The Specialized Podcast

Gary Fisher: from Northern California counterculture to the fire roads of Marin and the birth of mountain biking.Before mountain biking was a sport, it was a bunch of outsiders riding old bikes where bikes weren’t supposed to go.Gary Fisher was one of them.He grew up racing bikes when cycling in America was deeply fringe. He was part of the scene with the Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey and the wild creative culture of the Bay Area in the ’60s. Then he found himself in Marin County as bikes, open space, counterculture, competition and a handful of restless riders collided.Something new started happening, riding on the dirt of Mount Tamalpais.The bikes were old. The brakes got so hot they had to be repacked. The rides became races. Repack became a local obsession. And Gary remembers having a thought that turned out to be right:“I think this might be popular worldwide.”It was.In this episode, Gary sits down with Ben to tell the story through the eyes of someone who was there: the Larkspur Canyon Gang, Charlie Kelly, Repack, Tom Ritchey, the company called Mountain Bikes and the early machines built specifically for this new way of riding.But the story doesn’t end with the birth of the mountain bike.Gary takes us through decades of questioning what a bike could be, from suspension and geometry to bigger wheels, and explains why being an outsider made it easier to challenge ideas everyone else took for granted.Most importantly, Gary comes back to the reason any of it mattered.The mountain bike didn’t become a worldwide movement because one person invented it. It grew because people rode it, loved it, shared it and made it their own.This is the story of a few outsiders, a particular place and moment, and a new way of riding that changed cycling forever.This episode covers:• Gary’s first rides and races in Northern California• Growing up as a cyclist when cyclists were outsiders• LSD, The Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey and the Bay Area counterculture• Witnessing the assasination attempt on Mick Jagger at Altamont and returning to the bike• Marin County before mountain biking existed• The Larkspur Canyon Gang and riding dirt before there was a sport for it• The pre-war bikes that became the original clunkers• Repack and the moment Gary realized this thing could become huge• The creation of Mountain Bikes, the brand and business Gary started with Charlie Kelly that coined the term “Mountain Bike”• The first purpose-built mountain bikes• How a community of riders turned an experiment into a movement• Challenging convention with suspension, geometry and bigger wheels• Why Gary still believes bikes are about “health and happiness”• What it feels like to see mountain biking spread around the world• Why riding “helps you forget” and “helps you remember”

Kate Courtney: from Mountain Bike World Champ to U.S. National Road Champ, with sights set on the ‘28 Olympic Road Race.Kate is one of the most accomplished mountain bikers in the world. Today, she's chasing an entirely new dream: earning a spot on the U.S. road team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.In the most ambitious reinvention in modern cycling, Kate has left the discipline that made her famous to start over in the World Tour Peloton.And yet, it's a homecoming.Kate started racing in high school with Specialized. She won her first World Championship with Specialized. Now she's back, joining forces with Specialized and FDJ-SUEZ as she takes on the biggest challenge of her life.In this episode, Kate sits down with Ben Edwards to discuss the decision that changed everything.What started with a broken wrist and a disrupted mountain bike season became something much bigger. Leadville. Marathon Worlds. Cape Epic. One new challenge led to another until a broken wrist that disrupted her season and an unexpected call from USA Cycling inviting her to race Road Nationals led Kate to realized she wasn't looking for a way back to her old path in Cross Country. She was looking for a completely new challenge.The results came quickly. Kate won the U.S. Professional Road National Championship and earned a place on the American team for the Road World Championships.But that's only part of the story.This conversation explores what it's like to become a beginner again after reaching the top of your sport. Kate shares the lessons she's learning inside one of the strongest teams in cycling, the challenge of mastering road tactics and team racing, and why she believes growth comes from pursuing possibility rather than certainty.They also discuss the Tour de France Femmes, the road to LA28, the mission behind the She Sends Foundation, and the power of embracing a beginner's mindset at every stage of life.This is a conversation about reinvention, risk, and the courage to go all in on a dream that might not seem possible.This episode covers:• Why Kate left mountain biking after becoming a World Champion• The injury that unexpectedly changed her career trajectory• How Leadville, Marathon Worlds, and Cape Epic sparked a new dream• Returning to Specialized and joining FDJ-SUEZ• Winning the U.S. Professional Road National Championship• Learning the demands of WorldTour racing• Racing the Tour of Britain• Chasing a spot on the team at the Tour de France Femmes• The road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics• Why a beginner's mindset matters at the highest level of sport• The lessons of growth, failure, and reinvention• The mission of the She Sends Foundation• Why "going for it" is a philosophy for life, not just racingSubscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

A singular design force, Robert Egger has spent more than four decades helping to create the future of cycling at Specialized.He is a designer, fabricator, racer, concept-builder, and one of the creative forces behind products like the Tarmac, Venge, Specialized helmets, and more. But what sets Robert apart is not just what he designed. It is how he thinks. For Robert, great design is not only about function. It is about desire, emotion, movement, and making products that inspire riders to ride more and enable them to ride better.In this episode, Ben Capron talks with Robert about growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, building bikes from old parts, finding freedom on two wheels, and talking his way into a job at Specialized after telling Mike Sinyard he could make better gear than what was on the shop floor. Mike hired him and told him to prove it. Robert did.They get into Robert’s hands-on design process, the early days of Specialized helmet design, the philosophy behind Tarmac and Venge, the role of provocative concept bikes, and how Levo X grew out of the idea that bikes can do more than ever before. The episode also features Specialized designer Luiz Dias on the new Evade 4 helmet and the challenge of making a helmet faster, cooler, and more comfortable all at once.This episode covers:Robert’s “Don’t change it, make it better” philosophy Tarmac, Venge, and modern race-bike designRobert’s origin story in bikesBuilding bikes from scrap as a kidHow he met Mike Sinyard and joined SpecializedWhy fabrication is central to his design processThe thinking behind great product designEarly Specialized helmet developmentWhy concept bikes still matterLevo X and the rise of Electric OverlandWhy e-bikes expand fun, utility, and possibilityWhat makes riders fall in love with a productWhat Robert hopes bikes continue to do for peopleSubscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

He was a junior world champion who battled injuries, stress, and a lost contract until he thought his career was over. So what pulled him back?In this episode, host Ben Capron sits down with Mads Würtz Schmidt, the Danish former WorldTour rider who rebuilt himself in gravel and is now the sport's most dominant force. Mads opens up about the years that nearly broke him. After one strong road season, injuries and setbacks piled up, the pressure he put on himself became too much, and stress pushed him out of the sport entirely. When his contract wasn't renewed, he was devastated.The comeback is the heart of this conversation. Working with mindfulness coach Patrick Sweeney, supported by his fiancée, and becoming a father helped Mads let go of the past, control what he can control, and identify with the process rather than the results. He and his fiancée bet one year on gravel, went all in, and turned the gamble into a new life at the front of the sport.That reset changed how he races and how he lives. Mads explains why he no longer chases results but the daily work behind them, how structure became his best friend, and how a nearly three-year-old daughter who doesn't care whether he won or lost keeps him grounded through every high and low.The second big story is how Specialized Off-Road is rewriting gravel itself, turning a sport built on every-rider-for-themselves into a team game. Mads describes racing alongside Keegan Swenson and Matt Beers, and how a group of riders coming from road and mountain backgrounds is changing the way gravel is won.He digs into the trust at the core of it. Mads brings WorldTour tactics to the team's race plans, and in the decisive moments his teammates rely on his read of the race, most memorably when he told Matt Beers it was go time and sat glued to his wheel while Beers buried the field. Becoming friends and sacrificing for each other, he says, is what makes the wins possible.The conversation also gets into equipment and craft. Mads admits he's no gear nerd, and cheerfully owns a costly tire mistake in the mud at Santa Vall. But he's learning fast from Keegan and Matt, chasing their lines on descents, and he's clearly sold on the new Crux 5: a true high-performance race bike that, paired with Terra aero wheels, carries speed, corners with confidence, and in his words, “rides like a weapon”.Along the way, Mads reflects on the pressure of early success as a junior world champion, watching his generation of Danish stars breakthrough while he felt left behind, and how learning to make friends with reality finally let him find the fire again.This is the story of a rider who rebuilt himself: not by chasing results, but by rediscovering his passion, and proving that the right people,the right mindset, and a team that races as one can turn setbacks into the ride of your life.This episode covers: The injuries, stress, and lost contract that nearly ended his career How mindfulness work with Patrick Sweeney helped him reset Why he identifies with the process, not the results How fatherhood reshaped his structure, priorities, and perspective The one-year bet on gravel that changed everything How Specialized Off-Road is turning gravel into a team sport Racing alongside Keegan Swenson, Matt Beers, and Sofia Gómez Villafañe What road racing taught him about tactics and trust The teamwork behind the decisive moves that win races Learning off-road technique and lines from Keegan and Matt Why the new Crux 5 and Terra Aero wheels feel like a weapon The pressure of early success and finally finding the fire againGet More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

