With Pace

Henry Nelson had a breakout ride at Big Sugar earlier this month, going solo towards the finish and looking like he might be the first to cross the line. It was an impressive performance for someone who is relatively new, not just to gravel, but to bike racing in genrral. The 24-year-old started riding bikes after a blood sugar issue cut short his running career, and with a little help from Riley Amos, he quickly demonstrated that he has a bright future ahead of him in the sport. He sat down with Payson last week to talk about his career-best ride at Big Sugar, growing up in Kansas, juggling multiple jobs to keep his cycling dreams afloat, and his enduring love of maps. 

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The final round of this year’s Life Time Grand Prix saw several upsets in the pro field, including Stella Hobbs’ win in a breakaway. She joins Payson from her home in Whitefish, Montana, to talk about how she captured her first Grand Prix win, from meticulous course recon to knowing exactly how to lull her competitors into a false sense of security before attacking. Plus, she discusses what it’s like running a bike shop, which she and her husband bought just after graduating from college. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Cole Paton’s win at Little Sugar last week was just the latest in a series of big events that have shaped his life on and off the bike this year. Over the winter, he got a new coach, bought a log cabin on 40 acres in central Washington, and started adding mountain bike races to his schedule. Despite taking a wrong turn at Little Sugar, he won handily, without another rider in sight. 

In this conversation, Cole talks about the tough season of racing that led up to his first Grand Prix win and why he went into it feeling calmer than he has in months. He also talks about being a new homesteader, complete with mice, rats, irrigation, and a hand-me-down tractor. Plus, we hear from listeners about their Little Sugar experience.

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Sepp Kuss is back on the pod after yet another historic season racing all three Grand Tours, and after his stage 19 win at the Giro d'Italia this year, he is now one of the few riders to have won a stage in each. Sepp caught up with Payson during a break in racing to talk about his infamous crash while leading stage 20 of the Tour de France this year, whether he actually enjoys doing all three Grand Tours in a season, and how his life has changed since becoming a dad. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Most high schoolers spend their time hanging out with friends and worrying about college applications. Jacob Hora spent his time getting trench foot in Central Asia and riding solo across 800 miles of Armenia. At 15, he tackled the notorious Iditarod Trail Invitational with his mentor, Jay Petervary. The following year, he did the 1,200-mile Silk Road Mountain race in Kyrgyzstan. Now a senior at Fort Lewis College, he juggles classes with ultra endurance events like the Tour Divide and the Colorado Trail Race, where he’s proven himself to be one of the top contenders. 

Jacob sat down in the studio with Payson this week to talk about how he went from riding his bike to school every day to racing thousands of miles across some of the world's most rugged terrain, breaking his neck while racing the Tour Divide last year, and how a college class on sleep psychology changed his approach to the sport. Plus, he gives a preview of his upcoming trip to Türkiye, where he'll reunite with Jay to compete in the Taurus Mountain Race.

Follow Jacob on Instagram: @jacob_hora 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Fans of XCO World Cup racing might have been surprised to learn at the beginning of the year that Mārtiņš Blūms was headed for the Grand Prix. The Latvian rider has been a mainstay on the World Cup circuit for a decade, racking up podiums and even winning the 2017 overall as a U23. But as he tells Payson in this conversation, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for cross country riders these days, and he was ready to try something new. Last month, he had a standout race at Chequamegon, where he went in a solo breakaway from the start and only lost out on a shot at the win when he had a mechanical.

In this conversation, Mārtiņš talks about balancing gravel with World Cup racing this season, and how his Grand Prix races have played out so far. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

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One month after giving birth to her daughter, Sarah Sturm is back in the studio with Payson to talk about what has changed and what has stayed the same in these past few transformational weeks. After a relatively smooth pregnancy and birth, she’s already been able to ride again, and she’s found that her relationship with the bike has been permanently altered. In this episode, Sarah discusses the day-to-day realities of raising an infant and how she sees her future in the sport, including her participation in the 2027 Life Time Grand Prix. She and Payson also talk about the future of the series now that the entry requirements have been overhauled. Has US gravel peaked? Where does UCI gravel fit in? And what can domestic gravel learn from the mountain biking scene of the ‘90s?

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Quinn Simmons made headlines last month when it was announced that he’d be jumping into Leadville just a couple of weeks after racing the Tour de France. He sat down with Payson in Durango this week to talk about his last-minute decision to do the race, his standout performance at the Tour, and the stage win at Dauphiné that helped get him there. He also talks about what it’s like racing against the generational talent of Tadej Pogačar, the decline of professional road racing in the US, and how much longer he plans to race in the WorldTour.

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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This year’s Leadville 100 was unlike any other, with wildfires last month necessitating a reroute of the iconic course and cool temperatures and rain contributing to a chaotic race. Quinn Simmons and Rosa Klöser dropped in just after finishing their respective Tour de Frances, and Keegan Swenson had to sprint for the line for the first time thanks to a standout ride from Matt Wilson. 

Payson sat down with two Durango locals to recap the race — 24-year-old Cobe Freeburn, who is competing in his first Grand Prix this year but is already tied for 6th place with Matt Wilson, and 23-year-old Lauren Aggeler, who is duking it out for first place overall in the U23 field to punch her ticket to the elite Grand Prix field next year. They discuss crashes, tactics, and whether the course changes had a meaningful effect on the podium. Plus, we hear from listeners who raced in the amateur field. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

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A lot has changed for Cam Jones since our last episode with him a year ago. Back then, he’d just had his breakout ride at Unbound, winning the biggest gravel race in the world as a Grand Prix wild card. Now, he’s the defending champion of the entire series and anything but an underdog. He joins Payson this week to discuss how the racing dynamics have changed now that he’s a known quantity in the peloton, what it's been like settling in the US for now after years of constant travel back to New Zealand, and his expectations for the re-routed Leadville course. Plus, he recaps his commanding win at Oregon Trail and makes his case for 32-inch wheels. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]