Going into Unbound this year as the defending champion, Rosa Klöser knew she was a marked woman. What she didn’t expect was that the usual crashes and chaos of gravel’s biggest event would start as soon as the first handful of miles. After a fall, a flat, and a wrong turn in the finish shoot, Rosa managed to walk away with fourth place. 

She caught up with Payson for a recovery spin the day after the race to talk about how her race went down, how she tried to combat the caginess of the chase group in order to catch the three-woman breakaway at the front, and how she set up her bike differently after last year. She also talks about the other half of her career, racing on the road with Canyon-SRAM. Earlier this year, she competed in Paris Roubaix, which provided her first opportunity to ride in a velodrome. 

Ride With Pace Ep3 - Unbound https://youtu.be/2_X38IkZehM?si=Vjw0fVvToCqCtHpM 

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Maap privateer kits: https://maap.cc/us/products/privateer-p-m-pro-air-jersey-3-0-deep-purple

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In the second part of our Unbound recap, Payson chats with Karo Migón about her dominant win. After initiating an early breakaway with two other riders, she went solo with nearly 50 miles to go, finishing all on her own despite having a slow rear puncture. Her ride is even more impressive considering that last year was her first gravel season and she's currently on sabbatical from her job as a coder. She talks to Payson about why she decided to hop into a breakaway so early, when she knew it was time to go solo, and whether she’s going to quit her job to take up racing full time. 

Later, Payson goes through his five key takeaways about the race and gives a rundown on the Grand Prix standings, including the new wildcard riders. We also hear from listeners about their Unbound experience.

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In the first half of our Unbound recap, Payson sits down with men's 200 winner Cam Jones to talk about his stunning breakaway with TudorPro rider Simon Pellaud that stuck from mile 50 all the way through to a massive course record. Cam went into the race hoping to earn a wild card slot in the Grand Prix and left the race as a favorite for the series overall. 

He chats to Payson about his decision to stick to Simon’s wheel, the camaraderie they built over 150 miles together, and how he managed to outfox the former WorldTour breakaway specialist for the win. He also talks about that now-famous video of his mom doing hand-ups at the aid station, his aggressive fueling plan, and how his effort this year was noticeably less than last year. 

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It’s Unbound week and Payson sat down with fellow sidelined-by-injury Grand Prix rider Dylan Johnson to set the scene and make some predictions. They talk about how last year’s race played out, what the weather is shaping up to be like and how it could impact the race, and why they think the team tactics will be completely different this year. They also have the obligatory conversation about tire choice, explain why the aid stations might be the most important selection points, and pick the riders they think have a shot at the win. 

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For years, Payson has maintained that Nichole is the most talented athlete in their household, but it wasn’t until this winter that she finally decided to add some structure to her riding and shoot for some concrete goals. It all came about during an unusual lull in her schedule shortly after she and Payson finished his crossing project in New Zealand and got married in Tasmania, and just after she completed her capstone project for her Master’s Degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. 

Payson and Nichole sat down to talk about how her tentative request for a training plan turned into an increasingly busy racing schedule. She started out by jumping into the four-day Sahara Gravel stage race in Morocco in February before winning the Central Missouri Circuit, a 340-mile ultra race, earlier this month. This weekend, she’ll be lining up for the Unbound 100 in preparation for the Vapor Trail, a high-country bikepacking race later this year. Nichole talks about surprising herself in Morocco by discovering a thrill for racing, dealing with the heat, mental exhaustion, and fueling headaches during the overnight Central Missouri Circuit, and what it’s been like having Payson as a coach. They also catch up on her studies at Johns Hopkins and how they relate to her work at the biopsy clinic in Uganda. 

For a more in-depth conversation about her work in pathology, listen to our episode from last year: Nichole Baker on her eighth year in Uganda for Path of Logic

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Alexey Vermeulen has a lot of thoughts on how US gravel can improve. A 100-mile Unbound. A U23 field. Fewer elite riders in the Grand Prix—the list goes on. Since leaving the WorldTour to join the American off-road scene, Alexey has become one of the most prominent racers in the sport, finishing second overall in the first two years of the Grand Prix and being a leading voice among his peers through a host of media projects. This year, he’s started a post-race debrief podcast with Keegan Swenson called The Cooldown.

