Professional mountain biker Payson McElveen sits down with some of the biggest names in sports and adventure to get an inside look at what sets them apart. With no script, the casual conversations are as diverse as the guests, with topics ranging from harrowing tales of survival, to debates on current events, to everyday tips and tricks and everything in between. As Payson travels the world for his two-wheeled day job, listen in as he rubs shoulders with and learns from some of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs, academics, and others as they chase and inspire greatness.
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Cole Paton on his Little Sugar win and his new tractor
Cole Paton’s win at Little Sugar last week was just the latest in a series of big events that have shaped his life on and off the bike this year. Over the winter, he got a new coach, bought a log cabin on 40 acres in central Washington, and started adding mountain bike races to his schedule. Despite taking a wrong turn at Little Sugar, he won handily, without another rider in sight. In this conversation, Cole talks about the tough season of racing that led up to his first Grand Prix win and why he went into it feeling calmer than he has in months. He also talks about being a new homesteader, complete with mice, rats, irrigation, and a hand-me-down tractor. Plus, we hear from listeners about their Little Sugar experience.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Sepp Kuss on racing all three Grand Tours this season
Sepp Kuss is back on the pod after yet another historic season racing all three Grand Tours, and after his stage 19 win at the Giro d'Italia this year, he is now one of the few riders to have won a stage in each. Sepp caught up with Payson during a break in racing to talk about his infamous crash while leading stage 20 of the Tour de France this year, whether he actually enjoys doing all three Grand Tours in a season, and how his life has changed since becoming a dad. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Jacob Hora, the 21-year-old shaking up the ultra endurance mountain bike scene
Most high schoolers spend their time hanging out with friends and worrying about college applications. Jacob Hora spent his time getting trench foot in Central Asia and riding solo across 800 miles of Armenia. At 15, he tackled the notorious Iditarod Trail Invitational with his mentor, Jay Petervary. The following year, he did the 1,200-mile Silk Road Mountain race in Kyrgyzstan. Now a senior at Fort Lewis College, he juggles classes with ultra endurance events like the Tour Divide and the Colorado Trail Race, where he’s proven himself to be one of the top contenders. Jacob sat down in the studio with Payson this week to talk about how he went from riding his bike to school every day to racing thousands of miles across some of the world's most rugged terrain, breaking his neck while racing the Tour Divide last year, and how a college class on sleep psychology changed his approach to the sport. Plus, he gives a preview of his upcoming trip to Türkiye, where he'll reunite with Jay to compete in the Taurus Mountain Race.Follow Jacob on Instagram: @jacob_hora Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Mārtiņš Blūms on Chequamegon and leaving World Cup XCO for gravel
Fans of XCO World Cup racing might have been surprised to learn at the beginning of the year that Mārtiņš Blūms was headed for the Grand Prix. The Latvian rider has been a mainstay on the World Cup circuit for a decade, racking up podiums and even winning the 2017 overall as a U23. But as he tells Payson in this conversation, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for cross country riders these days, and he was ready to try something new. Last month, he had a standout race at Chequamegon, where he went in a solo breakaway from the start and only lost out on a shot at the win when he had a mechanical.In this conversation, Mārtiņš talks about his transition to gravel, why he’s still been racing a handful of World Cups this season, and how his Grand Prix races have played out so far. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Sarah Sturm on motherhood and the future of US gravel
One month after giving birth to her daughter, Sarah Sturm is back in the studio with Payson to talk about what has changed and what has stayed the same in these past few transformational weeks. After a relatively smooth pregnancy and birth, she’s already been able to ride again, and she’s found that her relationship with the bike has been permanently altered. In this episode, Sarah discusses the day-to-day realities of raising an infant and how she sees her future in the sport, including her participation in the 2027 Life Time Grand Prix. She and Payson also talk about the future of the series now that the entry requirements have been overhauled. Has US gravel peaked? Where does UCI gravel fit in? And what can domestic gravel learn from the mountain biking scene of the ‘90s?Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Quinn Simmons on Leadville, the Tour, and his Dauphiné stage win
