Today on the show, Payson sits down with Fred Dreier, editor-in-chief at VeloNews. They talk about the changing face of professional cycling, the decline of American road racing, and the rise of the athlete influencer. Fred also talks about the parallel evolution he’s seen in journalism, both in cycling and in more conventional media spaces. During a hiatus from VeloNews, Fred graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism and wrote for The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Time...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Haley Batten burst onto the elite World Cup scene this year, taking the podium at back-to-back races in Nové Mesto and Albstadt, and securing herself a place on Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Haley joins Payson from her training camp in Italy to talk about the whirlwind of success she’s achieved during her first year out of U23. They talk about why her first podium came at a moment when she was beginning to doubt herself, how her mindset has changed since she made the Olympic team, an...
Jul 13, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Kiel Reijnen is a professional road cyclist who currently rides for the WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo. He talks to Payson about his unique path to professional racing, having grown up on an island off the coast of Washington State and coming to cycling relatively late in life compared to his World Tour teammates. He explains why, even after going to college in Colorado and living in Europe some of the year, he still chooses to live on the island with his wife and kids, just a few houses away from his...
Jul 06, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 121
In this fourth and final Unbound recap episode, Payson talks to Jonathan Levin, the last rider to cross the finish line. Jonathan decided to race Unbound with a few friends on a whim, having trained less than intended and with less knowledge of the course than they thought. In spite of never having ridden more than a hundred miles beforehand, they all reached the finish (with less than 10 minutes to spare) before the 3am cutoff. In this conversation, Jonathan talks about why he decided to take o...
Jun 29, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 120
In our third recap episode of Unbound Gravel, Payson sits down to talk with two racers from the Unbound XL, the 350 mile race, Will Loevner and Amanda Nauman. Will Loevner finished Unbound XL in second place, in spite of being younger than any of his competitors and a relative unknown at the start of the race. However, this achievement is only a fraction of the story. After crashing around mile 200 in the middle of the night, he rode the remaining 150 miles one-handed, with a broken hand and a d...
Jun 22, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Abi Robins competed in Unbound Gravel this year as the first finisher of the non-binary category. In this interview, they talk to Payson about being the only person to compete in the category, how that knowledge fueled their ride, and how they hope other races will follow suit. They also talk about the struggles of the race itself, from helping fellow riders with spare co2, to a chance mid-race encounter with Lael Wilcox. Molly Cameron calls into the show to ask Abi an all-important Unbound ques...
Jun 15, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Today in the first part of our Unbound recap series, Payson talks to Lauren De Crescenzo and Ian Boswell, winners of the 200 mile race. Lauren talks about the traumatic brain injury that she suffered in 2016 and the long, steady road back to cycling. She talks about going to Unbound with a winner's mindset, why she's already doing intervals again, and her Everesting record from last year. Ian joins Payson again to talk about his surprise Unbound victory, how that final sprint played out, and whe...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Today on the show, Payson answers your questions about his first race of 2021, Rule of 3 in Bentonville, Arkansas. He talks about nutrition, race etiquette, the challenges of a packed racing schedule, and much more. He's also joined by a few special guests who each share their own experiences of Rule of 3. Andy Chasteen, co-founder of the race, talks about why he decided to create an event, how he helped foster community spirit during the race's first year, and his other event, 24 Hours of Horse...
Jun 01, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Ian Boswell is gravel racer who formerly raced for WorldTour teams such as Bissell, Trek-Livestrong and Team Sky. During his road career, he raced in the Vuelta a Espana, Giro d’Italia, and Tour de France. Following a series of traumatic head injuries, he stepped away from the sport in 2019 at the peak of his career. Now a year and a half later, he is back to racing, but this time on the gravel scene. Last weekend he placed second at the Rule of Three, his first race since he suffered a concussi...
May 25, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 116
Darian Harvey is the service manager of Mountain Bike Specialists in Durango, CO and a former downhill National Champion. The list of pro cyclists who entrust her with their bikes include Ned Overend, Sepp Kuss, Riley Amos, Ruthie Mathis, and Todd and Troy Wells. Payson has also relied on her expertise ever since he moved to Durango over ten years ago. In this conversation, she tells Payson about how the bike shop has adapted to the pandemic and the current boom in the cycling industry that has ...
