Ellen Van Dijk always had a need for speed. Becoming a speed skater at eight and cycling since the age of ten, Ellen has been competing for most of her life. Ultimately Ellen found more success as a cyclist, having become a national cycling champion for the fifth time in 2007, so she quit speed skating and became a full-time cyclist.   Racking up the world title successes, Ellen decided she would try her hand at claiming a world record. So in April 2022, Ellen announced she would try to break...

Every fall, thousands come to Trek’s global headquarters in Waterloo, WI, for one weekend to witness riders from all over the world race at the Trek CX Cup. From juniors, to weekend warriors, to the top riders, everyone is welcome at Trek’s CX Cup. And all certainly feel welcomed when greeted with cowbells, people in costumes, a world-class course, food, beer, and one hell of a good time.  But the Trek CX Cup that started in 2017 is more than just a good time; it has been instrumental in...

Valentina Höll has been cycling for the better part of her life. Growing up in a rural town in Austria with parents who were avid cyclists, she soon found her way into the sport. Vali's journey began at just the age of three, but it wasn't until she won her first race against a bunch of boys at thirteen that she knew she had found her calling. By age twenty, Valentina Höll captured three World Championship titles, one of which was in 2022, just a few weeks before recording this episode....

Each year one hundred and fifty thousand cyclists ride on Mount Diablo. Unfortunately, the risk they take is too familiar to cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians alike; the threat of motor vehicle collisions. Since 2000, Mount Diablo has claimed over 21 fatalities and counting. According to Alan Kalin, President of Mount Diablo Cyclists, California State Parks is not doing enough to prevent the resulting injuries to Park visitors who ride bicycles, so he’s decided to take matters into his own...

You may not know, but last year, former Trek-Segafredo stand-out turned gravel racer Kiel Reijnen had one of the craziest weeks in sports. Not only did it include running 18 miles (on gravel) after his bike broke down, but he also embarked on a 5-day boat race with his daughter the day after.  So what exactly happened? Who is Kiel Reijnen? And why is gravel racing cycling's fastest-growing discipline? In this episode, we kick back with professional gravel athlete, Kiel Reijnen, to answer that...

Imagine this—your job is to feed an entire team of athletes tackling some of sport’s most brutally taxing events on the road more than 200 days a year, you’ll be in a new kitchen every night, and you have to make sure that what you create satisfies their body’s needs as well as their tastebuds. Sound good? In this episode, we sit down with Trek-Segafredo’s team chef Bram Lippens to talk about one of the most important yet less visible jobs in all of pro cycling. Along with behind-the-scenes...

Jolanda Neff is known for many things, including winning gold in the 2021 Olympics, being a 14x World Cup Champion, being a 16x Elite World, European or Swiss National Champion, and being awarded Pink Bikes' 2021 Comeback Athlete of the Year. Jolanda has such an impressive resume that we had to split our conversation with her into two parts! If you haven't heard part one, be sure to check it out below. In part two of our conversation with Jolanda Neff, we fire Jolanda with questions about her...

Back in 2019, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jolanda Neff. A cyclist known for her diversity in three different disciplines: road, mountain, and cyclocross. But as we welcome her back in 2022, she's now known for winning Gold for Women's Mountain Biking at the 2021 Olympics. Along with being an Olympic Gold Medalist, Jolanda is a 14x World Cup Champion, 16x Elite World, European or Swiss National Champion, and Pink Bikes' 2021 Comeback Athlete of the Year.  We had so much to catch up...

Eric Bjorling is back for the revival of Better with Bikes with his new co-host, Richie Burke. The two discuss Richie’s rich history with Trek–considering he’s the son of Trek’s President, John Burke, there’s a lot to unpack here–what’s to come in future episodes, and our Better with Bikes giveaway! So join us as we explore diverse, unknown, and behind-the-scenes stories of people making the world a better place through cycling. To enter giveaway: ...

Very rarely do we have the chance to ask the inventor of something that changes the world what they were thinking. If you could talk lightbulbs with Thomas Edison, phones with Alexander Graham Bell, what would you say?That’s the conversation we’re...

On this episode of Better With Bikes, we’re happy to welcome Wall Street Journal sports columnist, author, and bike nut Jason Gay. Jason joined Mark and Eric, all from their respective living rooms, to talk about COVID-19’s impact on the cycling world,...

Cycling has changed drastically over the last 30 years. Advances in materials science and engineering technology have propelled bike development to places folks previously couldn’t imagine. But despite this boom, a critical piece of the puzzle remained...

Eric Larsen is a seasoned adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher, and educator who’s spent the last fifteen years traveling to some of Earth’s most remote remaining places. That’s quite the rap sheet. But his greatest achievement has been sharing his...

On this episode, we’ll dispel some myths about women’s cycling, find out how the dynamic duo spends their off-season, and talk about how these two peas in a pod grew to become the “light-hearted core of the team”.

Mads Pederson talks to us about racing, marriage, pastries, and learn what a world champion orders at McDonald’s.

We talk to Bureo’s founder, David Stover, to discuss the massive problem of ocean pollution and learn what we can do about it.

Jens Voigt joins us in the studio to talk about growing up in East Germany, his cycling career, his family life, and — believe it or not — his newfound passion in the world of birds.

Setting the equal pay standard through the Cyclocross World Cup

On this episode, we sit down with Return to Earth Cinematographers Colin Jones and Matt Butterworth to talk about the filming process, what it takes to secure a sweet soundtrack, and the message behind the film. 15 year-old phenom Jackson Goldstone joins the conversation to discuss growing up with bikes and offers a behind-the-scenes rider's perspective.