Episode 21
“I was going to figure out, if I wanted to go back to the road at all, if I wanted to continue to pursue the track stuff, or if I just wanted to just pack it up altogether.”
Curious as to what Shane Kline has been up to since his Madison Cup win in 2019? Listen to this week’s episode of Talk of the T-Town to find out. Joan, Andy, and Shane talk about his experience with cycling (the good and the ugly), passing his wisdom on to younger cyclists, and his family’s furniture business.
Shane Kline
Instagram: @optimuskline1
Instagram: @walnut_st_woodworks
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.
Joan Hanscom:
Welcome to the Talk of the T-Town podcast. I’m Joan Hanscom, the Executive Director here at T-Town, and I’m joined by my co-host Andy Lakatosh, Director of Athletics, who is again calling in from sunny Southern California, even though it is snow flurries and incredibly dreary back home. We’re happy to talk to Andy anyway. And this week’s guest, I’m super excited to talk to, it is Shane Kline. Shane Kline, for those of you who don’t know, enjoyed a prolific career on the road, including winning the Dana Point Grand Prix, the Thompson Bucks County Criterium, stages of the Cascade Cycling Classic, Tour of Somerville, the list is long. Let’s put it that way. Shane knew his way around a criterium in the day, but he got his start racing bikes here at the track. I believe when you were 13 years old, Shane, you started racing here at T-Town.
Joan Hanscom:
And at end of his road career, he decided he was going to chase some Olympic dreams and went for the USA Cycling’s fledgling Men’s Endurance program that was brought back under Derek Bouchard-Hall, and had hoped to go to Tokyo for 2020. But the endurance program sadly did not qualify a spot in for the games. And so, as a result, we’ve not seen Shane on his bike since his victorious win at the Madison Cup here at the end of the 2019 season, where Shane was partnered with another T-Town legend, Bobby Lee. So we are delighted to have you here, Shane. Thanks for coming on the pod.
Shane Kline:
It’s great to be here. It’s nice to actually talk to people. I feel like I talk to the same five people every day and that’s about it.
Joan Hanscom:
And you talk to your adorable new puppy. So for our listeners, Shane just showed us, or introduced us to his beautiful new German Shepherd puppy. I apologize to our listeners that this is not a video podcast, because you would all be oohing and aahing the way we were over the very, very cute puppy dog.
Shane Kline:
And if I don’t respond quickly, it’s because I’m chasing her with whatever she’s tearing up.
Joan Hanscom:
Whatever expensive piece of electronics she’s decided to eat, as they are want to do. So, Shane, tell us what you’ve been up to in the bizarre year of COVID.
Shane Kline:
Yeah. It’s crazy to think that it’s been a year now. It was kind of weird how COVID came in with the way the track program was going, because it kind of made my transition a little bit smoother, a little bit easier, as sad as that is. I would say I’ve been doing a lot of woodworking. I’ve been working for my dad now full time. We have a family furniture business. The business has been here for, well, since the forties. He took it over from his uncle, so I’m third generation at this point. Yeah. I’d say winter came in, the track season was kind of winding down, everyone was up in the air whether or not you’re going to get selection for world championships. And I didn’t, and then basically from there I was like, “All right, well, what’s the next move?”
Shane Kline:
So, I just dove right into woodworking full-time at the moment, just kind of to see what I was going to figure out, if I wanted to go back to the road at all, if I wanted to continue to pursue the track stuff, or if I just wanted to just pack it up altogether. But then COVID came in, and it kind of forced all that stuff to happen either way. So it made my transition a little smoother to kind of taking a step back. But then now a year later, you start to get the itch again. [crosstalk 00:04:29]
Joan Hanscom:
Well, because you’re still young, says the old lady in the room. But, just for our listeners, so Shane talked about his business, the woodworking business, and that family business is a Walnut St. Woodworks, if I’m not mistaken. And, if you follow Shane’s Instagram feed, you can see that he makes a lot of beautiful, beautiful pieces, including something that I should probably buy, the espresso tamper, which we were joking before we started recording. I’ve had six shots of espresso this morning, so maybe I shouldn’t buy one. But yeah, talk to us about that, Shane, how did you craft that skill?
