This week I’m speaking with Stefan Barth, Coach at SBU Coaching and Author of Ultracycling & Bikepacking.

Stefan is an entrepreneur who started his coaching business after being dissatisfied with his path. His coaching business is unique as he takes a whole-body approach to training his athletes. As a Medical Fitness Coach, he can pay particular attention to athletes’ physical imbalances and problem areas and quickly relieve acute tension and pain symptoms via personal training and acupressure.

As an author, Stefan wanted to write a scientifically based book about the physiology of ultra-distance cycling. Dissatisfied with the response he received from publishers, he created his own company to self-publish his book. It’s a wealth of information, sharing insights from athletes like our very own, Meaghan Hackinen. Stefan also gathered insights from athletes such as Christoph Strasser, Lael Wilcox, James M. Hayden, Jenny Tough and many more.

Stefan has started a Kick Starter Campaign in order to get the book translated into English. Please chip in and help Stefan. He has already raised over $6,000 but has a ways to go. You can find the link to the campaign in the show notes.

This was a great chat that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. We touch on a lot of topics from nutrition to physiology to motivation. There are a ton of takeaways in here, so enjoy.

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The last couple of days have been hard. Last evening I decided I’d put on Ride the Divide and escape into that world for a bit. It was very cool to see places that I had been, long desolate roads and the rider’s struggles as they navigated the trail.

Despite being separated by a big screen and that over a decade has passed since the film was released, there is familiarity and timelessness to it. Like comfort food for the eyes, watching it stimulated my parasympathetic nervous system and my body became calm.

I fell asleep shortly after I posted an inspirational quote from Matthew Lee on my social feed and indicated that I was on a low part of the emotional rollercoaster at that moment. When I awoke at 3:30 in the morning on the verge of emotionally falling apart, I looked at my phone and found that people had reached out to see if I was okay. It helped immensely and I was inspired to get up and record this short solo podcast to share, ask for help and to thank everyone for their support.

The podcast has been a meaningful venture for me and to be able to connect with all of you, even if it’s only a one way interaction sometimes, is therapeutic.

Thanks for being there…

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This week, I bring you a conversation with Jerry Kopack. Jerry reached out to me a few weeks ago requesting to connect on the podcast. He wanted to share his personal adventure and how the simple act of riding a bike, provided him with invaluable insight.

This is from the bio he sent me.

After 10 soulless years in corporate America, Jerry founded a hospice and learned first hand how precious our time really is. Following a series of his own crippling losses and armed with those lessons learned from working with people at the end of life, he set off on what was supposed to be a 2-month bike tour, that turned into nearly 2 years.

Along the way, Jerry started to say, "bikes always win" because of the freedom they give people and the places they take you. With an optimistic curiosity, he found my way through Madagascar, India, Nepal, China, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, and Israel. Jerry soon realized that this time was a gift. That every day is a gift. Lessons learned from running a hospice became lessons lived. And with that, a continual question propelled him: “Am I using my time well?”

Jerry’s book “The World Spins By” is an account of his escape from corporate America and the road to discovering himself. In this episode, we take deep dive into his stories and the lessons learned along the way and I’m certain you’ll enjoy listening to this conversation.

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Those of you following the Iditarod Trail Invitational may have noticed a couple of riders heading back to Anchorage, RJ Sauer being one of them.

On the heels of just publishing a podcast with RJ, he messaged me to let me know that his heart just wasn’t in it. I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to connect with RJ, while it is all fresh, to talk about what happened and why.

Just showing up to an event like this is an endeavour in and of itself, but when so much time and energy is spent on preparation and logistics, not finishing an event can be devastating. In RJ’s case, he was able to find peace in his decision and in the episode, he shares his mindset.

RJ first rode the 1000 mile ITI back in 2001 as a 26 year old Film Maker producing the film, Thin White Line. It was his first bikepacking race and the catalyst for many adventures to come. You can read more about his adventures over at rjsauer.com or on his Instagram page, where he more or less journals his life.

There are lots of great takeaways in the one. Scratching is always a possibility and sometimes it can’t be avoided. Listen in as RJ shares some wisdom that we can all learn from.

Enjoy this conversation.

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One of the fringe benefits of doing this podcast is having my guest’s phone numbers. I saw that RJ Sauer was getting ready for the Iditarod Trail invitational, 350-mile race across Alaska, so I reached out to him to wish him luck and to keep the rubber side down.

The next day, I was thinking to myself “Is he in Alaska already?”. When I found out that he was, I figured this would be a great opportunity to talk to RJ. The last time we spoke was back on 002. RJ Sauer - Perseverance Personified.  

This conversation was one for the books and one in which we covered a ton of topics. We talked a little about the Iditarod Trail Invitational but then, as my podcast goes, we took many tangents along the way. We talked about presence, groupthink, the Tour Divide, and selfishness. I asked him about his writing process. We also covered imposter syndrome, storytelling, and what’s your “why”, a hot topic for many endurance athletes and a question we often ask when we’re suffering in an event.

RJ first rode the 1000 mile ITI back in 2001 as a 26 year old Film Maker producing the film, Thin White Line. It was his first bikepacking race and the catalyst for many adventures to come. You can read more about his adventures over at rjsauer.com or on his Instagram page, where he more or less journals his life. You can also track his progress in the ITI 350.

It’s been too long since I last spoke with RJ. I always find our conversations a joy and a great learning experience. His humble nature and willingness to share make for a great conversation and I hope you find some takeaways as well.

