Coming up 10/11/17, Janeane speaks with Phil Gaimon, a professional cyclist from 2006-2016, including two years in the World Tour. A perennial crowd favorite, tireless social media presence, podcaster, entrepreneur, Fondo host, and more.

Phil Gaimon retired from laziness and computer games in 2004, and began riding a bike to lose weight. Years later, against all odds (and his parents’ wishes), he realized his lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete. After years of amateur bicycle races, of sacrificing stability and living out of a suitcase while working his way through cycling’s minor leagues, he was signed to a team in the Pro Tour, the sport’s highest level. But once there, he found that turning pro didn’t instantly solve his problems. It didn’t make life easy, and it wasn’t quite what he thought.

DRAFT ANIMALS, is an insider’s look at the highest levels of professional cycling in the post-EPO (blood doping) era. From breakaway victories, to fending off overzealous water bottle-stealing Belgian fans, to dodging cars at 50 mph while getting your team leader an extra Clif bar, Gaimon pulls back the curtain on life in the WorldTour. But this is more than just a book about bike racing. It tells the story of what happens when you finally achieve the things you set out to, and how it might not be exactly what you expected when you began.

Interview Topics:

· You got started in professional bicycling much later than most other riders. How did that affect your career, both in terms of expectations and acceptance?

· 2013 is seen by many as the “post-doping” era, the year after countless professional bicyclists (including, most notably, Lance Armstrong) were exposed and banned from the sport. How did things change from one year to the next?

· Recently, motorized or mechanical doping has made headlines as a new way of cheating the system. How do the rigors of bicycling (and the split-second differences in times) lead to these new forms of doping?

· As someone who achieved his wildest dreams, and realized it wasn’t everything he’d expected, what advice would you give to others about following theirs?

· Where do you see the sport of cycling heading in the next few years?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phil Gaimon was a professional cyclist from 2009-2016, including two years in the World Tour with Garmin-Sharp and Cannondale. He’s the author of Pro Cycling on $10 a Dayand Ask a Pro, an ordained minister, amateur comedian, podcaster (host of “The Peloton Brief”), entrepreneur, and host of Phil’s Cookie Fondo. Phil is retired from racing, but still riding his bike for fun and Strava.

Twitter @philgaimon | http://philthethrill.net/