With Pace

Payson caught up with fellow Grand Prix racer Maude Farrell at Leadville a couple of weeks ago to talk about how her season is going, why she went to Leadville even though she chose to skip racing it, and how she juggles professional racing with a full-time career at the electric vehicle company Rivian. They discuss the challenges of trying to have it all—professionally, athletically, and personally—and do a deep dive into the state of the electric vehicle industry and why there’s no silver bullet when it comes to making transportation more sustainable.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

There was one story that dominated Leadville this year. Keegan Swenson smashed the course record by more than 15 minutes and finished nearly 25 minutes ahead of second place. On the women's side, Sofia Gómez Villafañe won a tight battle among the top five, followed closely by Ruth Winder. In our recap, Payson chats with Velo reporter Betsy Welch about how good both the men’s and women’s fields have gotten this year, and where Keegan’s dominance leaves the rest of the racers. For a first-hand perspective on the women’s race, we hear from Ellen Campbell, who came to Leadville this year hoping to top her 7th place result last year. She talks about the dynamics of the women’s race, how they used Tobin Ortenblad’s blistering lead-out to their advantage, and why pee breaks can make or break the race in the women’s field. Lastly, Payson breaks down Keegan’s power numbers to see just what it took to achieve such a stunning result. Check out Payson's new film "Crossing Tasmania" here: https://youtu.be/eqI-hKkUoKwInstagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

The queen of ultra-endurance cycling returns to the show to talk about her punishing experience at this year’s Tour Divide, her upcoming stab at the Colorado Trail race, and her plan to race around the world, which she devised while riding several thousand miles to the start of the Tour Divide. After setting countless course records on bikepacking routes around the world, Lael is focusing all her energy on racing this year. Following her grueling experience on the Tour Divide that saw her coughing up blood, vomiting for weeks, and struggling to breathe, she’s preparing to complete the Triple Crown, which consists of the Tour Divide, the Colorado Trail race, and the Arizona Trail race. Lael tells Payson about working with a coach this year for the first time, her potential route for racing around the world next year, and why she and her wife Rugile Kaladyte, a visual journalist, haven’t been producing as many media projects about her riding lately. Payson also chats with Rue about what it was like following Lael’s Tour Divide race from afar, and how she plans to spend the rest of the season. Our full episode with Rue from 2021 can be found here: #127 Rugile Kaladyte, photojournalist and videographerInstagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Alexis Skarda - 6:24 Alexis has been climbing pro podiums for close to a decade. The multi-time collegiate national champ has won Marathon Nationals, the Whiskey 50, the Brek Epic, and holds the White Rim FKT. She’s in her second year racing the Grand Prix, and catches up with Payson to talk about coming back after a punishing experience at Unbound, what it’s like being teammates with Keegan Swenson and Tobin Ortenblad, and her secret musical side hustle. Stick around after the interview to hear one of her tracks. Bella Hyser - 36:55At 19, Bella is the youngest rider in the women’s field, but she discovered her talent for racing long distances three years ago. When the XC race circuit shut down during the pandemic, Bella started riding as far and as often as she could, and hasn’t stopped since. She tells Payson about how excited she was to get into the Grand Prix after her second try, how she and her coach have ramped up her training for the series, and how a phone call during Unbound kept her from pulling out of the race. Anna Yamauchi - 1:00:31Anna only started racing two years ago, but she’s already shown an aptitude for the sport, winning the Rock Cobbler earlier this year and placing second at BWR Arizona. She talks to Payson about how her difficult start in the Grand Prix has been a blessing in disguise, how her mentor Katerina Nash pushed her to stay in cycling, and why she’s jumping into the Andorra World Cup after Leadville.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

This week, we’re bringing you the next installment of our series on the women racing in this year’s Life Time Grand Prix.Caroline Tory [3:56] Caroline Tory was an accomplished skier and runner when she was introduced to gravel in 2021. She’s performed consistently well in the Grand Prix this season, standing seventh overall in the points. Outside cycling, she lives in the literary world, working as the Managing Director of the Aspen Words writers program at the Aspen Institute. Becca Fahringer [28:51] Becca came to gravel racing via cyclocross and has been sinking her teeth into the Grand Prix after more than a year of concussion recovery. She talks about altitude tents, why she cringes when she calls herself a gravel racer, and going back to school to work in the renewable energy sector.Caroline Mani [55:49] Caroline Mani has been a high-level cyclocross racer for most of her career and medaled at the World Championships in 2016. Even though she’s contemplating retirement, she decided to leap into gravel. She talks about why she isn’t sure it was a wise decision, and the mentorship programs that are keeping her passionate about cycling. Sarah Max [1:22:45] At 48, Sarah Max is the oldest rider in the Grand Prix. She also happens to be sitting in fourth place in the points. Her full-time career as the managing editor at Morgan Stanley Research has her commuting from Times Square to Emporia, Kansas, Beaver, Utah, and, in a few weeks, Leadville. She tells Payson about how she got into gravel while writing an article about Unbound, and how she manages a seemingly impossible schedule.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Ellen Campbell has been riding bikes since she was a kid growing up in Durango, Colorado. She raced in college and on the national circuit, but it was only last year that she decided to step into professional gravel full-time. Joining Sarah Sturm’s privateer program, she competed in the Grand Prix in 2022 with the goal of finishing every race. This year, she’s racing in the Grand Prix again, but her perspective and goals are shifting. In this interview, Ellen tells Payson about why she made up her mind to go professional  during a stressful weekend helping her partner, Howard Grotts, and Sarah at Leadville. They also talk about enneagrams, why her mindset on racing has changed this season, and what she thinks people got wrong about this year’s Unbound debate.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

The third round of the Life Time Grand Prix is an Infamous gravel race in Southwest Utah with over 10,000 feet of climbing over a punchy 69-mile course. This year’s race was defined by a distinct lack of drama, but it was still historic. Keegan Swenson became the first (and only) rider in the event’s history to finish in under four hours, while Sofía Gómez Villafañe smashed the women’s record by more than six minutes. Payson and Velo reporter Betsy Welch talk about these wins as well as some of the other noteworthy finishes. From Matt Beers to Paige Onweller, there were many riders who staked their claim on the leaderboard last week with breakout performances. One of the riders with an attention-grabbing race was Nathan Spratt, an Indiana native who started racing gravel in 2022 after years of racing on the road. He now lives in Utah and fits training alongside his engineering career. He joins Payson to talk about his sixth-place finish at Crusher, how he came to the Grand Prix, and what it's like to live, train, and work with his twin brother, Marc. Payson also breaks down the power files of some of the athletes, including Matt Beers and Haley Smith.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

This year’s Life Time Grand Prix brought a host of new contenders to the women’s roster along with some familiar faces from last year. With such a stacked field, we thought it was high time to get to know the individuals behind the results. To kick off our series, we have four racers whose vastly different paths have led them to the Grand Prix, Jenna Rinehart, Deanna Mayles, Iz King, and Leah Van der Linden. Among them, there’s a bike shop owner, a test engineer for world-class construction equipment, a former Wall Street trader, and a pro skier. They tell Payson about their journey to gravel and their experiences in the Grand Prix so far.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Sepp Kuss is a cyclist for WorldTour team Jumbo Visma. In 2021 he won a stage of the Tour de France, and last year helped secure the victory for his teammate Jonas Vingegaard. Last month, he helped Primož Roglič win the Giro d'Italia. In this conversation, Sepp reflects on how he’s grown as a rider since his first Grand Tour in 2018. He talks about this year’s Giro, how the team is approaching the Tour this year as reigning champions, and whether he has personal ambitions outside his role as a domestique. He also talks about that viral derailleur battery swap he did mid-race in the rain at 40 miles per hour, and offers some tips on how riders at this year’s Leadville can outsmart Alejandro Valverde, the rider he rode away from to seize his Tour de France stage victory in 2021. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Kristen Legan works in PR and Communications with some of the biggest cycling brands in the world, including Shimano and Mosaic Cycles. But on race weekends, you can find her battling for the podium. A couple of weeks ago, she walked away with the win after tearing through the mud-drenched 350 miles of the Unbound XL. In this conversation, Kristen talks to Payson about how surviving the infamous conditions at Unbound in 2015 prepared her for the miles of mud at this year’s event, her early career as a triathlete, and why she knows she isn’t cut out for being a professional athlete despite consistently performing at the top of the sport. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc