Best Payson McElveen Podcasts (2025)

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Oregon Trail stage 5 co-hosted by Sarah Sturm, with Dylan Stucki and Nichole Baker 45:18

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6h ago45:18

45:18

Payson and Sarah made it back to Bend. They may be a bit more haggard than they were at the beginning of the race, but that hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm. They sit down to talk about how the final stage played out, including all the tactics that went into the series overall standings. Then, they bring in Sarah’s husband Dylan to talk about his w…

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Oregon Trail stage 4 co-hosted by Sarah Sturm 39:00

2d ago39:00

39:00

Payson and Sarah had two very different experiences on day four of the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder. They recap their respective miseries and triumphs on this second-to-last day, discuss how things are shaping up in the overall standings, and talk about the literal run-in with wildlife that left the racers shaken. They also talk about Dylan’s victor…

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Oregon Trail stage 3 co-hosted by Sarah Sturm, with Skyler Taylor 29:05

3d ago29:05

29:05

Stage 3 saw the riders heading out for an enduro day that turned out to be very heavy on the climbing. Skyler Taylor, who won the men’s stage, joins Payson and Sarah to talk about how he managed to reel in Cam Jones who has so far dominated the race with his power and descending skills. He also talks about deciding to leave his full-time job to foc…

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Oregon Trail stage 2 co-hosted by Sarah Sturm, with Cécile Lejeune 47:16

4d ago47:16

47:16

After the punishing 94.7 miles of stage two, Payson and Sarah sit down with Cécile Lejeune, who is currently duking it out for first place in the overall despite having raced fewer than 10 gravel races in her entire career. They recap the day, which included multiple crashes, plenty of interpersonal drama, and a few good samaritans. They also talk …

1
Oregon Trail stage 1 co-hosted by Sarah Sturm 29:54

5d ago29:54

29:54

As the dust settles on stage one of the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, Payson and Sarah sit down to talk about the punishing 80 miles from Bend to Gilchrist. They discuss how things played out in the men’s and women’s fields, how Sarah’s new haircut might have taken her out of contention, Evel Knievel’s leap across the Snake River, and her husband Dy…

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Ride With Pace: Sarah Sturm and Taylor Lideen at Unbound 29:23

8d ago29:23

29:23

In this final episode on this year’s Unbound, we’re bringing you two interviews that Payson recorded while on the ground in Emporia. The first took place with Sarah Sturm the night before the race in which she discusses the limitations of team tactics in the women’s field. Her husband Dylan Stucki and mechanic Anna Greetis also chime in to talk abo…

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Ride With Pace: Rosa Klöser the day after Unbound 38:27

15d ago38:27

38:27

Going into Unbound this year as the defending champion, Rosa Klöser knew she was a marked woman. What she didn’t expect was that the usual crashes and chaos of gravel’s biggest event would start as soon as the first handful of miles. After a fall, a flat, and a wrong turn in the finish shoot, Rosa managed to walk away with fourth place. She caught …

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Unbound recap part II with Karo Migoń and key takeaways 1:30:09

21d ago1:30:09

1:30:09

In the second part of our Unbound recap, Payson chats with Karo Migón about her dominant win. After initiating an early breakaway with two other riders, she went solo with nearly 50 miles to go, finishing all on her own despite having a slow rear puncture. Her ride is even more impressive considering that last year was her first gravel season and s…

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Unbound recap part I with Cam Jones 56:30

25d ago56:30

56:30

In the first half of our Unbound recap, Payson sits down with men's 200 winner Cam Jones to talk about his stunning breakaway with TudorPro rider Simon Pellaud that stuck from mile 50 all the way through to a massive course record. Cam went into the race hoping to earn a wild card slot in the Grand Prix and left the race as a favorite for the serie…

1
Unbound preview with Dylan Johnson 1:22:41

1M ago1:22:41

1:22:41

It’s Unbound week and Payson sat down with fellow sidelined-by-injury Grand Prix rider Dylan Johnson to set the scene and make some predictions. They talk about how last year’s race played out, what the weather is shaping up to be like and how it could impact the race, and why they think the team tactics will be completely different this year. They…

