Outspoken Cyclist – 8/03/2019

My first guest is Jon Stacks, the STEM and science liaison for the Specialized Foundation.

Founded by Specialized’s Mike Sinyard, the organization was founded to bring cycling to middle school children – especially those suffering from ADHD.

Jon, who comes from a science background, will fill us in on what current research is telling us about the effects that riding a bicycle have on children, especially those diagnosed with ADHD and other similar issues. These findings came as nothing new to Mike Sinyard as he experienced the effects of ADHD pretty much his entire life and then saw them arise in his son Anthony.

Recently, the foundation has undergone a rebranding – now being called Outride.org. – and Jon will tell us why and what the hopes are for the future.

Then, we’ll take a trip across the pond to talk with long distance cyclist Andrew P. Sykes. Back in 2010, Andrew was a French teacher with a summer break ahead of him and decided to take a bike trip with Reggie, the name he gave his Ridgeback bicycle.

That first trip and some encouragement he received from someone who was vicariously following along while awaiting the birth of her daughter by reading his blog each day, has since turned into three trips, three books, a blog, a podcast, videos, speaking engagements, and … listen in for a great conversation!