Choose the Hard Way

Iz King left Wall Street to pedal for gold on gravel roads and trails across America as a pro cyclist in the LifeTime Grand Prix. She played D1 soccer for Columbia University where she was the team captain, traded equities for UBS then got into racing triathlons while completing her MBA at UCLA. So what leads someone to step off the fintech yellow brick road to take 165-mile weekday rides from Santa Monica to Ojai and back? Let’s find out. Iz’s story is complex and we get into the unexpected bumps and broken backs she has encountered along the way. To learn more about Iz go to @king_iz on Instagram or kingiz.com. Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Michelle Curran, call sign MACE, spent three years flying in the United States Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team and was the lead soloist for two of those years flying on the outer left wing of the delta formation. Michelle was the fifth woman ever to be a member of the Thunderbirds and while deployed as a fighter pilot in Afghanistan in 2016, she acquired 163 combat hours. When Michelle left the Thunderbirds in 2021 she continued to pursue her passion for inspiring and motivating people in a slightly different format. Today she’s a keynote speaker and the author of the children’s book "Upside Down Dreams" and a forthcoming biography. Michelle has done many fantastic podcast appearances about leadership and lessons learned from her time in combat and with the Thunderbirds. In this interview, we go deep on new topics including risk management, vulnerability, the power of extraordinary effort, why you must become an expert learner to become the very best at anything, and the role mountaineering, running and strength training played in helping Michelle prepare for and heal from the physical demands of pulling 9 G’s while on the road 240 days a year with the Thunderbirds and more. My uncles used to take me to the airshow at Richards Gebauer air base outside Kansas City every summer when I was a kid and watching the United States Air Force Thunderbirds was one of the most truly awe inspiring things I have ever experienced. This one is extra special for me and I’m really excited to share it with you. Special thank you to former Choose the Hard Way guest Ben Davis, the author, former Navy SEAL and VOAG executive director for connecting me to Michelle, very much appreciated. You can catch my interview with Ben in the archives. You can learn more about Michelle at macecurran.com or on Instagram @mace_curran. Michelle Curran Website | Instagram  Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

With years of cycling and endurance experience under his belt, Derek Teel now dedicates his life to providing strength training programs and coaching through his app and platform dialedhealth.com, helping cyclists around the world become healthier and perform better. In this episode, we'll dive into Derek's journey from building bike ramps and working out in his parents' garage with p90x, to becoming a successful entrepreneur running his business, Dialed Health. We'll discuss the highs and lows of his racing career and learn how he transitioned from being a pro downhill & enduro mountain bike racer to a sought-after strength coach who is blowing up on Instagram. Hear about Derek’s experience tackling an Everest challenge on his mountain bike, a double Everest ride on his road bike, why he is focusing exclusively on gravel racing and how he keeps pushing for more as a business owner, family man, and athlete.  You can learn more about Derek at dialedhealth.com. Derek Teel Instagram | YouTube | Podcast | Website Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher    

Kerry Werner was living the hardcore multi-discipline pro cyclist life long before it was cool and has been bringing viewers inside the races on YouTube for nearly a decade. During that time, he has gone from an ace mountain bike pro to one of the brightest American stars in cyclocross to taking the now inevitable leap into the Belgian Waffle Ride series and Lifetime Grand Prix. As pro cycling and creator life on YouTube have evolved, so has Kerry and his breakfast habits which have seen him transform from a pancake evangelist into just another cold cereal muncher. I loved getting to hear his point of view on those topics and his controversial course tape clotheslining during the 2019 cyclocross National Championships. You can find Kerry on YouTube and on Instagram @kerryw24. Choose the Hard Way is a podcast about how doing hard things is fun. Please help more people find this podcast. To do that, just hit subscribe and rate the show five stars on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this episode with someone you care about. Go to choosethehardway.com to sign up for the newsletter and if there’s someone you think would make a great guest, please send a note to choosethehardway@gmail.com or @hardwaypod on social.   In This Episode:  Kerry Werner Instagram | YouTube Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Unbound XL winner Kristen Legan & Gravel legend Nick Legan on racing, adventure, bikepacking and teamwork in sport, life and marriage as lived at Unbound Gravel, Ride the Divide, TransIowa and more. The inside line on the months of prep, recon and planning that went into Unbound XL, why Kristen and Nick like to go deep, why they choose the hard way and recommend that you do, too. Kristen Legan won the 350-mile, 2023 Unbound XL gravel race in 26 hours and six minutes, beating her closest competitor by nearly two full hours. She modestly describes herself as a sometimes-pro racer who competes in gravel and endurance mountain bike races with a healthy heaping of bikepacking in the mix. She also leads communications for Shimano North America and Mosaic cycles and works with endurance athletes of all kidneys through her coaching company, Rambleur. Nick Legan has worked as WorldTour and Olympic mechanic, a tech editor and now leads gravel marketing for Shimano. He’s completed the Tour Divide, Trans Iowa, Unbound XL and Unbound 200 five times. He’s also the author of “Gravel Cycling: The Complete Guide to Gravel Racing and Adventure Bikepacking.” If memory serves me correctly, the first time I did the Unbound 100 back in 2013, Nick and Kristen were there. You can watch a chunk of Kristen’s Unbound XL victory in the Vegan Cyclist’s video about the event, he closely trailed her for much of the race before he tapped out and she went on to win. Nick has graciously helped me with a decade’s-worth of tech questions about my gear for which I’m deeply grateful and I’m excited to bring this conversation to you today where we cover everything about Kristen and Nick’s meticulous preparation, planning and teamwork to put Kristen in the best possible position to execute to the best of her ability on race day at Unbound XL and dive into many of their other adventures and how Kristen is working with athletes through her coaching company. Find Kristen on social @KPLegan and learn more about her coaching practice at rambleur.com and find Nick @nlegan and on bookshelves everywhere if bookshelves still exist, otherwise find him on Amazon and buy his awesome book.   In This Episode:  Kristen Legan Instagram Nick Legan Instagram  Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner, Olympian and current Canadian national road race champion Alison Jackson is back for her second appearance on Choose the Hard Way to talk about Tour de France Femmes and more. Alison is a major favorite for a stage win and her EF Education Tibco-SVB team is expected to animate the race. Alison is well known for her work as a creator and storyteller and you can find her on Instagram @aliactionjackson. This episode is a collab with Spencer Martin, the sheriff of Valmont bike park, a co-host of several cycling podcasts on the WEDŪ network and the author of the best pro racing analysis newsletter, Beyond the Peloton, which you can find at https://beyondthepeloton.substack.com/. Like Voltron coming together, Spencer and I co-host the Beyond the Peloton podcast where we analyze the latest races and happenings in pro cycling, coin strategic moves like the reverse Geraint Thomas and provide a perspective you won’t get anywhere else. In my first interview with Alison we talked about her rise as a pro and storyteller and you can find that episode everywhere you listen at and at choosethehardway.com.  In this episode we got deep on how she forged a race-winning mindset on the bison farm where she grew up, how she’s approaching the Tour Femmes, her thoughts on leadership and team building and more. Choose the Hard Way is a podcast about how doing hard things is fun. Please help more people find this podcast. To do that, just hit subscribe and rate the show five stars on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this episode with someone you care about. Go to choosethehardway.com to sign up for the newsletter and if there’s someone you think would make a great guest, please send me a note to choosethehardway@gmail.com or @hardwaypod on social.    To learn more about Alison, follow her on Instagram.   In This Episode:  Alison Jackson Instagram  Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Mitch Docker is the creator of the Life in the Peloton podcast and a former World Tour pro cyclist. Mitch raced the biggies including the Giro and Vuelta and rode for legendary squads including EF, Green Edge and Skil Shimano. He was best known as a leadout man, classics rider and road captain. He’s equally well known for his highly entertaining storytelling, the highest-volume mullet the sport has seen since Laurent Brochard and a mustache a California Highway Patrolman would envy. I love Mitch’s podcast and I’m grateful to Peacham, Vermont’s proudest son, Ian Boswell for connecting us to make this interview happen. You may have heard Mitch talk about cycling style, culture and racing for hundreds of hours on his pod and others, but this chat has loads of new material and surprising revelations. Cape Epic, Mitch’s insider experience as a leadout man, dad life, the allure of gravel, the importance of psychological training and preparation, leadership lessons and things Mitch learned in the World Tour that have helped him as an entrepreneur, areas where he has had to work hard in life after pro cycling and much more. It’s all here in this unprecedented interview. Choose the Hard Way is the podcast about how doing hard things is fun and builds stronger humans. Sharing is caring, please rate this show 5 stars wherever you listen, hit subscribe and tell your mom about it.  You can suggest guests and send me your great ideas @hardwaypod on social and at choosethehardway@gmail.com. Find Life in the Peloton everywhere you listen and at lifeinthepeloton.com and find Mitch on Instagram @mitchbowen.   Mitch Docker Instagram Life in the Peloton Website | PodcastWatch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Brent Bookwalter is a Tour de France commentator for the NBC Peacock team. He spent 16 years as a pro cyclist and raced in the World Tour including on the BMC squad that helped Cadel Evans win the 2011 Tour de France. He shares about his experiences before, during and after his career as a pro cyclist, the path that led him to pursue a graduate degree in psychology, why he passed on the calling of the holy spirit of gravel and how he landed the coveted Tour analyst gig. Catch him on Peacock’s coverage of the Tour and to learn more, go to www.brentbookwalter.com and @brentbookwalter on Twitter. Choose the Hard Way is the podcast about how doing hard things is fun and builds stronger humans. You’re one of those strong humans so please hit subscribe and rate this show 5 stars wherever you listen. Sign up for the newsletter at choosethehardway.com and you can suggest guests and send me your great ideas @hardwaypod on social and at choosethehardway@gmail.com. Brent Bookwalter Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Website Bookwalter BingeWatch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Veloworthy founder Brian Co on building a sports media empire solo while working full time and raising a family. Brian has single-handedly built a dedicated following by profiling top cycling pros and providing an inside look at the world of gravel cycling that traditional media outlets have failed to capture. Now, Veloworthy is one of the most influential media properties in cycling. Brian talks with Andrew Vontz about his journey from filming local bike races to covering the biggest pro gravel races across the country like Belgian Waffle Ride, Unbound Gravel and more. Hear about the challenges he faces and the techniques he's fine-tuned for capturing a unique perspective, building relationships with top athletes and brands and the method he has developed for covering sprawling events on inaccessible terrain on social media, live, as it happens. Follow @veloworthy on Instagram and check out race recaps on YouTube. Veloworthy Website | Instagram | YouTube Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Keegan Swenson continues to dominate the gravel racing world, winning this year's Unbound Gravel in tough conditions after a runner-up finish in 2022. Swenson's prowess on the dirt is also backed by his affiliation with Santa Cruz Bicycles htSQD, an elite group of multi-surface racers. It's no wonder that Keegan is known as the top gravel racer on a global scale: he also has the 2022 Lifetime GrandPrix series, Leadville Trail 100, and Sea Otter Classic wins under his belt, among many others. In a conversation with Andrew Vontz, Swenson reflects on his latest muddy victory, breaks down how he experiments with race prep and gear choices, explains strategy for selecting races, and shares his priorities for the rest of the season. To learn more about Keegan, follow him on Instagram and check out the show notes. Keegan Swenson on Instagram Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - -  Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher