The Paceline Cycling Podcast

This week Selene takes on a listener question about whether or not she would race with a mask if she had to. As it turns out, the answer requires some thought considering there are so many forms of racing. Dovetailing with a piece she wrote for Bicycling about Dylan Lorimer, a 265-lb. rider who rode 123 miles and averaged 18.5 mph with one other rider, Selene takes on the issue of cycling and body...

Selene is back from vacation and takes on two reader questions this week. She takes on two listener questions this week. The first concerns how to choose how much travel you need in a full-suspension mountain bike when shopping. The second regards shoes and how to pick a shoe that can be walked in without developing heel blisters. Home decor is on deck for Patrick's pull this week. He's planning t...

This week Selene looks at a fresh strategy to bring women's racing to a broad audience with the new announcement from the Colorado Classic. By streaming the race online it keeps risk down for the audience while still giving sponsors the exposure they seek. Patrick digs into the controversy caused by a social media post and resultant departure of Jim Cummins, one of the founders of the event that i...

On a recent ride, a friend of Selene's broke his stem. Fortunately for him he was able to avoid injury, but it got Selene's group of riding friends talking about what sorts of inspections and cleaning a bike needs, especially a bike that is ridden regularly and might be more than a few years old. What do we make of Lance Armstrong these days? He's back in the news thanks to his ESPN documentary, b...

This week Selene begins by taking on a question about why, in the wake of not following a regimented training plan, our listener has notched Strava PRs on segments they have ridden upwards of 50 times. She then considers the bicycle as a force for social change. There have been some big demonstrations and protests recently where bikes were front and center, and she notes that a ride held by Black...

Bikes are great, but it's hard to pretend that all is right with the world currently. This week Selene sits down with her longtime friend Elizabeth Allen to ask her just how she got into this predominantly white sport and what the barriers are for others … her answers might surprise you. Allen is a youth and wellness activist, bike shop employee and avid cyclist. Aware that some folks might look a...

Selene checks in with some feedback on last week's talk about oval chainrings. Listeners presented us with some angles on oval chainrings we hadn't considered. We get an update on how last weekend's ride for Rebecca Rusch's Giddy Up Challenge. Selene and her husband Dave did the half Everest, which resulted in 130 miles and 17,000 feet of climbing. Ouch. Patrick signed on to his first virtual chal...

This week our intrepid duo is back with a look at oval chainrings, an idea that goes back practically as far as the bike itself. The question, of course, is do they really confer any benefit. Well, do they? Selene and Patrick tackle the science and the perception, but also take a look at the technical considerations one confronts if deciding to make the change. We experience anxiety when we are fe...

With the massive increase in bike sales due to shelter in place requirements, there is a lot of curiosity about how that is playing out in terms of kids bike sales, adult bike sales, ebike sales, trail usage and more. Selene answers a reader question about just what sorts of statistics have been compiled and what that tells us about who is actually on the road or trail. "Vertically compliant but t...

We seem to have entered a new phase of our collective shelter in place, we might call it the cranky phase, Selene says. She discusses what she's doing to stay sane, how she views the different takes of other folks she encounters and just who she's willing to ride with. This week bike racing's governing body, the UCI, released the revised 2020 racing calendar. We will just go ahead and say it: It's...

Ever considered doing Iron Cross? If so, you're not alone. This week, Selene, Iron Cross' winningest racer, addresses a listener question about what sort of preparation is required to do the event. In addition to training, she and Patrick talk bags, bottle cages and tires. It all matters on a day like that. For the past two days Patrick has been attending a trade show, albeit a virtual one. Reveal...

We're all looking for fresh ways to deal with being hunkered down in these new lives we lead. Selene takes a look at fatigue and how stress (like that which could be caused by having all your traditional routines upended) can affect recovery as well as things like perceived exertion. She also takes on a reader question about recovery drinks, particularly those that mix protein and carbohydrate and...

With Covid-19 still dominating life, Selene takes a look at how, despite the need for social distancing, having a workout buddy is more important now than ever before. She considers strategies for keeping the buddy system in place, even as we continue to respect the need for social distancing. Patrick has been scouting new routes in his neighborhood, working out hilly routes that will allow him to...

This week Selene explores what cycling means to her and how those rides that we don't want to do make the rides we want to do that much better. Patrick addresses the impact Covid-19 is having on life and how important riding remains in helping us all remain centered as we live through this extraordinary time. They also discuss Selene's piece regarding the Dutch research on how much space cyclists...

There's been a lot of talk about what constitutes an "essential business" as more and more communities are put on a diet of shelter in place. For many people, bike shops are an essential business due to riders' needs for tubes, tires, chain lube and service. We also take on some reader questions about metal water bottles and L'Eroica, the vintage bike event conducted over dirt roads. 

We're talking about Covid-19 this week. Kinda hard to do anything else, huh? First we look at riding outside and whether or not that's the right thing to do. By now it seems obvious that the Covid-19 pandemic will significantly alter the 2020 cycling calendar. In the wake of the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, we take a look at a few events and the challenges the promoters face with regar...

Selene is back from The Mid-South and managed to avoid getting sick and breaking her bike. Patrick is not so much back from spring break as still here; he canceled his trip with his boys. Selene talks about spending a day in red mud and what it was like traveling with a pandemic sweeping the globe. Shimano's GRX group is the first component group designed specifically around the needs of the grave...

This week we take on Daylight Saving Time and sleep. Selene talks about her coming trip to Oklahoma for The Mid-South (formerly Land Run), and a quote from her boss, Bill Strickland, about suffering. Patrick admits that what passes for winter in Northern California has exited stage left and spring jumped straight to the bit with wildflowers. He talks about the sights and smells of spring and how t...

Last weekend Selene rode her first Grasshopper, Super Sweetwater, so now she can report to everyone who isn't already in Northern California (most of the world, honestly), just what it is Patrick has been going on and on about. She says she had a good time, even if Patrick did get dropped. Patrick takes on how being a cycling and the time devoted to our sport can pose tension in a relationship. He...

This week Selene takes on a reader question on diet and how it squares with the Netflix film "Game Changers." Given how passionate people can be about their diet, this isn't an easy one to tackle, but she dives in. There was a time when a road bike was a road bike was a road bike. Fortunately, that's no more. Patrick takes a look at the differentiation in the market and the advice he gave some fri...

This week we begin with a bit of an update on Patrick's treatment with Ketamine. His in-office sessions have come to a close and he relates the magnitude of recovery he has experienced. Selene talks about her upcoming plans to head to Oklahoma for the Mid-South (formerly Land Run 100). She and Patrick talk tire choice, soil types, and tire pressure among other gravel ride concerns. Basal Metabolic...

Selene and Patrick are back after a week off. Selene has a cautionary tale sure to raise the hairs on your ... saddle. Patrick recounts his recent trip to Auburn for the fifth annual Tour de Placer Roubaix. He discusses why the event isn't just one of his favorite events, he thinks it is a great example of everything that a gravel event should be. 

Of the many builders I've met over the years, I don't think I've met any with a more unusual background. Bryan Hollingsworth is a New Englander who cut his teeth working for Seven Cycles. He may be the only builder I've ever met who has fabricated frames from carbon fiber, titanium and steel. I'm reasonably convinced I've not met another builder who has laid up an entire carbon fiber frame as well...

This week Selene takes on a listener question regarding some of the online training challenges that cause competitors to go into zone 5 with each installment. Is that a bad thing? How does it affect developing base miles? With so many new gravel events on the calendar, Patrick asks the question, how much is enough? Are organizers really doing themselves and their participants a service by offering...

It's a new year, and hopefully not a new you. You're fine. But what do you want to change from years past and how should you think about it? Selene takes on that question, suggesting maybe we think about intentions rather than resolutions. Patrick has been nerding out on mountain bike design. Again. He noticed that all his fastest times on descents were on a short travel bike, not some long-travel...