The Tarmac SL8 is already the winningest bike in the WorldTour. So how do you make it faster?In this episode, guest host Ben Edwards sits down with members of the Specialized engineering and product team at the global press launch for the new S-Works Tarmac SL9 on the Costa Brava.Ben is joined by Lio Bardina, aero engineer; Denis Kürner, senior design engineer for road performance bikes and lead engineer on Tarmac; and Alex Jerome, category leader for road and gravel products.Together, they go deep inside the development of the new S-Works Tarmac SL9, a bike engineered to be the fastest to the finish in the more aggressive road racing of today and the future.The team explains why the goal was not simply to make the lightest bike or the most aero bike, but the fastest bike to the finish line. That meant using the equation of speed to optimize aerodynamics, weight, rolling resistance, ride quality, handling, stiffness, and real-world rider data to deliver the fastest time to finish and the Tarmac promise: ‘One Bike to Rule Them All’.They discuss how racing has changed since the launch of the Tarmac SL8, with higher speeds, longer breakaways, and decisive race moments happening farther from the finish. Those changes shaped the design of the SL9, including its narrower Speed Sniffer head tube, reshaped Flow Fork with deeper, inwards twisted fork blades, dropped downtube, S-Works Rapide aero seatpost, Win Fin, and refined tube shapes.The team explains why the Tarmac doesn’t need to look like a trending aero bike to be the fastest bike in the world. Rather than designing for appearance or optimizing for the fastest bike without a rider on it, Specialized modeled what actually determines time to finish: WorldTour courses, rider power files, real wind angles, rolling resistance, and data from the velodrome, road, and the WinTunnel, including testing with a moving-leg mannequin.One example makes the impact clear: based on simulation of Demi Vollering’s 2024 Tour de France Femmes performance, the SL9 could have made her 14 seconds faster over the final 83 kilometers of the race. In a Tour decided by four seconds, that is the difference between losing and winning yellow.The episode also goes inside the engineering challenge of improving aerodynamics while preserving the ride quality athletes already loved on the SL8. The S-Works SL9 delivers four watts of aero savings at 45 kilometers per hour, while the frame gains just two grams, coming in at 687 grams.This is the story of how Specialized updated an icon: not by chasing a single number, but by building the fastest Tarmac ever for the moments that decide the biggest races in the world.This episode covers:How modern road racing has become faster and more aggressiveWhy long-range attacks and solo breakaways influenced the SL9Why the goal was fastest to the finish, not simply lightest or most aeroHow the equation of speed shaped the development processWhy real-world wind angles matter more than traditional aero assumptionsHow Specialized uses rider power files and race data in simulationWhy the SL9 does not need to look like a traditional aero bikeHow the team achieved four watts of aero savings at 45 kilometers per hourHow the new head tube, fork, seatpost, and Win Fin improve speedWhy the moving-leg mannequin changed the way the bike was designedHow athlete feedback shaped ride quality, handling, stiffness, and complianceWhat the SL9 simulation showed from Demi Vollering’s 2024 Tour de France FemmesWhy small gains can decide the biggest races in the worldGuests:Lio BardinaDenis KürnerAlex JeromeSubscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

Mads Würtz Schmidt came to Unbound with one clear goal: to win. Then he delivered one of the biggest victories of his career.In this episode, host Ben Capron sits down with Mads shortly after the race to hear the story of his Unbound victory in his own words. Mads takes us inside the race, from the early positioning and shifting dynamics at the front to the decisive moments that shaped the finish. He explains what was happening in the lead group, how he managed the pressure and uncertainty of a race this long, and when he began to believe the win was possible.The most dramatic moment came when a mechanical problem threatened to end his day. Teammate Keegan Swenson stopped, offered Mads his wheel, and gave him a simple instruction: take my wheel, then go win.Mads tells the full story of the exchange—including how, in the urgency of the moment, he threw his own wheel onto the ground without considering that Keegan would still need it. Keegan was left behind to sort out the mess while Mads returned to the race.The moment revealed something bigger than tactics. Keegan is one of the greatest gravel racers in the world, but he was willing to sacrifice his own race for the good of the team. Mads explains what that gesture meant to him and why the victory belonged to more than one rider.Mads also talks about the physical and mental demands of Unbound, the importance of staying calm when plans begin to unravel, and how preparation creates the confidence to make clear decisions deep into a long and unpredictable race.They discuss the growing role of teamwork in gravel, how riders balance individual ambition with collective goals, and why racing as a true team can create opportunities that no rider could produce alone.This is the inside story of how Mads Würtz Schmidt won Unbound: a race shaped by preparation, composure, sacrifice, and one teammate telling another to take his wheel and go win.This episode covers:How Mads approached Unbound with the goal of winningWhat he remembers most clearly from the raceHow the decisive moments developed at the frontThe mechanical problem that nearly ended his chancesWhy Keegan Swenson stopped and gave Mads his wheelWhat happened during the chaotic wheel exchangeHow Mads returned to the race after the mechanicalWhy Keegan’s sacrifice represented true teamworkHow Mads managed the pressure and uncertainty of UnboundWhen he began to believe he could winHow preparation creates confidence during a long raceWhy composure matters when the original plan falls apartHow team tactics are changing professional gravel racingThe balance between individual ambition and team successWhy the Unbound victory belonged to the entire teamGuest:Mads Würtz SchmidtFollow Mads:Instagram:  madswurtzschmidt  Subscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from Specialized TikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