Shane Kline:
That I think was just the… I was fortunate to grow up in the household that I did because my dad always had us all be a part of the business, even when we were young. If you wanted to come out in the wood shop, and you wanted to learn some things, or if you just wanted to make your own stuff for fun, whether it was building a bird house, he was always there and helpful with it. So, I kind of had the opportunity to just dabble in it my entire life, and I just kind of took to it. I always enjoyed it. I always kind of had the plan, when I’m done racing bikes, I’m going to be a furniture maker. Just because it’s something I love to do. In a way it’s kind of similar to bikes, without the racing aspect, I guess. But it takes a lot of time and a lot of patience, is what I would say. Anyone that wants to do any woodworking, it’s not something you can rush. And that’s just like building fitness in bike racing. It takes time and patience. [crosstalk 00:06:11]
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah, absolutely. So I’ve seen you speaking of, not that I stalk you on social media, but I’ve seen you tease up things like bike rides again, that you hadn’t been teasing up for a while. So you’ve been getting out on your bike, and you mentioned getting a bit of an itch to perhaps come back to bike racing. What do you think is going to happen in 2021, Shane? What you cooking up?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. So I’m actually going to be riding on Team Skyline. That kind of just came about in the sense… Dewald’s been talking to me for years, he’s always like, “When are you going to stop doing all the full-time bike racing and big races, and just relax a little bit? But then still be competitive, still race, but on a little smaller of a scale.” And it just kind of things lined up for this. I was out training one day, and I was riding with a good friend of mine, Nate Moser. He’s actually another local. He lives just outside of Valley. And he was just talking about cycling, the scene, and how everything’s so rough these days with COVID coming in, title sponsors leaving races, it’s just a hard time. And it just sounded really bleak.
Shane Kline:
And I’m listening to this young kid and I’m like, “Man, this kid, he’s debating right now if he wants to keep doing this, when you never really even got a shot.” And that was hard for me to kind of swallow. And then at the same time, I actually was talking to Ryan about the team, and I just concocted up this plan. I was like, “Well, I’ll talk to Ryan and maybe we can pull someone like me. A kid who has tons of talent, a big future ahead of him, but just doesn’t see any place to go for opportunities,” and kind of work a thing out there where we could bring Nate on board. And I came on board as well because I really want to help shepherd some of the younger guys on the team. There’s a few guys that just either don’t have a lot of experience, or they’re just younger, and I think I really can play a key role in teaching these guys some things.
Shane Kline:
I’ve had the opportunities to race all the big races in the states and a little overseas, and these guys are just getting into that level where if you don’t have someone to guide you, it’s easy to get lost in the mix. And I’m hoping to kind of be a bit of that mentor for them.
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah. It’s super interesting that you say that because a few episodes ago, we had Jim Miller on the podcast and he was talking about that in a way, in the context of what the ODA Program is designed to be and how really there are so few development teams in the U.S. right now, that if there’s 10 spots and you’re the 11th kid, there’s no place for you to go. And that was sort of his genesis of the ODA Program, but it’s great to hear that there are other teams and other clubs that are stepping in to try to take that next step of development, because as a person who’s been in the sport for longer than I am going to admit out loud on a podcast, it’s a little scary to see that development pathway isn’t as robust as we maybe need it to be. Well, not maybe. As we need it to be. But that’s one of the reasons that brought me here at T-Town. I was working for USA Cycling, and I wanted to see the development of the sport continue.
Joan Hanscom:
And I thought there was a real opportunity here at T-Town to be impactful in a way that I wasn’t feeling at USA Cycling, because of things like the kids programs here. And you are a product of the kids’ programs here, and I think that’s one of the amazing things about this place. You’re a product of the kids’ programs. Andy Lakatosh is a product of the kids’ programs. So talk to us a little bit about that. Talk to us about how your experience growing up here at T-Town impacted your development as a racer?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. I guess, just even touch back on that with the nature of kids in the sport. That’s kind of what I see too. What you were saying is, “I think there are a decent amount of junior programs out there to get kids into that entry level, to get them riding bikes. They can hire a coach and just learn the basics.” For me, where I can really see it from racing at the highest level in the States, and looking down a little bit at the kids coming up, is I can see that there’s that gap between the first few years of your junior years and being able to step into the bigger races and make that transition. I saw it so much with my junior career even. I was fortunate to have great support. I had great programs and the transition for me wasn’t as bad, but I saw so many kids that were just as talented, burnt out by the time they were 19 years old and then literally quit the sport of cycling before they even really got a taste of what cycling really was.
