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Charline Joiner: Into the Deep End

Episode 25

“It was mental. But it was amazing. And I just chucked myself in the deep end.”

Have you ever come across a horse in the middle of a peloton? Tune into this week’s episode of Talk of the T-Town to hear Charline’s story of coming across a horse, what Scotland was like during lockdown, her favorite cycling memories, and how Dynamique Fitness got started.

Charline Joiner

Charline Joiner


Website:
dynamiquefitness.com
Instagram:
@chajoiner
@dynamiquefitness
@dynamiquefitnessstudio
Facebook:
@poweryourrange
Twitter: 
@chajoiner

Thanks to B Braun Medical Inc. for sponsoring the Talk of the T-Town Podcast. BBraun is a global leader in infusion therapy and pain management, B Braun develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical products to the healthcare community. They are also strong believers in supporting the quality of life in the communities where their employees work and live.


Transcript

Joan Hanscom:

Welcome to the Talk of the T-Town Podcast, where we discuss all things track cycling. Broadcasting from the Valley Preferred Cycling Center, I’m your host and executive director, Joan Hanscom. Along with my co-host, athletic director, Andy Lakatosh.

Andy Lakatosh:

Welcome to the Talk of the T-Town Podcast. I’m your host, Andy Lakatosh. Along with my co-host, Joan Hanscom. We’re joined today by the 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist, a T-Town alumni, and multiple-time Scottish national champion, Charline Joiner from Scotland. Welcome Charline, how are you today?

Charline Joiner:

Hi, Andy I’m good. It’s nice to hear your voice, a nice American voice, again. It’s actually really sunny in Scotland today, which doesn’t happen often, so I’ve got a big smile on my face.

Andy Lakatosh:

I was going to say, this is, what, one of five days a year the sun comes out.

Charline Joiner:

Exactly. And you’ve got me inside.

Joan Hanscom:

We’re sorry.

Charline Joiner:

No, it’s a pleasure. I’m excited to chat to you about lots of fun bike stuff.

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah. We’re excited to have you.

Andy Lakatosh:

So, speaking of Scotland, aside from the constant rain, what has the last year been like for you guys there with the pandemic going on? I’m always fascinated as to how you guys are independent, but you’re not really independent. Because when you have nationals, you have to ride the British Nationals, but you can also ride Scottish Nationals. And you have the Commonwealth Games, but Scotland doesn’t go to the Olympics type of deal. I guess, for right now in terms of COVID, how does Scotland’s rules work versus GB’s rules, and everything else? What’s that been like for you guys?

Charline Joiner:

Well, the last year has been pretty rubbish, to say the least. Because I’m guessing you speak to people from all around the world as well. So, we actually went into lockdown, the date, I think, was the 16th of March in 2020. Did that year even happen?

Andy Lakatosh:

I was going to say, when I say last year, I’m talking about 2019 a lot. 2020 is like, did it happen?

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah. It’s the year of interruption, right? It’s the year that didn’t quite happen.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. Exactly. So, last year we went into lockdown then, and I feel like it was a shock. Because it all happened really quickly. And here in Scotland, I guess like most places, just found we were to stay at home and only go out to shop for essentials, like food shopping. And don’t go to the doctor’s unless it’s an emergency. I think it was all on the phone, actually, then. It was literally lockdown for six weeks, and then they locked us down for a little bit longer. And it was just a phased return. So I think in England… So, this is the thing, you’ve got the UK, United Kingdom, and basically Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, and it’s all ruled by different governing bodies.

Charline Joiner:

And our government, it was almost like they were having a little battle. Like, “Oh, we are going to be more strict than you.” So I think Boris Johnson was like, “England, you’re free.” And Nicholas Sturgeon was like, “Right, you Scottish people, you’re staying in your house.” And literally, we were so expecting her to be like, yeah should let free. So Glasgow is the biggest city in Scotland.

Andy Lakatosh:

Which is where you are.

Charline Joiner:

Which is where I am. Yeah. I’m in Glasgow. So, for example, gyms didn’t reopen. That’s the industry I’m in just now. And gyms didn’t reopen until September. And then only for a month. And then we were back into lockdown. So, it was then a kind of tiered system. So depending on the COVID cases, in different regions in Scotland, your region would be… Some regions were actually not really in lockdown. They kind of had an easier life because they were in the countryside and there wasn’t many people that had COVID. But the big cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, we got hit bad. And then, it just got back, Christmas and then boom, another full-on lockdown from January. And last week we just got out to play and group exercise was then allowed, groups of 15. And that is for groups of cyclists as well. Cyclists weren’t allowed to cycle in groups and things.

Joan Hanscom:

But you were allowed to go out by yourself and ride if you were… Some countries weren’t, right? Some countries weren’t even allowed to do that. Like in Spain, I think there were folks that had to ride their trainers because they weren’t allowed to ride on the road. At least y’all were allowed to do that.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. So that’s good. I mean, it was icy and snowing anyway, so we couldn’t. So it was fine. We were on the turbo trainers anyways during that time. But they were telling us to stay within a five-mile radius of your town. And that was what they were saying. I don’t know. It just seemed a bit like… I’m used to it now so, oh, okay. I didn’t really get hit bad from it, this big lockdown in January. I was just kind of like, well, we’ve not really been fully set free yet, so let’s just get on with it and make the most out of the situation that we can. And England were just allowed a little bit earlier than us with opening of things.

Joan Hanscom:

Were you allowed to do… Well, not were you allowed. Here, I know the gym that I belonged to when I lived in Chicago, they started doing all of their small group personal training classes on Instagram live. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I was able to take class from my old gym in Chicago on Instagram, which was great. And then my yoga teachers in Northern Virginia and so… Or Virginia Beach, sorry. She did all her yoga classes on Zoom. So I was able to take classes pretty much all through lockdown. Were you able to do the same with your business, do it virtually?

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. We turned into completely virtual business. And that was, for me, well, I think we get onto that a little bit later, like my online business. But I think for a lot of personal trainers and coaches and yoga teachers and things like that, it was a massive shock because they never wanted to do anything online. I wanted to, but a lot of people were like, I like face to face, the human interaction, the connection. But that must’ve been really hard for those who don’t want to do it, that had to do it. And we’re also really lucky that we got government funding as well for those people who had businesses, thankfully.

Charline Joiner:

At the start, we were all wondering what was going to happen for self-employed. But, for those with the smaller businesses, it’s helped a lot. We managed to get, I think it was in the first lockdown, 80% of your pay over like three months, which was quite good. And then it went down to, as the phased return allowed you to do more, the percentage went down. I don’t know what you guys do over there, but we also have people who are off on furlough so the government pays their wage, and they just don’t go to work.

Joan Hanscom:

We were slightly less supportive here.

Andy Lakatosh:

Well, it’s funny you say human interaction. And it’s like, oh, the good old days. And speaking of the good old days, back to when you raced here. So Charline raced here back in the wild, wild west days, if you will. At least the modern, wild, wild west days, not all the way back to the ’90s, but she was here in 2011 and 2012. And that’s when we didn’t provide housing, not at the university, not through that type of organization. We didn’t have UCI events, right? It was definitely, you came on the folklore of just buy a ticket, go to T-Town, sort it out, right?

Andy Lakatosh:

And Charline survived 2011. I think that’s the nicest way to put it. And decided to come back in 2012. She was definitely one of our most prolific racers of great personality, always down to race everything, it was a race director type of people that we absolutely loved. So that’s why we wanted to have her on. Because while she didn’t spend a lot of time here, she was definitely a very memorable presence in racing and we would always welcome her back any time she’d be willing to come back. But she came here in 2011, 2012, fresh off of your Commonwealth Games, silver medal in 2010 when she was a sprinter. And then she came here and raced everything. But-

Joan Hanscom:

Andy’s favorite thing, sprinters who race the endurance events.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah. Bike racers, as we call them. But, things are quite a bit different now, if you came back over. We’re certainly a lot more organized, than the non-COVID years, in a sense. But, do you ever think back to those summers and wish you were, this time of year, still making plans and… Well, now you’d be bugging the crap out of me for what’s the racing that’s happening, where can I stay? Do you ever hit this time of year and that’s just where your mind goes to?

Charline Joiner:

Oh my, I absolutely loved racing in T-Town. Honestly, one of my best cycling memories is, I’ll tell you… Som the first time I went, it was a like last minute thing. And it was 2011 at the time, and one of my Scottish teammates was already out there. She had said, “Oh yeah, just come and stay where I’m staying at T-Town.” I mean, I’d never been to the USA, so I didn’t even know where T-Town was, or Pennsylvania, or anywhere. I just was like, New York flying into there. Someone’s going to pick me up. I can’t remember who it was, actually. Someone picked me up, though, and took me to this house. And I got outside this house and it had skull heads hanging from a tree.

Charline Joiner:

And then there was Jamaican music playing. And I literally was like, “Where am I?” Then this guy was like, “This is it. This is where you’re staying. I’m sure it is.” And I was like, “Okay, cool.” So he took all my stuff out and I’m peeping into the house, because the door is wide open, music playing, and it’s nighttime. I don’t even know what time is because I’ve just come from Scotland. And out comes Erin Hartwell and he’s like, “Charline!” And I’m like, “Who’s that?” I’m like, “But thank god someone knows who I am. I’m in the right place.” And I was like, “Where’s my friend?” And he’s like, “Oh yeah, she’s just stayed out. She was cycling all day and stayed at the pool.” And I was like, “This is going to be a fun summer.”

Charline Joiner:

But yeah. It does bring back lots of amazing memories of getting strong without trying too hard. Because there’s racing all the time. And instead of the training, you just use the racing as the training, and that really worked for me. So yeah, loved it. The community aspects of it was great. And it was almost like everybody knew everybody. And it was so much fun, just meeting new people and the hospitality, as well, that was given to the foreign riders when we came over, it was amazing. I stayed with a few host families who also raced and things, and loved every minute. And they just looked after me. Helped with the dinners, I helped them as well. But it was great.

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah. I think that’s the nice part. It’s almost like a little bit of summer camp, right? You come here and you’re in a bubble of bike racing camp and it’s kind of cool. It’s like this weird period of time where all it is bikes and fun and people. And not so much for Andy and I.

Andy Lakatosh:

No, not at all.

Charline Joiner:

Maybe not anymore.

Joan Hanscom:

We experienced, not the fun, but we can see that people are in that fun little bike racing summer camp mode. And it’s cool.

Andy Lakatosh:

I definitely, we hit this time of year and I can count the number of gray hairs that come in per day as we get closer to the racing season. That’s really not an exaggeration. I just did it this morning. I was like, oh, look at that. Delightful. No, but it’s quite different now, right? Because we put on these UCI events. And 20, I say last year, but I actually mean 2019. 2019, our biggest UCI event was 200 or 220 unique competitors in a single weekend. That’s just absolutely massive and out of control. That’s as big-

Joan Hanscom:

That’s eight days of UCI racing in one month.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah.

