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.
Lea Davison on putting the “tired” in retirement and being an advocate within the sport
Lea Davison thought long and hard about her retirement, but even when she finally decided to bring her mountain biking career to a close, she didn't have any intention of slowing down. During her racing career, she won a silver and a bronze medal at the World Championships, placed third overall in the 2015 World Cup series, and went to the Olympics twice. Now in "retirement," she's working as a race commentator, mountain biking coach, and public speaker. Last year, she traveled more for work than she did at any point during her racing career. Payson caught up with Lea at Unbound earlier this month to talk about how busy her work has been since stepping away from the World Cup circuit, why she was devastated to miss out on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics team, and how racing Unbound in 2022 forced her to confront the weight of her retirement. She also talks about a turning point a few years ago when she decided to go all-in on advocating for women in cycling, the difficulty of coming out as one of the few openly gay athletes in the sport in 2018, and her elaborate routine for preparing for the grueling 15 hour day of commentating for Unbound.
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