Send us a text Fog hangs low, headlights cut thin ribbons through the dark, and somewhere ahead a line of red taillights refuses to be caught. We lean into the season with a Halloween ride that blends ghost stories, travel mishaps, aviation quirks, and a surprising amount of laughter from two cyclists who prize the journey as much as the destination. We kick off with Moonlight Mayhem bourbon, a yard-turned-graveyard, and a Florida trip that delivered 12-mile theme-park days and a front-row v...
All content for Road Adventures of Cycling Men of Leisure is the property of Adam Baranski & Michael Sharp and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Send us a text Fog hangs low, headlights cut thin ribbons through the dark, and somewhere ahead a line of red taillights refuses to be caught. We lean into the season with a Halloween ride that blends ghost stories, travel mishaps, aviation quirks, and a surprising amount of laughter from two cyclists who prize the journey as much as the destination. We kick off with Moonlight Mayhem bourbon, a yard-turned-graveyard, and a Florida trip that delivered 12-mile theme-park days and a front-row v...
Send us a text Fog hangs low, headlights cut thin ribbons through the dark, and somewhere ahead a line of red taillights refuses to be caught. We lean into the season with a Halloween ride that blends ghost stories, travel mishaps, aviation quirks, and a surprising amount of laughter from two cyclists who prize the journey as much as the destination. We kick off with Moonlight Mayhem bourbon, a yard-turned-graveyard, and a Florida trip that delivered 12-mile theme-park days and a front-row v...
Send us a text Bourbon on the brain, bikes in the rack, and a weekend that kept surprising us. We rolled into Lexington aiming for miles and meaningful pours and came away with a signed nine-millionth barrel at Buffalo Trace, a “unicorn” experimental bottle, and a reminder from Freddie Johnson that whiskey is really about the people you share it with. Between double allocation drops and an upstairs tasting lineup featuring Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Weller 12, we dug into where the bourbon ma...
Send us a text A bookstore with no checkout, a doorbell with a secret, and a barstool that comes with a story—our Kentucky journey starts where bike culture and bourbon tradition intersect. We kick off in Louisville on Whiskey Row, tracing two different arcs of American whiskey: Bardstown’s modern blending and hospitality machine and Michter’s deep Pennsylvania roots revived in Kentucky. Along the way, we compare tasting philosophies, talk candidly about when flights feel like value versus a ...
Send us a text What happens when you combine cycling with ziplining? According to Michael, you get one of the most unique adventure experiences available—bike ziplining through the Mexican jungle. After returning from a week-long resort vacation with his family, Michael shares his discovery of this extraordinary activity that lets you pedal your way through the rainforest canopy, over water, and even through caves on a suspended recumbent-style bike. This episode blends travel tales with cyc...
Send us a text What happens when tracking apps meant to keep your children safe become tools for insurance companies to monitor driving habits? This episode kicks off with a startling revelation about Life360 that parents of teen drivers won't want to miss, complete with a crucial tip on disabling the insurance reporting feature while preserving the app's family tracking capabilities. Adam takes us behind the scenes of his recent transit conference at Crystal Mountain, where professional dev...
Send us a text Saddle up for an episode that perfectly blends cycling camaraderie with bourbon-infused adventure! Adam kicks things off with a fascinating glimpse into the surprisingly technical world of "bus rodeos" where he recently served as "Officer Obi" with radar gun in hand. These competitions test professional drivers' skills through challenging courses with diminishing clearance, precise backing maneuvers, and speed requirements - all observed by families and fellow transit pr...
Send us a text Seventy-five episodes! When we started this podcast, neither of us thought we'd make it past five or seven shows. Yet here we are, celebrating a milestone that represents years of friendship, thousands of miles cycled together, and a community that has grown beyond anything we imagined. Michael kicks things off with an update on his collarbone recovery - the x-rays look good, but he's still not able to raise his arm fully. Despite the injury, we're both confirmed for Bourbon B...
Send us a text Michael's fractured clavicle changed everything about this summer's cycling plans, but it led to unexpected adventures worth sharing. While nursing his broken collarbone (or "fractured clavicle" as his doctor insists on calling it), Michael took his family to Kentucky's bourbon country, visiting seven distilleries in a single day - though he made sure the kids had plenty of fun too with stops at a candy factory and the Louisville Slugger Museum. He proudly shows off his new min...
Send us a text When the unexpected strikes, how do you adapt? Michael shares the story of his recent cycling accident where he encountered an almost-invisible brown hose stretched across concrete pavement during a training ride. With just seconds to react, his front tire turned 90 degrees, sending him face-first onto the road, resulting in a fractured clavicle and extensive road rash. This first-ever broken bone in thousands of cycling miles comes with particularly unfortunate timing—just 19 ...
