Sam Pickman returns to the show to talk about Allied's first ever mountain bike, the BC40. He and Payson discuss how long it's been in the works, collaborating with Barcelona-based Cero Design to get the look just right, and why they changed the name of the bike just before the launch. They also get into the technical side of things, including bike geometry and the carbon manufacturing process. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc...
Jul 22, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Today on the show, we review the third race in the Lifetime Grand Prix, Crusher in the Tushar. Payson is joined by winner Haley Smith to discuss her emotional finish, her new position as a Grand Prix frontrunner, and the illness and self-doubt that made her path to this moment so uncertain. She also talks about how her mixed feelings about participating in the Tokyo Olympics are evolving with hindsight, and why she’s not fixating on the prospect of a Grand Prix win. Payson also answers all your ...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Daniel Oss has raced the Tour de France ten times and has noticed many changes over the years, from equipment to rider mentality. This year, he’s racing for a new team, TotalEnergies, where he followed friend and long-time teammate, Peter Sagan. He joins Payson from the first rest day of this year’s race to talk about how the Tour has changed since he first lined up for it in 2010, being Sagan’s right-hand man, and why the mental fatigue of The Giro d’Italia led him to start his Youtube series “...
Jul 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Annijke Wade joins Payson again, nearly a year after the mountain bike crash that left her paralyzed. The last time they talked on the show, she was living at Craig Hospital, a leading institute for spinal cord injuries. Now, she's home, learning the ins and outs of living with her injury. She talks about how she plans to spend the first anniversary of her crash, all the details about her new bike, and getting back on the trails with other adaptive athletes. She also talks about balancing optimi...
Jul 02, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Anton Krupicka fell in love with running at an early age. He competed in his first marathon when he was 12 and started running mountain ultras when he left college. He went on to win the Leadville 100 twice, and place second at the Western States 100 in 2010. These days, he’s added cycling and ski-mo to his competition schedule, recently completing the Unbound XL. In this interview, he tells Payson about growing up on a 600-acre farm in Nebraska and discovering mountain running when he moved to ...
Jun 23, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Gus Morton quit professional cycling at the age of 21 to pursue a career as a filmmaker. He was briefly pulled back into professional racing but left the sport for good in 2017, when he merged his two areas of expertise by creating the production company Thereabouts, which put an alternative lens on cycling that didn't revolve around competition or traditional, straightforward narratives of accomplishment. Instead, the projects focus on "conveying the feeling rather than recounting the experienc...
Jun 16, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Season 1Ep. 176
In this week's episode, we hear from riders of all levels and distances of Unbound who tell us about their experiences participating in North America's biggest gravel event. Later in the show, Payson answers listeners' questions about the race. He addresses the muddy conditions, dynamics in the lead group of riders, the impact of WorldTour racers, aero bars, and all the crashes in the first 40 miles. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Payson sits down with professional mountain biker and gravel racer Ryan Standish to preview the second race of the Lifetime Grand Prix, Unbound 200. They talk about the start list, a Who's Who of World Tour, gravel, and mountain bike racers, and make some predictions about the podium. They're also joined by unexpected guests Bobby Wintle, founder of The Mid South; and Howard Grotts, mountain bike Olympian and Grand Prix competitor. Ryan also talks about going all-in on racing after his father's ...
Jun 03, 2022•1 hr 55 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Joe Grant is an ultra runner and mountain athlete who holds the FKT on the Colorado Trail and has competed all over the world at races such as the Hardrock 100, Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc, and the Iditarod in Alaska. He also explores the mountains by bike and competed in the Arizona Trail race in 2016 on a fully rigid drop bar bike. Born in England and raised in France, he now lives in Durango, Colorado. In this conversation, Joe talks about his complicated relationship with the premise of FKTs, ...
May 28, 2022•2 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Payson sits down with professional mountain biker and former teammate Hannah Otto to discuss her new privateer program, splitting her 2022 schedule between North American gravel racing and UCI World Cups, and her childhood as a world champion triathlete. Hannah started racing triathlons at 9, eventually winning the XTERRA Amateur World Championship. After switching to cycling in college, she became a 5x collegiate national champion and signed with the CLIF Pro Team. After nine years of racing on...