Quinn Simmons made headlines last month when it was announced that he’d be jumping into Leadville just a couple of weeks after racing the Tour de France. He sat down with Payson in Durango this week to talk about his last-minute decision to do the race, his standout performance at the Tour, and the stage win at Dauphiné that helped get him there. He also talks about what it’s like racing against the generational talent of Tadej Pogačar, the decline of professional road racing in the US, and how much longer he plans to race in the WorldTour.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Leadville 100 recap with Cobe Freeburn and Lauren Aggeler
This year’s Leadville 100 was unlike any other, with wildfires last month necessitating a reroute of the iconic course and cool temperatures and rain contributing to a chaotic race. Quinn Simmons and Rosa Klöser dropped in just after finishing their respective Tour de Frances, and Keegan Swenson had to sprint for the line for the first time thanks to a standout ride from Matt Wilson. Payson sat down with two Durango locals to recap the race — 24-year-old Cobe Freeburn, who is competing in his first Grand Prix this year but is already tied for 6th place with Matt Wilson, and 23-year-old Lauren Aggeler, who is duking it out for first place overall in the U23 field to punch her ticket to the elite Grand Prix field next year. They discuss crashes, tactics, and whether the course changes had a meaningful effect on the podium. Plus, we hear from listeners who raced in the amateur field. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Cam Jones on racing the Grand Prix as the defending champion and his Leadville strategy
A lot has changed for Cam Jones since our last episode with him a year ago. Back then, he’d just had his breakout ride at Unbound, winning the biggest gravel race in the world as a Grand Prix wild card. Now, he’s the defending champion of the entire series and anything but an underdog. He joins Payson this week to discuss how the racing dynamics have changed now that he’s a known quantity in the peloton, what it's been like settling in the US for now after years of constant travel back to New Zealand, and his expectations for the re-routed Leadville course. Plus, he recaps his commanding win at Oregon Trail and makes his case for 32-inch wheels. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Chad Cheeney on tracklocross and Sepp Kuss’s Tour de France crash
For the past 20 years, Chad Cheeney has been one of the most influential people in U.S. cycling, even if you’ve never heard of him. As the co-founder of Durango Devo, he’s helped foster the childhood talents of Sepp Kuss, Chris Blevins, Howard Grotts, Riley Amos, and Quinn Simmons, to name a few. More importantly, he’s instilled a lifelong love of cycling in countless Durango kids, regardless of whether they embark on racing careers.We had Chad on the show in 2021 to talk about this portion of his life. But today, he’s here to talk about his latest cycling obsession, tracklocross, which involves riding a fixed-gear track bike on the most counterintuitive terrain possible. Chad explains why it’s the perfect discipline for older riders, how it’s reinvigorated his sense of joy on the bike, and why it all relates to the 1890s. Plus, he talks about watching Sepp Kuss’s heroic and then terrifying ride at the Queen Stage of the Tour de France last weekend and what he took away from it as a coach.More information on tracklocross:Dracklo Turango - local blog for updates and tracklo hypeDracklo Turango InstagramChad's Instagram Dracklo.com for tracklocross events 63xc.com - old-school fixed gear MTB blogFiefdom - answers to all tracklocross questionsTracklocross Worlds in Zurich InstagramThe Green Video - Chad's favorite edit with legends Matt Reyes and Chas ChristiansenInstagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Matt Wilson on winning Tulsa Tough on a gravel bike and his breakout year
