McGahern 1:07:34

3M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Anne Enright joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Sierra Leone,” by John McGahern, which was published in The New Yorker in 1977. Enright, a winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, among others, has published eleven books of fiction, including the story collection “Yesterday’s Weather” and the novels …

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“Lance Armstrong didn’t invent doping. We all did the best we could”: Levi Leipheimer on coming to terms with cycling’s “grey” past, “making amends”, and why road racing in the US has to “adapt or die ... 1:03:38

4M ago1:03:38

1:03:38

Send us a text On this week’s episode we’re delving into the past, present, and future of American cycling, with none other than former Tour de France podium finisher and current gran fondo organiser, Levi Leipheimer. A former teammate of Lance Armstrong’s at US Postal, Astana, and RadioShack, Leipheimer was one of the leading American pros during …

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Is the cycling industry storm finally over? Why there may be fewer “disaster stories” in 2025 + Where did Adrian Chiles’ e-bike doc go wrong? 1:10:11

4M ago1:10:11

1:10:11

Send us a text It’s time for the first road.cc Podcast episode of 2025, and we decided to kick off the new year by mixing things up and delving into unexplored territory for the podcast – by analysing the ongoing struggles facing the cycling industry and assessing where the BBC went wrong in their latest controversial active travel take. Oh wait… W…

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Jennifer Egan Reads Margaret Atwood 1:07:24

4M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Jennifer Egan joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Kat,” by Margaret Atwood, which was published in The New Yorker in 1990. Egan’s books of fiction include “The Keep,” “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” “Manhattan Beach,” and “The Candy House.” She is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Andrew Carnegie…

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“If you don’t want cycling on footpaths, support bike lanes and 20mph zones”: Town centre cycling bans and the fight against “cowboy” wardens + the year in cycling reviewed 1:20:46

5M ago1:20:46

1:20:46

Send us a text It’s the most wonderful time of the year… that’s right, it’s our annual podcast episode looking back over the biggest and most bizarre bike-related stories of 2024! Plus some less cheery but nonetheless important town centre cycling ban chat for good measure. In part one, Ryan, Jack, and Emily, paper party helmets firmly attached, di…

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“You need a billionaire to say ‘I’ll save the sport’. But that won’t happen”: Matt Holmes on why British cycling needs a reset and his journey from WorldTour pro to the “world’s most reluctant YouTuber ... 1:11:04

5M ago1:11:04

1:11:04

Send us a text With British cycling in turmoil this winter, following the closure of the country’s two remaining UCI Continental teams, this week’s episode of the road.cc Podcast features one rider who’s forging an alternative path through the struggling domestic scene – former Lotto-Soudal pro Matt Holmes. After hanging up his wheels at the end of…

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Ayşegül Savaş Reads Tessa Hadley 1:24:40

5M ago1:24:40

1:24:40

Ayşegül Savaş joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “An Abduction,” by Tessa Hadley, which was published in The New Yorker in 2012. Savaş has published three novels, “Walking on the Ceiling,” “White on White,” and “The Anthropologists,” and one nonfiction book, “The Wilderness,” an essay and memoir about the first forty days of motherhood. A collection…

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“A lot of it was caused by greed”: Factor’s CEO on navigating bike industry chaos, Chris Froome’s set-up complaints, trickle-down track tech, and why rim brakes are never coming back + Scott unveil new ... 1:07:17

6M ago1:07:17

1:07:17

Send us a text We’ve got a cycling industry and bike tech special for you this week on the podcast, as Factor CEO Rob Gitelis joins us to discuss the brand’s history and the latest cutting-edge tech, before we take a closer (audio) inspection of the brand-new Scott Addict RC. In part one, Rob joins us from sunny Girona to chat about his journey fro…

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“The idea is to create a positive out of a negative”: Cancer My Arse’s Kev Griffiths on living with stage four cancer, Sir Chris Hoy, and why he’s encouraging everyone to ride out of the saddle for charity ... 1:11:37

6M ago1:11:37

1:11:37

Send us a text Like Sir Chris Hoy, who last month revealed that he has terminal prostate cancer, Kevin Griffiths is determined to turn his own experience of living with stage four cancer into a positive. The Stoke-based cyclist, who hails from two of Britain’s most revered cycling families, launched the Cancer My Arse initiative this year after dis…

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Aleksandar Hemon Reads ZZ Packer 1:17:11

