Choose the Hard Way

Veloworthy founder Brian Co on building a sports media empire solo while working full time and raising a family. Brian has single-handedly built a dedicated following by profiling top cycling pros and providing an inside look at the world of gravel cycling that traditional media outlets have failed to capture. Now, Veloworthy is one of the most influential media properties in cycling. Brian talks with Andrew Vontz about his journey from filming local bike races to covering the biggest pro gravel races across the country like Belgian Waffle Ride, Unbound Gravel and more. Hear about the challenges he faces and the techniques he's fine-tuned for capturing a unique perspective, building relationships with top athletes and brands and the method he has developed for covering sprawling events on inaccessible terrain on social media, live, as it happens. Follow @veloworthy on Instagram and check out race recaps on YouTube. Veloworthy Website | Instagram | YouTube Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - - Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

Keegan Swenson continues to dominate the gravel racing world, winning this year's Unbound Gravel in tough conditions after a runner-up finish in 2022. Swenson's prowess on the dirt is also backed by his affiliation with Santa Cruz Bicycles htSQD, an elite group of multi-surface racers. It's no wonder that Keegan is known as the top gravel racer on a global scale: he also has the 2022 Lifetime GrandPrix series, Leadville Trail 100, and Sea Otter Classic wins under his belt, among many others. In a conversation with Andrew Vontz, Swenson reflects on his latest muddy victory, breaks down how he experiments with race prep and gear choices, explains strategy for selecting races, and shares his priorities for the rest of the season. To learn more about Keegan, follow him on Instagram and check out the show notes.

Keegan Swenson on Instagram Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - - Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn | Instagram Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

After being forced to retire from professional cycling due to a series of concussions, Ian Boswell reinvented himself as a dominant force in the new world of gravel racing - and he's not looking back.

The 2021 Unbound Gravel 200 champion was formerly a member of Team Sky, the world's top pro cycling team at the time, where he competed in all three grand tours of Europe - the Giro, the Vuelta, and the Tour de France.

But it's not just about winning for Boswell. He's focused on balancing family life, homesteading, and a full-time job at the fitness tech company, Wahoo. He sat down with host Andrew Vontz, to discuss his path to success, the challenges he's overcome, and the future of gravel racing.

To learn more about Ian or listen to his podcast, Breakfast with Boz, follow him on Instagram and check out the Choose the Hard Way website.

Ian Boswell on Instagram | Strava Breakfast with Boz Podcast Watch on YouTube Sign up for the Hard Way Newsletter - - - - - - - - - - Choose The Hard Way Website | Instagram Andrew Vontz LinkedIn Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher

After a decade as a United States Navy SEAL, Ben Davis is now conquering peaks, competing in races and coaching. He is also the executive director of the Veterans Outdoor Advocacy Group (VOAG) - a non-profit that promotes access to outdoor adjunct therapies for all veterans. In his last few years of service, he completed numerous mountaineering endeavors and has since competed in some of the most challenging mountain bike and ultra running races in the world, including the Leadville 100. He now lives in Colorado's front range and works as a cycling and endurance sports coach for Boundless Coaching. His specialty is long-distance mountain bike racing. Ben joins host Andrew Vontz to share how his experiences in the military and in endurance sports have shaped his understanding of personal achievement, and what he has (and has not) discovered about himself in the process. To learn more about Ben and VOAG, head to the Choose the Hard Way website. Ben Davis Instagram | Newsletter VOAG Website | Instagram Boundless Endurance Coaching Instagram | Website

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From growing up on a bison farm to winning the 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes, Alison Jackson is now known for more than just her world class wins. The pro cyclist with UCI Women's WorldTeam EF Education–Tibco–SVB has also gone viral on TikTok. Alison has come a long way thanks to her unique blend of humor and athletic intuition. When she was younger, she trained in triathlons and ran competitively, even attending the University World Championships in Uganda. After committing to cycling, she quickly made moves to the top and represented Canada in the 2020 Summer Olympics. In this episode, she joins host Andrew Vontz to talk about what it took to become the champion of the biggest one-day race in the sport and shares the powerful role storytelling, social media and dance play in her life as an athlete and in life. To learn more about Alison, follow her on Instagram.