1
Nichole Baker on her unexpected detour into racing and graduating from Johns Hopkins 1:37:59

1M ago1:37:59

1:37:59

For years, Payson has maintained that Nichole is the most talented athlete in their household, but it wasn’t until this winter that she finally decided to add some structure to her riding and shoot for some concrete goals. It all came about during an unusual lull in her schedule shortly after she and Payson finished his crossing project in New Zeal…

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Alexey Vermeulen on shaking up the Grand Prix and bringing new talent into the sport 1:19:35

1M ago1:19:35

1:19:35

Alexey Vermeulen has a lot of thoughts on how US gravel can improve. A 100-mile Unbound. A U23 field. Fewer elite riders in the Grand Prix—the list goes on. Since leaving the WorldTour to join the American off-road scene, Alexey has become one of the most prominent racers in the sport, finishing second overall in the first two years of the Grand Pr…

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Iz King on balancing gravel racing and pregnancy 1:11:10

2M ago1:11:10

1:11:10

When Iz King got pregnant six months ago, she wasn’t sure how it would affect her career as a gravel racer. Like many female athletes who want to start a family someday, she was all too aware that pregnancy, like being an elite-level competitor, is contingent on a finite biological window. She knew right away that she wanted to continue racing, but…

1
Biju Thomas on fueling the US Olympic team in Paris and cooking 900 pounds of chicken at Sea Otter 1:14:25

2M ago1:14:25

1:14:25

Chef Biju Thomas made a major impact on cycling when he helped co-found Skratch Labs with his friend Allen Lim, but these days, you're most likely to find him cooking for cyclists at large events. For example, he was part of the squad that fueled the US cycling team at the Paris Olympics last summer. More recently, he was busy making several thousa…

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Anneke Beerten on her years as a four-cross champion, retiring after a brain injury, and becoming a top skills coach 1:18:30

2M ago1:18:30

1:18:30

Anneke Beerten was one of the top mountain bikers in the world for a decade, starting her career as a two-time BMX world champion before dominating the 4 cross circuit with three world titles. She’s gone through many career transitions over the years, embracing Enduro and Crankworx to earn even more accolades. In early 2020, just after finishing he…

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Sea Otter recap with Hayley Preen and Simon Pellaud 1:03:40

2M ago1:03:40

1:03:40

The Life Time Grand Prix is back, which means we've got a whole new season of recap episodes on the way. To kick things off, we’ve got South African rider Hayley Preen and Swiss rider Simon Pellaud here to take us inside their races. Hayley just won the South African Gravel Nationals shortly after grabbing third place at the Cape Epic and is on her…

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Allied ABLE is here: CEO Drew Medlock and Director of Product and Engineering Sam Pickman on the new gravel bike 1:34:43

3M ago1:34:43

1:34:43

Today, Allied Cycle Works released its long-awaited ABLE gravel bike. Payson has been test riding it for a year now and is pretty sure it's going to redefine gravel racing. He sits down with Allied CEO Drew Medlock and Director of Product and Engineering Sam Pickman to break down exactly what makes the bike so different, including that 57mm tire cl…

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Welcome to With Pace 25:58

3M ago25:58

25:58

Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: [email protected] Payson McElveen

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Brayden Johnson on his disastrous factory team experience in 2024 and taking the 2025 season into his own hands 1:09:12

3M ago1:09:12

1:09:12

Brayden Johnson landed his dream situation in 2024 when he signed a contract with a factory team. As a third-year U23 rider, it was a crucial opportunity on his way to the elite field. He had already shown his potential, winning National Champs and podiuming at World Cups. Soon after moving to Italy for the new team, however, Brayden started to not…

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Gwendalyn Gibson on her unlikely path to World Cup racing and bringing a fresh perspective to the 2025 season 1:45:39

3M ago1:45:39

1:45:39

Gwen Gibson is one of the best World Cup XCO racers in the world, but she almost didn’t make it into the professional ranks. In college, she juggled racing with a full class schedule and held down three jobs to make ends meet. When she graduated, she thought it was probably time to quit her dreams of being a World Cup racer and find a ‘real’ career…

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Rosa Klöser on joining Canyon-SRAM and the future of gravel 50:14