6M ago1:17:11

1:17:11

Aleksandar Hemon joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” by ZZ Packer, which was published in The New Yorker in 2000. Hemon, a winner of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/W. G. Sebald Award, among others, is the author of eight books, including the novels “The Lazarus Project” and “The World and All It Holds,” the sto…

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“The Tour is the only race that matters. And that’s gone now”: Ned Boulting on the end of free-to-air Tour de France coverage in the UK and why his new show is a piece of theatre 46:14

6M ago46:14

46:14

Send us a text From 2026, the familiar sights of the Tour de France – the epic mountain ranges, fields of sunflowers, Tadej Pogačar riding off into the distance – will remain the same. But for many cycling fans in the UK, the sounds will be very different. Next year’s Tour, the 25th edition of the race to be shown live on ITV, will also be the fina…

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Are the cycling culture wars back? And did they ever go away? Plus: What’s next for Tom Pidcock after dramatic Ineos Grenadiers fallout? 1:02:51

7M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Send us a text When it comes to culture war discourse around cycling, things had become a bit quiet lately. Too quiet. After a brief period of respite following a general election campaign which saw cycling and active travel largely sacrificed on the so-called ‘War on the Motorist’ altar, the political and ideological conflict surrounding riding a …

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Marcus Cox with Welcome to Memphis 1:03:40

7M ago1:03:40

1:03:40

“You can have a long-term, sustainable career in the hospitality industry that supports you in every way that you need to be supported.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, we talk to Marcus Cox, Executive Director of Welcome to Memphis. He discusses the organization's mission to support and recognize hospitality workers in Memphis and Shelby County. …

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Is Tadej Pogačar the greatest cyclist who’s ever lived? Plus we ask: What the hell’s going on with cycling media in 2024? 1:21:42

7M ago1:21:42

1:21:42

Send us a text Over the past five decades, countless promising young riders have been bestowed and burdened with the tag of being the ‘Next Eddy Merckx’. After an unbeatable 2024, Tadej Pogačar is the first to look even remotely close to matching, or even surpassing, Merckx’s until-now untouchable legacy. Which is why, since that 100km attack in Zu…

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Danny Song & Jonathan Torres with Give Services & Frase Protection 56:36

7M ago56:36

56:36

“Looking at the city of Memphis, I started to fall more and more in love with every single corner that was sometimes under- resourced or outright neglected.” On this week's episode of "Just Bluffin", we chat with Jonathan Torres and Danny Song. They share their insights on how successful business operations are driven by effective leadership, cultu…

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Rebecca Makkai Reads Jhumpa Lahiri 1:18:50

7M ago1:18:50

1:18:50

Rebecca Makkai joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Third and Final Continent,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, which was published in The New Yorker in 1999. Makkai is the author of the story collection “Music for Wartime” and the novels “The Borrower,” “The Hundred Year House,” “The Great Believers,” for which she won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for E…

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20 years of Rapha: Co-founder Simon Mottram on tiffs with Team Sky, MAMILs and cycling's skin-suited future 1:18:05

8M ago1:18:05

1:18:05

Send us a text We're coming at you with episode 87 of the road.cc Podcast in association with Hammerhead a whole week early, because... well, Rapha's 'Past Forward' 20-year anniversary bash at the Truman Brewery in London finishes on Sunday 22nd, and going live next week would mean numerous continuity errors in our interview! Anyway... as well as t…

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Adrian Smith with LITE Memphis 26:22

8M ago26:22

26:22

“We believe that entrepreneurship education is not something that should be exclusive to those that want to start a business." In this episode, we chat with Adrian Smith from LITE Memphis, an entrepreneurial nonprofit for Memphis teens. He discusses the organization's youth entrepreneurship program and how much it has grown in the last decade. We a…

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Ultimate Strava KOM hunting: The painstaking prep that went into bagging THAT Box Hill KOM (plus bonus climbing tips!) 1:15:00

8M ago1:15:00

1:15:00

Send us a text Like the British cycling world for a brief period earlier this month, episode 86 of the road.cc Podcast has gone Box Hill crazy. We sat down with Dom Jackson and Tobias Dahlhaus of the London-based team Foran Cycling – two of the figures behind arguably one of the most ambitious (and successful) Strava KOM/QOM attempts of all time – …

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Jared Barnett with Slingshot Memphis 44:54