Send us a text The Georgia hills couldn't break us! Picking up where we left off, Adam and Michael complete their wild journey across Georgia with the BRAG cycling event, sharing every triumph, challenge, and laugh along the way. Our layover day in Dawsonville delivers pure adrenaline as we race high-performance go-karts at AMP track, where Michael edges out Adam by just four one-hundredths of a second (a fact Adam graciously acknowledges... eventually). But the adventure doesn't stop there—...
Send us a text Saddle up for an exhilarating journey across Georgia with the Cycling Men of Leisure as we lead our largest-ever team of 43 riders through the challenging Appalachian foothills. This episode captures the first half of our fourth consecutive BRAG (Bike Ride Across Georgia) adventure, where the terrain proved anything but flat. From Rome to Jasper to Dawsonville, we navigate the notorious "Three-Headed Medusa Hill" – a punishing 14% grade climb that humbled even the most experie...
Send us a text Adventure meets technology in this gear-up episode as Adam and Michael prepare for their upcoming Bicycle Ride Across Georgia (BRAG) journey and explore essential tech tools for cyclists. The duo celebrates a milestone moment when Adam correctly guesses Huntsville, Alabama as the previous Listener Spotlight location—the rocket city that inspired Elton John's iconic song. This rare victory sparks friendly banter as they share how multiple listeners submitted correct answers for...
Send us a text Mother's Day meets cycling adventures in this spirited episode where we dive into the exciting plans for Big Brag 2025 with Executive Director Franklin Johnson. Before our special interview, we share some cycling-related Mother's Day facts and celebrate that our upcoming Big Brag adventure coincides with World Bicycle Day on June 3rd! Michael regales us with tales from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting, complete with plentiful Dairy Queen ice cream and Warren Buffett...
Send us a text Balancing indoor training with ambitious road adventures takes center stage as Michael shares his surprisingly successful Peloton strategy—hiding the time and distance metrics that once dominated his attention. While Adam admits to having fancy indoor training equipment that rarely sees use, both hosts recognize the value of winter preparation as they gear up for their most ambitious challenge yet. July will find our Cycling Men of Leisure tackling the RAIN Ride—an epic 165-mi...
Send us a text The unique balance of practical cycling wisdom and lighthearted camaraderie takes center stage as Adam and Michael reunite to share their latest adventures. After catching up on life updates, they dive into preparations for their upcoming summer cycling challenge featuring nearly 20,000 feet of climbing. With characteristic humor, they laugh about the recurring question they face: "Have you been training?" – always asked with a knowing smirk. The conversation takes a fascinati...
Send us a text Shane Cusick takes us on a fascinating journey through the transforming landscape of cycling, drawing from his rich experiences as both the former tour director of Bike Virginia and founder of Pello Bikes, a children's bicycle company focused on quality and performance. The cycling world stands at a crossroads. Traditional multi-day cycling tours that once drew thousands of participants are now struggling to survive. Shane reveals how Bike Virginia, which previously attracted ...
Send us a text Dive into a new episode of Cycling Men of Leisure where the joy of cycling truly takes center stage! We're excited to share stories, updates, and insights from our community of cycling enthusiasts. The journey is as rewarding as the ride itself, and in this episode, we showcase memorable experiences and playful anecdotes—from planning new jersey designs to tackling the upcoming RAIN Ride adventure. We feel a strong connection with our audience as we explore leisure cycling’s l...
Send us a text Returning from the sunshine of Florida to the frosty embrace of home brought a mix of joy and challenges, a journey Adam and I, Michael, recount with warmth and humor. Ever wondered about the true fashion crime of bucket hats? We tackle this hard-hitting issue, fueled by listener feedback, while also sharing heartwarming stories from our leisure community, like Rob Menser’s update on the RAIN event and Armando’s inspiring comeback story. We keep the laughs going with a spirited...
Send us a text Ever tried scoring discounted wood using purple paint or faced assumptions about your friendship with a dining buddy at Disney? Join us on "Road Adventures with Cycling Men of Leisure" as Adam and Michael take a light-hearted journey through the sunny realms of Florida. We explore the amusing clash of Michael's work commitments with Adam's leisurely golf outings, and the surprising creation of our makeshift studio. Our listener community is also buzzing with divided opinions on...
Send us a text Ever wondered how a traveler with a stepladder or an unexpected hot dog order could spark a whole adventure? Join us as we embark on our Podfest 2025 journey in Orlando, where quirky encounters and laugh-out-loud mishaps are the norm. Whether it's our friend Armando gifting us a camera with a backstory or narrowly avoiding an escalator-induced trip to the ER, rest assured, our stories will keep you entertained. And yes, Disney security made an unexpected cameo—who knew recordin...
Send us a text Fog hangs low, headlights cut thin ribbons through the dark, and somewhere ahead a line of red taillights refuses to be caught. We lean into the season with a Halloween ride that blends ghost stories, travel mishaps, aviation quirks, and a surprising amount of laughter from two cyclists who prize the journey as much as the destination. We kick off with Moonlight Mayhem bourbon, a yard-turned-graveyard, and a Florida trip that delivered 12-mile theme-park days and a front-row v...
