With Pace

Hans Rey is a pioneer of extreme mountain biking and a former trials riding world champion. After retiring from professional competitions in 1997, Hans forged a new path as an adventurer, traveling the world with camera crews and journalists to document his explorations by bike. To date, these experiences have taken him to over 70 countries and landed him over 400 magazine covers. Because of this, Hans is considered by many to be the original content athlete, paving the way for a modern generation of riders whose accomplishments and fanbase are won through their pursuits off the race circuit in more unconventional arenas. In this conversation, Hans tells Payson about creating content in the 80's when riders had to strap cameras to their chests and carry VHS recorders in their backpacks in order to film their rides, why he thinks social media influencing is headed for a decline, and his friendships with some of rock ’n roll’s most iconic musicians who happen to be avid mountain bikers. He also tells a few stories from his many adventures, including sneaking into Egyptian pyramids, getting special permission from the president of Peru to ride on Machu Pichu, and being possessed by spirits in a cave in Borneo. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

In the summer of 2019, acclaimed photographer Chris Burkard set a new record in the WOW Cyclothon in Iceland, completing the 844 mile ride that traverses the perimeter of the country in 52 hours, 36 minutes and 19 seconds. In his second appearance on the show (he appeared previously in Episode 2), Chris does a deep dive on his record-breaking effort, which included 45mph crosswinds, zero sleep, unicorn hallucinations, and nine hours of torrential rain. He talks about why he puts himself through such grueling hours on the bike even when he isn’t training for an event, why getting out of your comfort zone even when you have a career as multifaceted and exciting as his is so important, burning 35,000 calories over the course of his ride, and why he made the deliberate choice to not document his experience. He also talks about how cycling facilitates a unique and exhilarating closeness with landscape, and how that relationship is the motivating factor behind his seemingly limitless drive for the sport. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Justin Williams is a professional cyclist who has raced both domestically and internationally. He’s won multiple national titles, including both the road and criterium races at the Elite National Championships in 2018. As one of the small number of professional cyclists of color, Justin has chosen to prioritize inclusivity and representation in a sport that still lacks diversity. In 2019, he and his brother and fellow racer Cory Williams founded their own team, Legion of Los Angeles, which seeks to elevate the careers of cyclists from diverse backgrounds. Payson caught up with Justin on a recent trip to Los Angeles, where they were joined by racers and former Adventure Stache guests Kate Courtney (Ep. 5) and Colin Strickland (Ep. 31). The conversation was free flowing and off script, with Kate and Colin jumping in to ask Justin questions, and Justin turning the tables with some questions of his own. They talk about how all four of them have found their own unique space within the vast world of cycling, why representation matters, what Justin and his team are doing to increase female participation and equal pay, and when to say “hell no” to sponsorship deals. Justin also shares his first run-in with Colin’s particular set of racing skills, and Colin explains why his winning strategy has more to do with perspective and analysis than it does with fitness. Kate shares her thoughts on the dangers of equating amateur athletes with pros, and Payson, Justin, and Colin settle the great Aero Bars debate once and for all. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

John Collinson is a big mountain freeskier whose accomplishments in the sport have earned him multiple podiums on the Freeskiing World Tour and awards for his frequent appearances in Red Bull and Teton Gravity Research films. Equally skilled in the tricks and style of free skiing and in the speed and scale of big mountain skiing, Johnny is known for his versatility and range. In this conversation, he and Payson talk about how a recent knee injury has helped him discover an affinity for a whole new kind of athletic achievement, how diet influences his training, and why he chooses diversity in rehab workouts over specifics. While Johnny is primarily known for his abilities going down mountains, his accomplishments going up them gained him widespread public attention in his early years. He tells Payson about his mountaineering career, which dates back over decades when he climbed including what it was like to climb Mount Rainier at age four, how he became the youngest person ever to climb the Seven Summits at the age of 17, and why he’s glad he never got sponsored for it. They also talk about his childhood traveling around the mountains in the west with his parents and older sister Angel in a ’79 Ford Econoline van, and how an unfortunate incident with a piece of cheese led to some youthful innovations in the disposal of unwanted food on family hikes. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Reilly Brennan is an early stage investor in the transportation industry and a lecturer at Stanford’s School of Engineering. As cofounder of Trucks, a venture capital group that funds the future of transportation, he has played a crucial role in the development of self driving car technology and other advances that will modernize the way we move from place to place. In this conversation, he explains to Payson how transportation touches every part of life, the thousands of decisions that go into evaluating young entrepreneurs, why he invests in the person over the idea, and how he uses the principles of cultural anthropology to assess the potential of the teams that pitch to him. As an avid sports fan, Reilly also has thoughts on the changing landscape of the industry, including the ways in which social media is making athletes more powerful than their sanctioning bodies, why young athletes shouldn’t wait to secure sponsors or results to start creating a personal brand, and what the NBA is doing right. Early in his career, Reilly was a member of the Le Mans-winning Corvette C5-R program, and watches car racing closely. He talks about why NASCAR isn’t what it used to be, why Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was the last of the great NASCAR drivers, and why the commoditization of the sport deliberately robs drivers of their personalities. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Angel Collinson is one of the most accomplished big mountain freestyle skiers in the world. Throughout her career, she's won two championship titles at the Freeskiing World Tour, and was the first woman to be awarded Best Line at the Powder Video Awards in 2016. Angel is perhaps best known for her many appearances in Teton Gravity Research’s (TGR) annual ski films, which have featured some of her most spectacular and daring runs. When Payson interviewed Angel last week at Red Bull headquarters, she was still recovering from a thousand foot tumble down an Alaskan mountain that led to a second knee surgery and extensive rehab. In this conversation, they discuss her injury, how she has maintained her legendary positivity throughout the lengthy recovery process, her close relationship with brother and fellow professional skier John Collinson, and how leaving a promising academic career in Environmental Law to pursue skiing gave her an even more powerful voice as a lobbyist for environmental change in Washington and beyond. They also go in depth on Angel’s complex feelings about the post-#MeToo era and how she thinks the pendulum might have swung too far. And just in case the conversation was in danger of getting a little too serious, Angel tells the story of when her dad lowered her headfirst into an outhouse toilet by the ankles. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Neal Rogers has been a cycling journalist for nearly twenty years, writing for publications such as VeloNews (where he was Editor in Chief), Global Cycling Network, and Cycling Tips. Throughout his career he’s covered some of the biggest races and interviewed some of the most famous riders in the world. In this conversation, he discusses his unusual path into cycling journalism, the riders he most enjoyed interviewing, tough decisions about picking truth over friendship, the journalistic intricacies of when NOT to go live with information, and why he’s feeling ready to move beyond cycling. Notably, he also shares a story of confronting the yellow jersey wearer at the 2007 Tour de France with a doping allegation, and how that question proved the beginning of the end for the rider. Lastly, Payson and Neal discuss how the efforts of journalists to expose the truth have helped today’s pros enjoy a cleaner sport. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Todd Wells is one of the most decorated mountain bikers in U.S. history. Across his more than 25 year career, he's won three Cyclocross National Championships, three consecutive Mountain Bike National Championships, and represented the USA at three Olympic games. In addition to UCI racing, he's won multiple stage races, including La Ruta de los Conquistadores, Breck Epic, and the Leadville 100 three times. Although he retired in 2017, he continues to race occasionally, and has won the Telluride 100 the last two years. In this conversation, Payson and Todd discuss his prolific career, why he continues to race after retirement, why his 25-year relationship with his wife has been crucial to his success, and his least favorite part of racing. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

For our final show of 2019, we’re bringing you a much requested Q&A episode. Payson sits down to answer some of your questions about training, motivation, diet, the kindness of strangers, off the bike hobbies, and much, much more. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc

Sepp Kuss is a World Tour road cyclist currently riding for Team Jumbo-Visma. He's raced the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, and was just named to his teams's 2020 Tour de France lineup. His major wins include stage 17 of the 2019 Vuelta a España, and three stages and the overall in the 2018 Tour of Utah. Sepp and Payson recorded this interview in front of a live audience at the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic registration event in Durango, Colorado, Sepp's home town. They talk about his transition from mountain biking to road cycling, the pressures of being singled out as one of the most promising up-and-comers of the World Tour circuit, staying grounded in a new world of fame and success, and why he's not interested in being a leader at Grand Tours at this point. In the second half of the interview, the floor is opened up to audience questions. Some Durango's cycling icons such as Todd Wells and Ned Overend were in attendance and had questions for Sepp.Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen Email: howdy@withpace.cc