8M ago44:54

44:54

“A lot of people who grow up in an disadvantaged environment don’t grow up thinking they can be whatever they want to be because they aren’t exposed to specific opportunities.” This week’s episode of Just Bluffin features Jared Barnett from Slingshot Memphis, a local nonprofit. Slingshot Memphis’s mission is to ignite a movement that revolutionizes…

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Louise Erdrich Reads Karen Russell 1:12:47

8M ago1:12:47

1:12:47

Louise Erdrich joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Haunting Olivia,” by Karen Russell, which was published in The New Yorker in 2005. Erdrich's novels include “The Round House,” which won the National Book Award in 2012, and “The Night Watchman,” which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2021. She will publish a new novel, “The Mi…

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“I’ve rediscovered my love of cycling”: David Millar and James Carnes of CHPT3 on appealing to every cyclist and designing a commuter shoe you can wear with a suit… and down a Swiss mountain 1:01:05

9M ago1:01:05

1:01:05

Send us a text If you’re a fan of nerdy technical chat about shoe design and the joy of riding a bike through town in a suit with a multiple grand tour stage winner, then you’re in for a treat on this special bonus episode of the road.cc Podcast. Because, to mark the launch this week of the CHPT3’s Transit 2.0, we sat down with the brains behind th…

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“The Tour de France needs to do a proper security review”: Academic behind Shimano electronic gears hacking study on why “it’s hard to tell” if wireless doping has taken place in pro cycling – and why ... 39:46

9M ago39:46

39:46

Send us a text For episode 84 of the road.cc Podcast, we took a deep dive into one of the more curious, and headline grabbing, cycling tech studies of recent years – which discovered that your bike’s electronic shifters may be susceptible to hackers, who could even be lurking at the Vuelta a España, waiting to sabotage Primož Roglič’s next move to …

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Cole Early with the Overton Park Shell 44:33

9M ago44:33

44:33

“There is hope through art.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, Cole Early with Overton Park Shell Discusses the importance of music and how it has brought people together in times of strife and turmoil. He tells us about the brand new museum at The Shell and what his job is like as the archive manager. Lastly, we learn about the time that Cole was o…

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Can 50% of Brits really not afford to buy a bike? Cycling and affordability discussed, plus how to make a new bike computer with Hammerhead 54:27

9M ago54:27

54:27

Send us a text For episode 83 of the road.cc Podcast, we decided to don our analytical hats and delve into a recent survey which claimed that 49 per cent of British people do not believe they can afford to buy a bike, and that around a quarter reckon it would take around six months to save up for one. Are bikes, and the accessories commonly associa…

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Kevin Dean with TN Nonprofit Network 35:42

9M ago35:42

35:42

“There was something magical about working in a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits.” On this week’s episode of Just Bluffin, we talk with Kevin Dean AKA Mr. Nonprofit of the Tennessee Nonprofit Network. We learn about his impressive background in leadership and nonprofit work. He also gives us the inside scoop on the rebrand and rebuilding of TN…

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David Sedaris Reads George Saunders 46:59

10M ago46:59

46:59

David Sedaris joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Love Letter,” by George Saunders, which was published in The New Yorker in 2020. Sedaris is the author of more than a dozen books of essays, memoirs, and diaries, including, most recently, “A Carnival of Snackery” and “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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Was the 2024 Tour de France a bit rubbish? Pogačar’s ghostbusting climbs, podcast poltergeists, and Cav’s Vino problem 46:46

10M ago46:46

46:46

Send us a text It's episode 82 of the road.cc Podcast sponsored by Hammerhead, a certain big old race across France has ended for another year, and so it's only right that we do a full debrief of Tour de France 2024! What was good and what was not so good about this year's Tour, what have we learnt, and how would we make the 2025 edition even bette…

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Roshun Austin with The Works, Inc. 36:24

10M ago36:24

36:24

”When people from all walks of life and all income levels can rally around Memphis, those are my favorite moments in the city because we can all believe in one thing.” During this episode of Just Bluffin’ Cecilia and Shannon talk with Roshun Austin from The Works, a nonprofit that helps Memphians with affordable housing. We get to learn more about …

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Stacey Saed with Annestasis 35:55

10M ago35:55

35:55

“A home is a part of a family.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, we chat with Annestatis owner Stacey Saed about compassion-forward relocation. Deep emotions and feelings come with packing, moving and leaving a home, and Stacey tells us about her kind and humanitarian approach to this process. We also learn about a sweet memory she made with her da…

