When Christian Bagg crossed the finish line at the Leadville 100 this year, he became the first rider to complete (and start) the notorious high alpine race with a handcycle. He did it with a bike he created through his company, Bowhead Corp, the leading purveyor of adaptive mountain bikes. Taking part in Leadville was part personal challenge and part broader statement — he wanted to make it clear that cyclists with mobility disabilities can race alongside able-bodied riders at the toughest events in the world, no matter the terrain.

After an injury left him paralyzed from the waist down in 1996 at the age of 20, the machinist from Calgary spent over a decade contemplating how to design a bike that could handle narrow singletrack, loose ascents, and rutted descents. Nearly two decades and countless iterations later, he and his team have done just that. Christian sat down with Payson to talk about the long road to designing the bike, racing the Sea Otter Fuego XL to get into Leadville, and how he managed to assuage the race organizers’ fears that he might not be able to complete the 100 miles and nearly 12,000 feet of climbing that Leadville covers. They also discuss the potential controversy of para-athletes using motor-assisted bikes in competitive events, why having one is necessary, and why he wants to be the first line of defense in the debate.

Donate to Howard Grotts' recovery here:
Howard Grotts' road to recovery
Howard Grotts recovery fund

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There are many riders who dream of winning Leadville, but few if any have spent as much time working toward it as Melisa Rollins. She’s done the mountain bike race seven times, the stage race twice, the Leadville Trail Marathon once, and the back-to-back 50-mile running and mountain biking races. She even completed the Leadville 100 running race in 2018. She was the very last racer on the course for that one, making her perhaps the only participant to have finished first and last at Leadville events. This year, she conquered the mountain bike course for a decisive victory. Melisa sat down with Payson less than 24 hours after finishing the race to talk about her extensive history with Leadville, how taking a year to race exclusively on the road helped her finally win the off-road race, and what it was like passing her parents (who were also racing) on the way back to the finish.

Use code adventurestache20 at Maurten.com for 20% off. 

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To recap this year's Leadville, Payson sits down with two riders who had some of the most impressive results on the day, Michaela Thompson and John Gaston. Michaela rode to third place this year, a full hour faster than her time last year. She talks about returning to Leadville ready to change the narrative, gives a play-by-play of the race, and talks about the emotional moment she shared with Sofía Gómez Villafane at the finish.

John Gaston placed second at Leadville, even though cycling isn’t his main sport. He tells Payson about his aspirations for the 2026 Winter Olympics in skimo, how racing with the Grand Prix riders fulfills one of his childhood dreams, and how he managed to place second despite riding solo for much of the day.

We also hear from listeners about their experiences at this year's race.

Watch the Leadville race highlights here.

Donate to Howard Grotts' recovery fund here.

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Dr. David Spindler has been working as a high-performance cognitive specialist for over 25 years, helping top-level athletes unlock their brain chemistry and reach new levels of achievement. Cyclists he’s worked with include Mark Cavendish, Sam Gaze, and recent podcast guest, Riley Amos. 
Last week, Dr. Spindler stopped by the podcast studio in Durango to talk about why he prefers to spend time with athletes on their training rides instead of just in an office, what cycling teams can learn from Formula 1 about accountability and trust, and how he helps athletes balance their professional goals with personal fulfillment off the bike. 
Later, Riley hops on the mic to recap his seventh-place finish at the Olympics, how his work with David helped him achieve the result, and how they’re looking ahead to World Championships and his first Elite season. 

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Just a few days after returning home from Paris, Savilia Blunk sits down with Payson to talk about her experience competing in the XCO race at the Olympics. After years of targeted preparation, she had a lot riding on the race. In the end, she was disappointed with how it all went down. In this conversation, she tells Payson about the things she sacrificed to make it to the start line in Paris and whether, in hindsight, she thinks it was all worth it. She also gives her verdict on the course, talks about the athlete’s village (including those viral cardboard beds), and gets candid about how it felt watching US teammate Haley Batten win silver. Later, her partner, Cole Paton, jumps on the mic to talk about what it’s been like to watch Savilia chase the Olympic dream and how they've navigated their respective cycling careers (and relationship) from different countries. 

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After going nearly undefeated on the World Cup circuit this year, U23 XCO rider Riley Amos returns to the show to talk about the season and the lead-up to the Olympics, which have just gotten underway in Paris. He talks about the heated points pursuit that the U.S. team undertook to snag two Olympic slots, and how this goal was at times in conflict with his personal quest to qualify. He talks about what it’s like having his first elite race be the Olympics, why going home to Durango was an essential part of his preparation, and how he and fellow Durango local Chris Blevins avoided the awkwardness of Olympic qualifications to punch their tickets to the big event. Riley also tells Payson about how his strategic skills have improved over the past year, and why he thinks he’ll never match the hunger and tenacity he had when going head-to-head with the top domestic pros when he was a kid.

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Sarah Sturm is back, fresh off of winning Migration Gravel in Kenya. As usually happens when she and Payson start chatting, the conversation covers a broad range of pressing topics. Did Sarah watch Cole Paton ride to his doom in a rainstorm just before recording the show? Will Cole reply to Payson’s texts? What is tempo? Why did the runners at Hardrock 100 wear bucket hats? Will Payson make his dinner reservation? They also talk about the grueling, exhilarating experience that is Migration Gravel, including the white-knuckle van ride to the start of each stage, beautiful cows, and the "princess palace" that the pro men stayed in. Sarah also talks about why she almost skipped the Grand Prix this year to focus on the Gravel Earth series (which she’s currently leading), how she’s managing to pursue both, and her latest efforts for Protect Our Winters.

But first, Payson recaps the race that wasn’t -- Crusher in the Tushar -- which was canceled due to wildfires. He talks about where the cancellation leaves the Grand Prix standings, who benefits and who suffers, and how changing the points structure from best of 7 races to best of 6 will make the final event in Bentonville all the more exciting.

Register for the Rad Dirt Fest here. 

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Dylan Stucki has dabbled in just about every bike-related career out there. He's worked as an equipment tester, mechanic, and race promoter, and even found the time to do some pro racing along the way. These days, one of his main roles is team manager/mechanic/and all-around support system for his fiancée, Sarah Sturm.

Payson caught up with Dylan this week to talk about what it’s like maintaining a personal and professional relationship in the non-stop world of pro racing, his trajectory from bike shop grom to cycling Renaissance man, and racing alongside Sarah at Migration Gravel in Kenya last month. He also gives a glimpse into the stress of manning aid stations at Grand Prix events, talks about the merciless battle he waged to bring Single Speed World Championships to Durango in 2022 (shock collars and hot dogs were involved), and how he and other members of the Durango cycling community are trying to revitalize mountain bike racing with the Durango Derby, which takes place in September.

You can register for the Durango Derby through July 15th at durangoderby.com

Alex Roszko's metal album recommendation: Manifesto 1.0: Stages of Grief - Orphan

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New Zealand cyclist Samara Sheppard has found success in multiple disciplines, including cross country (she won a U23 World Cup in 2012 and is a multi-time New Zealand and Oceania champion), road (she nearly landed a contract with one of the most prominent WorldTour teams in 2019), and marathon (she’s placed 5th and 6th at the marathon world championships). This year, she’s taking on a new discipline — gravel. As one of the new riders in the Grand Prix, she wasted no time in showing that she is one to watch when she placed second at Sea Otter in April. 

Despite her many successes, however, Samara’s career has been full of near-misses. From seeing her long-held Olympic dreams dashed when the cross country spot was given to a reserve track racer to losing out on a road contract at the last hurdle, she has had to constantly find creative ways to pivot. Samara sat down with Payson in Durango this week to talk about chasing World Cup success by herself in Europe as a teenager, getting a Master’s Degree in Public Health when racing stopped in 2020, becoming the first athlete from Oceania to podium at the Cape Epic, and how the online riding platforms Zwift and MyWhoosh have provided some of the biggest opportunities of her career. She also talks about why she had everything riding on a top result at Sea Otter and why she chose not to race Unbound. 

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As co-founder of SkratchLabs and co-author of the FeedZone cookbooks, Chef Biju Thomas has played a major role in how cyclists fuel themselves. He and his family emigrated from a rural part of Southern India to Colorado when he was 10. As a teenager, he fell in love with cycling right around the time he started working in restaurants, and dreamed of combining his two passions. Decades later, he’s done just that, cooking for top cyclists, authoring cookbooks that have changed the way the cycling industry thinks about fueling, and starring in his own TV show for Outside.

Payson caught up with Biju in Bentonville earlier this month to talk about moving to the U.S. as a kid, falling in love with cycling after the 1984 L.A. Olympics, and finding a kindred spirit in future business partner Allen Lim.

You can follow Biju at @bijuthechef on Instagram or find out more about his latest projects at chefbiju.com.

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