We’re coming at you with our last episode of this season of the Changing Gears Podcast. The first 49 episodes included some incredible people like Justin Williams, Brandon Semenuk, Blake Hansen, Jolanda Neff, Rebecca Rusch, and much more.

In honor of our 50th episode, we wanted to do something special. And that’s exactly what we did. For our 50th episode of the Changing Gears Podcast, we host the co-founders of SRAM, Stan and F.K. Day. 

Stan Day is the Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of SRAM. F.K. Day is the EVP and Director of SRAM, as well as a long time Chicago businessman, entrepreneur, and humanitarian. Together, Stan and F.K. revolutionized biking forever.

In this episode, Stan, F.K., and DZ talk about:

• Their first products

• The three keys to their success

• How World Bicycle Relief was started

• The difficulty and importance of innovation

• What’s next for SRAM and World Bicycle Relief

Learn more about SRAM here. Learn more about the World Bicycle Relief here. 

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

“In the quest of becoming the best version of me, nothing has made a bigger difference than biking.” Juan Pablo Raba may just be saying what we’re all thinking. Our guest today has found that biking helps him learn about respect, trying hard things, finding his zen, and ultimately, improving his health overall.

On this episode of the podcast, we have our first actor, Juan Pablo Raba, who has become a bike aficionado, primarily downhill. He is a Colombian/Argentinian actor and producer with a broad international trajectory living in Los Angeles, California. You may recognize him from a little show called Narcos.

In this episode, Juan Pablo Raba and DZ talk about:

• Growing up skateboarding and watching Tony Hawk

• His journey to finding acting 

• How biking has been an almost spiritual practice  for him

• Men’s mental health

You can follow along with Juan Pablo on Instagram here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

Most cyclists may never experience racing or winning at the elite levels. Our guest on this episode of Changing Gears breaks down why simply having access to a bike and being able to go out and ride is really the main point of all of it. To have that freedom, the ability to go far and fast, to feel childlike joy, that’s the real goal of cycling.

Ashton Lambie (he/him/his) is an American track and gravel cyclist who is best known for being the first person to complete an individual pursuit in under 4 minutes. He currently rides for the Jukebox cycling team and is also well-known for his mustache. 

In this episode, Ashton and DZ talk about:

• Ashton’s musical background

• What track cycling is like

• How Ashton became the first person to ever break 4 minutes in the 4KM individual pursuit

• His effort to make bike commuting more accessible

Follow along with Ashton here. Learn more about bike commuting here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

In the age of distraction, scrolling and swiping minimizes how present we are with any given moment. Our guest today believes that stories are one of the most important parts of life, and that magazines are the best way to tell them.

Zapata "Zap" Espinoza has been pedaling bikes since the late 60s and slinging words and opinions on all things cycling and moto-related since 1986. He was the editor of two of America's leading mountain bike magazines, Mountain Bike Action (1987-'93) and Mountain Bike (1993-2003), followed by a stint as brand manager at Trek Bicycles (2003-2007). 

In 2007, he returned to the world of journalism as the editor of Road Bike Action and the Editorial Director for Mountain Bike Action and Electric Bike Action. Following the closure of both RBA and EBA, he has since taken up the role of freelance writer and brand content manager. Besides all things two-wheeled (especially racing), he is madly in love with his daughter, the great outdoors, and Mexican food. 

In this episode, Zap and DZ talk about:

• Zap’s time racing motocross

• His education in politics and going to law school

• The start of his career and working for Mountain Bike Action Magazine

• The tension between website content and printed content

Learn more about Zap here. You can learn more about Doctors Without Borders here, the ACLU here, and PeopleForBikes here. 

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

Pushing up against the legacy of his father, our guest, Nico Roche, has always been striving to build his own path. From playing rugby to becoming a professional cyclist, he’s made a name for himself throughout his career.

Nico is an Irish professional cyclist with UCI World Tour team "Team Sunweb". He is a former Irish National Road Race and TT Champion and is the son of Stephen Roche, a former World Champion and winner of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Nico is also an Olympian and even spent some time on Dancing with the Stars.

In this episode, Nico and DZ talk about:

• The influence of his father’s cycling career on his own career

• The four Olympics he participated in

• Nico’s experience on Dancing with the Stars

• The bike shops that Nico co-owns

You can follow along with Nico on Instagram here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

Our guest on this episode of the Changing Gears Podcast is trying to fix bike racing in the United States, learning from other major sports like basketball, baseball, and football, and using those models in a new and novel way.

Paris Wallace (he/him/his) is the founder and CEO of the National Cycling League, the first majority-minority and female owned professional sports league in the United States. Paris has an incredible background in entrepreneurship and is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Business School. He is an avid cyclist and he and his wife split their time between Miami and New England to keep riding bikes year-round.

In this episode, Paris and DZ talk about:

• His first job as a kid working in a bike shop and how that stemmed into his entrepreneurial career

• How he started Good Start Genetics while in Business school

• The bold mission of the National Cycling League

• The race format of the National Cycling League

You can follow along with Paris on Instagram here, on LinkedIn here, and learn more about the National Cycling League here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

What is the coolest job in the world? For Chas Christiansen, when he first found out about bike messengers, that was it. You’re going to pay me to ride my bike around fast and recklessly? Say no more. He was in. 

Exploring the world in search of the stoke, Chas (he/him) is a bike racer, artist, and adventurer. Constantly on the move seeking new experiences and exploring new places, the journey has always taken precedence over the finish. From blue collar beginnings as a bike messenger to racing some of the longest ultra endurance races in the world, Chas has been inspiring us all along the way.

In this episode, Chas and DZ talk about:

• Some experiences he had after high school that changed the direction of his life

• What it’s like to be a bike messenger

• How he started TCB Courier

• How to become a sponsored athlete

You can follow along with Chas on Instagram or on his website here. You can also learn more about the orgnization Cycles for Change here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.

This week’s guest on the Changing Gears Podcast is Andrew Shandro, the legend himself. From racing in Italy, his first pro contract, and the Freeride Movement, this conversation is not to be missed.

Andrew (he/him/his) is an old-school mountain biker, a freeride pioneer. He is the Trek C3 Team Manager and the Trek Factory Racing Co. Team Manager. He owns and operates the Summer Gravity Camps based in Whistler which focuses on instruction in gravity, downhill, freeride, and slopestyle.

In this episode, Andrew and DZ talk about:

• Some of his favorite places to ride in the world

• What it was like to be involved in the early years of mountain bike films

• What it felt like to be on a cover on Bike Magazine

• His position with Trek Factory Racing

• The Summer Gravity Camp and how he started it

You can follow along with Andrew on Instagram here, and learn more about the Summer Gravity Camps here.

Learn more about SRAM here.

Other popular episodes: Nino Schurter, Rebecca Rusch, Brandon Semenuk, Kate Courtney, Vali Höll, Kyle Strait, Kelli Samuelson, Blake Hansen, and Payson McElveen.