The Musers The Podcast – Episode 9: "Feels Like Flying"

Date: August 20, 2025
Hosts: George Dunham ("Jub Jub"), Craig "Junior" Miller, Gordon Keith ("Gordo")

Overview

Episode 9 kicks off a new three-part Musers miniseries, “What We Love,” where each host dedicates an episode to sharing a lifelong passion outside of family, friends, and work. Craig "Junior" Miller spearheads the series with a heartfelt deep-dive into his enduring love affair with bicycling—a source of joy, freedom, confidence, and personal growth from childhood through adulthood. The conversation is peppered with the signature absurdist banter and detailed storytelling The Musers are known for, plus moments of introspection and genuine camaraderie.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points

1. The Musers' Clean Podcast Record (00:29–01:38)

• The hosts joke about never having cursed on the podcast—a rarity in the podcasting world.
• Reflecting on podcast culture versus radio standards.
• Quote:
  "I kind of like it that we're not cussing. We are the Gentle Musers, after all." – Craig/Junior (01:30)

2. Introduction to the “What We Love” Series (02:26–03:11)

• Each host gets an episode to share their passion:
  • Craig/Junior: Episode 9 (bicycling)
  • Gordon/Gordo: Episode 10
  • George/Jub Jub: Episode 11

3. Craig’s Lifelong Passion for Bicycling (03:11–55:33)

The Childhood Spark: Learning to Ride (03:11–04:36)

• First ride at age five—pure freedom and unforgettable excitement.

• Bicycling as a generational rite of passage and symbol of independence.

• The contrasts between the bicycle-centric childhoods of the past and today's screen-dominated youth culture.

  Quote:
  "Every single time that I'm about to go for a bike ride, I'm giddy, and every one of them have been joyful." – Junior (03:56)

Graduating from Toys to Real Machines (05:58–08:41)

• Details of early bikes: banana seats, shifters, “motorcycle fantasies.”

• That magical Christmas receiving a first 10-speed—“felt like I was on a racing bike.”

• Discovery of racing and the mythic Tour de France through old magazines (delay in getting sports results pre-internet era).

  Quote:
  "You had to wait until the October or November issue of Bicycling Magazine to find out who won the Tour de France in July. That’s so crazy to me." – Junior (09:14)

The Confidence Booster: Athletic “Legitimacy” (12:00–15:54)

• Being the youngest & smallest in class made team sports tough.

• Biking offered first taste of physical accomplishment and confidence.

• Recounting winning a high school time trial as a freshman—cherished gold medal moment.

  Memorable Moment:
  "I was the only kid in the freshman class to win a gold medal in any event...my whole freshman class stood up and applauded. That was one of the biggest moments of my life." – Junior (15:54)

Epic Bike Journeys & Parental Trust (16:12–23:10)

• At 14, rode ~180 miles solo over two days to a cousin’s wedding—a monumental personal adventure and formative experience in independence.

• Unthinkable by today’s parenting standards; reflects on generational shifts in childhood freedoms.

  Quote:
  "I felt like I grew up 10 years in those two days." – Junior (23:10)

The World of Bike Racing (25:36–29:43)

• First exposure to racing culture at University of North Texas, encouragement from local club racers.

• The layers of strategy, endurance, teamwork, and suffering in road cycling.

• Connection to American and European greats (Greg LeMond, the Tour de France).

• The cathartic “suffering” in cycling—what makes achievement meaningful.

  Quote:
  "Suffering is a part of what makes us all grow...if you go through these moments of physical hardship, I think it just makes you a better, tougher person." – Junior (28:01)

The Physical and Mental Experience (28:11–34:40)

• How one acclimates to the infamous “bike saddle pain”—it’s all about adaptation.

• The psychological element: racing is mentally consuming; training rides are meditative and therapeutic.

  Quote:
  "It’s always been my therapy. If I have something going on...I can’t wait to ride my bike so I can process it...I always feel better after a bike ride. I feel normal after a bike ride. So it’s my psychiatrist." – Junior (33:21)

Biking and Risk: Then and Now (34:40–36:10)

• The risks of road cycling—how age and parenthood have made Junior even more safety-conscious.

• Dallas-Fort Worth’s evolving bike infrastructure; the ever-present danger of distracted drivers.

  Quote:
  "People are just very angry out there. Cars are angry and I don’t want to crash and I don’t want to be hit by a car. I want to come home to my wife and daughter." – Junior (34:53)

The Culture of Suffering in Cycling (36:10–38:33)

• The uniquely European ardor for “noble suffering” in cycling.

• Signature legends and anecdotes (riders pulling on handlebars with their teeth; dying riders saying, “Put me back on my bike”).

  Quote:
  "There’s no other sport that fetishizes the suffering more than cycling. Like, flat out, just loves it...that is what gives life meaning [—] suffering." – Gordo (36:12)

The Feeling of Flight (39:02–41:16)

• Why cycling feels transcendent—parallel to “flying,” wind in your face, body parallel to earth.

• The paradox of most adults abandoning bikes despite the joy it brought as children.

  Quote:
  "Riding a bike is the closest thing that we come to actually flying as human beings." – Junior (39:02)

State of Cycling: America vs. Europe & Social Trends (40:22–42:08)

• Observations on competitive cycling’s decline in the U.S.; shift toward gravel and criterium-style events.

• American cycling’s fate tied to Tour de France heroes.

  Quote:
  "In America, the racing scene is shrinking. More people are going to gravel because it’s safer...the road racing scene, it’s so hard to put on a road race these days." – Junior (41:12)

Memorable Encounters: Presidential Rides & French Adventures (42:15–49:12)

• Riding with George W. Bush at the Bush Ranch for charity—“he’s a great mountain bike rider, he really is.”

• Mountain vs. road biking: mountain biking triggers “kid-like” joy.

• Legendary solo cycling trip across southwestern France: 10 days, minimalist packing, self-reliance, and a deeper cultural connection.

  Quote:
  "I feel like I know Dallas intimately because I see it by bike every day...it’s wide open to me." – Junior (50:02)

Cycling’s Rewards & Reflections (50:37–55:33)

• Physical health benefits (“a great way to stay in shape until you’re 80 or 90”).

• Evolution of helmet-wearing norms, and changing ideas of cycling safety.

• Enduring love: “companion through thick and thin,” even as surgery looms.

• The approachable message for listeners: rediscover the joy of cycling—“it's fun.”

  Notable Moment:
  Gordo and George commit (jokingly) to doing a tandem ride for Junior while he’s laid up with ankle surgery.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Childhood Freedom:
  "It was your first experience with freedom. You can get on a bike and ride to your school." – George (04:36)

• On Parental Trust:
  "I always look back at that and my parents believing in me...that was one of those benchmark moments." – Junior (23:10)

• On Suffering and Meaning:
  "The things you’re proud of accomplishing are always the hard things. If the marathon was easy, everyone would do it...that’s why you see people cry at the end." – Gordo (36:51)

• On the Therapy of Cycling:
  "It’s my psychiatrist." – Junior (33:29)

• On Flying:
  "Riding a bike is the closest thing that we come to actually flying." – Junior (39:02)

• On Dallas by Bike:
  "I feel like I know Dallas intimately because I see it by bike every day." – Junior (50:02)

Highlights & Time Stamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------| | 00:29–01:38 | Clean language joke; Musers signature style | | 03:11–04:36 | Junior’s childhood bicycling spark | | 09:14 | Waiting months to know the Tour de France results in the pre-internet age | | 12:00–13:24 | Biking as a confidence booster for an undersized kid | | 16:12–23:10 | Epic 180-mile solo ride to a cousin's wedding at age 14 | | 25:36–29:43 | College racing days and love for the sport’s complexity | | 33:21 | Cycling as meditation and therapy | | 34:40–36:10 | Today’s cycling risks and why he sticks to trails | | 36:12–38:33 | The glory of suffering in cycling | | 39:02 | “Feels like flying”—the transcendence of cycling | | 42:15–43:19 | Riding with President George W. Bush | | 48:02–49:12 | Minimalist solo bikepacking in France | | 50:02 | Knowing Dallas “intimately” by bike | | 55:33 | Episode conclusion, Gordo teases next week’s passion |

Tone & Style

Warm and reflective, with heartfelt sincerity from Junior. Classic Musers wit abounds, including playful teasing, absurdity, and self-deprecating humor. The episode weaves in nostalgia, personal challenge, the wisdom of experience, and the delight of a lifelong passion.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Bicycling, for Junior Miller, isn’t just a hobby—it’s a lifelong companion, a source of confidence, independence, and joy.
• The best passions are those that stay with us, growing in meaning over time, and connect us to our communities and ourselves.
• Cycling’s lessons on suffering, perseverance, and freedom can apply to anyone’s life, whether or not you ever take a ride.
• The Musers are just getting started on this revealing, engaging series—next up: Gordo’s passions.

For longtime Musers fans and new listeners alike, this episode offers a rich, often hilarious, sometimes moving meditation on the things that make life feel like flying.