Hi-Viz Victim Blaming and Garmin RearVue 820 Radar Review

The early-season racing calendar has delivered all sorts of exciting action from the Middle East and Australia. It’s not for the reasons you’d expect. Forget tactical crosswinds; the peloton is currently at war with the local wildlife.

Between a herd of desert donkeys matching race pace in Oman and a kangaroo effectively ending Jay Vine’s GC hopes at the Tour Down Under, the start of 2026 has been an unexpected mess of animal disruptions. On this week’s podcast, Lisa, Levy, and I go deep into these bizarre pro encounters before things get personal. I’ve had my share of close calls, but Levy tells a story this week that is genuinely wild. He was being tracked through the woods by something he couldn’t see. While the facts don’t quite line up, he seems to think Bigfoot is a contender. Please comment and let us know what you think is a more plausible explanation.

I promise we do move on from Bigfoot, though. We’re also diving into the tech we actually use to survive the road. This week I reviewed the Garmin RearVue 820. While the USB-C and 24-hour battery life are massive quality-of-life updates, there’s also a new same speed detection feature that is unlike any other radar. Garmin isn’t exactly marketing it as a “drafting sensor” but that’s exactly how I’m using it.

Because the 820 uses signal persistence to track objects even when they perfectly match your pace, it can literally tell you if that wheel sucker is still there without you ever having to look over your shoulder. Beyond the specifics, we dive into why radar is a tool I’ll never leave home without and what tech sceptics Lisa and Levy think of it.

As part of that discussion, hi-viz clothing comes up and we end up tackling one of the most polarizing topics in cycling safety. Is the push for hi-viz apparel actually just a form of victim blaming? I contend that “safety yellow” is just a psychological band-aid that shifts the burden of survival away from drivers and onto the riders. The team is split and the conversation gets heated. Is it an essential tool or are we just participating in a culture that excuses dangerous driving?

00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Wildlife Chaos: Donkeys and Gazelles in Oman
04:25 – Wildlife Chaos: Kangaroos at the Tour Down Under
05:53 – Hazardous Animal Encounters: Dogs and Bee Stings
08:09 – Hazardous Animal Encounters: Locusts and Tarantulas
09:26 – Levy’s Mystery Woods Encounter (The Bigfoot Story)
13:55 – Listener Q&A: The Cost of Campagnolo Batteries
17:41 – Listener Q&A: Electronic Drivetrains and “E-Waste”
23:53 – Listener Q&A: Lower Tier and Chinese Group Sets
29:54 – Garmin RearVue 820: The Drafting Sensor Hack
47:15 – The Ethics of Safety: Is Hi-Viz Just Victim Blaming?