May 19, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Today on the show, Payson talks to two influential behind-the-scenes figures in gravel racing. Michelle Duffy is Associate Marketing Director for Life Time, and oversees its off-road events such as the Leadville 100 and Unbound (formerly Dirty Kanza). She came to cycling after spending years as a marketing manager for the New York City Marathon. Amy Charity is the owner and co-founder of SBT GRVL. She raced professionally as a road cyclist and spent 15 years in the financial sector before foundi...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas are the stars of HGTV’s home renovation show, Bargain Block, which premiered last month. In it, they buy, transform, and resell properties that have fallen into disrepair in Detroit. Evan comes from a science background and carries the technical aspects of their projects, and Keith is the artistic mastermind, tailoring each home to his specific creative vision, all on a tight budget. In this conversation, they talk about how the ongoing history of redlining and bankru...
May 04, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Payson and Nichole answer your questions about their recent trip to Uganda to work for her non-profit, Path of Logic. They answer questions about Nichole’s career, how she came to work with pathologists in Uganda looking to expand the country’s cancer diagnostics facilities, and how she avoids the “white savior” problem. They also talk about Payson’s epic gravel ride through the rift valley, their favorite monkey encounters, and marriage proposals. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McE...
Apr 28, 2021•1 hr 58 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Maghalie Rochette is a three-time Canadian Cyclocross Champion, three-time Pan American Cyclocross Champion and Cyclocross World Cup winner. After racing for the Clif Pro team for six years, she decided to strike out on her own as a privateer in 2018. In this interview, she and Payson talk about what prompted her decision to leave her position on such a legendary team, how she learned the hard way to negotiate sponsorship contracts and advocate for herself, and where she hopes to expand her care...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Today on the show, Payson is joined by photographer/adventurer Chris Burkard, “Queen of Pain” Rebecca Rusch, and adventure filmmaker Gus Morton to discuss their recent fat bike expedition across Iceland’s interior to forge a new route from North to South. The journey lasted six days and involved -23ºC temperatures and punishing wind and snow. In their first interview after the journey, they talk about how they prepared for conditions which are impossible to replicate outside of Iceland, and the ...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Brad Copeland is Kate Courtney’s mechanic of over seven years. But while “mechanic” may be his official title, he is so much more. Bodyguard, grocery shopper, and fan favorite are just a few of the many other roles he plays when he’s with her on the race circuit. Kate even wrote a song about him. He’s also one of the most experienced and respected mechanics on the World Cup circuit. In today’s episode, recorded before the pandemic, Payson and Brad discuss the unique position he holds in Kate’s r...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 109
In this final installment of our Cape Epic series, Payson is joined by Trinity Racing teammates Chris Blevins and Cameron Mason. Chris won the U23 cross country Pan American Championships in 2019 and placed second at the UCI U23 World Championships last year. Cam is a cyclocross racer from Scotland who placed third in the U23 European Championships last year. Both of them are at the forefront of the new generation of multi-disciplinary pro cyclists, which their team, Trinity Racing, as made its ...
Mar 30, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Alex Howes and Lachlan Morton are teammates on the UCI WorldTeam EF Education-Nippo. Alex is the reigning American road National Champion, and Lachlan has won stages at the Tour of Utah and the Tour of the Gila, among others. In addition to their road credentials, they’ve been making a name for themselves doing off-road races including Dirty Kanza (now Unbound) and the Leadville 100. They’ve been teammates off and on for over ten years, and have raced together on six continents. Last year they w...
Mar 23, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 107
In this second episode of our Cape Epic series, Payson is joined by Scott teammates Nino Schurter and Lars Forster. Nino is the reigning six-time World Champion with a few Olympic medals under his belt, and Lars is a multi-time Swiss cyclocross National Champion and winner of the 2018 European Mountain Bike Championships. Together, they won the 2019 Cape Epic and the 2020 Swiss Epic. They joined Payson a couple weeks ago at the end of their Italian training camp to talk about their memories of t...
Mar 16, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 106
Annika Langvad and Kate Courtney join Payson to talk about their experience racing as a team in the 2018 Absa Cape Epic, an eight day stage race in the Western Cape of South Africa spanning over 435 miles. When they teamed up for the race, Annika had won it three years in a row, while Kate was still an up-and-comer on the UCI circuit who had never participated in a stage race, let alone one that has the reputation of being the hardest mountain bike stage race in the world. From the first day, ho...
