Alison Tetrick is a professional cyclist who started her career racing on the road in the WorldTour before transitioning to gravel, for which she holds three world championship titles. In this interview, Alison chats with Payson about how her 85 year old grandfather convinced her to switch from collegiate tennis to cycling, the year she spent living in Bergamo, Italy riding for the UCI WorldTour team Astana with teammates who didn’t speak English, and the 2010 crash that left her with a traumatic brain injury, shattered pelvis, and lasting psychological issues. She also talks about how she managed to sidestep her way out of professional road racing and onto the gravel scene, and describes her first Dirty Kanza (now Unbound), where a wrong turn and sprint finish led to her victory and course record that has yet to be beaten. They also discuss life during the pandemic, a last minute bikepacking trip to Kyrgyzstan involving a spork, and get a surprise call from Alison's coach, who has a hard-hitting question to ask.

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YouTube: Payson McElveen