Choose the Hard Way

After being forced to retire from professional cycling due to a series of concussions, Ian Boswell reinvented himself as a dominant force in the new world of gravel racing - and he's not looking back. The 2021 Unbound Gravel 200 champion was formerly a member of Team Sky, the world's top pro cycling team at the time, where he competed in all three grand tours of Europe - the Giro, the Vuelta, and the Tour de France.  But it's not just about winning for Boswell. He's focused on balancing family life, homesteading, and a full-time job at the fitness tech company, Wahoo. He sat down with host Andrew Vontz, to discuss his path to success, the challenges he's overcome, and the future of gravel racing. To learn more about Ian or listen to his podcast, Breakfast with Boz, follow him on Instagram and check out the Choose the Hard Way website. Ian Boswell on Instagram | Strava Breakfast with Boz Podcast 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

After a decade as a United States Navy SEAL, Ben Davis is now conquering peaks, competing in races and coaching. He is also the executive director of the Veterans Outdoor Advocacy Group (VOAG) - a non-profit that promotes access to outdoor adjunct therapies for all veterans. In his last few years of service, he completed numerous mountaineering endeavors and has since competed in some of the most challenging mountain bike and ultra running races in the world, including the Leadville 100. He now lives in Colorado's front range and works as a cycling and endurance sports coach for Boundless Coaching. His specialty is long-distance mountain bike racing. Ben joins host Andrew Vontz to share how his experiences in the military and in endurance sports have shaped his understanding of personal achievement, and what he has (and has not) discovered about himself in the process. To learn more about Ben and VOAG, head to the Choose the Hard Way website. Ben Davis Instagram | Newsletter  VOAG Website | Instagram Boundless Endurance Coaching Instagram | 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  

From growing up on a bison farm to winning the 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Alison Jackson is now known for more than just her world class wins. The pro cyclist with UCI Women's WorldTeam EF Education–Tibco–SVB has also gone viral on TikTok. Alison has come a long way thanks to her unique blend of humor and athletic intuition. When she was younger, she trained in triathlons and ran competitively, even attending the University World Championships in Uganda. After committing to cycling, she quickly made moves to the top and represented Canada in the 2020 Summer Olympics. In this episode, she joins host Andrew Vontz to talk about what it took to become the champion of the biggest one-day race in the sport and shares the powerful role storytelling, social media and dance play in her life as an athlete and in life. 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

Entrepreneur, scientist, and author Chris Case shares his experiences as an endurance athlete, discussing the genesis of Alter Exploration. He explores the importance of challenging and transformative experiences in endurance sports. They also discuss the rewards of stepping out of one's comfort zone and the joy of guiding others to beloved places. Additionally, they delve into starting a business and the balance between personal growth and business success.

Pioneering sports data journalist and coach Zach Nehr has always been ahead of the curve. He is one of the first journalists to do deep quantitative analyses of power data from the world's top pro cyclists, and now he’s transferred that knowledge to the growing scene of virtual racing. An elite level competitor in road, track and cycling esports, Zach has recently taken a slew of victories at the highest level of eracing on Zwift and MyWhoosh with the NeXT eSport presented by Enshored team. Zach joins host Andrew Vontz to talk about how he developed such a differentiated and effective approach as a writer, coach and top-level athlete, and how his study of human performance helped him rocket to the top of Zwift racing. Zach studied exercise science and raced bikes at Marian University and is the owner of ZNehr Coaching. His revolutionary writing approach - found on the likes of Cyclingnews, Velonews, TrainingPeaks, CyclingTips, and Bicycle Guider - has since been imitated by many writers in the field. To learn more about Zach, visit zachnehr.com and follow him on Instagram. In This Episode:  Zach Nehr Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Strava | 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    

As a respected journalist, Ben Delaney has written and edited for top outlets like VeloNews, BikeRadar, and Cycling Weekly. He’s also the director of content at FasCat Coaching. Last year, he decided it was time to take a crack at creating his own cycling content. Enter Ben's YouTube channel, The Ride. With a million views in just a year, it's clear that Ben has hit the mark. The Ride offers expert reviews on bikes, gear, and tires, as well as exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from some of the toughest gravel races around. Though he is humble about it, with wins at the SBT GRVL Blue Course and the BWR Utah 45+ field, he’s a force to be reckoned with on the trails. In this episode, Ben joins host Andrew Vontz to share universal lessons that come from career changes, gravel races, and going out on your own. To learn more about Ben and The Ride, check out the show notes. In This Episode:  Ben Delaney YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn  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

Professional racing duo Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin are on a quest to race the best and most challenging mountain bike races in America, filming their adventures along the way to give viewers an unvarnished look at the reality of living on the road as professional cyclists. After traveling in a tiny orange car, then a series of (old, janky) white vans, they retired from life on the road and now live in Los Alamos, New Mexico where they train and prep for races around the world - like the recent Transandes Challenge, an epic expedition in Patagonia. They have also added cross country, stage racing and endurance events to their lineup. Syd and Macky join host Andrew Vontz to share how they went from amateur content creation to financial independence with YouTube, what it means to focus on "the 10% things not the 1% things," and why basic rest and recovery are both the most important and least executed part of every training regiment. You can check out all of their video content on YouTube, and follow them on Instagram. To learn more, check out the show notes: www.choosethehardway.com/episodes/syd-and-macky.   In This Episode: Syd & Macky 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

Dylan Johnson’s skill on the bike, coupled with his popular YouTube videos about exercise physiology and racing tactics have put him at the forefront of cycling culture. He’s a renowned professional cyclist racing in the Lifetime Grand Prix gravel and mountain bike national series and the co-founder of Ignition Coaching Co. In this episode, he talks to host Andrew Vontz about how he balances it all while remaining competitive in the ever-evolving cycling landscape. Dylan is also one of the hosts of the Bonk Bros podcast about the latest happenings in the world of bike racing. To learn more about Dylan, find him on Instagram, and learn more about him in the show notes.   In This Episode: Dylan Johnson Website | 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

Cycling has influenced Craig Dalton in business and life. He is the dynamic co-founder and CEO of DODOcase and DODOcase VR, and current VP of Portfolio a Founder in Residence at Collaborative Fund. He’s also the host of The Gravel Ride, a podcast that recently hit the one-million download mark. His passion for the bike industry led him to Dean Titanium, and he then applied the lessons from the world of cycling to fuel his leap into the competitive tech domain, where he founded DODOcase. In this episode, he shares a story with host Andrew Vontz about shaking hands with President Obama in the White House, talking about American manufacturing. In addition to his years as a consultant, entrepreneur, development expert, and MBA graduate, Craig is a board member and acting executive director of the non-profit Bike Index. You can find The Gravel Ride anywhere you listen to podcasts, and learn more about Craig in the show notes.   In This Episode: Craig Dalton LinkedIn | Twitter  The Gravel Ride Podcast Instagram | Spotify  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

Long before Cameron Mason made it to the podium, he was filming and creating content about racing. Cameron is a Scottish professional cyclist and filmmaker who has amassed over 2.5 million views on YouTube documenting his experiences in cyclocross, road racing and mountain bike racing. His distinctive style on the bike and behind the lens caught the attention of Tom Pidcock and he now competes for UCI team Trinity Racing. Last season, he was a British national cyclocross champion, scored top five finishes in Belgium and had a 9th place finish at the World Championships. Cameron joins host Andrew Vontz and Spencer Martin of Beyond the Peloton to talk about his rise as a filmmaker and cyclist, and how documenting races - and riding for fun - impacted his career. You can see more behind the scenes on Instagram, on Twitter and on YouTube. To hear about his pro cycling career and where he is heading next in the sport, check out part two of this interview on Beyond the Peloton, available wherever you get your podcasts. In This Episode: Cameron Mason 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