With Pace

Gus Morton quit professional cycling at the age of 21 to pursue a career as a filmmaker. He was briefly pulled back into professional racing but left the sport for good in 2017, when he merged his two areas of expertise by creating the production company Thereabouts, which put an alternative lens on cycling that didn't revolve around competition or traditional,  straightforward narratives of accomplishment. Instead, the projects focus on "conveying the feeling rather than recounting the experience" of cycling adventures.

In January of 2021, Gus joined endurance athlete Rebecca Rusch and photographer Chris Burkard on the first winter crossing of Iceland by bike. They set out to make a film about the experience, but the project became much more than a portrait of athletic endurance when Gus found himself trapped in Mexico for two weeks following the expedition, confronting a very different kind of struggle.

In this conversation, he tells Payson about how his battle with alcoholism came to a head during that two-week stay in Mexico City, and why he decided to re-frame the film around his relapse and recovery. They talk about how he wrestled with alcohol as a professional cyclist, the moment he revealed to Chris and Rebecca that he'd relapsed after their trip, and the process of turning his experiences with addiction into a creative project. The film, 'I Am Here,' is in production. A Kickstarter campaign was launched earlier this month to fund the remaining work.

Link to the Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chrisburkard/i-am-here-0

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

In this week's episode, we hear from riders of all levels and distances of Unbound who tell us about their experiences participating in North America's biggest gravel event. 

Later in the show, Payson answers listeners' questions about the race. He addresses the muddy conditions, dynamics in the lead group of riders, the impact of WorldTour racers, aero bars, and all the crashes in the first 40 miles. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Payson sits down with professional mountain biker and gravel racer Ryan Standish to preview the second race of the Lifetime Grand Prix, Unbound 200. They talk about the start list, a Who's Who of World Tour, gravel, and mountain bike racers, and make some predictions about the podium. They're also joined by unexpected guests Bobby Wintle, founder of The Mid South; and Howard Grotts, mountain bike Olympian and Grand Prix competitor.

Ryan also talks about going all-in on racing after his father's MS diagnosis, his clothing line Rocket Sloth, and becoming an overnight celebrity after racing the Snowshoe World Cup short track in jorts. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Joe Grant is an ultra runner and mountain athlete who holds the FKT on the Colorado Trail and has competed all over the world at races such as the Hardrock 100, Ultra-Trail Du Mont-Blanc, and the Iditarod in Alaska. He also explores the mountains by bike and competed in the Arizona Trail race in 2016 on a fully rigid drop bar bike. Born in England and raised in France, he now lives in Durango, Colorado.

In this conversation, Joe talks about his complicated relationship with the premise of FKTs, why he tries to orient his projects around the place and the trail rather than himself, and where he stands on the documentation debate in bikepacking and ultra running. He also talks about some of his recent projects, including “Home to Home,” in which he and some friends captured his on-foot attempt at The Colorado Trail with only analog film cameras and a guitar. Even though he’s built a career on winning races and accomplishing unprecedented challenges in the mountains, he explains why he tries to make his projects about more than just the records.

Joe's Home to Home project: https://lostcreekcollective.com/

The Middle Way  "Tour de 14ers" film: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/themiddleway

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Payson sits down with professional mountain biker and former teammate Hannah Otto to discuss her new privateer program, splitting her 2022 schedule between North American gravel racing and UCI World Cups, and her childhood as a world champion triathlete. Hannah started racing triathlons at 9, eventually winning the XTERRA Amateur World Championship. After switching to cycling in college, she became a 5x collegiate national champion and signed with the CLIF Pro Team. After nine years of racing on factory-style teams, she's going private this year, pursuing both the LifeTime Grand Prix and a spot at the 2024 Olympics. 

In this conversation, Hannah talks about the internal drive and love of sports that propelled her to a very early start in racing, how she’s brought some of her triathlete mindset to her cycling career, and why privateering isn’t so different from racing on a factory team. She also talks about the other side of her job, in which she is a coach and regular contributor to VeloNews. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

In this second part of our coverage of the Epic Rides Whiskey Off-road, Payson sits down with self-proclaimed "weekend warrior" Ben Mauceri to talk  about how mountain biking takes him to a physical and mental place that nothing else can, the commitment required to show up at the start line while maintaining a demanding career, and the strong sense of comradery and pride he feels for his fellow amateur racers at the finish line. 

Payson also talks to Cina McConaughy and Kate Phelan, owners of Soul Ride, one of Prescott, Arizona's bike shops. They discuss how their business grew alongside the Whiskey Off-road, breaking into the cycling industry as female business owners, and how they've rooted their shop in the local community. 

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Payson sits down with professional mountain biker racers Haley Smith and Andrew L’Esperance to talk about racing a 50/50 World Cup and North American schedule in 2022, snagging spots on the podium at their first Whiskey Off-Road this year, and their new podcast, OffRoad InRoads. 

He also chats with Todd Sadow, President and CEO of Epic Rides, about adapting to wildfires and the pandemic, expanding the series, and why he wanted to revolutionize American mountain biking when he helped create 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo more than 20 years ago.  

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Quinn Simmons is a professional road cyclist who rides for Trek-Segafredo. At just 20 years old, he is part of a new generation of American road cyclists achieving success in the WorldTour that the country has not seen in generations. He was the first junior male road race World Champion since Greg Lemond, and won the Tour de Wallonie overall in 2021. He's also achieved top results in the Vuelta a España  and the Strade Bianche, and was long-listed for the 2021 Tour de France. 

In this conversation, he and Payson talk about the driving ambition and competitive mindset that have rocketed him to success after his junior career. He talks about the influence of his family and the potential of his younger brother, Colby, who recently joined the Jumbo-Visma Development Team. They discuss his tumultuous relationship with the media at the beginning of his WorldTour career that left him suspended from the team for two months in 2020. He talks about how his view of the media and professional racing have shifted since then, and why he's more determined than ever to become World Champion. They also talk about his interest in another White Rim FKT attempt, setting a Leadville 100 course record, and his thoughts on gravel after crashing out of Unbound in 2021.

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Justin Williams, founder of L39ion Los Angeles and winner of eleven national titles, returns to the show to talk about recovering from shoulder surgery and his latest moves within the industry. He discusses his decision to focus on Belizean Nationals rather than US Nationals in the past two years and how he’s using his influence to grow the sport and support racers in the country. He and Payson also talk about franchising L39ion, whether he has plans to run for the UCI presidency, and NFTs.

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Payson is joined by two standout racers from last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic, Mo Wilson and Rob Britton. 

Mo won the race, beating a formidable field that included Olympians, national champions, and former WorldTour riders. Having made a mark on the gravel circuit in 2021, winning Big Sugar and placing second at the Leadville 100, her decisive victory at Sea Otter demonstrated her potential in other disciplines. Mo talks to Payson about her mindset going into the race, her childhood ski racing career, and how she only got into gravel racing during the pandemic. She also shares some breaking news about some big career moves she's making this year. 

Later in the episode, Payson is joined by Rob Britton, who finished eighth out of the Grand Prix roster and tenth overall. His result comes barely six months after announcing his retirement from a 12-year road racing career, six years of which he spent with Rally Cycling. He talks about why he decided to leave the WorldTour, being pleasantly surprised by his Sea Otter result, and why his 2022 racing schedule is more packed than ever. 

Payson also highlights some of the breakout rides from Sea Otter and discusses some of the implications for the Grand Prix.

Instagram: @withpacepodcast
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]