In my best Jon Snow voice, 'Winter is coming'... While some of you lucky cyclists out there will be feeling the breeze go through your hair as you are dancing on the pedals throughout your mild winter, a majority of us won’t have that privilege to ride our bikes as much as we want outside and will be forced to hit the trainer indoors… If you’re not going to throw on the Netflix and blast the volume at 87 in order to hear it over your trainer, podcasts are a great alternative that we've grown to love as you can really just focus on what you’re actually hearing and your thoughts. We’ve compiled a very subjective list of podcasts that we really enjoy and help that time on the trainer go by much faster. Technically, I guess this list isn’t exclusive to just riding the trainer but really anytime you have your headphones in while riding your bike. Thinking about listening to podcasts while riding takes me back to a podcast by Tony Kornheiser nearly a decade ago riding through the plains of Kansas to pass the time as we biked across the country. That memory alone brings me to a few thoughts: 1) Yikes, I’m getting old. 2) Podcasts have come a long way since then. 3) Podcasts have come a very long way since then if Tony Kornheiser was the best thing I found to listen to at the time(no offense Tony). We’ll go ahead and warn you though that there really are only a few cycling-centric podcasts on this list and this is more of a list of podcasts that covers a wide spectrum that we really enjoy, inspire us, teach us something, or just take our minds off the pain we’re inflicting on our legs…
When they say that people are tough as nails, those nails bend in half when they meet Jocko Willink. Jocko is a former Navy SEAL who now runs a leadership consultancy group, a NY Times bestselling author, and is now partner of a US based manufacturing company. While I will warn you the podcasts typically start with a profound intensity, by the end of the episode Jocko never fails to you leave with a newfound motivation and fresh perspective on things. If that's not enough motivation for you, check out his Instagram where he typically posts pictures of his watch working out at un-godly hours...
Listen to the Jocko Podcast here...
1. 2. The Art of Adventure
Rather than let your mind drift off to exploring the places in the world you're dreaming of traveling to or just places you’d rather be than sweating on your trainer, let your mind drift off through The Art of Adventure to live vicariously through the people who are actually out there exploring the world. This podcast is an inspiring interview podcast with entrepreneurs and wanderers who are creating their own paths in life, or just transitioning from one job stage to the next. The show is hosted by Derek Loudermilk, who is a cycling coach and former pro cyclist who encourages others to pursue their passions.
Listen to The Art of Adventure Here...
What I really like about this podcast isn’t just the fact that I am just learning stuff, but learning stuff while being thoroughly entertained at the same time… The show is hosted by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark and they have a really great chemistry together, which is honestly the magic behind the podcast. They tackle subjects that cover the whole gambit and their wit and humor can somehow make subjects like ‘Understanding Handwriting Analysis’ interesting.
Listen to Stuff You Should Know Podcast here...
4. Unofficial, Unsanctioned Women's UCI Cycling Show
This podcast is all about the ladies cycling and is an offshoot of the Unofficial, Unsanctioned Women's UCI Cycling blog. Host Sarah Connolly is one of the best-known voices in women’s cycling and happy to share her “unashamedly enthusiastic and unapologetically sweary” thoughts on the often-neglected women’s side of the sport and features interviews with pro women and people involved in women’s cycling.
Listen to the Unofficial, Unsanctioned Women's UCI Cycling Show here...
We’re not exactly too original here as this is the TED everyone knows and loves. If you haven’t seen a talk on YouTube or have their app on your phone, TED is a global platform for spreading world-changing ideas and this podcast is a lovely extension of that. Every show of this NPR and TED co-production is centered on a common theme, such as happiness, astonishing inventions, and new ways to think and create. The podcast is hosted by Guy Raz, who also hosts the show How I Built This, which is also a fabulous podcast and rightly should be on this list as well but we’ll limit ourselves to just one Guy Raz show…(but really, check out the other one too). We’re not the only ones that really enjoy this podcast as they started this is 2013 and has become the fastest growing program in public radio history and one of the top podcasts in the United States.
Listen to the TED Radio Hour here...
6. The Moth
While you may be on your trainer all by your lonesome, you won’t feel alone while listening to this podcast. This podcast will give you a sense of connecting with another real human being while you are sweating it out by yourself on your trainer as it is a podcast that is all about the art of storytelling. This series is based on their live events by the same name across the country where they do all the hard work for you by curating the best of stories that are told at their live events across the country every week.
Listen to The Moth Podcast here...
7. Cleared Hot
This podcast by Andy Stumpf is one that we discovered fairly recently but one that really resonates with us and quickly became one of our favorites. Andy is another former Navy SEAL among many other things and is a really articulate and sensible voice on being the example, leadership, parenthood, and really just trying to be a better person. Even if he doesn’t have an interesting guest on the podcast, which he often does, Andy does a great job of discussing his trials and tribulations along with the lessons he takes away from them without feeling like he is preaching to you. Keep up the great work, Andy!
Listen to Cleared Hot here...
8. The Forward
Yes, this is by THE Lance that was a professional cyclist for a very long time who once won seven Tour de France titles, cancer survivor, fundraiser of hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research, and a doping offender… Regardless of your opinion of Armstrong, he is an incredible competitor who is now trying to move forward with his life, hence The Forward podcast. While Lance typically steers clear of discussing cycling on the podcast he doesn’t shy away from his mistakes, seems to be working through his past and coming to peace with it, and it is quite refreshing to hear his more humble take on life. We really like the fact that he has such a wide range of quality guests from musicians, athletes, business owners, etc and has pretty candid and casual conversations with them. If you do want to hear Lance talk about cycling, he actually did a Tour de France specific podcast this past summer called STAGES that was really well done.
Listen to The Forward here...
9. Adam Carolla
Nothing makes the time on the trainer spin by than a little laughing, which is why we wanted to add some comedy to our list. Adam and friends definitely check that laughing box for us and didn’t become the Guiness World Record holder for most downloaded podcast for nothing… They host a new podcast every day of the week and have guests that range from other comedians all the way to Donald Trump(before he became president). Adam not only hosts his daily podcast but has a myriad of other shows under the Carolla network covering topics like home improvement, parenting, cars, and even a show with his old friend Dr. Drew.
Listen to Adam Carolla here...
This is a podcast series that is less like an interview and really is more of a conversation with business leaders, entrepreneurs, and folks that you may find on the cover of the magazine by the same name… It is really interesting to hear the backstory of all of these folks from such diverse backgrounds and how they became who they are today. The podcast is hosted by Steve Bertoni and he does a great job of having such a casual and informative conversation while still keeping things light.
Listen to The Forbes Interview here...
This cycling podcast covers all things cycling and is hosted by Diane Lees, a bike shop owner and yoga instructor with over 35 years experience in the bicycle industry. Not only is the podcast interesting but is also the only podcast on the list that we can say we’ve been a guest on. If you want to hear us on the podcast from back in the day, you can hear that episode here…
Listen to The Outspoken Cyclist here...