text: Photo: Pan-Mass Challenge 
   
   Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown lost his seat in 2012, and then lost a comeback bid in New Hampshire in 2014. So, what’s he been up to? For the past few months, the longtime triathlete and cycling enthusiast has been volunteering at Gus’ Bike Shop in North Hampton, New Hampshire, as a bike mechanic. GQ spoke with Brown about his passion for cycling, touring in Europe, and what it’s like to get blown up by bad drivers. 
   
   How did you become interested in bikes? 
   
   Scott Brown: I was playing basketball after college in a summer league and got elbowed in the eye and needed 30 stitches. I’m like, "Okay, this is getting a little too rough," so I started running. Then I had a good friend who was a duathlete. So I went and did one [race], and I actually won my age group. I walked away with a trophy and was like, "Man this is great. I love this." 
   
   Tell me about your time racing in Europe. 
   
   There’s nothing better than riding bikes in the Spanish Pyrenees. The incredible history there, Basque country, where we were going by farmhouses built in the 400s. Culturally, it was extremely gratifying. 
   
   Did you get to tour while there? 
   
   We’d get there four or five days before a race. Like most people, I’d want to rest, check out the course. And then we’d do the race and [after] it’s like, "Okay, let’s go grab some beers, and we’ll go visit this, and do that." In the beginning it’s all about getting ready for the race. Once the race is over, it’s all about immersing ourselves in the culture of where we are. 
   
   Is there a thrilling bike experience that jumps out? 
   
   In Spain we were flying down the mountain 50 miles an hour, cliff on the left, cliff on the right, and it’s like, "Holy shit, if my tire blows I’m gone." 
   
   What’s your most grueling cycling experience? 
   
   I did a race down in Maryland. It was one of those crazy hot days—humidity was off the charts, no breeze—where you just melt. You saw the little heat waves, like you could almost fry an egg. I just remember having to get intravenous after the race. 
   
   You had to get IV fluids? 
   
   Oh yeah, I’ve done that a few times. 
   
   And you finished? 
   
   I’ve never not finished a race. 
   
   What’s your training regimen like? 
   
   I almost do a triathlon every day. It doesn’t necessarily need to be all at one time. And I’m actually finding as I get older it’s better to split it up. I’m probably working out a good two, two and a half hours a day. 
   
   Where’s your favorite place to ride? 
   
   Route 1A starting in Portsmouth and going along down the coast. It’s just breathtaking riding all along the ocean. The second best situation is when I do it on a tandem with my wife. We did the Pan-Mass challenge last year on our tandem. That was 111 miles together in the pouring rain. 
   
   You ride a tandem? 
   
   I would go out for a ride and my wife would say, "What about me? How come I can’t go ride?" So I said, "Well, you can’t keep up with me." So she says, "Why don’t we get a tandem, and then you can’t get rid of me?" So we’ll go out for a nice 10-15 mile ride and then I’ll get on my bike and go for another 10-15 miles. So I get the workout in, she’s happy, we spend a lot of quality time together. It’s the best of both worlds. We have two tandem bikes, actually. 
   
   What’s the difference between road and triathlete riders? 
   
   It’s kind of clique-y. When I’m out riding I say hi to everybody. A lot of the traditional road bike folks don’t even acknowledge your existence because you’re a tri guy. Once I did a joint ride and a guy came up and said, "You know, you can’t do your aerobars because you may hurt somebody." I’m like, "First of all, no offense, but I’ve been riding since I was five. I know the rules of the road—and I’ll be way ahead of you so don’t worry about it." 
   
   Are you familiar with the term "tri-dork"? 
   
   Oh yeah. It’s usually "tri-geek" though. 
   
   Is that something you’ve ever had thrown at you? 
   
   Of course. I usually just give it right back. I’m not shy. I’ll walk away and say, "By the way, do you see this?" They go, "No, what?" "It’s my backside. That’s what you’ll be seeing when I blow by you." 
   
   It’s all fun though. It’s not serious confrontation. It’s just guy stuff. 
   
   Cycling often has a reputation as being insular and abrasive. Is that something you’ve experienced? 
   
   One of the things I like most about triathletes is they are very competitive, exceedingly intense during the race. But once the race is over, everyone’s like buddy buddy. There’s a mutual respect because very few people actually do triathlons. But y’know, you get some jerks, like every sport. 
   
   Ever ridden a fid gear? 
   
   I don’t think I have. I’d like to try going around a track. That looks so cool. 
   
   Who are your cycling idols? 
   
   Like many people, Lance Armstrong. I did the Pan-Mass with him. I used to have his poster hanging in my Senate office. Lance was the guy. Obviously very disappointed to learn about what he was doing. 
   
   What’s your gnarliest crash story? 
   
   That’s easy. I was in Fooro on Route 140, fully tucked, blasting along, minding my own business. There was a car that went from a Dunkin Donuts into a Dairy Queen and basically stopped in the middle of where I was going. The curb was too high for me to jump, cars were too close on the left, so I basically had to slam on my brakes and started fishtailing. I literally flipped the car. Pretty banged up, screwed up my knee. Had to get a couple of operations. They basically said I’d never run again, or that I shouldn’t run again. Now I’m banging out 6:20 miles, so that wasn’t quite right. 
   
   Have you ever been doored? 
   
   I’ve certainly been run off the road with cars who were just being total dicks—drivers who were being total jerks, I should say. The motto for anybody who rides a bike is, "Those who crash and those who will." It’s inevitable. 
   
   Ever have a mechanical failure in the middle of nowhere? 
   
   That’s one of the reasons I said, "I want to fix bikes." My wife usually gets those calls, "Hi, honey, can you pick me up?" Or I’ll just start walking and folks will recognize me and say, "Hey, Senator, you need a ride?" 
   
   Do people recognize you when you’re out riding? 
   
   All the time. I’m a fixture along the seacoast and at the races. A lot of people will actually say, "I came to this race because I knew you were here and I’m just here to try to beat you." And I’m like, "Okay, good luck with that." 
   
   Do any victories stick out in your mind? 
   
   What I find gratifying [now] is I’ll be racing and have a couple kids—18, 19, 20 years old—racing beside me, and I’ll try to stay with them. We’ll battle and battle and battle. And then finally—this works every time, and it’s hilarious—I’ll look at them and I’ll say, "You guys are doing really great. I’m surprised I can hang with you. Do you know I could be your father?" 
   
   Nine times out of 10 they slow down and just kind of give up and I’ll be able to sneak in ahead of them. It’s not only gratifying, but it’s really funny. 
   
   Cycling is full of subcultures. Any others you’d like to be involved in? 
   
   I’d like to do some good mountain bike riding up through the woods. I haven’t really done that. Get a good mountain bike and bang it out with some buddies. I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand or Scotland or Wales and just ride 100 miles, hit a pub, drink, eat, sleep, do some exploring, and then get up, ride another 100 miles, do that for a couple weeks. 
   
   How many bikes do you own? 
   
   I’ve got two tandems. I don’t know the names but I just ride them. I still have a Trek TTX 9.9—carbon fiber, high end, fairly expensive bike. It’s a 2010. That’s what I was racing on until I got a Felt IA. I’ve got four bikes total. 
   
   How did you get into bike maintenance, and why now? 
   
   I don’t want people to think this is a full-time job. In the winter I’d go in and spend eight hours a day just learning. When I wasn’t working or travelling I’d like to just get out of the house. It was fun. I get a kick out of people saying, "Well, he was a senator and now he’s a bike mechanic." 
   
   No, I’m blessed. I’m doing something that I’ve always wanted to do. I enjoy it. Am I going to do it forever? I could. I may. The people at the shop are nice, they’re hardworking business people, and they’ve been very good to me. 
   
   How deep are you trying to get into the inner workings of bikes? 
   
   I can take a bike out of the box, put it together A-Z. I’m trying to learn it all. 
   
   What was the learning curve like? 
   
   In the beginning it was ugly. But now I’m helping a lot of the younger kids that are coming in. It’s a personal satisfaction thing, nothing more. 
   
   Cycling attracts a lot of politicians. Why do you think that is? 
   
   [Secretary of State] John [Kerry] and I used to ride a lot. [Sen. Rob] Portman, [Sen. Mark] Warner, Kerry, and me—we’d go out pretty regularly discussing politics half of the way and just riding or racing the remaining half. It’s a good way to free your mind and get that heart pumping, find that balance that’s sometimes lacking, clear your head and keep the stress level down. 
   
   You once described Kerry as a "very good athlete." What’s it like riding with him? 
   
   He’s a very, very good rider. Strong rider, technical rider, confident rider. We’ve had many good rides where we’re both pretty much at the maximum moving with the younger guys. 
   
   Any advice to non-cyclists interested in getting on a bike? 
   