Lael Wilcox is one of the greatest ultra-endurance cyclists ever. She holds the women’s record for the fastest ride around the world, has set records on the Tour Divide, Trans Am, Baja Divide, and so much more.  She's also helped reshape what is possible in bikepacking, especially for women.This episode was recorded days before Lael's attempt to go around the world a second time, faster than anyone.In this episode, host Ben Capron sits down with Lael to talk about the spirit behind her attempt. Not just the miles, logistics, equipment, or record, but the mindset that lets someone take on a challenge this big and still keep it joyful.Lael shares how ultra-endurance cycling has changed as more women enter the sport and raise the level of competition. She talks about riding to the Tour Divide from Alaska, getting stuck in peanut butter mud, working through dark moments, and learning that not all suffering is useful.Her approach is simple and powerful: if you are doing your best, let it go. If you want to quit, you can always quit later.They also get into her 2024 around-the-world ride, why she turned it into a rolling invitation for people to join. This time the route is faster, the pace is higher, the support crew is bigger, and the goal is clear: ride around the world faster than anyone ever has.Along the way, Lael and Ben talk about comfort as performance, why sleep and fueling make you faster, the role of the Specialized Roubaix in her around-the-world setup, and why women can compete at the highest level in ultra-distance cycling.They also discuss GRIT, the girls’ cycling mentorship program Lael started to help young riders build confidence, adventure, and independence through bikes.This episode covers:Why Lael is going back around the world to chase the overall recordHow her 2024 ride became a rolling party with everyone invitedWhy ultra-endurance is changing as more women enter the sportWhat it means to compete without losing joyWhy suffering is not the pointHow Lael works through dark moments on the bikeThe meaning behind “you can always quit later”Why comfort is performance in ultra-distance ridingHow sleep, fueling, and recovery can make riders fasterWhy Roubaix was the right bike for riding around the worldHow Lael thinks about equipment, efficiency, and durabilityWhy women can compete at the highest level in ultra-distance cyclingHow GRIT helps young girls build confidence through bikesWhy bikes can expand what people believe is possibleGuest:Lael WilcoxFollow Lael: Instagram - @laelwilcoxSubscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

Gravel racing has changed. What used to feel like an endurance event has become a full-speed race, with stronger athletes, higher speeds, sharper tactics, and bigger consequences for every equipment choice.Crux has always been loved for its light weight, lively ride, and pure race feel. But as gravel racing got faster, Specialized had to answer a harder question: how do you make Crux faster without losing what riders already love about it?In this episode, guest host Ben Edwards sits down with Leo Cadena, Doug Russell, and Alex Jerome just north of Barcelona to go inside the creation of Crux 5. They discuss the evolution of gravel racing, the shift from cyclocross roots to a dedicated gravel race platform, and the engineering work behind making a bike that is not simply light or aero, but faster against the only metric that matters: time to finish.They get into Specialized’s equation of speed, Formula 1 style simulation, moving-leg mannequin wind tunnel testing, race-course telemetry, tire rolling resistance, 55 mm tire clearance, the new Terra cockpit, Terra wheels, and the challenge of preserving the Crux ride feel while building a faster bike for modern gravel racing.This episode covers:How gravel evolved from an event into a raceWhy Crux 5 was built as a dedicated gravel race bikeThe equation of speed and why time to finish matters mostHow Specialized balances aero, weight, rolling resistance, and ride qualityWhy bike-only aero testing does not tell the full storyHow moving-leg mannequins make wind tunnel testing more realisticHow race telemetry from Unbound and other courses shapes product decisionsWhy tire choice and tire clearance can decide a raceThe role of 50 mm and 55 mm tires in modern gravel performanceHow Crux 5 became 15.2 watts faster than Crux 4Why the new Terra cockpit matters for comfort, control, and aero efficiencyHow Crux 5 keeps the light, lively ride that made Crux so lovedWhat simulated Unbound time savings reveal about real race performanceWhy the future of gravel race bikes is about systems, not isolated numbersGuests:Leo Cadena, Doug Russell, Alex JeromeGet More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

