Reintroducing the Cycotherapy News Roundup
The link dump that only slightly and sometimes relates to cycling.
Greetings fellow cycling lovers.
It’s been too long. I feel compelled to keep this thing alive, and for now, we’ll start with a weekly or semi-weekly newsletter filled with news about the cycling world, a piece to read/consider, some photos, maybe some poetry or maybe a recipe — basically, this is just a link dump that only sometimes relates to cycling. The idea is to give you something interesting to talk about while in the saddle with your buddies. Chum for cycopaths engaging in cycotherapy.
If you’re new around here, welcome. We tend to call each other “cycopaths,” because we gain fulfillment in riding our bicycles, which we call “cycotherapy.”
But we’re all people, right? So not everything on this Substack will be about cycling. I hope you stick around.
Quick life update. A lot has happened since my last Cycotherapy News Roundup, which, embarassingly, was back in November 2023.
Long story short, I picked up another job as an adjunct journalism professor. It kept me busy and challenged me tremendously. As of January, I’m no longer doing that. I enjoyed it, but it’s not for me right now. And frankly, the biggest benefit was its helpfulness in rediscovering my passion for journalism. Consequently, from August 2023 to December 2024, bike riding and blogging fell to the wayside.
We also welcomed the newest addition to the Carr clan, Jude August. He burst into our lives on December 10, 2024. Can’t wait to get him in the saddle. :)
Oh, and I bought a house (as an investment) with money I got from getting hit by an SUV while riding my bike. More on the house to come.
So here we are! Again!
Moving forward, I’d like to start with these link dumps about what’s happening in the cycling industry/world. Expect those on a semi-weekly basis.
I might also sprinkle some poetry and essays here and there, whether its related to bipedaling or not. And every once in a while, I will republish fun posts we’ve enjoyed over the years.
Oh and Cycotherapy will serve as Communications HQ for Peckerhead 2025. If you don’t know what that means, read this. And this. This means you will see regular posts encouraging you to sign up for the annual bike ride we host in Mansfield, OH.
Cycotherapy is also yours.
Cycotherapy and its nearly 600 (!!) subscribers is a community of cyclers. Got a story to share? Send me an email at brazdill.25 AT gmail.com. If it fits the overall feel and theme of Cycotherapy, I’ll publish it here. These can vary — from poetry to essay to gear review to race/event coverage. Read more here.
Sincerely,
dillon.
headlines & links
From couch to century
This Bicycling mag story, from Monique Lebrun, offers some tips on how to go from zero miles on the bike to 100 (a century). Lemme sum it up: ride your bike a lot. Also, eat well before, during and after a ride. Oh and get a good bike. Cross training is a good idea. So is tapering, a fancy word endurance athletes use to stress the importance of reducing your training intensity up to 2 weeks before the big ride. If I’m being honest, this article made me say “duh.” It also made me curious if Monique had ever ridden her bike for 100 miles in one sitting, whether it be for leisure or competition. I didn’t find any public info to confirm. The four Monique Lebruns on Strava didn’t show much, if any, activity. So it makes me wonder if she just had ChatGPT write an article for Bicycling. Ugh. I’m jaded. Here’s my advice for riding a century: ride whatever you’ve got for as long as you can until you’re confidence grows. You’ll learn the rest along the way. Just do it.
Analysis from early races
Here’s a news analysis from CyclingNews of some substance. Key takeaways: 1.) Women’s cycling teams dominated in cycling’s opening weekend 2025. SD Worx and Jumbo-Visma are no longer the only strong contenders, and the author posits that the growing strength of these new teams not only affects the dynamics of the races but also signals a broader transformation in the way the women's peloton is structured. This shift could lead to more balanced competition and provide opportunities for more riders and teams to claim victory in prestigious races, making the sport even more compelling for fans and participants alike. 2.) The Alpecin-Deceuninck UCI team had an impressive showing in early races, positioning themselves as a key force in the spring classics. (Spring classics are in full-swing, as of March 1.) 3.) The traditionally dominant teams — SD Worx and Jumbo-Visma — weren’t as dominant. Despite their strong histories and reputation, they exhibited weaknesses, signaling that their dominance might be challenged more than in previous years.
Bikepacking routes
I’ve really started to enjoy bikepacking. I love the challenge of getting everything I need for an overnight trip onto my bike. If you do it the right way, with a bunch of racks and packs, it can get pretty dang expensive if you don’t already have that kinda gear. But that’s also the fun of it — how can I attach this extra pair of shoes, without buying extra accoutrements? My adventure buddy, Jace, and I put together our very own route in August, from Bellville to Millersburg (in Ohio). It was 50 miles down and back, which we accomplished in two riding days. We camped there. It was a great little trip, and surprisingly, nothing went terribly wrong, other than Jace drawing the short straw in who would pull the bike trailer we packed for the trip. Anyway, if anyone else shares this interest in bikepacking, Bikepacking.com has a whole page dedicated to routes around the world. Check it out.
OMBC registration is open
The Ohio Mountain Bike Championship series kicks off March 22 with the MO Gritty 50 (or 30). This year marks the third for the race, which takes you on some of Mohican country’s toughest gravel roads. Here’s my recap from 2023. I hope to do it again. And you should do it, too. Sign up here.
feature of the week
The opening paragraph of this feature got me hooked, which is hard to do these days. I don’t really read super long online features too often anymore, because I tell myself I don’t have time. But this one was worth the 10 minutes or so. The basic premise: why do we still ski and snowboard? Especially when it’s so dang expensive these days?
“Let me tell you a tale of a mythical beast who wanders the wintry peaks. He is your average American resort skier, and he does strange and marvelous things. According to legend, he will sit in traffic for three hours on a Saturday morning to make a drive that would otherwise take less than half the time. He will wander haplessly to a ticket counter and pay $200 for a lift ticket. He will wait in lift lines so long, the locals whisper, that you can see them from space. He will do all this for the privilege of sliding around for a few hours on a chewed-up slope days after the last storm. He will call it ‘skiing pow.’ This behavior is nonsensical, you say. This man must be a myth.”
video of the week
This is a cool video. It’s only like 3 minutes, so if time is something you wanna save, consume this one instead of the long read above. (You’re welcome.)
PKR25
Here’s the weekly plug for Peckerhead 2025, a bike ride through the Mohican/Mansfield hills of Ohio:
What: Peckerhead 2025
When: June 14, 2025
Where: 451 Davis Road, Mansfield OH 44907
How much: Free (donations welcome)
Why: Because.
Should I RSVP? Yes you should. Click the button below.
(Stay tuned for routes. Typically there are three. One is around 35 miles. The other is around 60 miles. The other is around 70-80 miles.)
So far, there are 14 brave souls who have signed up for PKR25. Will you be the 15th?
Catch up on what the heck PKR is with links below.