   Just do it. Go with comfort first. You don’t need to get the most expensive bike. Just get on it and start and see what happens. ||||| President Trump announced Thursday he is nominating Scott Brown to serve as ambassador to New Zealand. 
   
   Reports first surfaced in February that Brown, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts, was under consideration to serve in the post. 
   
   Brown was also a rumored pick for Trump's secretary of Veterans Affairs, but the position was ultimately given to David Shulkin, who led the VA's healthcare system during the Obama administration. 
   
   ADVERTISEMENT 
   
   Brown backed Trump early in his campaign. 
   
   Brown was elected to the Senate a 2010 special election following the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D). 
   
   Two years later, he was unseated by Democrat Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann WarrenWarren: Trump should have fired Pruitt ‘28 scandals ago’ Warren fires back at Trump: Don’t ‘obsess over my genes’ Trump: I would offer Warren M to prove her Native American heritage MORE. 
   
   He lost another Senate race in 2014, when he ran in New Hampshire. ||||| BOSTON (CBS) – President Donald Trump nominated former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown Thursday to be his ambassador to New Zealand. 
   
   JUST IN: Trump nominates former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) to be his ambassador to New Zealand. — Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) April 20, 2017 
   
   The U.S. Senate will need to confirm the nomination. 
   
   After Trump was elected, Brown had been in the running to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but the president chose David Shulkin for the post in January. 
   
   Brown has been a political contributor at Fox News. 
   
   He gained national recognition when he managed an upset victory over Martha Coakley in the 2010 U.S. Senate special election race to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat. 
   
   Brown was defeated by Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and then lost a 2014 bid for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. 
   
   Congrats @SenScottBrown on your nomination for New Zealand Ambassador! You have my support & I'm sure you'll make the people of MA proud. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) April 20, 2017 
   
   He endorsed Donald Trump in February 2016 before the New Hampshire Primary. ||||| WASHINGTON — Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros claims in a new lawsuit that former senator Scott Brown made sexually inappropriate comments to her while on set and put his hands on her lower waist. 
   
   Tantaros, who says she complained to superiors about Brown’s conduct, outlines her complaint in a lawsuit filed Monday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The complaint, which also includes accusations of harassment by former network head Roger Ailes and host Bill O’Reilly, portrays a corporate culture at Fox News that tolerated sexual misconduct. 
   
   “Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values,” she says in the suit. “But behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.” 
   
   Advertisement 
   
   Brown is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, which lists five defendants, as well as the Fox News Network. He dismissed the accusations as false in an e-mail to the Globe within minutes of learning the details of Tantaros’s complaints. 
   
   Get This Week in Politics in your inbox: A weekly recap of the top political stories from The Globe, sent right to your email. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here 
   
   “Her statement about our limited on-air, green-room interactions are false,” Brown said. “There were never any circumstances of any kind whatsoever in which I had any interaction with her or any other employee at Fox, outside the studio.” 
   
   Andrea Tantaros. 
   
   Tantaros asserts halfway through the 37-page suit that Brown, while appearing on her show “Outnumbered” in August 2015, “made a number of sexually inappropriate comments to Tantaros on set.” 
   
   She claims that he told her, “in a suggestive manner,” that she “would be fun to go to a nightclub with.” 
   
   “After the show was over, Brown snuck up behind Tantaros while she was purchasing lunch and put his hands on her lower waist,” the lawsuit says. “She immediately pulled back, telling Brown to ‘stop.’ ” 
   
   Advertisement 
   
   Brown told the Globe that all of his interactions and contacts with Tantaros were in the New York studio, “and always in full view of all staff, personnel, and talent.” Any chance encounters at a restaurant or other public places were “professional and cordial,” he said. 
   
   “In the three years I have been working there, I treat all people there the same, whether they be male or female,” Brown said. “In addition, I don’t go to clubs.” 
   
   Prior to joining Fox News, Tantaros had served as press secretary to the Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives and worked as a communications director for Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld. 
   
   Brown, a Republican, represented Massachusetts as senator for three years, beginning in 2010 after beating Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in a special election to succeed the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Democrat Elizabeth Warren defeated Brown in 2012. Brown then moved to Rye, N.H., where he ran again for US Senate and lost in 2014. 
   
   Prior to joining Fox News in February 2013 as an on-air contributor, Brown was known mostly for crisscrossing Massachusetts in his truck as he campaigned for Senate. He is a former state senator, and, as was widely reported during his campaigns, posed nude as a Cosmopolitan magazine centerfold in 1982. 
   
   Advertisement 
   
   Brown is married to Gail Huff, a television correspondent for NH1 News in Concord, N.H. The couple recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and renewed their vows. 
   
   “Scott’s a family man. I’ve seen that his respect toward women stem from his strong relationship with his loving wife Gail and their two accomplished daughters,” said Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist who had been a consultant on Brown’s races. “Scott and Gail operate as a team. She has as much say in his professional life as he does.” 
   
   Williams, while unfamiliar with the details of the lawsuit, said, “In my interactions with Senator Brown, he’s always been respectful and professional with women who have worked with him and for him.” 
   
   In interviews Tuesday, women who had worked for Brown noted that he named a number of female leaders to his campaign and Senate staff; they said he always treated them with respect. A top-level Brown staffer who did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the topic said that she, too, was shocked by Tantaros’s allegations. 
   
   “He would be the first person to bust somebody’s head open if someone treated his daughters or his wife in any way that was inappropriate,” she said. 
   
   She pointed out that Brown himself was sexually abused as a child by a camp counselor, which Brown revealed in his 2011 autobiography, “Against All Odds.” 
   
   “As a survivor of sexual abuse, I would never perpetuate language or actions as described in Fox complaint,” Brown wrote Tuesday afternoon on Twitter. “Actions referenced are fabricated.” 
   
   His former staffer remembered one previous accusation of harassment that was later withdrawn, which she discovered while vetting Brown during one of his campaigns. 
   
   The woman who accused him, Jennifer Firth, filed a civil defamation suit in 2000 alleging that Brown had harassed her two years prior when she volunteered to work on his campaign for Massachusetts state representative. Firth accused Brown of trying to defame and humiliate her after she confronted him. Brown said at the time that Firth was the one harassing and stalking him; both had served on the Wrentham Board of Selectmen. 
   
   Firth did not return requests for comment. Her attorney at the time, Harvey Schwartz, said in an e-mail to the Globe Tuesday that he withdrew the case almost immediately after it was filed when Brown’s attorneys provided him with information that caused him to question the information Firth had provided him. 
   
   “As a result of receiving that information I concluded that it would be unethical for me to continue with the case,” Schwartz said. “Whatever the merits of the present case, I don’t believe the former case has any relevance.” 
   
   On Tuesday, Brown said that prior to learning he was named in Tantaros’s lawsuit, he was never made aware of any issues at Fox and that his schedule for appearances has never changed. 
   
   Tantaros claims that she immediately met with senior news executive Bill Shine to complain, asking Shine to make sure Brown would never be booked on the show again. She alleges that Shine told her he would address the situation, but Brown continued to be booked on her show. 
   
   Tantaros’s lawsuit also details “a nightmare of sexual harassment by Ailes,” who she says regularly asked her and other female on-air personalities to “turn around so I can get a good look at you” and retaliated against her for rebuffing his sexual advances. 
   
   Her complaint pointedly noted that it was “not just about Ailes; it also gives life to the saying that ‘the fish stinks from the head.’ For Ailes did not act alone.” 
   
   Tantaros’s lawsuit comes on the heels of explosive sexual harassment allegations by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson, which prompted Ailes to resign. Following the ouster of Ailes, Shine is now the copresident of Fox News. 
   
   A Fox News spokeswoman said the network does not comment on pending litigation. 
   
   Tracy Jan can be reached at tracy.jan@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @TracyJan
target: – After losing his Massachusetts Senate seat to Elizabeth Warren in 2012—and then failing to nab the New Hampshire seat in 2014—Scott Brown appears to have again found a political post. President Trump on Thursday announced his intention to nominate Brown, an early Trump supporter, as ambassador to New Zealand, reports CBS Boston. How is New Zealand taking the news? Its largest paper used the following headline earlier this week as Brown's name started to bubble up: "Man tipped for US ambassador role in NZ a former nude model who supports waterboarding." The nude modeling bit is a reference to this Cosmopolitan spread. As for Brown, it's potentially brought him closer to checking off one bucket list item: The New Zealand Herald article also quotes this line from a 2015 GQ interview with Brown: "I've always wanted to go to New Zealand or Scotland or Wales and just ride 100 miles, hit a pub, drink, eat, sleep, do some exploring, and then get up, ride another 100 miles, do that for a couple weeks." Brown—named as a possible candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs before the job went to David Shulkin, per the Hill—has lately been a Fox News contributor and was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former Fox host last year.