Cole Paton returns to the show after a transformative year in his career. When this conversation was recorded earlier this week, he was sitting in second place in the Life Time Grand Prix and had just won the Marathon Mountain Bike National Championship the week before. 

In this conversation, Cole tells Payson about the motivation and sense of community he's gained from becoming a privateer this season, and the mixed emotions of being in second place behind a nearly unbeatable opponent in the Grand Prix. He opens up about his struggle to enjoy his national championship win due to the frustrating and chaotic circumstances of the race, and the pros and cons of a life on the road. He also talks about how he and his partner, World Cup racer and 8x National Champ Savilia Blunk, have navigated their conflicting race schedules after spending years going to all the same events, and his idyllic childhood in central Washington. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen