THIS EPISODE Mike takes time out of the Team SmartStop training camp in Badger, CA, to sit down with Frank Pipp (@frankpipp), long-time US domestic hard man of the peloton who raced for Bissell Pro Cycling and Health Net p/b Maxxis. Set to the soundtrack of tinkling ice cubes, their wide-ranging conversation touches on boxing as aggression therapy, water polo and pool-peeing, Carl Menzies the silverback superhero, their favorite DQ stories, controlling the elitist attitude, and Frank's life after racing working at Training Peaks. We're also treated to a very funny Phil Gaimon/Mark Cavendish nature break story. This is an amazingly interesting conversation between two snarky and talented bike racers with a good sense of perspective on racing in the U.S. You're sure to be thoroughly entertained by it. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE is a recording from six months ago of a conversation Mike had with his old friend and first cycling coach, Chris Carmichael. Carmichael is a person who needs little to no introduction for most of our audience, so you won't find a lengthy biographical blurb here. For a variety of reasons, we weren't able to have the audio go live last April, but we finally got the green light over the weekend to upload the podcast. With that in mind, realize that some of the conversation might seem a bit dated, but for the most part it's an intriguing look at Chris's involvement in the sport, his early roots racing in south Florida, his thoughts and philosophies on coaching his roster of athletes, and what he considers to be the vital difference between motivation and inspiration. Don't expect this to be a hard-hitting journalistic interview; Mike isn't an investigative reporter and the podcast isn't America's Most Wanted. What you'll find here is an engaging conversation between old friends with reminiscences and stories to share. We hope you'll find it entertaining and informative. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike visits Kiel Reijnen to do a podcast, Alex Howes drops in, it's an awesome recording, and then Mike has a brain fart and accidentally deletes the bulk of the podcast. In a bold and daring move, Mike records an overly-long intro to make up for the deficit, fields questions from Twitter and answers them on-air to pad out the recording. Enjoy this 50-minute monologue showcasing the inner workings of the mind of Creed, 15 minutes of chat with Kiel Reijnen, a couple of minutes where Alex Howes shows up, Kiel's dog barks, and the recording ends. Don't say I didn't warn you. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike catches up with Team United Healthcare's Ben Day, an Aussie time trial specialist and all-around great guy. They chat about Ben's past team adventures, what flying standby means to the uninitiated, living and racing in Poland, having your wallet stolen by hotel staff (something Mike knows all too well after Interbike last year), and other random and fascinating topics. Enjoy this great conversation with one of the most interesting and versatile guys in the pro peloton today. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike welcomes back old friend and bon vivant Ted King to rehash old times and talk all things Kombucha, compression socks, and how to lose Twitter followers without even trying. The two-time Tour de France starter shares some of the highs and lows of his season, the glamorous life of being on the road, maple syrup connoisseurship, and how much he loves riding his bike. Their hour and a half conversation is wild, wacky, and freewheeling, and the minutes melt away as you're sucked into the witty banter between two highly intelligent and slightly narcissistic bike dudes with a great deal of affection and respect for one another. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Back after a completely inexcusable hiatus that consisted managing an upstart domestic cycling team to win the U.S. National Road Race Championship, the yellow jersey at the Tour of Utah, the white jersey at the Tour of Alberta, individual stages at multiple races, and the NRC Championship, Mike catches up again with old buddy Phil Gaimon, who currently sports the argyle for Team Garmin-Sharp. Mike picks up where he left off in Part 1, stroking Phil's ego by talking about how fantastic his memoir, Pro Cycling on $10 a Day is, and somehow they segue to the salary of trash collectors, the importance of avoiding the mainstream, and debate the merits of private schools and their effect on eastern block death metal. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Back after a completely inexcusable hiatus that consisted managing an upstart domestic cycling team to win the U.S. National Road Race Championship, the yellow jersey at the Tour of Utah, the white jersey at the Tour of Alberta, individual stages at multiple races, and the NRC Championship, Mike catches up again with old buddy Phil Gaimon. This time around they talk about Ben King (no edits with this podcast because they only say nice things), Eric Marcotte’s kindness to animals and his superhuman strength, how Phil thinks that Creed is the best director sportif ever, and that they have yet to meet a mean Canadian. They swap story after story over the course of an hour that goes by much too quickly, and you gain even more insight into why Phil is one of the most unique guys in the pro peloton today. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their newly redesigned website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike meets up with Eric Wohlberg, a three-time Canadian Olympian and multiple national time trial champion who is currently men's performance manager of Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies. The two go way back, and Creed raced under Eric during his time on Optum before his new role as DS with Team SmartStop. Their rollicking conversation at the Tour de Beauce in Canada finds Mike and Eric debating the soporific powers of poutine, androgyny and the Thin White Duke, NRA belt buckles with shaved legs, and brakes as speed modulators instead of stopping devices. Among the Wohlberg legends Mike explores are Eric's 100 pushups and 500 situps every day before bed, lots of motorpacing as the key to his time trial success, and his "if you can't make 'em faster make 'em lighter" philosophy of performance enhancement. You'll howl with delight at this witty, no-holds-barred conversation between two old friends and colleagues. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.) Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!! We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike sits down with Bo Hamburger, currently the DS for the Christina Watches-KUMA cycling team and a former professional road cyclist who won Fleche Wallone in 1998 and the Danish National Road Cycling Championship in 2000. He is also a member of the Danish Cycling Hall of Fame. In 2001 Bo was fired from Team CSC for a positive EPO test. Part two of their fascinating conversation at the Tour de Beauce in Canada finds Mike and Bo having some deep and probing musings about doping in cycling as Bo shares the dark days of his personal experiences during the EPO-fueled era of pro racing. Whatever your opinion on the players at the time, you will surely not be unaffected by Bo's frankness. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.) Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!! We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.  

THIS EPISODE Mike sits down with Bo Hamburger, currently the DS for the Christina Watches-KUMA cycling team and a former professional road cyclist who won Fleche Wallone in 1998 and the Danish National Road Cycling Championship in 2000. He is also a member of the Danish Cycling Hall of Fame. In 2001 Bo was fired from Team CSC for a positive EPO test. This is part one of a fascinating two-part conversation Mike had with Bo at the Tour de Beauce in Canada. Meandering, lengthy, frank and candid, this may well be one of the best of Mike's podcasts yet. It is certainly one of the most thought-provoking conversations you'll ever listen to. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.) Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!! We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.

THIS EPISODE Mike catches up with pal Alex Howes of Garmin-Sharp in the middle of the 2014 USA Cycling Professional National Championships. Mike and Alex had their chat just a few days before Team SmartStop very nearly swept the podium in a one-two finish that put Howes on the bronze medal step. Their raucous and rollicking conversation starts with a cryptic discussion of PCBC (Pro Cyclists Book Club), a somewhat mysterious reading group for Girona-based cyclists akin to Fight Club, crazy tales of their respective grandmas, dysentery as a climbing enhancement, and exploration of the Howes motto - "When bad things happen, I like to be in them." Tough, confident, and talented on the climbs and in the sprints, Howes was tapped as one of the favorites to win the road racing national championships in Chattanooga this year. His experiences in Europe have given him the skills necessary to take his place on the World Tour arena, and this entertaining and insightful conversation between good friends shows the many facets of Howes' diamond-in-the-rough personality. Knowing now how the nationals road race finished with a win by SmartStop's Eric Marcotte and second place by Travis McCabe (as well as the sad and unfortunate crash by Taylor Phinney), it's fascinating to hear the speculation and prediction by Mike and Alex of how the race might play out. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. As always, Open Mic with Mike Creed is presented by The Colorado Cyclist, Mike’s very first professional cycling team in 1998. Thanks to everyone at Colorado Cyclist for their support of Mike over the years, and a big thank you to them for stepping up and sponsoring the podcast and offering $50 gift cards to our Twitter contest winners. Please visit their website at coloradocyclist.com and give them a follow on Twitter at @Co_Cyclist to show your appreciation for everything they do for us. Right now, place any order with them over $100 and receive a gift certificate worth 10% of your order. Call (800) 688-8600 for details.(Please note: when redeeming your gift certificate, please include certificate number, password and dollar amount in the comments box at final checkout.) Colorado Cyclist is now offering free shipping on any order over $40 via UPS ground to the lower 48 states!!! We’re also grateful for the continuing partnership with Chris Smith and Lazer Helmets. Every podcast we’ll be giving away either a Lazer helmet or pair of Lazer sunglasses. All you need to do is mention @LazerHelmets or @Lazer_Vision on Twitter with a clever tweet that conforms to the week’s contest rules. If your tweet is chosen, you’ll win a Lazer item.