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Mark Cavendish makes history, Dylan Groenewegen’s bizarre (and stage-winning) aero beak, and the weirdest things we’ve ever seen at the Tour de France 1:00:59

10M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Send us a text We’re almost a week into the 2024 Tour de France, so to celebrate – and inspired by Dylan Groenewegen’s peculiar, Batman-inspired aero beak – in the latest episode of the road.cc Podcast, we decided to unbuckle the Grande Boucle and focus on the strangest, daftest, and most crazy things, both on and off the bike, that we’ve witnessed…

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Nathan Englander Reads Chris Adrian 1:04:19

11M ago1:04:19

1:04:19

Nathan Englander joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Every Night for a Thousand Years,” by Chris Adrian, which was published in The New Yorker in 1997. Englander is the author of five books of fiction, including the novel “kaddish.com” and the story collection “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank,” which was a finalist for the …

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Jani Rad with Regional One Health 34:15

11M ago34:15

34:15

“I didn’t like the idea of how your zip code could affect your health.” This week’s show features Jani Rad of Regional One Health Solutions LLC. Jani is a super star in the healthcare world, but she is also an entrepreneur, podcast host, speaker with her own Ted Talk, mental health advocate, and so much more. During this episode, we learn about her…

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Cycling and the General Election: Do the UK’s political parties care about cycling and active travel? We take a deep dive into the 2024 manifestos 59:34

11M ago59:34

59:34

Send us a text Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or become adept at turning off the TV as soon as you hear Question Time’s twinkly theme, then you’ll be well aware that the next UK general election is fast approaching. And with under two weeks to go until the polling stations open, all of the main parties have launched their manifestos, setti…

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Brent Nair with Project Teamwork 32:16

11M ago32:16

32:16

“If people are our greatest assets, we have to approach it from a relational perspective.” On this week’s show,Brent Nair of Project Teamwork talks about his people-first coaching company based in Memphis that helps organizations work better together. He gives us a deep dive into the working genius and how he uses it to help teams. We also talk abo…

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road.cc CANCELLED by Ineos! What happened when we tried to take pics of the new Pinarello Dogma + Does cycling policy need a reset after the election? 1:13:24

11M ago1:13:24

1:13:24

Send us a text Oi, you there! You can’t record your podcast around here… We’ve got a special bonus Dauphiné and election edition of the road.cc Podcast this week, because surely you didn’t think we were going to ignore THAT incident, involving a seemingly super top secret new Pinarello Dogma and a stubborn British team at the key pre-Tour tune-up r…

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André Alexis Reads Alice Munro 1:38:34

12M ago1:38:34

1:38:34

André Alexis joins Deborah Treisman for a special tribute to Alice Munro, who died in May at age ninety-two. Alexis reads and discusses “Before the Change,” by Munro, which was published in The New Yorker in 1998. Alexis’s works of fiction include “Fifteen Dogs,” which won the Giller Prize, “Days by Moonlight,” and the story collection “The Night P…

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Making our way around the National Cycle Network (and why it’s really all about the people you meet) with Laura Laker + Is active travel in Britain heading in the wrong direction? 1:16:56

12M ago1:16:56

1:16:56

Send us a text For episode 78 of the road.cc Podcast, we donned our reading glasses, grabbed our bikes, and headed over to the National Cycle Network, that underfunded, unwieldy, often fractured, but very important collection of routes used by cyclists across the UK and which forms the subject of Laura Laker’s brilliant new book, Potholes and Pavem…

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Chris Taylor with Mempops 33:49

12M ago33:49

33:49

“Memphis supports us, so we want to support Memphis.” On this week’s episode, Shannon and Cecilia talk with Chris Taylor from Mempops. He tells us how the tasty popsicle operation got started and has also remained a family business, including how eager his 11 year old son is to get to work. We also learn Cecilia may have gotten the last ever fudged…

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"You’re not going to legislate away these sort of incidents": Martin Porter KC on cycling and the law + cycling and mental health for Mental Health Awareness Week 1:18:56

12M ago1:18:56

1:18:56

Send us a text It's episode 77 of the road.cc Podcast, and arguably one of our most thought-provoking episodes to date. In part 1, Jack and George sit down with leading barrister Martin Porter KC on the same week that the Government announced tougher laws are set to be introduced for 'dangerous cyclists' who kill or injure. Highlighting recent high…

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