Open Mic with Mike Creed

THIS EPISODE Mike catches up with pal Alex Howes of Garmin-Sharp in the middle of the 2014 USA Cycling Professional National Championships. Mike and Alex had their chat just a few days before Team SmartStop very nearly swept the podium in a one-two finish that put Howes on the bronze medal step.

Their raucous and rollicking conversation starts with a cryptic discussion of PCBC (Pro Cyclists Book Club), a somewhat mysterious reading group for Girona-based cyclists akin to Fight Club, crazy tales of their respective grandmas, dysentery as a climbing enhancement, and exploration of the Howes motto - "When bad things happen, I like to be in them."

Tough, confident, and talented on the climbs and in the sprints, Howes was tapped as one of the favorites to win the road racing national championships in Chattanooga this year. His experiences in Europe have given him the skills necessary to take his place on the World Tour arena, and this entertaining and insightful conversation between good friends shows the many facets of Howes' diamond-in-the-rough personality.

Knowing now how the nationals road race finished with a win by SmartStop's Eric Marcotte and second place by Travis McCabe (as well as the sad and unfortunate crash by Taylor Phinney), it's fascinating to hear the speculation and prediction by Mike and Alex of how the race might play out.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.)

Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!!

We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike finally wrangles a chat with longtime good friend Alex Candelario, a former teammate from back in their early days racing for Prime Alliance. "Cando" currently rides for Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies in [spoiler alert] what may be his last season of road racing. In what Mike views as one of the better podcasts he's ever done, the guys compare and contrast what it's like being the talent for a team vs. being management, analyze races past and present, and Creed poses the "big" questions to Cando as he ponders his retirement from the peloton – what will he miss the most about racing, who will he miss, who will he stay in touch with, and what won't he miss or be glad not to deal with? Alex then turns the tables on Mike and asks him some of these same questions to surprising results. Discussions of the coolness factor of Lou Reed and Tom Waits, who will write Mike's perfect eulogy, and the definitive Cando story round out the conversation and reveal the depth of Mike's respect for Alex and the extent of their enduring friendship. You'll be entertained and humbled by this extremely candid and humanistic conversation between old friends.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.)

Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!!

We're also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week's contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike is with the team at the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, AK, and because of some unfortunate timing, has no guest for this week's podcast. Flying solo (with a bit of assistance from team mechanic Chris Kreidl and team soigneuse Astrid van Uden), Mike attempts to entertain and amuse our faithful listeners for a little over an hour with random musings and anecdotes.

Choice moments such as "My Twitter account is a tribute to honesty," "I don't feel like you can be as honest when women are around," and a speed round of Mike's favorite game, "Fuck, Marry, Murder" highlight this bizarre and disjointed podcast. Maybe we should have just called the episode, "Deep Thoughts with Creedosaurus Rex."

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.)

Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!!

We're also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week's contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item.

This week we're giving away an urban/commuter helmet and Cappuccinolock from Lazer. Just post a photo of a situation where you might use the lock and hashtag it #lazerlock. You'll need to tweet at @lazerhelmets and also hashtag #OpenMic to be eligible. A winner will be selected next Thursday and announced on Friday before the week's podcast. Good luck, and as always, thanks for listening!

THIS EPISODE Mike and old friend Chad Hartley get together after the Belmont Criterium in Charlotte, NC, to catch up and swap stories over a bourbon or two.

In a career that's spanned decades, Chad first started racing BMX as a teenager, turned pro at age 19, and after a stint with Jittery Joe's joined Mike on TIAA-CREF (later to morph into Slipstream/Chipotle and finally Team Garmin). Teammate, training buddy, prankster, and all-around good guy, Chad lived with Mike in Silver City back in the day, and in spite of Creed's derision, has followed the team director path, currently as rider-manager with Athlete Octane Cycling (formerly Sharecare), a team focusing primarily on domestic criterium racing.

Following a lengthy reminiscence of their best "pantsing" episodes – including a brawl in a Cracker Barrel – the guys share what is perhaps the best-ever Mike "Meatball" Friedman story.

Lest you think this conversation is all about punking, Mike and Chad have a thoughtful and fascinating conversation about racing then and now, and how the pro peloton and the nature of racing has changed, along with a timely and germane debate about the pros and cons of stage racing vs. criterium racing and how the nuances can sometimes be not so apparent to outside spectators.

You will be utterly engrossed by this free-wheeling conversation between really good friends, teammates, and colleagues.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.)

Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!!

We're also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week's contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item.