If you were racing with Matt Wilson last year, it was pretty clear that he was one of the strongest in the bunch, but through mechanicals and various other extenuating circumstances, he never managed to translate his talents into a top finish. This year, the Kiwi rider is out to prove what he can do. First, he snagged third at New Zealand Road Nats and second at XC Nats. Then, he earned one of the wild card spots in the Grand Prix at Unbound. Six days later, he lined up at Tulsa Tough, the biggest crit race in the U.S., and won it on his Unbound bike. Since then, he’s been on a cross-country road trip, hitting up seemingly every race along the way. Payson sat down with Matt in Durango to discuss his breakout season, jam-packed schedule, and the injury that has forced him to take a much needed break. They also talk about his friendship with fellow Kiwi and training buddy Cam Jones, and his history racing U23 on the XC World Cup circuit.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Tom Evans on his Hardrock 100 training camp and early military career
Tom Evans is one of the best ultrarunners in the world, having won both UTMB and Western States. Now, the British runner has his sights set on the Hardrock 100, one of the most technical of the major ultradistance races that starts at 9,300 feet above sea level and covers 33,000 feet of climbing in the rugged San Juan Mountains. Tom talks to Payson about the challenge of preparing for such a remote race at altitude, the team he’s assembled, and why he prioritises enjoyment over numbers in the weeks leading up to racing. He also discusses his unlikely route to ultradistance running after a career in the military, and how Red Bull signed him right before his first major result. Plus, we get some insight into his mindset from cognitive specialist Dr David Spindler, who has been working on the ground with Tom in Silverton for the past few weeks. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Levi Leipheimer on reckoning with the past and his life after the WorldTour
This week, Payson sits down for a candid conversation with Levi Leipheimer. They discuss his long road to processing his time in the WorldTour in the early 2000s, which was marked by remarkable professional success but marred by the doping scandal that shook the cycling world in the early 2010s. Levi talks about how he went from an idealistic kid in Montana dreaming of the WorldTour to his decision to take EPO. As is always the case, it’s not a straightforward story, and it’s taken him years to fully reckon with it. They also discuss how Payson’s generation of riders did their own processing of the scandal, and how Levi views his career now. Check out Osprey's Campcore collection here: https://www.osprey.com/featured/collaborations/campcoreInstagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Nino Schurter on retirement, gravel, and his unprecedented longevity in the sport
Nino Schurter hardly needs an introduction. Widely considered the greatest XCO mountain bike racer of all time, he's won 10 World Championships, nine World Cup overalls, and Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medals. Having retired from World Cup racing at the end of last year, he's been dipping a toe into gravel racing in 2026. In this conversation, Nino talks to Payson about his longevity in the sport and his undefeated 2017 season. He also dives into how his passion for product development and testing led to some of the most transformative innovations in the sport, and shares his perspective on gravel racing as a relative newcomer.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Unbound recap pt. 2: the age-group race (with Will, Emily, and Justin)
In the second part of our Unbound recap, Payson speaks to three age-group riders who finished in the middle of the night during torrential rain and thunderstorms. First up is Will Bledsoe, who completed the 100 last year and did most of his training for the 200 this year on an indoor trainer. He talks about his preparation for the race, why he was the very last rider to leave Emporia at the start, and the mental battle to finish the event in such historic conditions. Then, Emily and Justin talk about their Unbound experience. Emily decided not to do the 100 this year and was therefore on full-time support duties for Justin, who was hoping to complete his fifth 200 and join the 1,000-mile club. He finished at 1:30 after a series of downpours and thunderstorms that, at one point, forced him to take shelter in a convenience store. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Unbound recap pt. 1: the pro race (with Danni Shrosbree)
This year’s Unbound was humbling. Mud, thunder storms, and mechanicals galore plagued the racers and culled the pro field. To recap the carnage, Payson is joined by Danni Shrosbree, who battled multiple crises to grab a top 10 and secure a wildcard position in the Grand Prix. They discuss their top 5 “What the f*ck” moments from the race, their 5 silver linings, and the 5 most painful parts of their bodies when they crossed the finish line. Plus, we hear from listeners who participated in the race, and Payson gives an overview of the Grand Prix points standings. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc