Stories

Road 2 Gravel

Thinking about transitioning from road riding to gravel cycling? Join us in a fun conversation between Linda English (aka Gravel Girl and Executive Director of Dirty Freehub) and Kira Corbett (overall badass in cycling) as we talk about everything around the challenges and joys to making the switch from road to gravel. From route planning, […]

Mosquito Festival

Have you ever driven through Paisley, Oregon and noticed the advertisement for the Paisley Mosquito Festival? Is it really a festival about mosquitos? Today we talk with one of the festival’s organizers, Amy Davis, to learn about a festival that may very well involve mosquitoes. Sure would be fun to polish off the […]

WebCyclery – 25 Years!

WebCyclery, a bike shop in Bend, Oregon is celebrating their 25th anniversary. Let’s catch up with Owner, Kevin Gorman, as he talks about how it all began. What makes WebCyclery different and the story behind moving the shop into a former church. How has his family been involved in building […]

Milky Way Sculpture

The Milky Way is a stainless steel sculpture that is located at Shevlin Park Road and Mt Washington Drive in Bend, Oregon. In this podcast, Pete Stein interviews Devin Field who was the artist behind this fun piece. Listen in as we learn about how the art was commissioned and then how we designed and built this sculpture. Also, The Milky […]

Keep it Local!

We all know it is important to spend where we ride and to support the local economy. But do all dollars spent have the same impact? In this podcast, we explore that premise with Thomas Barr, the Vice President of Business Development for Local First Arizona. Local First […]

Rock Art

Riding on obscure Tuscon trails, we ran across amazing art that was created out of rocks carefully arranged in the sand to form very cool figures. A huge rabbit, a heart, a wolf howling in a moonlight, a horse, a hummingbird …. we also ran across the original artist, Karen Garno, who was busy working on her latest masterpiece. Listen […]

Snakebites!

Rattlesnakes scare the bejeezus out of most of us. But … should they really? In this podcast, learn more about rattlesnakes and what to do if you do get bit out in the wild. Our guest is Dr. Nick Bradehoff of the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation. […]

Phoenix Rising or Red Chicken

We all know about the iconic psuedo “Red Chicken” sculpture within the Phil’s Trail System which is a mountain biking area in Bend, Oregon. But … do you know the story of the actual sculpture, the Phoenix Rising, located at Galveston and 14th street? And what’s the connection to the Red Chicken, the mini […]

Brown’s Ranch, AZ – Why it’s a special place to ride!

Sonoran Desert cycling means taking in saguaros and beautiful exposed geology. A great place to see and ride through the desert in Arizona is Brown’s Ranch. Brown’s Ranch is located within the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, an incredible area conserved in Scottsdale, Arizona. On today’s episode, we talk with Stu Alt, a trail […]

High on the Desert (Art!)

In this podcast, we talk with John Flemming, who created the High Desert Spiral sculpture located at the intersection of Simpson and Mt Washington just at the entrance to Broken Top in Bend, Oregon. We hear about his inspiration and some of the trials and […]

Navigating a Gravel Bike Route

As straightforward as it may sound, navigating a gravel route is much more than following a line on your bike computer or phone. In this podcast, we chat with Executive Director of Dirty Freehub, Linda English, to share some navigation topics to think about (and practice) along with some comical stories while navigating. What are the common […]

“Greetings From” Murals … Fun Art Across Central Oregon

The retro “Greetings From” murals across Central Oregon bring back fond memories of the postcards that were a huge hit with tourists in the mid-20th century. These playful murals are part of The Central Oregon Mural Trail and were created by Karen Eland and Katie Daisy for […]

Ultra Endurance Bike Racer Lael Wilcox Interview

Lael Wilcox is American ultra-endurance bike racer who holds women’s records in the Tour Divide and Trans Am. Lael is motivated to encourage more people, especially women, to ride and in this podcast she joins us to talk about her experiences as an advocate in the cycling community, riding in Arizona, and sustainable tourism as a […]

Bikepacking the Sky Islands in Arizona with Sarah Swallow

In this podcast, we chat with Sarah Swallow about the Sky Islands Odyssey bikepacking route in Southern Arizona. The Odyssey is a journey through the vast borderlands of the Southwest, featuring a diverse network of rocky and sandy roads that traverse the ever-changing […]

What are 5-Star Routes?

Ever wondered what makes up a 5-Star Route? Is it road quality, visual payback, texture and terrain, or connection to culture, history, and heritage? Hint: It is some of these, but not all. In this podcast, we talk with Kevin English, the Director of Routes & Technologies for Dirty Freehub.

Thinning, Mowing and Fire

“What happened here?” That is a common reaction many have after seeing the immediate impact of the tree thinning and forest mowing work in the Phil’s network of trails. In this podcast, we talk with Melanie Fisher from the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project to discuss the ongoing work to restore the forest back to a […]

Shopping for a Gravel Route

Linda English (aka Gravel Girl) shares how to find (or as we call it “shop for”) a gravel bike route. Linda explains how to analyze the risk of a route and select a route for your abilities and what’s important to you. Linda is the Co-Founder and Executive Director […]

The Sky Islands: Uncomfortable Issues with Sarah Swallow

Sarah Swallow is a world-renowned bikepacker, route developer, and storyteller who has spent a significant amount of time riding and exploring Southern Arizona. In this podcast, she shares her perspectives of the beauty and uniqueness of the Sky Islands, but also the “uncomfortable” issues arising.

The Bear of Steel Sculpture

How do you make a 27 foot tall steel bear for the town of Madras, Oregon? Dial in with Chris Buffalo Fulsom who talks about the inspiration for the mother bear with her three cubs. You’ll find this amazing sculpture on Dirty Freehub’s Poke The Bear gravel bike […]

50 Years with Sunnyside Sports

Today we will be talking how Bend, bikes and bike shops have evolved in the last 50 years. Who knows better than Susan Conner who is the owner of Sunnyside Sports here in Bend. This year marks their 50-year anniversary since the shop opened in 1972!

Cycling + Art + Music = the Old Churchill School

In Baker City, Oregon, there is this old-school historic elementary school, The Churchill School, that has been turned into an eclectic mix of art studio, bike hostel, high-end Airbnb, movie house, and dance studio. We talk with Brian and Corrine Vegter, the curators and […]

Trail Building with Kent Howes

In this episode, we talk  about the art of mountain bike trail building in Central Oregon. For us, gravel cyclists, some of these trails are super sweet to ride. Our guest is Kent Howes who is a master trail builder and has been building trails for over 30 years, he’s also been a professional trail builder since 2007.

Big, Old Barns! The Wallowa Barn Tour

Learn all about the Wallowa Barn Tour. In this episode, we talk with Jennifer Piper of the Wallowa Chamber of Commerce and Alana Carollo of the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association. Learn how the Barn Tour got started, what you will see. We also talk about two other ways to experience the culture of the area: Farm Trails and a historic […]

Logging in the Old Mill: Local Cyclist Tells the Story

Bend, now a town of outdoor enthusiasts, microbreweries, and technology, used to be the center of timber production. The Old Mill District was the heart of this activity, with two active mills, one on the east bank of the river and one on the west bank. In the 1950s, over 50 rail cars per day would off-load timber into the river. On […]