This week we're giving away a pair of Lazer shades. You just need to tweet at @Lazer_Vision and hashtag #LazerVision or #OpenMic why you need these glasses or where you would use the glasses. A winner will be selected next Thursday and announced on Friday before the week's podcast.

Good luck, and as always, thanks for listening!

 

 

THIS EPISODE Mike gets together with Lewis Elliot of Team Landis/Trek in between stages at the Redlands Classic. The Arizona native is not only a professional cyclist and triathlete, he's also a Ford Agency model, and is perhaps best known as the guy in the ProForm® TDF Centennial edition Powered by Google Maps™ incline/decline training bike commercial (phew, that was a mouthful). After they get some bike geeking out of their systems, the guys settle down for an interesting conversation that runs the gamut from wide hips and kick-ass lungs to taking cell phones for granted. Reminiscences of the Tour of Gila, the Junior Tour of Austria, Bob Dylan lyrics, and awkward vs. amazing podcasts pepper this intriguing conversation. You'll be glad you got to know Lewis Elliot better by listening to this real and authentic conversation between old friends.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

We're grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week's contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item. 

This week we're giving away a Lazer bike helmet for the best new product name for Lazer's forthcoming helmet. Simply tweet your creative helmet name to @LazerHelmets with the hashtag #OpenMic. A winner will be selected next Thursday and announced on Friday before the week's podcast.

Good luck, and as always, thanks for listening!

THIS EPISODE Mike sits down with his former cycling rival Scott Price after the opening stage at Redlands Classic in California, where Scott is working with the Landis/Trek cycling team.

A native of Calgary, Canada, Scott moved to Spain at the age of 17 to pursue a road cycling career, which he did successfully for nearly two decades, culminating in  his becoming Canadian National Champion in 1992. In 1999 Scott founded Higher Living Health and Performance Coaching in Arizona, to guide athletes toward finding balance, developing inner strength and tapping into their intuition and wisdom.

Over Thai curry Mike and Scott reminisce about their strong competitive relationship during the early years of their careers, what drove them to succeed back then, and what motivates them today in this new phase of their professional careers.

Their conversation offers a fascinating glimpse into what makes for a successful cyclist, and why pro bike racers are uniquely qualified to handle diverse and complicated tasks in their post-racing years.

You're not likely to find a more unique and thought-provoking conversation about this aspect of cycling than right here with these old friends and rivals.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

We also welcome Mercury Wheels as a new sponsor of the podcast. As part of their support of Open Mic, Mercury will be giving away a set of the same wheels that Mike's guys at Smart Stop train on. All you have to do to be entered is like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Instagram to be entered into a contest to win a set of deep-rim alloy training wheels. Mike will be announcing the winner on Twitter sometime next week, and we'll also tweet it from the Cyclismas account as well.

A new addition to the Open Mic sponsorship roster is Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever ad slogan you make up. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item. This week we're giving away a pair of Lazer Vision sunglasses to the person who tweets the most creative caption to this photograph:

Simply tweet your caption and mention @lazer_vision and #OpenMic to qualify to win. For example: My Meatball's so bright, I gotta wear @Lazer_Vision shades. #OpenMic.

Chris Smith of Lazer will select a winning tweet before next Friday's podcast.

Thanks, and enjoy.

THIS EPISODE Mike talks to his old teammate Scott Zwizanski of Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies. In between sharing war stories from the Vuelta Mexico where they were racing, the guys reminisce about the good old days on Optum, and how Scott got his start in bike racing.

At times comical (Creed tries to get Zwiz to admit that the Optum guys miss him when really they just miss having someone to be the butt of their jokes) and other times quietly brutal (we learn how Scott coded after a race crash and had his life saved in dramatic fashion), this conversation between old friends and teammates is one you're sure to remember.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

We also welcome Mercury Wheels as a new sponsor of the podcast. As part of their support of Open Mic, Mercury will be giving away a set of the same wheels that Mike's guys at Smart Stop train on. All you have to do to be entered is like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Instagram to be entered into a contest to win a set of deep-rim alloy training wheels. Mike will be announcing the winner on Twitter sometime next week, and we'll also tweet it from the Cyclismas account as well.

A new addition to the Open Mic sponsorship roster is Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we'll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever ad slogan you make up. If your tweet is chosen, you'll win a Lazer item. This week we're giving away a Lazer Genesis helmet, so use the helmet handle, so get creative!

Thanks, and enjoy.