May 22, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 172
In this second part of our coverage of the Epic Rides Whiskey Off-road, Payson sits down with self-proclaimed "weekend warrior" Ben Mauceri to talk about how mountain biking takes him to a physical and mental place that nothing else can, the commitment required to show up at the start line while maintaining a demanding career, and the strong sense of comradery and pride he feels for his fellow amateur racers at the finish line. Payson also talks to Cina McConaughy and Kate Phelan, owners of Soul...
May 14, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Payson sits down with professional mountain biker racers Haley Smith and Andrew L’Esperance to talk about racing a 50/50 World Cup and North American schedule in 2022, snagging spots on the podium at their first Whiskey Off-Road this year, and their new podcast, OffRoad InRoads. He also chats with Todd Sadow, President and CEO of Epic Rides, about adapting to wildfires and the pandemic, expanding the series, and why he wanted to revolutionize American mountain biking when he helped create 24 Hou...
May 08, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Quinn Simmons is a professional road cyclist who rides for Trek-Segafredo. At just 20 years old, he is part of a new generation of American road cyclists achieving success in the WorldTour that the country has not seen in generations. He was the first junior male road race World Champion since Greg Lemond, and won the Tour de Wallonie overall in 2021. He's also achieved top results in the Vuelta a España and the Strade Bianche, and was long-listed for the 2021 Tour de France. In this conversatio...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Justin Williams, founder of L39ion Los Angeles and winner of eleven national titles, returns to the show to talk about recovering from shoulder surgery and his latest moves within the industry. He discusses his decision to focus on Belizean Nationals rather than US Nationals in the past two years and how he’s using his influence to grow the sport and support racers in the country. He and Payson also talk about franchising L39ion, whether he has plans to run for the UCI presidency, and NFTs. Inst...
Apr 23, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Payson is joined by two standout racers from last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic, Mo Wilson and Rob Britton. Mo won the race, beating a formidable field that included Olympians, national champions, and former WorldTour riders. Having made a mark on the gravel circuit in 2021, winning Big Sugar and placing second at the Leadville 100, her decisive victory at Sea Otter demonstrated her potential in other disciplines. Mo talks to Payson about her mindset going into the race, her childhood ski racing c...
Apr 16, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Payson is joined by Geoff Kabush and Kateřina Nash to talk about all things Life Time Grand Prix. The six-race gravel series kicks off this weekend with the Sea Otter Classic. Both Geoff and Kateřina have won Sea Otter multiple times, and are racing it again this year. Neither of them, however, is participating in the Grand Prix. Earlier this year, Geoff penned an article in Cycling Tips that criticized the points system and entry requirements of the race, questioning its impact on the careers o...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Dave Hagen has been the Director of the Fort Lewis College cycling program for 18 years. In that time, he’s seen it grow from a club sport to one of the most dominant collegiate teams in the country. He’s helped guide the careers of future pros such as Sarah Sturm, Sepp Kuss, Chris Blevins, and Sofia Gomez-Villafañe, and watched the team secure 15 USA Cycling Collegiate national titles in mountain biking and cyclocross. But under his leadership, the program has focused just as much attention on ...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Payson sits down with this year’s winner of The Mid South, Cole Paton to discuss his victory and unpack the race. Having spent much of his career winning collegiate XC titles and chasing the World Cup circuit, the 23-year-old was as surprised as anyone when his fitness and savvy tactics snagged him the top step at the season’s first major gravel race. Despite his decisive win, Cole says that self-doubt and low expectations followed him all the way to the finish line, even after his solo breakawa...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Keegan Swenson joins Payson one week after setting a course record at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. They talk about his pivot toward endurance racing after narrowly missing out on a spot at the Olympics for XC, and how he managed to beat out stiff competition to take the top step at 24 HOP in spite of it being his first 24-hour solo race. He talks about how his XC training informs his endurance racing mentality in good and bad ways, and the gravel rookie who he thinks is the rider to beat in the u...
