In preparation for the upcoming season of the Enduro World Series, Payson talks to the top three women of last year, Isabeau Courdurier, Morgane Charre, and Hattie Harnden. They chat about how they got into Enduro, their favorite courses, and how they’re feeling about all the changes being implemented this year. Hattie discusses her switch from dominanting cyclocross and XC as a junior to becoming the youngest rider to ever win an Enduro race. Morgane talks about how a broken wrist lured her awa...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Chad Haga spent eight years in the WorldTour on Team DSM (formerly known as Giant-Shimano and Sunweb). During that time, he raced in 12 Grand Tours including the Tour de France, six Giro d’Italias (where he won a stage in 2019), and four Vuelta a Españas. In 2022, he stepped back from the WorldTour to join the ProTeam Human Powered Health. Although he's spent more than a decade in Europe, he was born and raised in McKinney, Texas and didn’t start racing seriously until he was finishing up his Me...
Feb 13, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 210
Shannon Vandivier is a filmmaker and photographer who directed the recently released Youtube series following the inaugural Life Time Grand Prix, Call of a Life Time . His production company, Cold Collaborative, has worked with brands like YETI, Smith Optics, and Orange Seal to create award-winning movies about the outdoor industry, including Payson’s 2019 White Rim FKT project, Standing Man. In this interview, he tells Payson about growing up chasing tornadoes with his photojournalist dad and l...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 209
With 2.5 million subscribers, Seth Alvo (founder of Berm Peak and Seth’s Bike Hacks) runs one of the most popular mountain biking channels on Youtube. Sharing hacks, reviews, and off-road adventures, he's built a passionate audience from a demographic that is largely ignored by the industry. The web developer-turned-content creator attributes his success to being the antithesis of a professional athlete. A self-professed nerd, he started out sharing tips and tricks for people who were new to mou...
Jan 30, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 208
Griffin and Cullen Easter have been racing with and against each other since college. The brothers graduated from separate universities but went on to ride for UCI Continental team Airgas-Safeway together. Their paths diverged when Griffin went to race overseas and Cullen pursued a nursing degree, but their careers have merged again in unexpected ways in recent years. While Griffin was winning a stage at the Vuelta a Colombia and pulling off impressive results in Europe, Cullen was working in Ut...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 207
Russell Finsterwald holds five national titles in mountain biking but stepped away from the World Cup relatively early in his career to pursue longer distance XC races in the US. When gravel became the dominant force in the off-road scene, he thought about retiring as soon as he finished the remainder of his contract. But in preparation for the Lifetime Grand Prix last year, he created a 350-mile route across southern Arizona that he dubbed the Spirit Tour. The goal was to answer some burning qu...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 206
In 2018, 2x cyclocross national champion Ellen Noble was coming off the best season in her life when she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. After another season of racing, she went all-in on training in 2020 and was ready for her comeback, but a crash early in the season left her with a broken back and a resurgence in symptoms from her disease. Even under these circumstances, she never considered retirement until her coach, Allen Lim, told her that she didn’t have to be a professional ath...
Jan 08, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 205
In the third installment of our series about pros in the off-season, Payson chats with two cyclists from different sides of the racing world: former WorldTour rider-turned-gravel racer Ruth Winder, and the 2022 EWS World Champion Jesse Melamed. Ruth talks about recuperating from a mentally grueling season. After retiring from the WorldTour, she decided to compete in the Lifetime Grand Prix last year but came up against some unexpected hurdles. She talks about the work she’s done in the off-seaso...
Jan 01, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 204
This week, Payson chats to some fellow pros about what they’ve been up to during the off-season. From snorkeling in Hawaii to meditation retreats, they’ve used their brief period of unstructured time to do the things they couldn’t do during their busy race season. Russell Finsterwald and Keegan Swenson talk about their adventures in Tucson that require meticulous route building and asking permission from local ranchers to use their land. Savilia Blunk talks about her trip to Hawaii with her part...