Shane Kline:
I mean, I didn’t really get a taste of it until I was 24. I think that was the first year I started to do some of the bigger stage races, and it just opened up my mind. I was like, “There’s a whole nother side to this.” I used to just race crits and do some track stuff, and then I got to some of these big stage races and I was like, “Hold on, there’s a lot more to this sport.” And that’s what really drove me. And I feel like that’s the hard part because it’s hard to get riders through that development stage of their early twenties, where it’s not make or break, but it is in a sense that it does break a lot of them. So I’m hoping that there’ll be more opportunities in the near future for that age group, not just juniors, because, I mean, you need the junior programs, obviously, because they won’t even get to that point if you don’t have those programs.
Shane Kline:
But I do think that a lot of the time, it’s in that middle age there where kids lose either attention or they get burnt out and that’s where you lose them. So, I’m hoping we can work on developing stuff like that. And then as for going back to the T-Town circle and growing up here, it was great. I mean, my first BRL coach was Bobby Lee. I got to learn so much stuff at such a young age and took to it so quickly because I had such great mentors around me. And that even goes then when I made the transition from the track to the road, there was just a local group of either old school pros or even current pros that can take you under their wing, and help you learn the ins and outs of bike racing. For me, I had a huge mentor in Kyle Wamsley, who was a PA local who raced on a bunch of different teams. I mean, he was a rockstar bike racer. He won Fitchburg when it was a big deal. And we ended up being teammates on Bissell.
Shane Kline:
And that guys showed me so much. I wouldn’t have gotten through two years on Bissell without Kyle. And that’s exactly what I see right now, is that’s where I think I can play a role because I’m still so fresh out of the current racing scene. I haven’t… It’s not like it’s been 15 years since I raced a bike. I was just racing. I still know the riders that are in the races. I still know the races. And I feel I can play more of a role in development riders’ lives because I’m still kind of current with the current racing scene.
Andy Lakatosh:
I find it really funny, Shane. Isn’t it hilarious how your first BRL coach was Bobby Lee, and then your last race at this point in T-Town was winning Madison Cup with Bobby Lee, of all things. Isn’t it funny how small this world is and how that works out?
Shane Kline:
And just how talented Bobby is.
Andy Lakatosh:
[crosstalk 00:14:21] That too and the fact that Bobby just won’t retire, right? I’m messing around riding and having some fun. You’re talking about taking a step back, not being as serious. And then we got Bobby, who’s definitely still fitter than I am. He could probably step into a race on a Friday night, any night, and go off the front and do some damage. So, he’s the most heavily trained retired cyclist I’ve ever met in my entire life by far. But, speaking of the whole retirement thing, I actually wanted to kind of… We touched on it earlier and I wanted to pick your brain a little bit because this is a very real and tough thing to accept. But let’s start with, how old are you now?
Shane Kline:
I’m 31. I’ll be 32 this year though.
Andy Lakatosh:
Yeah. So, by no means are you or I at the end end of our career, right? But we’re not in that developing, “Hey, I’m going to make my way into the tour. I’m going to hop on a world championship podium.” But go back to a year ago, right, and you’re contemplating retirement. And coming from a guy who’s retired and come back four or five times, I’m very familiar with that thing. And I think it’s something that’s not addressed enough because in your mind it’s, and I want to hear your thoughts on this, you define yourself as Shane Klein, track racer or the crit racer, whatever it is, and I’m at this level. And then stepping back from that, I think it’s great that you found this purpose in this new team that’s going to keep you in sport. I love when people that are long-time people in the sport, don’t leave, right.