Enjoy

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This week, I chat with Jonathan Hogg. Jonathan is riding the Tour Divide in 2023 and wants to raise a million dollars for Rocky Mountain Adaptive, a charitable organization that creates and provides accessible adventures for individuals living with physical and/or neuro-divergent challenges.

Jonathan discovered the Tour Divide during his recovery after breaking his leg. During that time, he also wanted to start giving back to the community somehow and hobbled into Rock Mountain Adaptive to volunteer.

In this conversation, Jonathan shares a lot about himself. He talks about his struggles with depression and being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He discusses the tools that he uses to combat his condition, namely how cycling is “medicine for the brain”. How doing hard things and finding purpose in ones life is vital to his mental health.

I so appreciated Jonathan’s vulnerability in this conversation and I hope you find some takeaways while listening.

Please visit Jonathan’s Gofundme to donate to his cause and please share this around to your family and friends so we can all help him raise money for Rocky Mountain Adaptive. And don’t forget to follow him on Instagram to stay up to date on his progress! @jonathan.hogg.127

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Thanks to Lakeside Bikes in Invermere for supporting me!

Joy, Habits, Life Obstacles, Validation, Trauma, Human Design. This chat with Ryan Draper, despite being truncated by family duties, is a doozy and one of my favourite ways to podcast. No framework, just conversational flow. We get deep fast!

I know I just re-posted a podcast with Ryan, but I think the topics here are fresh and interesting. I share quite a bit about my current circumstances and how I’m navigating it. I talk about my experience with my Mindset Coach Paige Royal @paigeroyalcoaching, of Paige Royal Coaching with whom I’m learning how to let go of unhealthy emotions that have been holding me back.

Ryan shares his journey through coaching and talks about his ethos. He speaks about Human Design and how he uses that to help him navigate coaching athletes with specific personalities.

I hope you dig it.

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From time to time Ryan and I connect for a chat to catch up on things that are going on in our lives and there are great things happening for him. Namely the birth of his son, Maxton.

Ryan started coaching as a passion project in 2000 as athletes in his community were asking him for help with their training. In 2014, he took the leap and Cycling 101 was born. As the name implies, Cycling 101 is your number one resource for all things cycling. They offer Coaching, lessons, guiding, and if you just picked up a new whip, what better place to have it fit than in his newly renovated bike fitting studio at his home in Canmore, Alberta.

Ryan’s strategy regarding growth in his business is organic, and his approach to taking on clients is the same. He wants to make sure the there’s a good fit between himself and his client in order to provide a friction free relationship which maximizes results. His intuitive approach to coaching and training as well as his ability to shape a program around an athletes lifestyle has been paramount to his success and the success of his athletes.

In this episode we chat about his new adventures in fatherhood, forming good, long lasting habits, self care and vulnerability. We talk about some of the exciting things that are happening at Cycling 101 and effective strategies in maintaining work life balance. We also cover the importance of knowing your limits so you can ride another day.

We are hoping to make these chats a more regular thing, so if you have any questions you’d like us to cover on the podcast, reach out and we’ll put together a special AMA episode.

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In this episode of the podcast, I connect with Meaghan to talk about some of her 2022 cycling highlights, including the World 24-Hour Time Trial Championships, The trans Continental Race and Mallorca 312.

Meaghan Hackinen is a bikepacker, writer and adventure seeker cyclist from Kelowna, BC, whose two-wheeled adventures have taken her from Haida Gwaii to Mexico’s high plateaus, across Canada and the United States, and from North Cape to Tarifa along some of Europe’s highest paved roads.

She is a 4X Everester as well as wells as a Transcontinental Race, Trans Am Bike Race, NorthCape4000, Alberta-Rockies700, and Paris-Brest-Paris brevet finisher. Meaghan holds the women’s FKT for The Big Lonely, BC Epic 1000, and World 24-Hour Time Trial Championships.

Her debut travel memoir, South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels (NeWest Press, 2019) was shortlisted for two Canadian book awards; her upcoming memoir about competing in the Trans Am Bike Race is forthcoming from NeWest Press in late 2023.

Meg is always a joy to talk with and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

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This week I thought I would chat a little about Fat Bikes and why you need one. I have had a Fat Bike in my quiver for the last 8 years or so and it’s one of my favourite bikes to ride. I mostly roll her in the winter but summer riding with a fatbike can be equally as fun!

In this episode I reflect back on the Divide. Memories that were bought back to life after a voice memo I received from Brian. I chat about fat biking, gear, layering and some of the preferences I have acquired over the last handful of years of riding in deep winter.

As much as I see the value with in-door trainers, I still think that riding outdoors is a much better way to maintain over-all fitness. Not only are you stressing your body in more variable ways, you’re also exposing it to cold temperatures and other adversity that I think is super valuable.

I couldn’t remember the names of the folks who offered AJ and I lodging and food in Horca, so I went back through my posts. Thanks again to Jason and Stacey from Red Bear Lodge in Horca for their kindness and generosity!

I hope you enjoy this episode and of course I value your feedback and opinions. Feel free to send me a message and let’s start a conversation.

Save 15% at Redshift Sports when you use the code MB40

Save 50% off your first month of coaching at Cycling 101 when you use the code MB40 at checkout.

Save 25% at Dynamic Cyclist when you use the promo code MB40 at checkout.

Visit Rollingdale Cycle

Thanks to Ottalaus Inc. for their support.

Thanks to Spandex Panda for their support.

Thanks to Lakeside Bikes in Invermere for supporting me!