4M ago50:14

50:14

Reigning Queen of Gravel Rosa Klöser returns to the show to talk about some of the major developments in her career since we spoke with her after her surprise win at Unbound last year. That victory launched her into the spotlight as a major new player in the gravel scene, but her spur-of-the-moment decision to race German Road Nationals really brou…

1
Bjorn Riley on Scott-SRAM training camp, painting, and his near-fatal snake bite 1:38:58

4M ago1:38:58

1:38:58

Payson stops by XCO National Champion Bjorn Riley’s apartment in Girona to hear about his training camp in South Africa with his new team, the one and only Scott-SRAM. They also discuss the part of winning a race that people don’t often talk about: the terrifying moment when you decide to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. Then, Bjorn pu…

1
Sahara Gravel stage 4 recap with Petr Vakoč 30:54

4M ago30:54

30:54

The final stage of Sahara Gravel in Morocco ended in a sand pit that left some riders sprinting on foot across the line. Payson sits down on a windy sand dune to chat with stage winner Petr Vakoč about how the event went for him over the past four days -- the highs, lows, and his favorite type of tagine. He also talks about his plans for the rest o…

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Sahara Gravel stage 3 recap with Maddy Nutt and the GRL PCK 51:16

4M ago51:16

51:16

Stage 3 of Sahara Gravel in Morocco was harder than pretty much anyone was anticipating. Despite seeming to have hardly any climbing, it proved to be the toughest day yet and the first stage that took the riders deep into the Sahara Desert. Payson sat down with British rider Maddy Nutt, who has been battling for first place with Luise Valentin sinc…

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Sahara Gravel stage 2 recap with Oti Zolati and Janosch Wintermantel 33:30

4M ago33:30

33:30

It's day two of Sahara Gravel and the general consensus is that the scenery was pretty mind-blowing on this 68 mile mountain stage. Payson sits down with Oti Zolati, the only Moroccan in the race, to talk about being a tourist in his own country and his bikepacking trip across Africa that got him hooked on cycling. Then he talks to the founder of t…

1
Sahara Gravel stage 1 recap with Luise Valentin and Matteo Fontana 37:19

4M ago37:19

37:19

It's stage one of the four-day Sahara Gravel stage race in Morocco and Payson is sitting down with the stage winners Luise Valentin and Matteo Fontana. They tell us how their days unfolded, what they do when they're not training (Luise is an engineer in Zurich and Matteo is a former triathlete and bike fitter outside Milan), and how they're feeling…

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Alison Jackson on collecting stories and finding her winning attitude 1:19:40

4M ago1:19:40

1:19:40

If you’ve seen two-time Olympian Alison Jackson in the media, chances are she was either dancing, standing on top of the Paris-Roubaix podium, or both. The EF rider won Roubaix in 2023 and quickly became a fan favorite for her joyful social media presence and finish-line celebrations. She caught up with Payson in Girona this week shortly after brea…

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Tsgabu Grmay on 12 years in the WorldTour and fostering talent in East Africa 1:35:51

5M ago1:35:51

1:35:51

Growing up in Ethiopia, Tsgabu Grmay was inspired to start riding by his father and older brother, who were both cyclists. As a teenager, he was selected to go to the UCI’s World Cycling Centre in South Africa and signed with his first UCI team in 2012. Since then, he raced 12 years on the WorldTour with teams including Lampre-Merida, Trek-Segafred…

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Geerike Schreurs on her years as a WorldTour soigneur and signing to SD Worx-Protime 1:22:13

5M ago1:22:13

1:22:13

Geerike Schreurs spent nearly a decade as a WorldTour soigneur, taking care of some of the best riders in the world. Now, she’s their teammate. The Dutch rider officially signed to SD Worx-Protime to race a combination of gravel and road this season, and even though she had a breakout season last year and snagged second place at Unbound, she says t…

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Emilly Johnston on joining Scott-SRAM and throwing tricks in the middle of Worlds 1:04:24

5M ago1:04:24

1:04:24

Emilly Johnston was wondering if she was going to have a team for her first Elite season when she got a call from Scott-SRAM team director Thomas Frischknecht. Shortly after she signed a contract with the team, she placed third at Worlds, rounding out a triumphant 2024 season that marked her as one of the most promising up-and-comers in the women's…

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Thomas De Gendt on transitioning to gravel and 12 years in the WorldTour 1:20:24

5M ago1:20:24

1:20:24

Throughout his 12 years in the World Tour, Thomas De Gendt was known as one of the preeminent breakaway specialists of the century, winning five Grand Tour stages including the infamous Queen Stage of the Giro on the Passo dello Stelvio. Recently, he announced that after 16 years as a pro on the road, he would be switching to gravel. This week, Tho…

1
Riejanne Markus on Lidl-Trek, speed skating, and race radios 1:16:40

6M ago1:16:40

1:16:40

Riejanne Markus is a Dutch WorldTour rider who is currently racing with Lidl-Trek. She went professional over a decade ago and has moved from strength to strength, nabbing three national titles and finishing second overall at last year’s Vuelta a España. Riejanne sat down with Payson in Girona this week to talk about her decision to join Lidl-Trek …

1
Bond Almand on smashing the Pan-Am record self-supported 1:20:11

6M ago1:20:11

1:20:11

Bond Almand was just 20 years old when he rode the nearly 13,500 miles of the Pan-American Highway from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina in 75 days, beating the previous record by nearly 10 days. That feat is even more impressive considering that the last rider to hold the record was a professional racer who did it with a support crew, whi…

1
BONUS: Payson and Hannah Otto talk preseason training and race FOMO 27:10

6M ago27:10

27:10

In an extended outtake from our previous episode, Payson and Hannah chat about how they're preparing for the upcoming season, whether they're changing anything, and how they're balancing the Grand Prix schedule with non-Grand Prix events they love. Instagram: @withpacepodcast YouTube: Payson McElveen Email: [email protected]…

1
2025 Grand Prix preview: Women's roster with Hannah Otto 1:32:24

6M ago1:32:24

1:32:24

This week, Payson is joined by Hannah Otto to run down the women's roster for the 2025 Grand Prix. They talk about the five new riders, the riders who won't be returning, and how the slimmed-down field might affect the overall series. They also go deep into the weeds on whether the Grand Prix is now geared toward mountain bikers (spoiler alert: the…

1
2025 Grand Prix preview: Men's roster 1:11:40

6M ago1:11:40

1:11:40

Big changes are coming to the Life Time Grand Prix in 2025. Among them are fewer events, fewer riders, less altitude, and an extra mountain bike race. There are new riders, riders who were absent for a season but are coming back, and riders who have featured heavily in the series who won’t be returning. Payson unpacks all the changes on the men's s…

1
Haley Batten on Olympic silver and why she’s glad she went to college 1:29:05

7M ago1:29:05

1:29:05

Haley Batten spent years preparing for the Olympics, and it all came together this summer when she walked away with Silver. She sat down with Payson last month to talk about where it all began, when she was a 14-year-old with a printed resumé approaching pro racers at bike events. Eventually, one of them took notice and gave her her big break. She …

1
New Zealand Crossing crew recap 1:02:53

8M ago1:02:53

1:02:53

Earlier this week, Payson completed his latest ultra-endurance crossing challenge following his Crossing Iceland and Crossing Tasmania projects from previous years. This time, he connected three of New Zealand’s best-known routes — the Paparoa, Old Ghost, and Heaphy trails on the South Island. With a few unexpected twists, he managed to complete th…

1
Ryan Standish on his viral crash and Kokopelli and White Rim FKT attempt 1:28:02

8M ago1:28:02

1:28:02

Ryan Standish has had a tough year. During pre-season training in Madeira, he split open his knee during a crash and had to put his entire season on hold. The crash ended up going viral thanks to the GoPro he was wearing at the time, and he found himself in the middle of an unexpected internet news cycle. Ryan sat down with Payson over the Big Suga…

1
Kelsey Urban on a bittersweet win at XC Nationals and returning from injury 1:15:51

8M ago1:15:51

1:15:51

Kelsey Urban’s time racing the World Cup circuit has been anything but smooth. After years of suffering from a mysterious health condition that mystified doctors and forced her to pull the plug on her 2023 season, she was finally able to begin the long journey back in the UCI points this year. In the first World Cup of the season, she made it clear…

1
Big Sugar recap with Matt Beers and Alexis Skarda 1:48:41

8M ago1:48:41

1:48:41

And that’s a wrap on another round of the Life Time Grand Prix. Payson goes over the final points breakdown and talks about the changes that have been announced for the series for next year. He also talks to Matt Beers about their tie-breaking sprint for second place overall, and Alexis Skarda, who, after a five-week break in the middle of the seri…

1
Heather Jackson on the Grand Prix, triathlon, and ultrarunning 1:30:43

8M ago1:30:43

1:30:43

There was a point when Payson thought there were two Heather Jacksons racing the Grand Prix. How could one person excel in so many sports? The former hockey star who landed a spot on the Olympic track cycling team is now known mostly for her career as a star triathlete on the Ironman circuit. Lately, however, she’s transitioned into gravel racing a…

1
Justinas Leveika on his Tour Divide record and choosing chaos over preparation 1:26:29

9M ago1:26:29

1:26:29

When Justinas Leveika raced the Tour Divide for the first time last year, it was, according to him, “a disaster.” But despite having done almost no preparation, he emerged from two weeks in the wilderness in second place behind Ulrich Bartholmoes. His bike barely made it, and he resolved to put the event behind him. This year, however, he returned,…

1
Rad Dirt recap with Finn Gullickson and Cecily Decker 1:32:38

9M ago1:32:38

1:32:38

On this week’s episode, we’re covering round five the Life Time Grand Prix which took place last weekend in Trinidad, Colorado. We hear from listeners who attended the race followed by Payson's breakdown of the current points standings and some of the possible podium scenarios that could unfold in the final round in Bentonville later this month. Pa…

1
Rosa Klöser, winner of Unbound 1:25:23

9M ago1:25:23

1:25:23

In just two short years, Rosa Klöser went from never having ridden a gravel bike to winning the biggest gravel race in the world. Between her first gravel ride in 2022 and standing on the top step of the Unbound podium in 2024, she also managed to spend some time as a visiting researcher at MIT as part of her PhD work on the green transition of the…

1
Chequamegon recap with John Borstelmann, Anna Hicks, and a points breakdown 1:40:50

9M ago1:40:50

1:40:50

Another Chequamegon 40 has been and gone, and we’re here to recap it all with the help of 7th place finisher John Borstelmann, 8th place finisher Anna Hicks, and the listeners who sent in their reports on the race. And because this was a Grand Prix race, Payson and Nichole also do some serious number crunching to figure out where the current standi…

1
Brennan Wertz on winning Gravel National Championships 57:54

10M ago57:54

57:54

When Brennan Wertz lined up at Gravel National Championships last weekend, he was coming off of a bad case of covid and wasn’t sure if he would make it to the end of the race. When he came across the finish line, he was National Champion. Brennan sat down with Payson to talk about his last-minute decision to attend the race and how it all went down…

1
Anna Greetis on being the go-to mechanic for the pros 1:21:33

10M ago1:21:33

1:21:33

Anna Greetis is a mechanic and race technician for SRAM and one of the unsung heroes who helps to keep athletes on track during big events. As part of her role, she travels around the world to gravel events like Unbound and the Traka, road events like the Tour de France Femmes and Paris-Roubaix, and occasionally to cyclocross races and triathlons. …

1
Christian Bagg on racing Leadville by handcycle 1:43:42

10M ago1:43:42

1:43:42

When Christian Bagg crossed the finish line at the Leadville 100 this year, he became the first rider to complete (and start) the notorious high alpine race with a handcycle. He did it with a bike he created through his company, Bowhead Corp, the leading purveyor of adaptive mountain bikes. Taking part in Leadville was part personal challenge and p…

1
Melisa Rollins, Leadville 100 winner 1:07:15

10M ago1:07:15

1:07:15

There are many riders who dream of winning Leadville, but few if any have spent as much time working toward it as Melisa Rollins. She’s done the mountain bike race seven times, the stage race twice, the Leadville Trail Marathon once, and the back-to-back 50-mile running and mountain biking races. She even completed the Leadville 100 running race in…