In This Episode: Alison Jackson Instagram Watch on YouTube

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Entrepreneur, scientist, and author Chris Case knows how to design a challenge. His company, Alter Exploration, curates intense, application-only custom cycling and trail running trips. Alter's experiences are built to test physical limits, foster emotional growth, and encourage mental evolution. As a former cycling journalist and lifelong endurance athlete, Chris has spent countless hours exploring the world by bike and on foot. He has degrees and research experience in neuroscience and clinical psychology, a master's degree in journalism and photography. His research led him to write The Haywire Heart, an insightful investigation into heart problems that affect endurance athletes. Chris was also the COO of The Paleo Diet, co-founder of Fast Talk Laboratories, and former editor of VeloNews. Chris joins host Andrew Vontz to speak about the genesis of Alter Exploration, what it takes to build a business like this from scratch, and why he believes that hard things can transform us and the people around us.

In This Episode: Chris Case Instagram | LinkedIn

Alter Exploration Instagram | Website Watch on YouTube

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Pioneering sports data journalist and coach Zach Nehr has always been ahead of the curve. He is one of the first journalists to do deep quantitative analyses of power data from the world's top pro cyclists, and now he's transferred that knowledge to the growing scene of virtual racing. An elite level competitor in road, track and cycling esports, Zach has recently taken a slew of victories at the highest level of eracing on Zwift and MyWhoosh with the NeXT eSport presented by Enshored team. Zach joins host Andrew Vontz to talk about how he developed such a differentiated and effective approach as a writer, coach and top-level athlete, and how his study of human performance helped him rocket to the top of Zwift racing. Zach studied exercise science and raced bikes at Marian University and is the owner of ZNehr Coaching. His revolutionary writing approach - found on the likes of Cyclingnews, Velonews, TrainingPeaks, CyclingTips, and Bicycle Guider - has since been imitated by many writers in the field. To learn more about Zach, visit zachnehr.com and follow him on Instagram.

In This Episode: Zach Nehr Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Strava | YouTube

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As a respected journalist, Ben Delaney has written and edited for top outlets like VeloNews, BikeRadar, and Cycling Weekly. He's also the director of content at FasCat Coaching. Last year, he decided it was time to take a crack at creating his own cycling content. Enter Ben's YouTube channel, The Ride. With a million views in just a year, it's clear that Ben has hit the mark. The Ride offers expert reviews on bikes, gear, and tires, as well as exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from some of the toughest gravel races around. Though he is humble about it, with wins at the SBT GRVL Blue Course and the BWR Utah 45+ field, he's a force to be reckoned with on the trails. In this episode, Ben joins host Andrew Vontz to share universal lessons that come from career changes, gravel races, and going out on your own. To learn more about Ben and The Ride, check out the show notes.

In This Episode:

Ben Delaney YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn

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Professional racing duo Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin are on a quest to race the best and most challenging mountain bike races in America, filming their adventures along the way to give viewers an unvarnished look at the reality of living on the road as professional cyclists. After traveling in a tiny orange car, then a series of (old, janky) white vans, they retired from life on the road and now live in Los Alamos, New Mexico where they train and prep for races around the world - like the recent Transandes Challenge, an epic expedition in Patagonia. They have also added cross country, stage racing and endurance events to their lineup. Syd and Macky join host Andrew Vontz to share how they went from amateur content creation to financial independence with YouTube, what it means to focus on "the 10% things not the 1% things," and why basic rest and recovery are both the most important and least executed part of every training regiment. You can check out all of their video content on YouTube, and follow them on Instagram. To learn more, check out the show notes: www.choosethehardway.com/episodes/syd-and-macky.

In This Episode:

Syd & Macky Instagram | YouTube

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Dylan Johnson's skill on the bike, coupled with his popular YouTube videos about exercise physiology and racing tactics have put him at the forefront of cycling culture. He's a renowned professional cyclist racing in the Lifetime Grand Prix gravel and mountain bike national series and the co-founder of Ignition Coaching Co. In this episode, he talks to host Andrew Vontz about how he balances it all while remaining competitive in the ever-evolving cycling landscape. Dylan is also one of the hosts of the Bonk Bros podcast about the latest happenings in the world of bike racing. To learn more about Dylan, find him on Instagram, and learn more about him in the show notes.

In This Episode:

Dylan Johnson Website | Instagram | YouTube

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