Dec 25, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 203
Hillary Allen was one of the top-ranking trail runners in the world in 2017 when a 150-foot fall off a mountain in Norway during a race nearly ended her life. She broke 14 bones, including both feet, both arms, her back, and five ribs. Despite being told she would never compete again, she slowly eased back into running and eventually went back to conquer the race that nearly took her life. These days, she’s racing at an even higher level than she was before her accident, and just won her first 1...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 202
In this week’s episode, we’re closing out our series on Australia and New Zealand and kicking off a new series about what athletes are up to this off season. During their trip to the Southern Hemisphere this winter, Payson and Nichole traveled to the South Island of New Zealand to do a four-day bikepacking trip, linking the historic Paparoa and Old Ghost Road trails. The goal was to slow things down after a busy racing season and discover some of the best landscapes that New Zealand has to offer...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Season 1Ep. 201
Payson and Nichole met Steve Bein earlier this week at a hotel in rural New Zealand while on a bikepacking trip. Steve is a Philosophy professor in Ohio who decided to use his sabbatical to cycle the 1,800 miles across New Zealand. Before starting the trip, the farthest he'd ever ridden was about 30 miles. Naturally, Payson wanted to sit down and record a conversation to learn more about what drew Steve to the land down under, how he's adapting to the harsh conditions and physical demands of suc...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 200
Payson answers listener questions about his 32 hour, 360 mile traverse across Tasmania earlier this month. He talks about gear, wildlife, why he's drawn to island crossings, and much more. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 199
Emma Flukes is an adventure cyclist and bikepacker from Tasmania who was instrumental in developing the 360 mile route across the island that Payson undertook earlier this month. With her guidance, he ended up with a ride full of techy singletrack, gravel roads, river crossings, and lots of wildlife. In this episode (recorded shortly before Payson’s crossing), they talk about the specifics of the route, gear choices, and a few uniquely Tasmanian considerations. They also talk about Emma’s riding...
Nov 20, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 198
Less than a day after riding 360 miles from coast to coast across Tasmania in 32 hours, Payson sits down with the crew that made the ride (and the upcoming film about it) possible. They include three seasoned filmmakers, two Tasmanian locals with an intimate knowledge of the trails, an award-winning photographer, and an experienced adventure cyclist and logistical wizard. Each talks about their highlights, lowlights, and most memorable moments of the effort, including overdosing on coffee, playi...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 197
Veronica Ewers didn’t start riding a bike seriously until a few years ago when she joined a local cycling club. In 2019, she participated in her first race, and just over two years later, she came in 3rd at Nationals while still technically a Cat 2. Veronica’s rapid rise through the ranks of professional cycling has led her to the very top: a contract with the WorldTour team EF and a top 10 finish at the inaugural Tour de France Femmes. Earlier this month, she renewed her contract through 2025. ...
Nov 06, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 196
In our final Grand Prix recap of the season, Payson sits down with the winners of Big Sugar Gravel, Paige Onweller and Russell Finsterwald. Paige was the dark horse of the women's race, having picked up cycling only last year. Despite her newness to the sport and a rocky season, she finished six minutes ahead of second place. She tells Payson about her college running career, balancing racing with her full-time job as an ER physician assistant, and the mid-season knee surgery that dashed her hig...
Oct 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 195
This weekend, 18 of the world's best freeride mountain bikers will compete at Red Bull Rampage, the legendary event held in the Utah desert. Each rider has four days to build the perfect line to showcase their skills and send it on the big day. In this episode, we hear from the riders taking on the event this year, from first-timers to 20-year Rampage veterans. We also hear from the behind-the-scenes people who make the event possible, including diggers, photographers, and the mechanic who makes...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 53 min•Season 1Ep. 194
Sarah Sturm returns to the show to talk about the inaugural UCI Gravel Worlds which took place in Italy last weekend. The event sparked controversy when it was announced, with fears that the UCI would tarnish the spirit of gravel. This, along with the fact that it wasn’t being held in the US where the discipline took root, and the fact that the women’s course was significantly shorter than the men’s, prompted many top racers to skip the race altogether. Sarah explains why she chose to go despite...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 193
Keegan Swenson returns to the show to talk about his experience racing the UCI Road World Championship in Australia at the end of September. Though he spent years racing on the mountain bike World Cup circuit, this was his first experience competing in a WorldTour level road race, and it came just a week after securing his win for the overall Lifetime Grand Prix title at Chequamegon. He talks about his whirlwind preparation, the white-knuckle tactics that the rest of the racers were throwing dow...
