With Pace

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Haley Batten, mountain biker Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Kiel Reijnen, professional road cyclist Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Jonathan Levin: Last place finisher at Unbound Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Stories from Unbound XL with Will Loevner and Amanda Nauman Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Abi Robins, Unbound Gravel’s first non-binary category finisher Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Unbound recap: Winners of the 200 Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Rule of 3 Q&A, with special guests Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Ian Boswell, pro road cyclist turned gravel racer May 25, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Darian Harvey: Professional mechanic and DH racer May 18, 2021

Show notes

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: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Michelle Duffy, Marketing of Life Time events and Amy Charity, co-founder of SBT GRVL May 11, 2021

Show notes

Today on the show, Payson talks to two influential behind-the-scenes figures in gravel racing. Michelle Duffy is Associate Marketing Director for Life Time, and oversees its off-road events such as the Leadville 100 and Unbound (formerly Dirty Kanza). She came to cycling after spending years as a marketing manager for the New York City Marathon. Amy Charity is the owner and co-founder of SBT GRVL. She raced professionally as a road cyclist and spent 15 years in the financial sector before founding SBT GRVL. In this interview, they talk about how they turned a major scheduling conflict between two of gravel’s biggest races into a collaborative opportunity. When it became clear that Leadville and SBT GRVL fell on consecutive days, they created LeadBoat, a 250 mile stage race combining the two events which is set to take place later this year.
They also talk about expanding the gravel community, and what it’s like being women in a sport which is still dominated by men. They also share their uniquely difficult experiences during 2020, when Amy lost her business partner and Michelle suffered from a life threatening health event.

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: howdy@withpace.cc

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