Joan Hanscom:

Which was insane.

Andy Lakatosh:

It was a lot.

Charline Joiner:

Wow. Yeah, that’s a bit more than… I think it was maybe like two or three that went on the last year that I came, and it was spread across the summer. So well done for making that happen though. That’s amazing, the changes that you’ve gone through in the last [crosstalk 00:14:58].

Andy Lakatosh:

It’s a lot of work. And it’s super organized. You show up, there’s an application, there’s a whole athlete support proposal that goes out, so you know what you’re getting. And it’s like, before you get here, you have all your instructions of how to get from the airport to the track, to the housing, your bike room, your code is all set up, you get a little baggy with your sheets and stuff. And then you go to, not some random house in a cornfield anymore.

Charline Joiner:

With skulls hanging.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah, we’re a little more civilized. You might still have Jamaican music playing, depending which country is your direct neighbor. But we have some great housing providers and stuff that we work with. And they take really good care of us and really good care of the athletes. So the UCI has its own kind of like separate animal that’s very much like a world cup. But then the rest of the season, the part that I know you love the most, is that old T-Town. Like just, I’m going to race, I’m going to race, I’m going to race, I’m going to race. And, oh, I might train a day or two in there, but in general, I’m pretty much racing, recovering, making friendships and making memories. And holy crap, I’m a lot faster at the end of the year than I was at the start.

Andy Lakatosh:

So that’s always one of the cool things about when you commit to the entire summer here, it’s really so much more than just bike racing. And that’s one of the things I love about it and wish more people took part in as well. But so I think we’ve covered one of your favorite off-track memories. What is your favorite on-track memory?

Charline Joiner:

Oh. On track. On track. Okay. No, I don’t have one. Can I see three?

Joan Hanscom:

Yes.

Andy Lakatosh:

Sure.

Charline Joiner:

Okay. So first one, obviously, was when I won that medal in the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, because I’d only just started racing a few years before that. And I just couldn’t believe it. And that was actually in sprinting. That was in the team sprint. And I was on the podium next to one of my heroes, and someone I looked up to, and that was Anna Meares. And also [Karli McCall 00:17:16], we’re now good friends. But that pairing won the gold and my teammate, Jenny Davis, and I won the silver. And then the Canadians were third. And we were so happy. So that was just such an amazing experience because I never thought I’d get the opportunity to represent my country that soon into the sport.

Charline Joiner:

And then, so the next two are actually in the final year in 2016. So before I came to… Because I came to LA for the World Cycling League. Before that, I went to a six-day race in Ghent. And so, I started as a sprinter, and then I changed in 2011 to be an endurance rider. And I basically emailed everyone, I came back from the Commonwealth Games in October, emailed all the 60 organizers and was like, right, I really, really need a race. Can someone give me a race, an endurance race? So then I got an email back from the Rotterdam Six Day. And she was lie, “Yeah, come along. We’ll get someone to help you.” I was like, “Literally, no one’s going to come with me. I’ve never done a race like this before.” And she was like, “That’s fine. We’ll get a mechanic for you. We’ll do this, we’ll do that.” And I was like, okay, cool. Get someone to pick you up from the airport and we’ll take you to the hotel. And I went and I basically got absolutely slaughtered. I finished three races out of 18.

Joan Hanscom:

Wow.

Charline Joiner:

Three races. I was up against… The field was basically like a world cup field, world cop. It was mental. But it was amazing. And I just chucked myself in the deep end. And the crowds loved me. By the end of the week, whenever I finished a race, maybe the last day I finished all the races, and everyone was like, “Yeah!”, when I was crossing the line like half a lap behind everyone. So they invited me back the next year.

Joan Hanscom:

Oh my god, fan favorite.

Charline Joiner:

I was like, “Are you sure? Are you sure?” And also I was, “I don’t know if I want to.” Oh my god. So then I went to T-Town, about 2011. And it was really, really good for me. And then I went back the next year, finished maybe half the races, they invited me again. And I went to T-Town the next year and that kind of year, I really improved. But anyway, every year I was kind of improving with my endurance. But in that Ghent 60, in 2016, I won a points race against a world cup field, with top riders who would win at world cups, and I beat them. And I was just like, oh my gosh, look at how far I’ve come. And it was like I felt like I won the Olympics. I was like, “Yeah!”

Joan Hanscom:

That’s awesome.

Charline Joiner:

This is a points race but… Oh my gosh. And we were actually there with them, I think I was there with GB. I was there with GB and I remember they were just, “Yeah, well done.” Like are you joking? Like act one, I just beat the other GB riders, I’d beat all of the amazing riders and they were like, “Nice.” God. So, that was one. So that’s two. And then third one was just the track racing in LA for the-

Andy Lakatosh:

World Cycling League.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah, for the World Cycling League. That was such a great experience on the track as well. And yeah, loved that. It was so great. The amazing thing about the World Cycling League was that we got to race as a team, and accumulate points. And that made it… Because I’m such a team player. I come from… Before cycling, I was a hockey player, a field hockey player. And I’m all about team and helping everyone and everyone helping everyone. And it was just so good to see someone else on your team win. It was like ah! You felt like you just won. So yeah, that was amazing. Such a good concept and idea. Loved it.