Andy Lakatosh:
Love Matt Baranowski to death, but it broke my heart. That guy was so much talent through so much of the sport, through all the community programs, real finished and he just bounced. I think it’s great he moved on with the rest of his life, and he’s having tremendous success there, but it’s sad to see people that were so into the sport just leave, so I’m happy you’re staying. But going back to what was that contemplation in that internal conversation like for you, was there fear around if I stop completely and I’m no longer a cyclist? Was that a relief in your mind, or was that a little bit fearful in your mind?
Shane Kline:
Well, I guess I have to talk a bit of the ugly side of cycling to really explain that thought process for me. And honestly, it’s something that I don’t really talk about a lot, especially when you’re fighting for positions on big road teams, is I’ve had a lot of bad injuries and my body is pretty blown out. Yeah. I broke my femur in 2015, and I have a big old 15 inch rod that is down my femur bone. There’s a bolt that goes in the end and stuff that. I feel that that rod every single day. I step out of my bed in the morning, and I can feel pain.
Shane Kline:
I had a pretty bad crash in Portugal then a year or two after that where really rung my bell really bad. And I couldn’t do anything basically for two months. I couldn’t even look at my phone and it’s left me with some stuff. I definitely felt a different person after that. So, it’s a bit of the ugly side of the sport that also was pushing me towards, “Well, if I don’t have this big goal, why am I putting my body through this?” Because I spend an hour every day after I train, just working on my body so I can literally ride my bike the next day.
Andy Lakatosh:
Yeah, your four hour ride turns into five. Plus everything else, you blow your entire day on one session.
Shane Kline:
Yeah. And it’s not like I can skip days. If I don’t do it, I’m so sore on the bike the next day. My hip just feels this creaky old door hinge, and it’s just things that I have to deal with every day. And I know I’m going to still have to deal with this stuff after I’m done racing bikes, but the difference is I don’t have to perform at the highest level while dealing with it. So, that to me was a big stress relief. So, I think I was taking all of that into account. I was taking into account that I’m now married. I have a wife that I told her, “I’m making the push for this Olympics, but then after that, I’m going to step back.” I think she knows I’m never going to stop running fight or anything that, but I just made a promise to her.
Shane Kline:
I can’t keep leaving for months on end and pushing our family farther and farther away, when I’m also at the point where I want to start moving forward on that stuff. No kids yet. Don’t worry there. Well, I take that back because [crosstalk 00:19:16]. Yeah, that’s our first child now, the test. So yeah, there was just a lot of things in the equation. I do think that the crashing part was a big one of them. I didn’t really want to continue to put her, my family through that. Every time I just come back from a bad crash, you could just see it in their face. They’re like, “Why are you doing this?” So I had to think about that a lot, but then I also… A lot of those bad crashes, for some reason, they always happen in stage races. Those road races, they’re just dangerous. There’s just so many unseen obstacles and dangers that you’ll never know, especially without radios nowadays. That’s one thing that I don’t like about, when they took radios out, is you never really got that communication.
Shane Kline:
And I guess I really just wanted to move forward because I was kind of pushing for the Olympics so hard. Then when you see the writing on the wall that it’s not going to happen, it’s like, “Okay. Well, I need something fresh too.” And I wasn’t really willing to go back to the road full time with any type of stage racing schedule. I want to still race on the road, but I don’t want to be where I need to train 28, 30 hours a week. I just can’t do that anymore, my body can’t do that anymore. So I knew that was kind of out of the question. So, from there I was like, “Well then, do I just race for fun? Train five hours a week and just show up, and whatever happens, happens.” But then the other opportunity came along with Ryan and working with Skyline, and hopefully helping to develop some riders.
Shane Kline:
So, I saw that and it just seemed a great opportunity and a great fit, because it gave me a little more motivation to get back into the sport other than just racing for fun. And, it’s going to push me a little bit too to actually get some fitness back, because I’m not fit right now.
Andy Lakatosh:
Nobody’s fit right now that lives in Pennsylvania, because it’s snowing outside. Did I mention it’s snowing again here?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. Never ending snow.
