Overnight Success

Building Rose Bikes

In this episode we take a deep dive into Rose Bikes - a 120 year old bicycle brand that many of you may not have heard of, and that's about to change. Rose Bikes is a German  company that sells direct to consumer, similar to Canyon. Founded in 1907 as a small family workshop, it evolved into one of Europe’s early adopters of the D2C model. Thank you to my colleague Suvi Loponen for doing this interview. You'll be hearing more from Suvi on this channel much more in the future, so stay tuned! If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please support our work by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/join/ 

Building Cannondale

In this episode, we are going deep inside the founding story of Cannondale, which has arguably been one of the most innovative bike companies in the world to this day.The founder who is the main character in this story is Joe Montgomery. But he wasn’t a hardcore cyclist as you might expect. He was an entrepreneur who liked building things, hired his customer, and figuring it out as he went. Sadly, Joe passed away peacefully on January 2, 2026. Telling Cannondale's origin story in this episode is Joe's son, Scott Montgomery. Scott lived and breathed Cannondale for most of his career, is synonymous with leadership of his father, and is more than able to do the story justice. If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please support our work by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/join/

Uplift - The Woman Lifting Women in the Bike Industry

This episode's guest is Rachel Burnside, who is the creator and force behind Uplift, a mentoring and networking program she built from scratch to support women working in the cycling industry.Uplift started simply: connect women early in their careers with senior women who'd already navigated the road ahead. But it's grown into something much bigger - a global community with over a thousand women in the bike industry, and  live events at Sea Otter, Eurobike, the Tour de France Femmes and many other smaller ones. All of it built in Rachel's spare time, powered by goodwill, and kept free for everyone involved.We talk about how Uplift works, what she's learned across five rounds of mentoring, the role of male allies, and what it'll take to keep more women in cycling for the long haul. Find out more at www.shiftactivemedia.com/uplift/ and you can get in touch directly by emailing uplift@shiftactivemedia.com.If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please support our work by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/join/

The remarkable life of Phil Liggett (replay)

In this episode replay, I speak to Phil Liggett about how he got his start in commentating, how he met Paul Sherwen, how he’s been doing since Paul’s untimely passing, about his relationship with Lance Armstrong, and the cut-throat nature of his position at the top of his profession.Liggett is undeniably the most recognisable voice in cycling and his dulcet tones have brought the sport we all love into the mainstream through his ‘Liggetisms’, through his descriptions of châteaux, and through his partnership with co-commentator Paul Sherwen.Many enthusiasts say that Phil is long past his prime and should retire. There’s no denying that the media landscape is a very different place now than it was when Phil started commenting — before many of us were even born. But Phil has witnessed and called so many of cycling’s most significant and historic moments; moments that made us all jump out of our chairs with excitement. You have to thank Phil for being part of those memories. Personally, I bookmark my years by who won the TdF in that particular July, and Phil and Paul’s voices are part of that.Phil is now 76 years old and has been commentating since the late 70s. Think about that. His impact on the sport and his pioneering role have been tremendous. These days, while he might get some details wrong while calling a race in front of millions of people, I call tell you first-hand through many interactions with him that he’s still sharp as a tack. And as much as you don’t want to hear it, his commentary isn’t really for you or me, the hardcore cycling fans – it’s for the people who immerse themselves in the Tour de France once a year, and who still love him.From aspiring pro bike racer, to journalist, to commentating with Paul Sherwen for 33 years, Phil is now in the twilight of his career. I sat down with him to hear how he got started, and to learn about some of his struggles along the way.

Building Team AMANI

Mikel Delagrange is the reluctant face of Team AMANI. While he prefers the title of 'Head Cheerleader,' he was left to carry the torch after the project's founder, Sule Kangangi, tragically died in a high-speed crash in Vermont. Now leading the mission to dismantle the barriers facing African cyclists, Mikel oversees a unique ecosystem: From building a high-altitude training center in Kenya to the Migration Gravel Race. With a moonshot goal of fielding an all-African team at the Tour de France, Team AMANI is fighting to ensure the next generation can bridge the gap to the sport's highest levels.