Andy Lakatosh:

So I’m going to try to tempt you then with this team racing thing that we did here back in the ’90s that I resurrected in 2019, and we’re going to have this year and beyond. But it’s Keirin Revenge.

Joan Hanscom:

It was cool. Super cool.

Andy Lakatosh:

So you’re on teams. It’s a team of, I think we did a team of four, but only three riders from each team raced. And so it’s a keirin points race, right? So you’d do your keirin, top two riders score points two and one. And immediately, as soon as you come across the backstretch, the motors coming back on the track, regrouping, you can do rider substitutions and stuff. But the fun thing is you race as a team, right? So blocking is encouraged. We even let a little bit of argy bargy as you guys…

Joan Hanscom:

It was cool.

Andy Lakatosh:

We let some of that go on. And it gets really fun because it’s so different than the style of racing that we… It’s not a normal keirin by any means. And oh, the motor only comes off with 500 to go. So we keep everyone kind of bunched up a little bit longer. And one of the teams, they let one of the girls kind of roll… Everyone was watching like Maddie Godby, right? And so they let this other rider, Ivy, roll off the front, because everyone’s watching Maddie and Maddie is just doing this. And then Ivy takes off and goes. Right? So there’s all kinds of fun things you can do. We have a penalty box, which undoubtedly I would get in within five minutes. And it’s like a 10-minute period, right? And you race three times during the night. So it’s a really fun-

Joan Hanscom:

Suffice to say, Andy had to do some convincing with the officials that it was going to be okay. And it was okay. It was super good. And the athletes all had so much fun. I think for the same reason that you just talked about that it was like a team thing. And people were super into like a different sort of set of team tactics than they would normally ride. It was cool.

Andy Lakatosh:

So, we’re going to continue to do that. And in the years that aren’t upended by COVID. In ’98 when we did it, it had three different nights of racing throughout the year and then a big final, rights? And there were four teams and it was a whole thing. It was a lot of fun. So hopefully we’ll…

Joan Hanscom:

So Andy’s going to get you to come out of retirement.

Andy Lakatosh:

Just for that.

Joan Hanscom:

Just for this. And you can come over and teach yoga here while you race the Keirin Revenge. We’ll do that.

Andy Lakatosh:

So, speaking of retirement, right? So we have 2016, you do the World Cycling League, you do the race with GB. And then how long after that was it that you retired?

Charline Joiner:

The September, just September.

Andy Lakatosh:

You were that mad at GB that you just said, screw you guys. I’m out, I’m done with bikes.

Charline Joiner:

Pretty much. No, no, I wasn’t there actually. Believe it or not, it was not. So no, I’d finished my track season and was going on the road and had a new opportunity. So basically Ford, Ford cars, had just agreed to sponsor a women’s road cycling team. And that was massive because they’d never done that before. So, I was selected to be on that team that year. And I moved from a really good team before. I was on team WNT. And they were really, really great. But I felt like on that team, the year that I was on WNT, I was one of the only top riders, but I wanted more good riders around me so I could race for other riders as well as I’m racing for me, or riders that could actually race for me, and vice-versa.

Charline Joiner:

So the Ford cycling team, when they entice me on, they were like, this is what you’re going to get. You’re going to get more of a team. And it totally was not like that. And I got on it and it just was not like that. It was same, I was one of the top riders, all the pressure was on me. And I didn’t want that. It’s not me. Yes, I like winning targeted races, but I don’t like going for all of the races. But anyway, I was flying after the World Cycling League and that six-day period was going so well. And then, started the road season. And I was like, right, this is going to be… I’m going the best I’ve ever gone in my life, like flying.

Charline Joiner:

And then the first few races helped one of the riders. And then it came to the race that I was like, this is the race that… We went, it was called the Lincoln Grand Prix. And it was cobbles. And it was just really technical, and I just love that kind of reason. And steep hills, not too long, and just a really good technical course. And I recced around and I felt like I was floating, I felt like I was floating on the pedals. And I was like, I have peaked, I need to go over this. So, everyone was like, right, yep. We’re going for Cha. And then lap one, crash.

Joan Hanscom:

Oh, no.

Charline Joiner:

And so there’s a lot of road furniture. So someone went into it. Even though there was a guy there with a flag, someone went into it, and then everyone just went up behind and that I was involved in that crash. In the crash, a chain ring went into my scapula a bit. So I jumped back on the bike, got caught back up to the front group. But was like, “Something’s wrong. I don’t feel right.” And I went up to the team captain, because I was who they were riding for, but then the team captain was calling the shots. So I said, look, I’ve had… She was like, “Where have you been?” And I was like, “In a crash.” I was like, “I can’t sprint, I can’t get out the saddle.” Literally, I had a dead arm basically. So going up the cobble was difficult. I could stay with them, but I was going to be unable to get the saddle up the cobbles for the final thing.

Charline Joiner:

And anyway, that was kind of that over. So, and then she went. I was like, “I’ll be the team captain.” And then she then was like, “Right, I’ll go for it.” Then I said, “But I’ll just help you. I’ll tell you what breaks to go.” And then I told her her to go for the break and the break stuck. And then the team manager was like, “Charline, you need to get over to the break.” And I’m like, “I can’t. I can’t.” And he was like, “Get over there.” And I was like, “Okay.” So I did. I was like, right, I’m just going to have to grit my teeth and get out the saddle and just do it. And then, as I did it, someone clipped my front wheel.

Andy Lakatosh:

Twice in one race. Oh my goodness.

Joan Hanscom:

Oh god.

Charline Joiner:

And then I landed on my head. This was like mid-sprint. Landed on my head, rolled over and was concussed. So couldn’t race on. So that was the end of that. And then basically, two weeks later, I was involved in a crash again. You’ll never believe this one. So it was in a road race, and it was not… The traffic was going on. And I was in a break of eight ahead and I was like, okay. Still feel good, form’s still good. Get over the hill, there’s horses walking towards us.

Joan Hanscom:

I’ve had that happen to me in a race. It’s bizarre, right? You’re like, oh my god, there’s a horse in the middle of the peloton. Yeah.

Charline Joiner:

Oh my gosh. And so, I was at the back and everyone just kind of got scared and went into the field and I clipped my front wheel again, banged my head. Yeah. So a couple of concussions within a really close period. And then I just, for the rest of the season, I felt like I didn’t really recover from that. And then, the team wasn’t very supportive. And yeah, that really, really just traumatized me. And I wasn’t afraid of crashing. I got back on the bike and I won one of the most prestigious races in the UK. And I think it was August or end of July, start of August, the Otley Grand Prix. And yeah, I won that and then I kind of bowed out. I was like, I’m done. Goodbye. There’s your win for the team. And then that was kind of it.

Charline Joiner:

But it wasn’t like… I’m maybe thinking back and it was like a straight cut, that’s me. I think I was like, right, I just need a break. So I thought, I’ll just take a little break. I’ll change team and then everything will be okay and we’ll keep racing.

Andy Lakatosh:

It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.

Charline Joiner:

It’s fine. It’s fine. I just need a break. I’ll get back on the bike after a week or two. And I signed for another team for the Revolution Series, because it was going to be a really big Revolution Series. And I just never got back on my bike. And I had to phone the team manager and say, “Look, I just can not face the bike.” And that was it. And I was like, “I’m sorry.” Yeah. And that was me.

Charline Joiner:

I tried to set up a road cycling team as well, a women’s road cycling team. So I went to the HQ of Renault Cars and pitched to them to try and get some sponsorship to start a women’s cycling team, and went to the UCI base in Switzerland and did my sports directors course, with a scholarship for women to do it. And got all that. And then it didn’t happen in the end. And I just thought… And then I was like, that’s not happening. Why am I resisting leaving? It felt just right to just kind of slowly start to move away from it. But it’s never easy. It’s never easy. That’s when I found yoga, and that really helped me through it.

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah. It’s interesting, right? There’s that end is some people…

Andy Lakatosh:

One of the hardest things to [crosstalk 00:32:51].

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah. Some people really struggle with it, and some people have a plan for how they’re going to get out. And some people have getting out thrust upon them and it’s, no matter which pathway it is, it’s a planned one, it’s a thrust upon them one, or it’s a gradual fading away. I think it’s never easy because it’s so wrapped up in our identities that we’re cyclists, that this is what we do. And even when you’re not a professional cyclist, your identity becomes stuck around that. And it’s always, I think, a hard thing to transition out of, regardless of who you are and where you are in the sport. But, the yoga thing, talk about that. So, you transitioned out of racing as a professional, and then how did you find yourself doing the yoga practice that you are still doing, I think.

Andy Lakatosh:

Now, I’ll say this, just so everyone knows, this had not been a small part of her life, yoga. There was a point in time where I was getting a barrage of WhatsApp messages from Charline talking about, “You really need to do yoga and this, that, and the other thing.” I’m like, “Charline, I’m as big as a house. I can’t touch my toes. No, I’m not about to do happy baby pose”, or something like that. I don’t need that type of embarrassment.

Joan Hanscom:

My god. That’s a good visual, though, Andy.

Andy Lakatosh:

I know. It’s fantastic. So, this is huge because unsolicited nonstop text messages from Charline like, “Hey bud, hey pal. You really need to do this, if you hop on.” So, just so everyone understands that this is not a casual thing for Charline before she launches into it, so.

Joan Hanscom:

And I think, she’s probably right, Andy.

Andy Lakatosh:

Probably.

Joan Hanscom:

I mean, we’ve had other guests on the podcast talking about the importance of yoga for cyclists, too. So this is not the first time you’ve heard this, Andy.

Charline Joiner:

Yes. That is right. And I’m never going to stop annoying you about that. So anyway, I just was looking for something after cycling. Because I didn’t want to get on my bike. Literally, it wasn’t like oh, I’m just going to end my bike for fun. I completely stopped even… Not exercise. I was going out for runs and started running and started doing fun things in the gym, like circuit classes and things. But, I really was just looking for different things. And when I, probably 2015, I started doing some Yin Yoga, which is just like holding stretch poses, basically. It wasn’t even Yin Yoga. It was like a mobility class. And it was just holding stretches. So I knew the benefits of stretching because I did it a lot.

Charline Joiner:

And I think it was in Scotland, people had started talking about it a little bit more. And I saw that one of my friends who used to be a cyclist went on a yoga retreat, on Instagram. And I’d been living in Glasgow for a couple of years now, and she had moved to Glasgow as well. And I saw that it was linked to a studio, a yoga studio, in Glasgow. So I thought, right, I’m going to go on their website. I’m just going to look at when the classes are and I’m just going to book into one. And I booked into… I was looking at the schedule and I didn’t know what anything meant. Vinyasa Yoga, Ashtanga, Yin, and then there was power yoga. And I was like, right, that sounds like me. That sounds like what I need. I’m a power athlete. I’m going to this class.

