Route talk, rider prep, community wheels.
JustGoBike follows the social, practical side of cycling, especially the rhythm of RAGBRAI. Murph and AP mix friendly banter with interviews about routes, weather, training, bike co-ops, and the people who help riders get rolling.
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JustGoBike is built around the everyday culture of cycling, with RAGBRAI as its home base and community as its steady through-line. The format is simple and durable. Murph and AP open with bike-life chatter, route anticipation, weather complaints, training updates, or a recent ride story, then ease into an interview or a focused planning topic. It feels informal, but the subjects are useful. Riders hear about the full RAGBRAI route, the way towns prepare, how wind and temperature shape a ride, and why short mileage can still feel demanding when the hills stack up. The show likes specifics. A bridge can stand in for a hill. A headwind can become training resistance. A tire dip in the mighty Mississippi can carry as much emotional weight as a route map. The guest list keeps the scope wide without losing the cycling center. Ride Director Matt Phippen brings route context. Coach Ertl brings preparation and climbing advice. Lael Wilcox adds an ultra-endurance lens, especially around support roles, logistics, nutrition, and storytelling on huge rides. Community bike organizations give the show another lane. Episodes spotlight the Chain Reaction Bike Hub, the Dubuque Bike Coop, and the Des Moines Street Collective, with attention to donated bikes, volunteer mechanics, kids programs, transportation access, and the welcoming feel of a good shop. That gives JustGoBike a practical heart. It is not only about stronger legs or better gear; it is about how bikes connect people to towns, work, medical appointments, events, friends, and a reason to get outside. The tone stays warm and conversational. Side stories are part of the texture, from Arches National Park to Iowa spring weather and social media fun among route towns. Listeners who want polished race analysis may find it too leisurely. Riders who like preparation mixed with local color will feel at home. JustGoBike understands that a big cycling event is made from maps, miles, volunteers, repairs, weather, and the stories people tell afterward.
Made for: JustGoBike is for recreational cyclists, RAGBRAI riders, bike-club regulars, and cycling-curious listeners who like practical ride talk with a friendly local feel. It especially fits people who care about routes, towns, weather, training, and the social side of getting on a bike.
What sets it apart: The show stands apart by treating a cycling event as a whole ecosystem, not just a route or a fitness challenge. It connects rider preparation with Iowa towns, community bike shops, accessibility programs, volunteer networks, and the small logistics that make a ride work.
The award winning JustGoBike Podcast is all about the culture of biking just for the fun of it, and tales from the RAGBRAI Nation. Your hosts Kathy Murphy (Murphology), and Andrea Parrott (RAGBRAI and ParrotTalk), are joined by a variety of guests each week that delve into the social side of cycling. Come for the bikes, stay for the fun, leave with a smile. So…. just go bike!Theme song by Ryan StierLogo by Suzanne MilosevichIntro by Pumpkin
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
JustGoBike makes cycling legible through practical interviews about rider preparation, event logistics, bike access, and the communities formed around RAGBRAI.
JustGoBike treats cycling as a lived community, with Kathy Murphy and Andrea Parrott moving easily between RAGBRAI preparation and the people who keep riders moving. Their conversational interviews make practical details clear without sanding away the pleasure around them.
A headwind counts as hill practice here, if your RAGBRAI plans are getting real.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Practical ride-planning advice for riders and crews keeping a big bike trip moving.
Just Go Bike treats a big ride as a logistics story, following Murph and AP through the work that keeps everything moving: driving, nutrition, video, photos, and the choices that let each person stay in the role they handle best.
Route-town banter leads into a practical look at accessible biking and community transportation support.
Murph and AP open on how this year's RAGBRAI route towns are using social media, with funny memes and a clear effort to feel connected rather than isolated.
A practical RAGBRAI climbing primer for riders who need to fake elevation close to home.
JustGoBike treats RAGBRAI 53's shorter route less like an easy spin and more like a climbing problem, where mileage tells only part of the story.
A snowy Des Moines opening gives way to a warm story about bikes, repair skills, and community support.
JustGoBike visits the Des Moines Street Collective and finds a useful story about cycling as practical support, shared repair, and local welcome.
A community-minded road report on the committees and local details shaping RAGBRAI 2026 overnight towns.
JustGoBike follows a RAGBRAI 2026 overnight-town scouting trip as early plans begin to take shape. Murph and AP ride along with ride director Matt Phippen, visit host communities, and talk through the marketing work towns are preparing, from themes and logos to websites and…
A warm, practical look at the roads, people, and design choices taking shape around RAGBRAI.
RAGBRAI comes through as a year-round operation, not just a week on bikes. The episode stays with the behind-the-scenes work: route planning with the Iowa Department of Transportation, the route reveal still waiting until the end of January, and the way each year's logo grows…
A grounded look at how a community bike shop turns volunteer hours into working bikes and real access.
This episode follows a community bike shop built around access, not just repair. Evan lays out the need plainly: not everyone can walk into a standard bike shop and buy a bike, so the shop creates another path.
Cycling obsession, roasted at group-ride pace.
Murph and AP host an interview with Evan from the Chain Reaction Bike Hub in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Murph and AP celebrate winning the Iowa Podcast Award for best limited series.
This episode features Coach Amy discussing mental training techniques like visualization for cyclists preparing for RAGBRAI's Route Inspection Ride.
Murph and AP provide a survival guide with tips for enjoying RAGBRAI's route announcement weekend, whether attending in person in Des Moines or participating virtually.
Murph and AP open in Parrot Talk studios, wearing matching pink zip-up RAGBRAI hoodies and trading riding updates before easing into the main conversation.
Murph and AP kick off with RAGBRAI route-town chatter.
This episode features an interview with RAGBRAI Ride Director Matt Phippen to discuss the full route details for RAGBRAI LIII, including overnight towns and event planning.
This episode of the Just Go Bike Podcast features hosts Murph and AP discussing how weather conditions, particularly wind and temperature, influence cycling routines and training.
This episode features hosts Murph and AP discussing Murph's recent bike adventure at the Skinny Tire Festival in Moab, Utah, including highlights like climbing through Arches National Park.
This episode of the Just Go Bike Podcast focuses on Dubuque, Iowa, including its role in RAGBRAI and fun facts about the city.
Just Go Bike’s Coach Ertl episode focuses on RAGBRAI 53, which the hosts describe as 391 miles and over 16,000 feet of climb.
Murph and AP open on a beautiful day in Des Moines with a quick story about a brisk bike ride that stayed short.
Just Go Bike Episode 389 tracks Murph and AP on a RAGBRAI 2026 overnight-town scouting trip from Ottawa to Dubuque.
This episode previews the overnight towns of RAGBRAI LII, featuring interviews with town representatives and announcements about the podcast's booth and camper van at the event.
This episode discusses RAGBRAI credentials, including a sticker for helmet photos, and provides information about the RAGBRAI Expo for resolving packet issues.