Alexey caught up with Payson in Bentonville after placing second at Rule of Three for a wide-ranging conversation. They talk about the current state of the sport, what professional gravel racers get wrong about their jobs off the bike, and why he thinks beating Keegan is more important than ever this year. They also argue (at length) about tires and debate the best ways to bring younger talent into gravel.

Watch episode 2 of Ride With Pace here: https://youtu.be/3rMbJDoCxeQ?si=-gZU8TtFSrBa46PZ

Get tickets for the premiere of 'Crossing New Zealand' here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossing-new-zealand-film-premier-and-social-ride-tickets-1350916600919?aff=oddtdtcreator

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When Iz King got pregnant six months ago, she wasn’t sure how it would affect her career as a gravel racer. Like many female athletes who want to start a family someday, she was all too aware that pregnancy, like being an elite-level competitor, is contingent on a finite biological window. She knew right away that she wanted to continue racing, but she also knew that her career was going to change significantly. This year, she’s continued to race, but she has no intention of being at the front of the pack. In fact, she found out pretty quickly that a new instinct had taken control of her brain that put her baby’s safety above her competitiveness. 

Payson sat down with Iz at her house in Los Angeles to talk about how her Garmin knew she was pregnant a full two weeks before a pregnancy test did, what her first race of the season was like, and how she broke the news of her pregnancy to her sponsors. She also talks about wanting to help other gravel racers navigate starting a family while maintaining their careers and where she’s hoping to take her career after her daughter arrives.

Get tickets for the premiere of 'Crossing New Zealand' here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossing-new-zealand-film-premier-and-social-ride-tickets-1350916600919?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Chef Biju Thomas made a major impact on cycling when he helped co-found Skratch Labs with his friend Allen Lim, but these days, you're most likely to find him cooking for cyclists at large events. For example, he was part of the squad that fueled the US cycling team at the Paris Olympics last summer. More recently, he was busy making several thousand meals at Sea Otter. 

Biju sat down with Payson in Bentonville to chat about the logistics of cooking for Olympic athletes from such different disciplines of the sport, why meal times were so important for the riders to grow as a team, and what it was like watching them win so many medals. He also answers some listener questions, talks about his favorite moment at Sea Otter, and explains why he has Kasia Niewiadoma’s Little Sugar trophy on his windowsill.

Watch episode 2 of Ride With Pace here: https://youtu.be/3rMbJDoCxeQ?si=-gZU8TtFSrBa46PZ

Get tickets for the premiere of 'Crossing New Zealand' here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossing-new-zealand-film-premier-and-social-ride-tickets-1350916600919?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Anneke Beerten was one of the top mountain bikers in the world for a decade, starting her career as a two-time BMX world champion before dominating the 4 cross circuit with three world titles. She’s gone through many career transitions over the years, embracing Enduro and Crankworx to earn even more accolades. In early 2020, just after finishing her best season in enduro racing, she was in a car accident that forced her to retire from racing. She spent years in rehab, moved states, and started over in Bentonville. Now, she’s one of the most sought-after skills coaches in the business. 

Anneke sat down with Payson this week to talk about the many disciplines she’s excelled at over the years, the car crash that ended her racing career just as she was at the top of her game, and how she transitioned into coaching some of the top mountain bikers in the world. She also gives a few tips on how everyone can work on their technical skills no matter where they live and discusses another new chapter in her career.

You can find out more about Anneke's skills coaching here: https://www.crankitupmtb.com

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The Life Time Grand Prix is back, which means we've got a whole new season of recap episodes on the way. To kick things off, we’ve got South African rider Hayley Preen and Swiss rider Simon Pellaud here to take us inside their races. Hayley just won the South African Gravel Nationals shortly after grabbing third place at the Cape Epic and is on her second go-round of the Grand Prix. Last year, she had to drop out after a broken wrist, but she’s started off this season strong with a fourth-place finish at round one last weekend. 

Simon is a Grand Prix newcomer but he’s been pretty busy over the past few years. He gives us a quick rundown of his career so far, which includes racing in the WorldTour for Trek, racing for a US Conti team, and breaking his WorldTour contract in order to join the Swiss ProTeam Tudor Pro. Now, he’s racing for the Chinese Conti team Li-Ning Star on the road while holding down a gravel career on the side. He talks about his days lining up for the Vuelta and the Giro, using his breakaway skills at Sea Otter, and how he’s planning to balance his globetrotting schedule this year. 

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