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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Peter Stetina, pro road cyclist turned gravel racer
Pete Stetina raced in the WorldTour for ten years before transitioning to gravel racing in 2019. During that time, he raced in the Tour De France, the Giro D’Italia, and the Vuelta Espana. Since moving to gravel, he has featured on the podium at many races, including winning the Belgian Waffle Ride during his first year on the gravel scene. More recently, he won the inaugural Leadboat, a two day challenge that combines the Leadville 100 and Steamboat Gravel. In this conversation, he and Payson talk about how he fits into the gravel scene, the work that goes on off the bike now that he's a privateer, and why he’s happier now than he was in the WorldTour. They also address the current controversy in gravel racing surrounding the use of male domestiques by some of the top female riders, and how he's hoping to level the playing field at his own race, Stetina's Paydirt next month. He also talks about the crash he suffered in 2015 at the Tour of the Basque Country, which threw his future into doubt and nearly led to a leg amputation. He tells about the four day ordeal of returning to the US after leaving the Spanish hospital, the grueling rehab process, and his triumphant return to the WorldTour that same year. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Rugile Kaladyte, photojournalist and videographer
Rue Kaladyte is a photojournalist and videographer. She started out in journalism, working for the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska, where the pressures of the 24 hour news cycle led her to seek longer form projects, including one that introduced her to her wife, Lael Wilcox. Following the closure of the newspaper, she began working full-time as a photojournalist capturing stories from ultra-endurance bike events. Now, she and Lael travel all over the world highlighting some of the most wild and challenging bikepacking routes. In this conversation, Rue and Payson talk about why she prefers living in Lael’s shadow even though she is integral to her success, why she would never have chosen to leave newspaper journalism, and why they still haven’t enjoyed a real honeymoon. She shares about the opposition she and Lael have faced from the bikepacking community about documenting events, and the hurdles they have had to jump through to show footage of Lael’s achievements.Rue also talks about a lesser known side of her story. She was born in a small village in Lithuania and moved to Chicago with her mother and sister as a child. While she returned to the country to visit family throughout her childhood, it wasn’t until college that she reconnected with Lithuania through a journalism project. In that process, she uncovered a painful story about the country that ended up hitting much closer to home than she expected. She talks to Payson about how her identity as a Lithuanian affects her work, and the trip she took with Lael to visit her father and grandfather in 2018. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Chris Blevins on his experience at the Tokyo Olympics
Chris Blevins returns to the show to talk about competing at this year's Olympics in Tokyo. It was a different experience than the one he anticipated in 2019, when he visited the city to test ride the course before he knew he would make the Olympic team. Since then, the event was delayed by a year and transformed by the pandemic. Chris talks about the bittersweet feelings of competing in his first Olympic Games without his family by his side. Complications with travel, isolation within the cyclist's athlete village, heavy security, and daily covid testing featured heavily. But other things stood out too, such as the moment it really sunk in that he was an Olympian, the Czech shot-putter he sat next to on the flight over, and the seemingly bottomless wardrobe he and his fellow Team USA members were provided with upon arrival. He also talks about the race itself and how he and his coach set their sights on a personal goal to avoid the pressures of such an historic event.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Neil Beltchenko, winner of the Colorado Trail Race 2021
Neil Beltchenko has competed in some of the most infamous bikepacking races for nearly a decade, including the Iditarod Trail Invitational, which he won in 2018, and the Arizona Trail 300, which he has won multiple times and where set a course record in 2016. In this interview, he joins Payson just days after winning the Colorado Trail Race. He has ridden and completed the Colorado Trail six times, and set a course record in 2016. In spite of these accomplishments, however, he tells Payson that he never starts a race with a win or a record in mind, nor does he expect to be the fastest. He talks about why he keeps returning to the CT, the moment in this year's race that he almost turned back, and the off-the-bike physical preparation to which he attributes his consistent success and surprising lack of long term injuries. He also gives a detailed gear list run down, and offers a few nutritional hacks that he's learned over the years. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Jeff Garmire, ultrarunner and Colorado Trail record holder
Jeff Garmire is an ultrarunner and thru-hiker who holds the unsupported running FKT for the Colorado Trail, which he completed in nine days earlier this year. He specializes in unsupported efforts, carrying all the food and supplies he needs from beginning to end, including any trash he generates along the way. He has also held the FKTs on the Arizona Trail, the Long Trail, and the Pinhoti Trail. In this interview, he talks to Payson about his unusual trajectory to ultrarunning, having started as a thru-hiker on backpacking routes such as the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail, and then moving towards shorter distances and faster times. He also talks about running out of food on the second-to-last day of his Colorado Trail FKT, and why, in spite of this, it was the second day that was the hardest. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Payson and Fred Dreier, Editor-in-chief of VeloNews, interview each other
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 Times before returning to the cycling beat. They discuss where they think cycling might be headed, and how amateur riders have more influence over the future of the sport than ever.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Haley Batten, mountain biker
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, and what it’s been like to race against longtime friend Kate Courtney. They also talk about her life off the bike, most notably her choice to pursue higher education. She explains why getting a college degree remains so important to her, why she chose an unconventional approach to education, and her experiences going to university in Canada. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Kiel Reijnen, professional road cyclist
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 childhood home. He also talks about how the road cycling community he was first introduced to resembled the inclusivity of the gravel community more than the exclusivity more commonly associated with the standard road scene. Perhaps because of this, he has started competing in gravel races in the last few years, most recently at Unbound in June. During that race, an early mechanical resulted in him running 18 miles of the course, barefoot. While this generated a considerable amount of press attention, however, he explains to Payson that this wasn't the first time he's found himself running such a long distance in inadequate footwear on short notice. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Jonathan Levin: Last place finisher at Unbound
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 on such a big challenge without much prior experience, the aspect of the race that they got right, and why he might be aiming for the 350 mile Unbound XL race next. He talks about some of the more memorable moments from those 200 miles, including hallucinations, a quick creek swim, and a narrowly avoided crash at the finish. And they're joined by Jonathan's friend, Chris, who crewed for Jonathan and his friends and got more than he bargained for. Jonathan also talks about his professional life, where he runs a global company that develops investigation and compliance software for cryptocurrencies, and was listed on the Fortune Magazine's "40 Under 40" list.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Stories from Unbound XL with Will Loevner and Amanda Nauman
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 duct taped laceration on his arm that would later require stitches. In this conversation, he explains why stopping was never an option.Amanda Nauman had previously raced the 200 mile race five times, winning twice and coming in second twice. She talks about why she decided to make the leap to XL and how the longer race compares the 200 culturally, physically, and mentally.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Abi Robins, Unbound Gravel’s first non-binary category finisher
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 question, and Abi and Payson discuss their mutual fascination with the mental aspects of long races, especially for the vast majority of riders who are not competing for a first place finish. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Unbound recap: Winners of the 200
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 whether or not his life has changed since the win. He also talks about where he hopes to take his newfound gravel career, and why keeping cycling in perspective is so important. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Rule of 3 Q&A, with special guests
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 Horseshoe Hell, the 'Burning Man of rock climbing'. Payson is also joined by Crystal Anthony, the winner of the women's race, who talks about moving to Bentonville, the tactical decisions that led her to victory, and her plans for the rest of the season. And finally, we play an excerpt from Payson's interview last week with Ian Boswell, who talks about choosing Rule of 3 as his first ever gravel race after leaving professional road racing in 2019. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Ian Boswell, pro road cyclist turned gravel racer
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 concussion at the end of 2019. In this conversation, he and Payson discuss racing each other at the Rule of Three, what he loves about gravel, and why Payson thinks Ian is a contender for winning Unbound next month. Ian also talks about his decision to leave pro road racing, why concussion awareness in sports is so important, and his new life working full-time at a ‘normal’ job and living on a farm in Vermont.Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc
Darian Harvey: Professional mechanic and DH racer
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 caused component shortages and months’ long delays from manufacturers and suppliers. She talks about her early career as a professional downhill racer, where she won back-to-back national championship titles in 2008 and 2009. They also talk about how she stays on top of rapidly evolving cycling technology which now requires her and her coworkers to be electricians and tech experts as well as mechanics, and she also talks about the head injuries she suffered during her racing career and the consequences she’s experiencing decades later. Instagram: @withpacepodcastYouTube: Payson McElveenEmail: howdy@withpace.cc