Velo Podcast: Every bike isn’t the Factor One and why Mike Levy broke on the Tour Divide

And we’re back, everyone. Mike Levy is back from the wilderness, and Lisa Charlebois and I join him to talk about where he’s been. Before we can get into that, though, the Tour de France is in full swing and we’ve got some Tour stuff to talk about.

We start out with a couple of things I’ve been thinking about from this first week. Not surprisingly, it all centers around the UCI. First up, we talk about the two crashes that occurred during the team time trial. Both happened at the very same spot on a manhole cover. My question is: whose fault is it? Should the UCI have made sure the course was safe for competition? Or is it a public road, meaning the teams should have scouted it, identified the problem, and acted accordingly? We also talk about the absolute insanity of the video showing the XDS-Astana rider doing a Wile E. Coyote impression while his TT bike disappears from under him at what is likely over 30 mph.

From there, we move on to talking about the crazy heat wave that’s happening. In the midst of it, the UCI decided that riders weren’t allowed to race with ice socks. The reasoning has to do with aerodynamics, but does it make any sense? Jump into the comments to let us know, because I am genuinely unsure which way to go on this one. What about an ice vest instead of a sock?

After that, we talked about the Specialized Tarmac SL9 again. I thought I was done for now, but Levy led me to water and I decided to drink. I thought he was going to throw an angry comment at me, but instead, he had me respond to a listener who compared the Tarmac SL9 to the Porsche 911. I agree, and I find myself needing to remind everyone that this bike is exactly what people have asked for—so why are they complaining now?

The real heart of this show, though, is Levy talking us through the heartbreak of his Tour Divide attempt. He talks about how hard it was, how little he slept, and why he will be trying it again next year. There’s also a bit in there about why he didn’t finish. Hint: it’s not about his legs, but he absolutely could not continue, so we talk about what a relief that can sometimes be.

Timestamps

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:04 Tour de France discussion
00:12:04 Listener questions including about the Tarmac SL9
00:32:53 Mike Levy attempts the Tour Divide

Articles covered this week

• UCI Blocks Sneaky Ice Socks from Tour de France Heatwave
• Specialized Tarmac SL9 Review: How Much Are 3.8 Watts Worth?
• Two Massive Crashes Rock Tour de France Team Time Trial