With Pace

Ruth Winder is a professional road cyclist who rides for the UCI Women’s WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo. In this conversation, she talks about her nail-biting win at road National Championships last year, and why her experience doing the Everest Challenge in May was even harder. She opens about her struggle with an eating disorder early in her career when the team she was on requested that she lose weight in order to enhance her skills as a climber. She talks about the ways in which disordered eating is perpetuated and even encouraged in competitive cycling through slogans like “eating is cheating” and the privileging of numerical data over health and wellbeing. She also tells Payson and Justin about her baking subscription service in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado, and why she’s already thinking about what she’d like to do in retirement. Finally, they discuss the 2016 Rio Olympics and why it was a largely unhappy experience that has prompted Ruth to shift her focus towards goals that encompass the whole year and don't predicate happiness or success on one or two races. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

In this episode of Quarantine Companion, mountain bike World Champion Kate Courtney returns to the show to talk about how her life and training have changed in the last few months. She and Payson talk about her covid-19 fundraising challenges, why the last few months have provided her with greater confidence in her process, and why the support of the global cycling community is more important now than ever. They also talk about some of her top secret preparations for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, what her backup plans are if the remainder of the 2020 World Cup season is cancelled, and her “95% Rule” for balancing work and life. With Justin out this week, Kate answers some audience questions in addition to the standard Quarantine Companion rapid fire questions, including a much asked and highly controversial one about plant-based diets. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Chloé Dygert is a track cyclist who has won five world championships and a silver medal from the Rio Olympics in 2016. She currently races for the UCI team Sho-Air Twenty20. In this conversation, she tells Payson and Justin about how her extensive history of injuries has only served to strengthen her drive and competitive mindset, how she managed to win every single title at the 2019 Colorado Classic, and why she’d rather quit than get second place. She also talks about her goal of competing in seven Olympic Games, her passion for Barbie collecting, and why she has a lot more in common with Michael Jordan than you might think. They also have a debate about the growing importance of social media in professional sports and whether or not it’s a positive change for athletes, and Chloé explains why she can’t stand talking to people at races. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

In this special episode, Payson and Justin are joined by fellow pro cyclist, Christopher Blevins, for a wide ranging conversation about racial justice. Growing up as one of the only people of color in his small mountain town, Chris confronted the realities of race in America from an early age, and has gone on to study criminal justice and prison reform in college. Justin shares his own experiences of growing up in a predominantly black and Latino part of Los Angeles, and how racial inequality was apparent from his early days as an elementary school student as well. They also talk about the problem with expecting athletes to ignore political and social realities and just do their jobs, and how sports can both break down the barriers of racism and reinforce racial stereotypes. They discuss what “defund the police” actually means, and whether or not it’s realistic to hope for change within the hearts of those who discriminate against people of color. They address the merits and limitations of tokenism within athletic marketing, and suggest ways in which to avoid fatigue and cynicism in the face of so many global crises. And last but not least, they double down on the pushup challenge, and learn Chris’s must-haves while in quarantine. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Coryn Rivera is a road cyclist who rides for the UCI WorldTeam Team Sunweb. Over her 16 years of racing, she’s achieved 72 national titles and won the Tour of Flanders in her first year on the World Tour. In this conversation, she talks about growing up racing and training with Justin in California as a junior, the nail-biting team relay at Collegiate Nationals when she went head-to-head with Payson’s team and forced him to dig deeper than he’s ever gone, and the cultural challenges of moving to Europe and being the only American on her team. They also talk about her surprise win at the 2017 Tour of Flanders and how she navigated the pressure of achieving early success. Her ability to find mental fuel in spite of prestigious competition has been key to her ongoing success in the WorldTour, and she highlights the importance of finding a “why” after transitioning from junior and collegiate racing to the pro ranks. They also talk about elevating the profiles of entire teams rather just the team leaders in road cycling, and the life-threatening crash that made her turn down her professional racing opportunities and go to college instead. Lastly, they raise the difficulty of the Push Up Challenge yet again, and Coryn brings the heat. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Chase Garrett is a former Red Bull athlete marketing manager, and founder and CEO of Icon Source, an online marketing platform connecting brands with like-minded athletes from all realms of professional sport. Throughout his career, Chase has managed athletes and agents in tennis, NFL, MLB, NBA, cycling, snow, and motocross. In this conversation, he talks with Payson and Justin about why he chose to leave his dream job at Red Bull after six years to start his own company, what it was like working for one of the biggest companies in the world and befriending world famous athletes, and how he's keeping his small business afloat in the time of the pandemic. They also talk about how he identifies marketable athletes from outside mainstream sports, and the time he ended up in the trunk of a car in Monaco with NFL star DeMarcus Ware.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Four-time cyclocross national champion and world champion silver medalist Ellen Noble returns to The Adventure Stache to chat about how life has changed since her first appearance on the show way back in Episode 34. They talk about the pressures of being a role model in women’s cycling, the lose/lose reality of being a female athlete on social media, and why Ellen has finally started her own program this year. They also discuss misconceptions about money, share some cringeworthy dad jokes, and attempt to uncover Ellen's skills as a dancer. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Todd Ballard is the former Chief Marketing Officer at GoPro. During his nine years there, he was instrumental in elevating the brand to global recognition and choosing which athletes the company sponsored. In this conversation, he tells Payson and Justin what drew him to GoPro long before it was a household name, why passion is more important that fame when it comes to sponsored athletes, and why he chose to leave GoPro after so many successful years there. They also talk about impostor syndrome, business pressures, and the parallels between professional sports and high level companies. They also swap jokes, argue over favorite snacks, and hear the one story that’s impacted Todd the most in his career. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Ayesha McGowan is a professional road cyclist. As the first African American woman to reach pro status in cycling, she balances her racing career with advocacy for greater representation in the sport. In this conversation, she talks with Payson and Justin about using her platform to elevate athletes from underrepresented backgrounds, and her previous career in classical music and teaching. They also talk about unconscious racism, the snowboarding accident that ended her music career, and whether or not she has plans to start her own team. Things get contentious when Ayesha reveals her shoe of choice, stakes a position on which musical instrument is most like triathletes, and an investigation is launched into the origins of Justin’s inconsistent hairline. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

In the third episode of Quarantine Companion, Payson and Justin are joined from Andorra by pro cyclist Robert Gesink, whose many accomplishments include 4th place at the Tour de France in 2010 and 1st place in the Tour of California in 2012. He currently rides for the ProTeam Jumbo-Visma. In this conversation, Robert talks about how his training has changed since Andorra went into one of the world’s strictest lockdowns nearly two months ago, why homeschooling his kids is harder than racing, and how to get the most out of at-home training. He also talks about the pressures of being a team leader early in his career, what European racers could learn from Americans when it comes to media interaction, and how he thinks the Tour de France should evolve with the times. He also showcases his favorite quarantine shoes, and tells the story of the 16-screw injury that forces Payson and Justin to make an alteration to the usual Quarantine Companion push-up challenge.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc