The Long Way Home

The Long Way Home 8

[https://cyclingindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IMG_6536.jpg] Back in the mid-2000s I suffered the deepest bout of depression I’d ever experienced. To say I was despondent is like saying King Kong is a big ape. I was too broke to afford counseling and in my state, I was struggling to connect with anyone. What got me through was my bike. Once I […]

The Long Way Home 7

[https://cyclingindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Grammering-1.jpg] For this episode John reads three pieces about the intersection between endurance sports and enduring life’s harder moments.

The Long Way Home 6

[https://cyclingindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Merckx-Illo.jpg] This week’s episode features my cover story from Peloton Magazine’s second issue, titled The Annus Mirabilis, the Greatest Season Ever. Digging into Merckx’s record was pure entertainment and writing the feature was as much fun as I’ve had writing any article I’ve published. In addition to Wikipedia, I scoured Rik Vanwalleghem’s biography, as well as […]

The Long Way Home 5

[https://cyclingindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/17038813_1369635586429256_3914015607824564727_o-e1680136405311.jpg] This week’s piece is titled, “On the Nature of Ambition.” It first appeared on Red Kite Prayer in 2017.  I never took up cycling to learn anything. I started riding bikes because it was fun. That was enough. But I began to see that as I learned more about the sport, it became more enjoyable. […]

The Long Way Home 4

[https://cyclingindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/moi.jpg] In this week’s episode we have a feature of Patrick’s that ran at Peloton Magazine, New England Genesis. It concerns how a kid from New Jersey got turned down for a job in a bike shop and how his disappointment resulted in him learning how to build frames in England and how the company he […]