THIS EPISODE Mike makes a departure from his usual podcasts with this chat with Dustin Judice, a cycling fan, Cat 4 racer, and Iraq War vet. Dustin sent Mike a note on Twitter thanking him for the Open Mic podcast, relating how it gives such a great perspective on the pro cycling scene by really connecting the listeners with Mike and his guests. When Dustin mentioned he was looking for insight on how he might get into the world of pro bike racing, Mike became intrigued by Dustin's story and made a road trip to Lafayette on his way to training camp to catch up with Dustin and learn more of his story and share some helpful hints.

Dustin tells Mike how the bike literally saved his life, helping him to get through PTSD and lose over 130 pounds of excess weight gained after his return from deployment. We also learn about his foray into racing, and training, and how he's trying to juggle that with studies as a chemical engineering student at the University of Louisiana. Mike helps guide Dustin on the racing path, and they talk about how best to survive the world of omniums, criteriums, and time trials (Dustin's favorite), and we discover how he finds inspiration from something so seemingly isolated as racing bikes.

During the course of their conversation, Mike learns what it was like for Dustin to have gone into the Army at the age of 18 and to see active combat in the Middle East, quite an eye-opener for someone coming from the cloistered life of pro bike racing.

You will be fascinated and humbled by this earthy and real conversation, and no doubt it will stay with you long after the audio ends.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

THIS EPISODE Mike catches up with Lauren Hall of Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies. A talented all-rounder who's been racing pro since 2010, Lauren started her career with Team Vera Bradley and then moved to Team Tibco before landing a berth on her current Optum squad. With two national titles on the track and a second in both the national criterium and national road race championships, Hall's nickname of "The Bullet" is an apt one. She was named by VeloNews as a "rider to watch" in 2013, and her USA Cycling palmarés from last year have indeed demonstrated that to be the case.

Over the course of their laughter-filled gab session, Lauren explains her circuitous route to pro cycling via soccer, culinary arts school, marathon running, and triathlon. A dynamo on and off the bike, Lauren keeps Mike entertained as she tells one story after another of her exploits in the women's peloton.

You're sure to be as delighted as we were with this highly entertaining conversation.

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

We also welcome Mercury Wheels as a new sponsor of the podcast. As part of their support of Open Mic, Mercury will be giving away a set of the same wheels that Mike's guys at Smart Stop train on. All you have to do to be entered is like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Instagram to be entered into a contest to win a set of deep-rim alloy training wheels. Mike will be announcing the winner on Twitter sometime next week, and we'll also tweet it from the Cyclismas account as well.

Thanks, and enjoy.

THIS EPISODE Mike gets together with Canadian cycling legend Gord Fraser, a three-time Olympian and four-time Commonwealth Games participant who was the 2004 Canadian national road race champion. In 2006 Gord retired from professional cycling after racing four seasons for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis. He then went on to be a directeur sportif with Team Type 1 in 2009, and in 2010 joined UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis as a directeur sportif. In 2011 became DS for the US Continental team, Realcyclist.com.

In between bites of dinner, Mike and Gord reminisce about the first time they met in Tucson so many years ago when Gord began his road racing career. They chat about Gord's past in team pursuit and other track cycling events, including his successes in the Commonwealth Games and transitioning from track to road cycling.

Among the curious tidbits Gord reveals is that back in 1993 he raced alongside New England stalwarts Frank and Mark McCormack for IME-Healthshare – along with a certain ponytailed slacker surfer dude named Chris Horner (who crushed everyone with BMX handle grips on his Scott drop-in bars...)

As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us.

Colorado Cyclist is running a special promotion that we'd like everyone to know about. If a customer purchases any bike, frame or wheels, the customer will receive back a gift certificate worth 15% of the purchase price toward a future purchase. For example: If a customer buys a $4,000.00 bike, they will get a Gift Certificate for $600.00. There are no restrictions, and this promotion includes regular and sale bikes, frames and any wheels – factory or custom included. There is free shipping on all items as well. Colorado Cyclist is also launching a new website, so stay tuned and be on the lookout for upcoming giveaways. And be sure to call them at 1-800-688-8600 and mention the podcast when placing your order!

We also welcome Mercury Wheels as a new sponsor of the podcast. As part of their support of Open Mic, Mercury will be giving away a set of the same wheels that Mike's guys at Smart Stop train on. All you have to do to be entered is like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and follow them on Instagram to be entered into a contest to win a set of deep-rim alloy training wheels. Mike will be announcing the winner on Twitter sometime next week, and we'll also tweet it from the Cyclismas account as well.

Thanks, and enjoy.