What if science proved what riders already know?That riding clears your head. Sharpens your focus. Improves your mood. Connects you to yourself, to others, and to the world around you.In this episode of the Specialized Podcast, host Ben Capron sits down with Esther Walker, Executive Director of the Outride Foundation, to explore the growing body of research showing how riding bikes positively impacts brain health, mental well-being, cognitive performance, and human connection.Outride began with a simple question inspired by Specialized founder Mike Sinyard after reading an article titled Cycling Is My Ritalin: could riding a bike measurably improve focus and cognitive function, particularly for people with ADHD?That question launched years of scientific research in partnership with institutions like Stanford University and helped spark programs that have now reached more than 400 schools and impacted more than 500,000 students across North America.Rather than hype or speculation, this episode offers a human and science-backed look at why riding helps us think, feel, and flourish,covering:How riding improves focus, executive function, mood, and stress regulationWhy consistency matters more than intensity when it comes to brain healthHow Stanford researchers measured real-time brain activity while ridingThe connection between cycling, neuroplasticity, memory, and reduced dementia riskHow Riding for Focus brings bikes, helmets, curriculum, and teacher training into schoolsThe power of confidence, skill building, and joy in helping students flourishStories from communities like the Navajo Nation, where bikes are opening new pathways for health, connection, and opportunityHow programs like Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works help sustain cycling culture through service, skills, and communityWhy athletes like Demi Vollering, Christopher Blevins, and Haley Batten help amplify the Outride missionHow riders, schools, communities, brands, and volunteers can all help more people experience the benefits of cyclingWhether you ride every day, support young riders, work in education, or simply believe bikes can change lives, this conversation is a reminder that riding is more than fitness or speed. It is a powerful tool for focus, connection, confidence, and well-being.Follow Outride: @outride Subscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride

How do top pros like Remco Evenepoel and Demi Vollering stay powerful, efficient, and pain-free for hours at race intensity?They do not leave fit to chance.They rely on ergonomically designed, scientifically proven Body Geometry bike fit and products built to increase performance and comfort.In this conversation about power, pain, fit, science, and the ergonomic advantage behind the fastest riders in the world, guests Jason Williams and Ashley Sult explain how Body Geometry became one of Specialized’s biggest performance advantages.They get into the origin of Body Geometry, why Specialized started studying the rider as much as the bike, and how fit data drives the product development of saddles, shoes, gloves, handlebars, and frame geometry.Ashley explains what happens when contact points are wrong, how small problems compound over time, and why the right support and adjusting the bike to fit the body improves comfort, reduces injury risk, and help riders produce power more efficiently by being more comfortable.Together, they call bullshit on old adages like “no pain, no gain”, and they make complex science understandable to identify and solve common problems like pain in the posterior, feet, neck and hands, and losing power through poor fit. They also cover the process Specialized uses to design products around the human body.This episode covers:Why virtually every rider loses power through poor fitWhy better comfort translated to better performanceHow rider data informs product developmentWhat professional athletes reveal about fit at the highest level, and what that means to youWhy the best equipment helps the bike disappear beneath the riderHow Body Geometry helps riders reduce pain and improve performanceWhy Remco, Demi, and many top pros rely on precise fit and ergonomic productsWhy rider pain is not something to suffer through  How Body Geometry started and why it became core to SpecializedWhy fit, product, and performance have to work togetherWhat the varus wedge does and why foot alignment mattersHow longitudinal arch support and the metatarsal button improve foot stabilityWhy saddle width, shape, and pressure mapping matter for real ridersGUESTS: Jason Williams and Ashley SultSubscribe to Specialized Bicycles on YouTube for more conversations with the engineers, athletes, and creators shaping the future of cycling.Get More from SpecializedTikTok: @specializedbicyclesInstagram: @iamspecializedSpecialized MTB Instagram @iamspecialized_mtbSpecialized Factory Racing Instagram: @specialized_factoryxcFacebook: specializedbicyclesOutride: @outride