Murphology Podcast

On this episode of the Murphology Podcast, we're heading cross-country, at least in spirit! I'm joined by Sara Heitman, Ground Coordinator for the American Discovery 250 Relay, a unique 6,800 mile event that showcases America's only coast-to-coast recreational trail.

The ADT 250 Relay is part of the celebration of America's 250th birthday and is bringing cyclists (plus hikers and walkers too) together to traverse the American Discovery Trail from coast to coast. Along the way, riders carry one of three batons containing copies of the Declaration of Independence, passing them from participant to participant across the country. At the time of this recording, the relay is still underway, and because of its ambitious coast-to-coast timeline, it can only succeed when cyclists from communities along the route step up to ride a segment and keep the baton moving west.

We talk about how the relay works, what it takes to coordinate an event of this scale, the communities that make it possible, and what Sara enjoys most about helping bring this incredible adventure to life.

Find out more about the American Discovery Trail at: https://discoverytrail.org/

More info on the America 250 Relay: https://discoverytrail.org/america-250-relay

https://murphologypodcast.com/

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

Meet Taylor Nichols from the Bike Talk Podcast. Taylor is currently over 2,800 miles into a cross country solo bike trip from his daughter’s home in San Francisco to his father’s home in Michigan. He has his Surly Midnight Special loaded up and has been utilizing some great bicycle trails like the Pacific Coast, TansAmerican, the Lewis and Clark and is currently pedaling on the Northern Tier. I caught up with Taylor on his overnight stop in Fargo and we chatted about long distance cycling and the challenges that go along with it. You can listen to the Bike Talk Podcast at biketalk.org, or on any podcast platform. Here’s my interview with Taylor.

https://biketalk.org/

https://murphologypodcast.com/

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

A new ride is coming to Eastern Iowa May 9, 2026, organized by yours truly and today I am joined by my co-host from The Just Go Bike Podcast to discuss everything you might want to know about the Pedals and Petals Women’s Ride. This 34 mile bicycle ride utilizes the Cedar Valley Nature Trail and takes riders from Cedar Rapids, through the quaint town of Ely to Solon where we turn around and head back to Cedar Rapids. It is meant to be more than just a bicycle ride, and you can find out more at our website which is https://pedalsandpetalsride.com/. We couldn’t do this ride without our generous sponsors which include Northtowne Cycling and Fitness, Iowa Fluid Power Motion Services, the Linn County Trails Association, this podcast, and PrimalWear. And I will list out friends and supporters of the ride below.

Just Go Bike Podcast: https://ragbrai.com/justgobike/

Northtowne Cycling & Fitness: https://www.northtownebikes.com/

Iowa Fluid Power Motion Services: https://www.ifpusa.com/

Linn County Trails Assn: https://www.linncountytrails.org/

PrimalWear: https://www.primalwear.com/

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

Friends and Supporters of this ride:

Lucky's on 16th

Big Grove Brewery

McKay Insurance

National Czech and Slovak Museum

Sweet Spots Cakes

Joe Photo

Sherry Ott is back to talk to us about bike tours in other countries. You may remember her from a few years back when we did an episode highlighting her United States Capitol to Capitol by bicycle quest. That episode is listed in the show notes. Sherry is celebrating 20 years of Ottsworld, which is her travel blog that features her travels and small group tours that take tourists off the beaten path. She is going to tell us about some of her recent (and upcoming) bike tours and also provide us with a few tips on how to choose a bike tour that fits your style of riding.

You can check out all her travels on ottsworld.com

Here is the Capitol to Capitol episode: https://soundcloud.com/murphology-podcast/episode-115-sherrys-biking-capitol-building-to-capitol-building

And here is the Experience Plus episode:

https://soundcloud.com/murphology-podcast/episode-153-experience-plus-premium-bicycle-tour-company

Please rate this podcast, especially if you are a fan!

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

If you are a gravel cyclist, or maybe gravel curious, mark your calendars for October 6-10 of 2026. It is the Arkansas Graveler and Brannon Pack is on this episode to tell us more about this fully supported multi day gravel bicycle event that takes riders on a north to south route across the Arkansas Delta. This event is organized by Ozark Foundation, a nonprofit that puts on dozens of outdoor recreation events that showcase Arkansas. Registration opens March 3rd!

www.murphologypodcast.com

https://www.arkansasgraveler.com/

https://ozarkfoundation.org/

Could you be sure to give this podcast a follow, a like, 5 stars or whatever it takes to show your support. It helps this podcast, and Murphology, out a lot!