Andy Lakatosh:
No, but I think that’s… Thank you for sharing that Shane, right. Because it is a very real reality. Missy had a really bad concussion going into trying to make it to Rio that impacted everything, right. And that still impacts her some days, can’t train for more than a couple of days in a row without needing to take time off. And, concussion protocol is a huge thing across the board, but I’m super stoked that you’ve… Because Shane messaged me a couple months ago with, “Hey, I’m selling my track bike if you know anyone that gets in.” I replied and said, “No, you don’t. Don’t you dare sell that. I need a Madison Cup partner for next season. Don’t you get rid of that?” [crosstalk 00:22:19]
Joan Hanscom:
You got to come defend.
Andy Lakatosh:
For me, it was just scary because I defined… I remember 2014, I was not getting faster. The rest of the world was getting faster. Everything seemed to be going backwards performance wise. And, I had my coaching business and stuff, so I was able to live a normal life which felt good. Because when I was in my 20s and stuff and I wanted to quit, it was always based upon, “I want to go be normal. I’m tired of being broke. I’m tired of living in my dad’s house. I’m tired of not being able to afford a car that I want or anything like that.” And I’m just sitting there, I’m like, “I have to keep going. I have to keep going to 2016.” And I was just not getting anywhere. I remember me sitting at Matt D from Box House having dinner one night, and he just looks at me and he was the first person to say it. And he goes, “Well, when do you think enough is enough?”
Andy Lakatosh:
And I said… Before I could even say, “I don’t know,” he just looks me dead in the face and he’s like, “Because if it’s time, it’s okay and nothing changes. You’re still exactly who you are. And there’s nothing wrong with just saying you’re done right now.” And I’d never heard that before, right. I’d never heard that as it’s okay to stop. You’re still going to be liked, respected, enjoy a friend, right. And that for me was a tipping point where I was like, “Oh, it’s actually okay to change what I’m doing, right.” And I’m so stoked to hear that you’re still going to be riding, still going to be playing around. Now Joan and I just got to figure out how to bring you more full circle and get you to be a coach, so in a couple of years you can ride Madison Cup with someone you coached in BRL.
Shane Kline:
Yeah. No, I hear you. And that’s definitely, on the coaching side of things, that’s something I definitely want to do and get back there. Like I said, at the moment, I just see that I can be more help to kids a little bit older right now, because I can still compete with them now a little bit when they’re kicking my butt, then I’ll be like, “All right, you guys are good. I’m going to go back with these little guys now.”
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah. Well, I think that’s the piece that is so important, right? And you said it in the context of that phase of the development timeline where you either learn how to swim in the big races or you don’t, and you wash out or you burn out, and you have so much knowledge in what is sort of an art, a bicycle racing art, right. There is an art to successful criterium racing. There is art to reading that kind of race. There is so much knowledge that you can pass down by racing with these kids, and I think it’s awesome that you’re doing it. I mean, I know that when I started racing, I was incredibly thankful for the people on my teams that mentored me into racing and just got you prepared. And so, I think it’s really cool that you’re going to give that gift of knowledge to the next generation. I’m going to give it to Maura here, but…
Shane Kline:
Yeah. And that’s what I’m hoping to share because, I mean, I can’t make anyone train, but I can help guide them through bike racing.
Andy Lakatosh:
Yeah. So, at what point does your coming full circle come back to coaching at the track or coaching in general? Or what are your visions and kind of desires with that beyond just being on the team kind of mentoring, do you have aspirations that way?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. I definitely would love to come coach at the track. As for timeline, honestly, my life is so kind of crazy at the moment with trying to run a business, work, attempt to train, now race, now this new puppy. I’m going to make time for it soon, I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.
Joan Hanscom:
We’ll stop twisting your arm behind your back. What are you guys thinking in terms of your road schedule? I think that’s a big question for all of us right now, right? In the age of the COVID, we’re all sort of waiting to see what’s going to happen with the road schedule. Do you guys have a plan? Are you going to be traveling? What’s the road look for you this year?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. We’ve been trying to just be kind of laxed about it because it’s just been this ever-shifting target. But it seems things are going to start to pick up end of May, hopefully some smaller races will start. And I think those will be kind of the test pilots that people will see if things work smoothly, and if the bigger races will want to move forward. I know a lot of them that have selected later dates than what they originally planned. I’ve just heard that Speed Week stuff is now looking for the end of August. I think they’re going to be announcing that pretty soon. And a lot of the races are going to be end of September. So, it’s a late season, which for me is a good thing. I kind of have always been a bit of a late season rider anyways, so now throwing back that amount of shape, I’m really going to need that late season.