Charline Joiner:

So I booked it. Didn’t tell anyone, I just went. I didn’t want anyone to know I was going. I just went along. And it was so good. It was so hard. I was sweating. But the teacher was really, really good. And it was the first time ever that someone had told me, well, told the class, “This is an opportunity for you to not be the best, not be the strongest, not be the fastest. You don’t need to be anything. You just need to be as you are feeling right now.” And I was like, “No one’s ever told me that. I’ve always been told you need to be better.” And it was just so refreshing and I was like, I need to go back. So I picked a block of 10, and then I saw that the teacher was doing a yoga teacher training the next year.

Charline Joiner:

And I went up to her after class and I was like, “Hello, I just was wondering if I could come on your yoga teacher training.” And then she was like, “Yeah, just apply.” And I didn’t realize that usually when you do yoga teacher training, you’ve been practicing yoga for quite a long time. I just was like, oh, I could use this. I could really use this, as a personal trainer or as a-

Andy Lakatosh:

I’m seeing a trend of straight into the deep end here, right?

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah, exactly.

Andy Lakatosh:

Like jumping into the Six Days going, yeah, I’ll give it a shot.

Joan Hanscom:

Going straight to T-Town. Hey…

Andy Lakatosh:

Going straight to T-Town. And so, you come out on the other side of that and you’re killing it at a six day points, so I’m assuming we’re going to get to that same point with you in this.

Charline Joiner:

Basically…

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah.

Charline Joiner:

Well yeah, I started out really rubbish, is the point.

Joan Hanscom:

Oh my god. That’s awesome.

Charline Joiner:

Oh my god. With the yoga teacher, we’re now really good friends. And she was like, “Oh my gosh, I totally winged it, letting you do it. Because I didn’t even know who you were, everyone else knew.” There was only 12 of us. And it was her first yoga teacher training as well, which meant it was so special. So much work had gone into it. It was amazing. We did a 10-day intensive. Everybody cried. I did my date the last day. But it’s funny, I was roommate at… Steph, the yoga teacher, had roomed me with sort of a physical therapist. So we’re kind of both like scientists in head. I’m a sports and exercise scientist.

Charline Joiner:

And we were like, “Why is everyone crying?” At night, we’d go to bed and be like, “Why was everyone crying?” Then by day 10, we’re like, “I don’t even know why I’m crying, but…” It was so intense. You just jump right into all the different theory behind it and things, and chakras, and different energy balances, and the history of your guys. It was really great. And then came the practical. But through the whole yoga process… So my husband’s a professional rugby player, and once their team heard that I was doing yoga teacher training, they were like, “Can you come and take the boys?” So here I am, little old me, 50, massive men in front of me who, like Andy, can’t touch their toes, also can’t have their arms above their heads straight. And I’m trying to write a yoga…

Joan Hanscom:

Oh my god. That is such a good visual of a bunch of guys trying to do…

Andy Lakatosh:

A bunch of big burly rugby players.

Joan Hanscom:

They try to do a crescent lunge with their arms, like not able to do it.

Charline Joiner:

It was great. It was really great. Their favorite part was Shavasana at the end, when they had their eyes closed. And it had [crosstalk 00:40:44].

Joan Hanscom:

Isn’t it everyone’s favorite part?

Charline Joiner:

Yeah, [inaudible 00:40:48]. But totally. Yeah. So I started getting into professional sport with it. So after that summer I was practicing on them and I got my qualification. Then I went to the Braehead Ice Hockey Clan. So, again, big guys, ice hockey, contact sport. And in my head I was like, okay, this is the way I’m going. But I just wanted to get cyclists for yoga. But I’m like, okay. I’m like, obviously, these sports need it. But in my heart, I was like, I want to take cyclists. So yeah, that carried on for three or four years and then we went into lockdown. I ended up taking the Scottish national rugby team as well for yoga. And did a few sessions for Muay Thai groups.

Charline Joiner:

But it kind of changed from just yoga. I mean, I love teaching yoga and I have yoga retreats now that… I have yoga retreats. But, now my product has changed from being just yoga, to Power Your Range, which is a mobility… It’s mobility specifics, so functional range conditioning, which is not just the stretching. It’s about a joint control, joint strengthening, so being strong within your range, strong at your end range. For example, if you have a crash on the bike or if you get tackled in rugby the wrong way, or even to help you get into a better positioning on the bike to allow more of your surface area to be available, muscle area to be available to press the pedals. And just, it’s really, really great for that. So now I’m all about the mobility now.

Joan Hanscom:

It’s funny, we talked about this with Leslie when she was on the podcast about how it’s actually measurable, right? And I’m sure you’re seeing this with your elite athletes that you work with. When I started back, because of COVID, doing a more regular yoga practice after years of sort of being very sporadic with it, I saw my left right power balance on the bike go dead 50/50. And that, I think, is a testament to both the yoga practice, but also I was mentioning the gym that I do Instagram classes with in Chicago. And that’s their whole business. It’s Morning Bird, Chicago. Their whole business is functional strength and mobility for cyclists.

Joan Hanscom:

And all of a sudden, I was back doing that mobility practice, that mobility class. And you see the actual… You have devices on your bike that tell you it’s working. So you see that you are a dead 50/50 power distribution every time you ride. And it’s really fascinating how that translates into more watts, it translates into better power, it transitions to longer power, right? So it’s a real thing. So it must be very exciting for you to be able to apply it to the thing that you were so good at.