Email [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

Have you heard of a brand of bicycles called Priority? If not, today is the day! Co-Founder Connor Swegle is on this episode to talk all things Priority! Priority Bicycles is a small company with big dreams. They went from a Kickstarter 11 years ago to a company that has a full line up of bicycles that feature a belt drive system instead of your standard chain. This makes for, as they would say: the best low maintenance bicycles in the world, period. Their strategy is simple: high quality parts, an efficient supply chain, low overhead, and an online business model. Connor talks about the company, exactly what a belt drive is, and what is in store for the future of Priority Bicycles.

www.murphologypodcast.com

www.prioritybicycles.com

www.duzertv.com

www.ragbrai.com

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

Meet Eric Paton, someone who did not consider himself a cyclist, watched a few YouTube videos that sparked the urge to ride his bike across Canada!! Eric went out and bought his first bike as he neared retirement and the planning, and training began soon after. He shares some of the highlights from his solo adventure. Upon returning he not only sat down and wrote the book: Live the Dash: 70 Days I Didn’t Know I Could Do, he went on to create ‘Epic Canadian Rides’, a touring company that helps others live their dream to do what Eric did!

https://epiccanadianrides.ca/

www.murphologypodcast.com

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

Who wants to ride in North Carolina with me?? Today meet Chip Hofler from North Carolina Amateur Sports and Cycle North Carolina. What started in the early 80’s as an organization bringing the Olympic festival to the area, it is now host to some pretty cool rides including a mountain ride and a coastal ride. I am planning to do an epic tour with them in early October that combines both. It is called Cycle North Carolina Mountains to Coast Ride. It is a 7 day fully supported ride with an average of about 65 miles per day. Featuring the North Carolina scenic beauty from the mountains to the coast, Chip also tells us about some of the historic and visitor attractions riders can look forward to on this ride.

Get registered today! https://ncsports.org/event/cyclenc_mountainstocoast_ride/

If you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you will know when new episodes drop!

www.murphologypodcast.com

Registration is open for the 2025 Colorado’s Ride! Use code MURPH to get $100 off your registration fee. Occurring in mid August, Colorado’s Ride is an epic cycling adventure that immerses you into stunning landscapes of Colorado, and charming towns like Durango and Pagosa Springs. I completed this ride in 2024 and invited ride director Bill Plock to be on the podcast to talk more about this bike tour. This multi day tour features an ascent up almost 11,000 feet on Molas Pass through the San Juan National Forest, and also up beautiful Wolf Creek Pass. Off the bike there are some really cool experiences available and we talk about some of them in this episode.

https://coloradosride.com/

Summit Cycle Solutions Episode: https://soundcloud.com/murphology-podcast/episode-157-leave-your-bike-tour-logistics-to-summit-cycle-solutions

Rum Runner Tour Episode: https://soundcloud.com/murphology-podcast/episode-146-riding-the-rum-runner-tour-to-key-west

www.murphologypodcast.com

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.

On this episode meet Amaiya Bearpaw. As a proud member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, she was chosen to pedal about 950 miles in 2023 as part of the Remember the Removal Bike Ride, also known as RTR. The ride spans from Georgia to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma over nearly three weeks.

The Remember the Removal Bike Ride was started by the Cherokee Nation in 1984 with the intent for Cherokee youth to retrace the Trail of Tears and get a glimpse of the hardships their ancestors faced when they made the same trek on foot years before. The ride became an annual event starting in 2009 and today, riders are selected based on an interview process. Then, the selected riders train for six months and also learn about the history of the Cherokee . During the bike tour, riders get re-connected with their past, honoring and visiting the historic landmarks and unmarked graves of their Cherokee ancestors. Amaiya was part of the 2023 team and is on today to tell us about her experience.

https://rtr.cherokee.org/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/remember-the-removal-bike-ride.htm

https://shop.visitcherokeenation.com/

www.murphologypodcast.com

Email me at [email protected] if you have a topic or the name of a cyclist you find interesting. Support my podcast at Patreon.com/Murphology and visit my Facebook, YouTube and Instagram page for daily entertainment.