Joan Hanscom:
Well, yeah. Certainly. Somerville announced that there are labor day event now, and they look to be actually growing with adding that prorace in Easton as part of the weekend. And, looking at your record of race wins, like the Bucks County race is a September race. Mayor’s Cup was always a September race. So, I personally am so excited to see the road season start late and extend into September, because that’s how it used to be 100 million years ago when I first started racing. It was really nice racing in September. I personally, even though I made my living for many years doing cyclocross, it was a bummer when everybody stopped racing road in July, so they could be ready to start racing cross in August. That was a big drag, and in many ways, it’s nice to see a sort of a resetting of the road schedule where you can… The weather in September is usually awesome for racing bikes.
Shane Kline:
Yeah, especially on the East coast. That’s our prime riding time.
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah. So, I’m with you. I’m not sad to see some of the road events push later in the year. And, obviously, we here pushed our UCI dates to the end of July, Tokyo being a factor but also, you don’t want to start people who haven’t done a mass start race in a year with a UCI track race. “Hey, good luck. Go for it.” So, yeah. So it’s good to hear that you guys are starting small, and just like the rest of us, sort of in a bit of season limbo. What’s going to happen? Which races are going to happen? But, are you guys looking at doing something like a trip to Dairy Land or Intelli Cup, or one of the big crit weeks that?
Shane Kline:
I don’t know about that. I know the team’s trying to do some of the UCI stuff as well, too. So it won’t just be solely crit focused. As for whether or not I’ll be going to those races, kind of unsure. Probably depends a bit on how much fitness I can build up, and then also if my schedule just allows it too. I would like to get up to Canada again and do maybe the Bro series and stuff because that’s always been… I mean, don’t get me wrong, that race can be absolutely brutal, but for some reason it’s worth it. I don’t know why. It’s one of those things where it’s satisfying. You’ve finished first and you’re like, “Yeah. That was worth it. That was really hard, but that was worth it.”
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah, that is as we like to say the type two fun, right?
Shane Kline:
Yeah. So, there’s some of that stuff that’ll be in the mix and then maybe some of the UCI one day races. I hope Winston will happen in September, and I don’t know what else they’re going to push in there yet. But it’s just sad because it’s like, we can all clam for this stuff, but really don’t actually know yet. So, it’s hard to get your hopes up because this year has just been pushed farther back and farther back, and it’s like, “All right. I know I need to be ready just in case, but I don’t know for sure,” which is a bummer. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed then, I guess, hope everything goes smoothly.
Joan Hanscom:
Yeah. I’m sort of in a similar, obviously, in my middle-aged lady masters racer place. I had major surgery in 2019 to fix my iliac arteries. And so, I fully intended in 2020 to have legs that worked for the first time in several years, because I had no blood flow to my legs. And miraculously, 2020 I was going to have blood flow and legs that worked again, and I was all excited to race, and then it didn’t happen. And I was like, “Well, this is a good thing. It gives me an extra year to get fitness back and to get my legs back under me.” And now I’m like, “I really want to test my legs,” and [crosstalk 00:31:47] Yeah, the itch to test my legs, but I don’t know if I’m going to get to do that again this year. So, I have my own sort of amateur racer version of that happening, so it’s nice to know that you guys do too.
Andy Lakatosh:
I definitely call a little bit of BS on what Joan just said though, right? She says she didn’t have fitness or didn’t get… That woman was fitter and faster in August and September than any person should be. And then she took a week of vacation and just pushed it to a whole new level. Her fitness score was through the roof and she was going out and setting her own Strava records every time she rode. So while she may not have had a number on her back, trust me, her legs worked and she was out doing damage every opportunity she got. So maybe we didn’t see it in terms of racing next to someone, but… No, she was very, very fit last year. Riding with her was not enjoyable and I had some sort of fitness. And now, hard pass.
Shane Kline:
[crosstalk 00:32:45] you’re ready for the Derby, Andy.
Andy Lakatosh:
Hey, that’s Sunday World Championship, man.
Joan Hanscom:
I can’t wait for group rides to come back. I can’t wait. It’s going to be so nice to be able to ride with people again, someday, especially with legs at work. Well, Shane, I think it’s been awesome catching up with you, and I’m certain our listeners who cheered you on from the stands over the years here and roadside are really happy to hear what you’ve been up to. And I’m certain that there’ll be cheering for you when you finally do get to get out on the road. And there is an open invitation for you to come back on the show anytime you want. If you want to catch us up on the latest of your doings, or if we are going to lure you back for a Madison Cup at some point, one of these days. But yeah.
Joan Hanscom:
You are a great role model for our sport and I hope more people follow your lead. And, I am personally, speaking for Andy as well, really grateful for the time to get you on here and talk about what you’ve been up to since we last saw you. And before we let you go, give everybody where they can follow along with your adventures, and also see your awesome woodworking skills. Yeah, let us know your socials.
Shane Kline:
Yeah. I pretty much just really use Instagram. My personal one is optimuskline1. It was a nickname I was given a long time ago and long story. And then, my dad has a business page that is walnut_st_woodworks. So, you can find us there and we’re busy posting pictures of dogs and furniture, and me when I’m out riding bikes.
Joan Hanscom:
And some yoga poses.
Shane Kline:
Yeah. And Andy, I did sell that track bike, but I have another one.
Andy Lakatosh:
That’s how it works, right? I now have two very high end track bikes and I’m probably going to keep both until something happens and I need to, but I did have one last question for Shane. As a longtime T-Town person, what is your favorite T-Town or strongest T-Town memory, right? If you think T-Town, your racing career, what stands out as this is the first thing I think about when someone says T-Town?
Shane Kline:
My personal experience or…
Andy Lakatosh:
Yeah. For me, it would be one of two things. It would either be my Tandem Flying lap record because that was one hell of a night, or I remember a night when I was just spectating as a kid and the crowd was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think as they came down to the finish line. Just what jumps out to you, if you think T-Town you’re like, “Oh, yeah. That’s my favorite or strongest.”
Shane Kline:
Yeah. I’d say, for me, it’s kind of funny because it was so recent, but winning Madison Cup with Bobby was actually probably one of my favorite moments. Because Bobby, he’s literally been a part of my career in cycling my entire life since I was 13 years old. It’s been a long time and he’s a good friend. It was so fun to be able to go and do that with him. It was something that I needed to because there was just a lot of drama going on with selection stuff with USA Cycling, and it was nice to come back and have that opportunity to ride with him and then to win. So, that was awesome for me. I really loved that moment.
Shane Kline:
And then growing up, I’d say as a spectator side of things, it would have again been another Madison race. It was Jonas and Jamie just smashing Madison Cup one year. I mean, I was young. The crowd was massive and they were just being Jamie and Jonas, just riding animals. And it was one of those times where you’re watching the race and as they attack, you get goosebumps on the back of your neck because you’re like, “They’re going, they’re going.” And yeah, I just remember that moment. I remember being in between term one and two, and you had to fight to get to the wall to watch the race. And I was like, “This is awesome.”
Joan Hanscom:
That’s so cool. Well, if we don’t see you out here racing on the track this year Shane, at least come spectate. You’ve got a-
Shane Kline:
Oh, you’ll see me racing.
Joan Hanscom:
Okay, open invitation.
Shane Kline:
If I’m racing a bike, I can’t not race the track. I did that for a while when I was on the road full time, and then once I came back I was like, “Why haven’t I been up here?”
Joan Hanscom:
Right on. So you heard it here, folks. Shane’s coming back to the track. Back on track in 2021. That’s the big takeaway from this story, is we’ll have Shane Klein back in the field this year. I like it. Thank you, again. It’s been really great seeing you on the zoom and hopefully we’ll get to see you soon in person. And yes, this has been the Talk of the T-Town podcast. Thanks for tuning in. If you like what you’re listening, make sure you subscribe, like us, share and tune in again for more great guests.
Joan Hanscom:
This has been the Talk of the T-Town podcast with host 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.