Mar 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Ted King joins Payson to talk about The Mid South, the unofficial kickoff of the 2022 gravel season. They discuss this year’s course, the weather forecast, and where they think the race fits into the bigger picture of gravel. They discuss of the depth of both the men's and women's fields and choose their podium favorites and a few dark horses. They also talk about how they’re feeling as they gear up for a packed 2022 schedule and how Ted is fairing after two broken bones five months apart curtai...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Remi Gauvin is a professional enduro racer from Squamish, BC who has made numerous podiums and top ten Overall Series finishes in the Enduro World Series. In this conversation, Remi talks about how riding dirt jumps in Jordie Lunn's backyard as a kid fueled his passion for cycling. He talks about finding early success as a downhill racer and working on an oil rig to support his cycling career, at one point working 56 days in a row on night shifts in temperatures around -30ºC. He talks about why ...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Jesse Melamed is an enduro mountain bike racer who is currently ranked #3 in the world for that discipline. In this conversation, he talks about growing up in Whistler, BC, his love of skiing, and his relationship with his teammate and competitor, Remi Gauvin. He talks about the mixed response he received from fans and sponsors when he won the 2020 Enduro World Series which had several notable absences from riders due to the pandemic. He also talks about why big miles on the road is the best for...
Feb 23, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Lance Haidet is a professional road and cyclocross racer who currently rides for L39ion of LosAngeles. In this interview, he tells Payson about racing mountain bikes as a teenager in Bend, OR and going on to win U23 Road Nationals for Aevolo under the leadership of Mike Creed. He talks about why he's decided to jump into the gravel racing scene for the 2022 season with the Lifetime Grand Pre, and how he juggles multiple disciplines while getting an engineering degree at CalPoly. He also tells Pa...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Sam Pickman worked as an engineer for Specialized for 11 years before joining Allied Cycleworks in 2016. As one of the brand’s first employees, he has been instrumental in developing their unique designs and manufacturing process. In this interview, he tells Payson why he chose to move his family from the Bay Area to northwest Arkansas to work for an as yet unproven brand. He talks about why Allied’s “made here” ethos creates a higher performance product: by designing and manufacturing all their...
Feb 09, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Marley Blonsky is the co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes, an organization that seeks to make the cycling community more size inclusive. In this conversation, Marley talks about the longtime lack of inclusive sizing in cycling, from clothing options to equipment, why she recently decided to leave her job in corporate America to move to focus on growing her role in the cycling community, and why she views the word "fat" as neutral rather than derogatory. She also talks about ignoring criticism in f...
Feb 02, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Cam Wurf started his athletic career in rowing, where he represented Australia at the 2004 Olympics, and went on to compete in road cycling for WorldTour teams including Cannondale-Liquigas. After retiring from the sport in 2015, he started racing triathlons, attaining 5th at the World Championship in 2019, and setting a World Record for the bike leg of the race. In 2020, he was lured back in to professional cycling at the highest level when Ineos Grenadiers came calling. He now leads an unprece...
Jan 27, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Since leaving her career as a professional cross country mountain bike racer, Gretchen Reeves has worked as an accountant for athletes and self-employed people from the outdoor industry. In this interview, she offers some financial best practices for athletes just starting out, those who are already established pros, and anyone who wants to get more value out of their income. She talks about the ways self-employed people often overlook significant deductibles, how to set yourself up for a comfor...
Jan 23, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 155
In 2021, Ashton Lambie became the first person in history to ride 4000m in under four minutes. He completed the distance in 3:59.93, surpassing the previous record held by Filippo Ganna, the current time trial world champion. This was Ashton's third time to break the world record, which he had first held in 2018. He went on to win the individual pursuit at the Track World Championships two months later. Given this history, it is perhaps surprising that Ashton grew up racing gravel in Nebraska be...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 154
Payson answers listener questions about his upcoming 2022 season, including new and returning sponsors, his race schedule, and a few personal developments as well. He also shares some thoughts on the privateering model in gravel, and addresses what mountain bike he'll be riding this year. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc...
Jan 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 153
For over two decades, Molly Cameron has been advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within cycling. In her career as a racer, she was banned early on from racing in the women's category, and was forced to race with the men. In 2015, she was briefly banned from racing in the men's cyclocross national championship when the rules were changed to require a person's gender to correlate with the gender on their driver's license. In this interview, she talks with Payson about being thrown into the spotlight afte...
Jan 02, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 152
