The second-to-last round of the Life Time Grand Prix shook up the points chase in a big way thanks to a ruthless course that caused a never-ending series of crashes and flats. Payson walks through the standings before the final round this weekend, in which four riders in the men’s field could come away with the series overall. Then, he sits down with Andrew L’Esperance, who got third at Little Sugar and has been on top form all season after fighting his way into the Grand Prix via a wild card slot. 

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Over the past handful of years, Dylan Johnson has emerged as one of the key voices in gravel through his YouTube channel, where he does deep dives on everything from drivetrain efficiency and crank length to tire size and science-backed training tips. At the same time, he’s been rising through the ranks of gravel racing, competing in the Grand Prix every year and taking a top 10 at Unbound in 2025. This year, however, he was sidelined with a broken tibia after being hit by a truck just before the second round of the Grand Prix. 

Payson sat down with Dylan in Bentonville shortly before Little Sugar to talk about how his YouTube channel developed, how it fits in with his coaching business and training, and how much he’s improved as a cyclist since his early days in collegiate racing. They also talk about his ongoing road to recovery after his injury and how the mental toll might be the toughest part of all. 

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What do Sepp Kuss, Christopher Blevins, Howard Grotts, and Asa Vermette have in common? They all grew up in the small town of Durango, Colorado. The list of cycling pros that now live there is formidable, and includes our guest, 3x Olympian and 15x XC and CX National Champion Todd Wells. Last week, it was announced that Durango would host the 2030 mountain bike World Championships, 40 years after hosting the very first edition in 1990.

Todd sat down with Payson to talk about how he and a group of others helped win Durango the coveted event, the logistics that went into their bid, and what he hopes it will bring to the town. He also talks about the impact that the first World Champs had on Durango, and all the hats he now wears in his post-professional cycling career. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you Payson’s ride-along chat with Ellen Campbell the day before Chequamegon. They talk about how her Grand Prix season is going so far, what it’s like to be sitting just outside the top 10 going into the final two rounds of the series, and her gear choices for the race. They also talk about her Ride Dirt program, a series of workshops in which she teaches women bike maintenance and handling skills.

Keep up with Ellen at @ellen.m.campbell

Use code PAYSON15 for 15% off Maurten products. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Just a few hours after winning Gravel Nationals, Bradyn Lange sat down with Payson at the house they were sharing in the lead-up to the race for a wide-ranging conversation about the event and all the things that had to fall into place to get him there. Bradyn has always identified more as a mountain biker than a gravel racer, but after struggling to find sponsors and snagging a rogue 4th place at Big Sugar in 2021, he managed to secure a sponsorship from Pinarello and a place in the 2022 Grand Prix. That season, he lived out of his van and worked multiple part-time jobs, and still managed to rack up some stand-out results, including the win at Chequamegon. 

In this conversation, Bradyn tells Payson about this phase of his life, as well as his unlikely win at Nationals, in which he crashed, got blocked by junior riders, broke his cleat, and missed the breakaway, all before launching to the front and winning solo. He also talks about his pivotal training camp with Orange Seal Academy last month, the financial gambles he took this season in the hopes of getting better results, and his lucky Blarney Stone.

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In our latest Grand Prix recap, Payson takes a recovery spin with Melisa Rollins, who won the women’s race solo and made the competition for the top spot in this year’s standings even tighter. Then, he chats with Charlie and Steve, two friends who work for the Forest Service who were the last people to cross the finish line before the cutoff. But first, Payson crunches some numbers to see where things stand with the Grand Prix points and how he thinks the final two rounds in Bentonville might go down.

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When Payson hobbled his way into the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in May with a broken hip, he wasn’t expecting to be off crutches anytime soon, but thanks to the work of coaches like Will Gilmore, he not only managed to leave the facility without crutches, but also to jump back into racing a full month and a half before he’d planned. 

Will started his career in baseball, playing professionally before becoming a strength and conditioning coach for the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds. Now at Red Bull, he works with athletes across the spectrum, from snowboarders and gamers to surfers and cyclists. In this conversation, he and Payson chat about why he left professional baseball, how he and the team at the Athlete Performance Center adapt their knowledge and technology to over 800 athletes in a dizzying number of sports, and how he helped Payson return from injury long before it seemed possible. 

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Mountain bike racing is hard. Ultrarunning is hard. So why did Maude Farrell decide to make things extra brutal for herself this season by combining them? Earlier this month, she won the Lead Challenge, a multi-month series comprised of five trail running and mountain bike races at over 10,000 feet. The final week of the series involved racing the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, running the Leadville 10k the next day, and running the Leadville Trail 100 race six days later. 

Maude sat down with Payson less than 36 hours after crossing that long-awaited finish line to talk about why she decided to blend these two punishing disciplines for her 2025 season after going all-in on gravel last year, how she trained for ultramarathons and cycling at the same time, and how those never-ending hundred miles of the Leadville Trail Race unfolded. Tears, a rave on Powerline, a life-giving cup of broth, and a lot of swearing were involved.

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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The day after placing top 10 at the Leadville 100, Zach Calton joined Payson on a ride to talk about returning to form after the toughest season of his career. They discuss how it all started a year ago at the Breck Epic, his disastrous experience at the Cape Epic, and how he’s slowly found his footing again this season. 

Use code PACE20 for 20% your first order of LTH supplements and take the quiz to get a plan tailored to your needs.

Watch: Ride With Pace - Ep 4 Leadville

Watch this episode on YouTube here: Zach Calton the morning after the Leadville 100

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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Barely half an hour after crossing the finish line at the Leadville 100, Bradyn Lange joined Payson for a painful cooldown ride at 10,000 ft. They debrief about the race, talk about Bradyn’s last-minute set-up change, and debate whether Leadville is harder than Unbound. 

Use code PACE20 for 20% off your first order of LTH supplements and take the quiz to get a plan tailored to your goals and needs.

Watch: Ride With Pace - Ep 4 Leadville

Watch this episode on YouTube here: Bradyn Lange Post Race Spin - Leadville 100

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YouTube: Payson McElveen

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