Mar 09, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Brian “Safa” Wagner has carved out a niche for himself within cycling as one of the fastest road descenders outside of the pro peloton. Through his Youtube channel, he shares films of his most nail-biting descents that see him maintaining average speeds of nearly 50mph over the course of 15-minutes. Safa started out as a bike messenger, navigating the crowded streets of cities such as London, Sydney, Glasgow, and Mexico City as fast as cycling allowed. Over time, he elevated this to an art form,...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Chris Cosentino is a celebrity chef and avid cyclist, best known for his many television appearances on shows such as Top Chef Masters (which he won), and for owning restaurants across the US. Chris first made an appearance on the podcast in episode 16, and returns this week to talk about the state of the restaurant industry. Perhaps no area of the economy has been hit harder by the pandemic, and Chris has experienced this first hand. Last fall, he made the decision to close his San Francisco re...
Feb 23, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Jolanda Neff is one of the most decorated cross country mountain bike racers in the world. In addition to winning the XC World Championship 2017, she has won 12 XC World Cups, five Swiss XC national championships, and competed in both XC and road races at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She now has her sights set on the 2021 season and the Tokyo Olympics. In this interview, she talks about how she got stuck in the Canary Islands following a successful winter training camp with the Swiss national team, an...
Feb 16, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Ted King returns to the show to talk about the uncertainties of 2021, leaning into the Vermont winter weather, and why he isn’t stressing about perfect training conditions. He also tells Payson about his first bikepacking experience at the end of October when he won the 1,017 mile Arkansas High Country Race. They compare the battle scars they each sustained from their 2020 adventures, as well as their unshakable excitement to embark on even rougher bikepacking challenges in the future. They talk...
Feb 09, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 101
In this very special one hundredth episode, Payson, Justin, and Colin are reunited nearly a year after their first conversation on the show. They talk about their plan to revolutionize American cycling, and, of course, the moment that Payson, Colin, and Kate Courtney got to present Justin with his Red Bull helmet (a day that featured celebrity cameos from Reggie Miller and Chris Froome). This full interview can be viewed as a film on YouTube beginning tomorrow, and includes footage from Justin's...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Pat Lemieux may be best known as the husband of Olympic gold medalist Gwen Jorgensen, but he has recently entered into a new role as an athlete agent following a request from pro cyclist Ellen Noble. He now works for athletes such as triathlete Lionel Sanders and cyclocross racer Stephen Hyde, and as the partnership manager for the entire Rally Cycling team. Even though he hadn’t planned on being an agent, he quickly discovered that his personality and experience both of his wife’s career and hi...
Jan 26, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Maddie Munro is one of the brightest up and coming stars of the cyclocross scene. Following her bronze medal at the 2020 junior World Championships, she joined Trek Factory Racing and is currently competing in the Elite category at just 18 years old. In this interview, she tells Payson about why she decided to start college just as her racing career is taking off, what her first semester has been like during the pandemic, and how she’s adjusting to the excitement of professional racing. She also...
Jan 19, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Anton Cooper is a fixture of the World Cup cross country scene. He won the U23 World Championships in 2015 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but perhaps his best known finish came in 2018, when he battled World Champion Nino Schurter for the top step of the podium in a sprint finish at Nove Mesto. In this interview, he talks about all the things that went right that day, and what he would have done differently to snag that final victory. He talks about why the pro field might be changing in the c...
Jan 12, 2021•55 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Ellen Noble returns to the show to talk about developments in life and training since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition to moving states, she has also started working with a new coach, the renowned Allen Lim, and begun the long, slow process of getting back into racing shape following health challenges that put her career on hold for several seasons. She talks about moving from the coach she had worked with since she was 14, to Lim, who put her fitness and determination to the test from...
Jan 05, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Aaron Lutze is an athlete marketing manager at Red Bull where he works with an illustrious roster of talent including Kate Courtney, Carson Storch, and Rebecca Rusch. In this conversation, he talks about his unique role in the careers of his athletes, and what he loves most about his job. He and Payson go back in time to learn how he got to this point in his career, from working at McDonald’s as a fourteen-year-old, to becoming a trials rider on the Warped Tour music festival circuit in the late...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 95