Oct 04, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 192
Earlier this month, WorldTour racer turned “alternative” cycling adventure seeker Lachlan Morton returned to the Colorado Trail for the second time. His first experience in 2019 was harrowing mentally and physically and left him determined to go back someday to rewrite his relationship with the infamous 530-mile route. After the death of professional cyclist Sule Kangangi this summer, Lachlan returned to the CT in memory of his friend. This time, he completed it in three days and 10 hours, smash...
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 191
Payson sits down with the winners of Chequamegon, Savilia Blunk and Bradyn Lange. Savilia talks about her breakout World Cup season and navigating the unexpectedly muddy conditions of last weekend's race. Bradyn talks about his childhood motocross career, van life, and being caught off guard when he found himself in the lead at Chequamegon. Payson also answers listener questions about the race, including power numbers, the surprise rain storm, and how he feels about the race culture in the Midwe...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 190
When Meg Fisher went to college, she was a walk-on for the University of Montana's Division 1 tennis team, but was taken out of the sport and the life she knew when a catastrophic car accident left her in a coma. When her leg was amputated, it was the least of her doctors' worries. Most of them assumed that she would never be able to live independently, let alone walk, but Meg proved them (and herself) wrong, earning a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and becoming a 3x triathlon world champion and ...
Sep 16, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 189
When Kiel Reijnen’s five-year-old daughter EmmyLou told him that she wanted to ride to Idaho (a 700+ mile trip), he suggested they compete in the 102-mile gravel stage of Rebecca’s Private Idaho instead. Kiel joins Payson to talk about how he brought this idea to fruition and got to witness Emmy’s grit, endurance, and competitiveness. With only one low point around mile 85, they won the tandem category on a 240-pound rig and raised thousands of dollars for World Bicycle Relief in the process. Ki...
Sep 11, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 188
Bjorn Riley is part of the wave of young US cross country mountain bike racers that’s been making a splash on the World Cup circuit over the past few years. Placing 5th at Worlds this year, 2nd at the Snowshoe World Cup in West Virginia, and landing at the top of the podium at Nationals, Bjorn is already making a name for himself on the international stage. After spending three years on the Bear Development Team, he recently joined European-based Trek Vaude and moved to Austria full-time. In thi...
Sep 04, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 187
South African cyclist Matt Beers has done a little bit of everything when it comes to racing on two wheels. Starting out in motocross, he turned to mountain biking after he was sidelined by an injury, going on to win the South African Marathon National Championships and the Cape Epic stage race in 2021. After an impressive but unlucky showing at Cape Epic in 2019, he was invited to guest ride on the WorldTour road team UAE Emirates. These days, he's spending more time state-side on the gravel ci...
Aug 27, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 186
Today on the show, we feature some of the experiences that riders in all categories had at Leadville and SBT GRVL last weekend. Payson answers listener questions about the races, including his training in the weeks leading up, using hydration packs instead of stopping at neutral aid stations, and his bike setup. He also chats with Keegan Swenson, the winner of Leadville, SBT, and the combination race ‘Leadboat’ about his dominance on the gravel circuit this season and a potential move to the roa...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Season 1Ep. 185
5x mountain bike Marathon National Champion Rose Grant joins Payson to talk about her recently announced retirement, how she hopes to finish out the season, and what she’s looking forward to post-professional cycling. Rose started racing later than many riders, only getting into the sport when she was nearing 30. During her first season, she became pregnant with her daughter, and has spent the height of her career juggling training, racing, and motherhood. She talks about some of her professiona...
Aug 13, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 184
Sarah Sturm returns to the show for a wide-ranging conversation about the struggle to stay hungry in a profession full of uncontrollable inconsistency, Tour de France Femme, and the anxieties about what life might look like after retiring from professional cycling. They also discuss the many ways that grief is shaping the gravel community this season and how their mental and emotional connection to racing has permanently changed. Sarah also talks about her work with Protect Our Winters, and the ...
Aug 06, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Barry Wicks started racing professionally in 2002, competing on both the mountain bike and cyclocross world circuits. These days, he continues to race off road, but focuses much of his attention on managing Kona Factory Racing, the team he's been with since he signed his first pro contract. Last week, it was announced that he would be leading the new Bike Alliance with Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that advocates for better climate legislation and large-scale measures for safeguarding the env...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 182