Charline Joiner:

I mean, I am just like everyone should do mobility. Because it’s not about… For those obviously that need the extra range, it’s great. But also those that have too much range. So, the hypermobile people, they need to learn how to control their range. And they need to be able to control their range, which is really important as well. And so it works both ways. But yeah, the lockdown was great. I did three mobility classes for three months and then all… It was donation-based only and all the money went to the NHS, which is our national health healthcare service here. So did some donation classes.

Charline Joiner:

And sometimes it was like 35 people online, and just wanting to join and do this mobility. I’m trying to think of cyclists who…Well, Katie Archibald’s done it. She’s a GB track cyclist. You’ve got Alex Dowsett, who’s also a track cyclist. You’ve got Brian Smith, who’s a commentator, he jumped on. [crosstalk 00:45:05]

Joan Hanscom:

Oh, cool. That’s so cool.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. And then also we had some rugby players. We’ve had professional skiers jump on. Skiers, professional swimmers, karate. And then also what was great about it was anyone could join. So they were online and they were like, “Oh my gosh, is that [inaudible 00:45:27] Smith?” Is that Hannah Riley, the swimmer. It’s kind of like cycling. It’s the only sport that you can get up close with the professionals, without having a barrier between you all the time.

Joan Hanscom:

So are you still doing online stuff?

Charline Joiner:

Yes. I am.

Joan Hanscom:

So you’re going to have to tell our listeners how they can join in. We’ll have to put it in our show notes, that folks can, who want to take a mobility class with Brian Smith, that they can join in via your feed. So make sure we get that stuff for you from the show notes.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. It’s called Power Your Range. So if you just look that up on Facebook. If you don’t have Facebook, then Instagram dynamiquefitness, and it’s with a Q-U-E at the end of dynamique.

Joan Hanscom:

Cool. Well, we’ll put the word out and hopefully we’ll get some of our listeners to have their curiosity piqued and go check out your mobility practice. Because it’s definitely worth doing. And yours sounds extra fun if there’s celebrity sightings, in addition to working on mobility,

Andy Lakatosh:

I’ll just say now, I still won’t do it.

Charline Joiner:

Andy, come on.

Andy Lakatosh:

But if you come and ride Keirin Revenge, then I’ll do some yoga with you.

Charline Joiner:

I’ve not got the watts right now.

Andy Lakatosh:

It doesn’t matter. It’s a team thing. Just get in somebody’s way. That’s half the fun of it, right?

Charline Joiner:

Oh, I mean, I don’t even think I could get over to the US right now with the restrictions here.

Andy Lakatosh:

Build a little sailboat and sail your way over. That’s your best bet right now, just land in Canada, then hop across the border.

Joan Hanscom:

She likes the deep end anyway, right?

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah.

Charline Joiner:

[inaudible 00:47:14] I dip in. I’ve been dipping in the sea through winter.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah. I meant to ask about that, because-

Joan Hanscom:

What does that even mean?

Andy Lakatosh:

It means it’s freezing, like there might be ice on top of the water and she’s like, “Hmm. It looks like a good day for a swim.”

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. Pretty much.

Joan Hanscom:

You had me up until now. And now I’m lost. It’s over.

Andy Lakatosh:

And poor Lee, her husband, she just drags him along for it. He looks happy-ish in the photos but you can tell it’s like, this was not my idea.

Joan Hanscom:

Happy-ish.

Andy Lakatosh:

But this is my person. I’m here. Here we go.

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. He’s more just like, “We survived!”

Joan Hanscom:

So why do you do this to yourself?

Charline Joiner:

Oh, there was nothing else to do. Literally.

Joan Hanscom:

All righty. All right.

Charline Joiner:

It’s good for recovery. It’s good for recovery. Cold water exposure. Good for recovery-

Joan Hanscom:

Hypothermia. Frostbite. It’s all good.

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah.

Charline Joiner:

I could shower every day. That’s what you do. Cold shower every day keeps the doctor away. That’s what they say. Not been ill all year. [inaudible 00:48:26] cold water.

Joan Hanscom:

Cold water is different than the ocean with ice on it.

Andy Lakatosh:

You also haven’t been sick all year because we haven’t been outside the house.

Joan Hanscom:

We wear masks.

Charline Joiner:

You can wear a mask and swim.

Andy Lakatosh:

I wish you the best of luck. All right, so we’ll just chalk that up to some weird thing that Scottish people do. But speaking of being Scottish, I know you’re an extremely proud Scot. So Chris Hoy is a legend, your husband wore a kilt at your wedding. What other Scottish things are you most proud of or enjoy the most that we wouldn’t know about here. And then, how accurate is the movie Braveheart, historically? I’m asking for a friend.

Charline Joiner:

It’s all wrong. It’s all wrong. But it’s nice, isn’t it? It’s a nice story.

Andy Lakatosh:

It’s fun. It’s our perception of Scotland. Just like you use all of our movies as the perception of America, so.

Charline Joiner:

It pretty much is.

Joan Hanscom:

Gone in 60 Seconds isn’t real, Andy?

Andy Lakatosh:

That’s just when you’re in the car with me, and that’s not an exaggeration.

Joan Hanscom:

Okay.

Andy Lakatosh:

Charline knows that.

Charline Joiner:

So basically, what else Scottish stuff? Oh, so at weddings, obviously yeah, all the guys generally, they either wear tartan kilts or tartan trews, which is just tartan trousers. Pants, we call them. Yeah?

Andy Lakatosh:

Yeah, pants.

Charline Joiner:

And then at the end of a wedding, you have a big Ceilidh dance, which is, it’s just mayhem. It’s like country music and… Not your kind of country music, more…

Andy Lakatosh:

Bagpipes?

Charline Joiner:

Bagpipe-y, yeah. Bagpipes, and you have your partner and there’s different routines that you basically learn in school. And it’s all for events or balls and basically the women just get flung around by the guys and it’s actually fun. It’s just great. And obviously Auld Lang Syne at New Year’s Eve. The Hogmanay is massive in Scotland. The New Year’s Eve big party and everyone has a party and sings Auld Lang Syne. And there’s haggis.

Andy Lakatosh:

Okay.

Joan Hanscom:

Haggis, yes, you lost me again.

Andy Lakatosh:

Hold on.

Charline Joiner:

Haggis.

Andy Lakatosh:

I got another fun one. We need the official word, Loch Ness Monster, real or fake?

Charline Joiner:

So real.

Andy Lakatosh:

All right.

Joan Hanscom:

You heard it here, folks.

Andy Lakatosh:

We got the official word.

Joan Hanscom:

The Loch Ness Monster is real.

Andy Lakatosh:

All right. Last-

Joan Hanscom:

Charline saw him when she was dipping in the ocean.

Charline Joiner:

[inaudible 00:51:32] Loch.

Andy Lakatosh:

Last question. If you came back… Or should I say, when you come back this summer, or next summer for Keirin Revenge, what is the first thing you have to do as soon as you get off the plane, you make it into T-Town. Where’s the first place you’re going, first thing? Not the track and coming here to race, obviously. But what’s the number one thing you miss or remember the most about T-Town?

Charline Joiner:

This is no exaggeration. But it wasn’t a place. It was more the people. I don’t think of a place when I think of T-Town, I think of it as a community. And I just wish that everyone could be together again. No, I love everything.

Joan Hanscom:

She’s not craving pizza or ice cream or…

Charline Joiner:

I’m not craving the food at all. I don’t crave American food at all.

Joan Hanscom:

Because of the haggis.

Charline Joiner:

Aye. I’ll stick to haggis, thank you very much. I’ll bring a suitcase full of haggis, neeps and tatties. So guess, do you know what it is? Neeps and tatties?

Andy Lakatosh:

No.

Joan Hanscom:

No.

Charline Joiner:

It’s what you have with haggis. Go on, give it a guess. Haggis with neeps and tatties.

Joan Hanscom:

Well, tatties is potatoes.

Charline Joiner:

Yes.

Joan Hanscom:

Okay. See.

Andy Lakatosh:

You got me. I got no idea.

Joan Hanscom:

The other, no clue.

Charline Joiner:

Turnip.

Joan Hanscom:

Ugh.

Charline Joiner:

I know. It’s not really… You got to mix it all up.

Andy Lakatosh:

You got to mix it all up, have a chaser and Pepto-Bismol afterwards [crosstalk 00:53:15].

Joan Hanscom:

You’re not selling it. You’re not selling it.

Charline Joiner:

Scottish thing also is we have fish and chips.

Joan Hanscom:

That’s a good one.

Charline Joiner:

But you can have a battered Mars bar. I don’t know if you knew what that is. A Mars bar.

Joan Hanscom:

It’s like a Snickers bar, right? It’s our equivalent of a Snickers bar thing?

Charline Joiner:

Yeah. So you can get that battered.

Joan Hanscom:

Deep-fried.

Charline Joiner:

Deep-fried. Not healthy at all.

Joan Hanscom:

You can get that here too at all the state fairs.

Andy Lakatosh:

Fairs.

Joan Hanscom:

You can’t get it on the regular. But if you hit a state fair, you can for sure get deep-fried Snickers bars.

Charline Joiner:

You just copied us.

Joan Hanscom:

Yeah, probably.

Andy Lakatosh:

Probably, Right.

Joan Hanscom:

No doubt.

Andy Lakatosh:

Alrighty. Well, before we go, be sure to tell everyone what your social media handles are so that they can come find you.

Charline Joiner:

Got about a million. But if you just head for Instagram dynamique, [inaudible 00:54:15] or @chajoiner. And then Facebook, just and Charline Joiner Facebook page. Yeah.

Joan Hanscom:

And we’ll post that in the show notes for folks who want to take class with Brian Smith.

Andy Lakatosh:

Awesome.

Charline Joiner:

Or Power Your Range on Facebook. Power Your Range page on Facebook.

Andy Lakatosh:

Okay. Awesome.

Joan Hanscom:

Right on. Well, thank you. It’s been delightful having you. And, like Andy said, we’ll see you in 2022 here in T-Town.

Charline Joiner:

Definitely. I’ll be there. I’m looking for flights right now.

Joan Hanscom:

All right. Well, thank you so much. This has been the Talk of the T-Town Podcast. We are on all the podcasts platforms, wherever you choose to consume us. Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher. So please give us a like, a share. Let us know if you are enjoying our content. It definitely helps us grow the pod. And thank you for listening.

Joan Hanscom:

This has been the talk of the T-Town Podcast with hosts, Joan Hanscom and Andy Lakatosh. Thanks for joining us for this week’s episode, brought to you by B. Braun Medical Inc. Head on over to our website, thevelodrome.com, where you can check out the show notes and subscribe, so you’ll never miss an episode.