Carolina Tarwheels

Branson Kimball, randonneur, on the Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) event, a 90 hour, 760 mile round trip from Paris to the Atlantic Coast. Riders are required to reach check points on a fixed schedule, regardless of weather conditions and without much sleep. Bon courage, Branson!

How does this sound for a challenge: finish 70% of a 2,900 mile greenway connecting Canada to Key West. That's the mission of Dennis Markatos-Soriano and his staff. Each day, as the trail comes together, piece by piece, it provides a car-free path for many of us to bike, walk, jog, or skate; to work, work-out, or play. It gets us out of the house, out of our cars, and into a more healthy life style.

This year Brandi Tuttle stepped up to lead the Gears and Cheers Bike Ride, an annual MS fundraiser held at the Grove Winery near Burlington. Hear about the challenges of taking on the leadership role and working with the MS Society to coordinate the activities of vendors, vineyard staff, and volunteers. Find out why this is more that just another volunteer gig for Brandi.

For eight years now, the volunteer-run Durham Bike Co-Op has given out helmets and locks, and enabled hundreds of folks, young and old, to earn bicycles by helping out at the shop, where they learn to care for bikes and do simple repairs. This year, on the Martin Luther King holiday, the Tarwheels teamed up with the Co-Op staff to work on bikes and assemble chain locks. Hear some of what the participants had to say on this frigid afternoon in January.

Paul Smith talks about riding at the front of the pack, beer and smoozing in Las Vegas as a reporter at Interbike, the 2015 World Championships, and the interesting and fun people he has met along the way.

Bike advocate and safety instructor Ken Kaye talks about touring rural North Carolina, using train travel as part of bike tours, safety equipment, pacelines, and good road manners.