Mark Twight returns to the show to talk about transitions, decision paralysis, and, of course, the nuances and science of athletic optimization. Throughout his varied career, Mark has been a pioneering mountaineer, photographer, writer, and trainer to military personnel and some of Hollywood’s most famous actors. In this episode, he reflects on psychological impact of leaving his celebrated climbing career for an unknown future at the age of 39, and his struggle with finding new avenues of fulfillment. They talk about the modern predicament of having infinite options, and why getting uncomfortable in conversations with those around you can help resolve inner conflict. They also get deep into the weeds of exercise science, and Mark shares some of his philosophy on appearance vs. fitness, performance vs. health, and why deadlifts should be a thing of the past. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Sean Hopkins is a quality engineer at SRAM. He joins Payson to talk about how he fell in love with bikes while growing up on the south side of Chicago, being stopped by the police as a child on suspicion of stealing the bike he was riding, and the pattern of obstruction he faced as a junior racer that eventually led him to quit racing altogether. He tells Payson about discovering a love for writing and reading as an adult, his recent article in Bicycling Magazine, and how his grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer's brought about his passion for film photography. They also talk about how he’s feeling as a person of color during this moment of widespread reckoning with racial inequality, and the 1980s cult film that inspired his Instagram handle.

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Koen de Kort is a professional road cyclist who currently rides for the UCI WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo. After 15 years on the WorldTour, he is one of the most respected road captains in professional cycling, making tough tactical decisions during races and maintaining the focus and collaboration of his teammates. In this interview, Koen talks about why he ended up in this role, and why it fits his style of racing. He also talks about the self doubt he struggled with early in his career during the era of pervasive doping, and what it was like to lead out some of the best sprinters in the world such as Marcel Kittel. He also talks about learning the hard way that injuries can’t be rushed, and how his love of Australian cafe culture has led to his latest off the bike venture. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Rachel Olzer is an activist, evolutionary biologist, and mountain biker, who has become a leading voice in the current wave of racial justice advocacy taking place across the world. As a transracial adoptee growing up in an all white family, she had to navigate the cognitive dissonance of a grandmother who vocalized deep-seated racism and a family whose conservative politics were directly at odds with her own experiences as a person of color. It wasn’t until she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota for college, however, that she encountered systemic racism and segregation on a large scale, in spite of the city’s reputation for being a liberal stronghold. Her Instagram post detailing her observations of moving from the south to the supposedly radical north went viral, and she is currently writing a series for Bike Magazine about elevating the voices of the BIPOC community within cycling and the outdoor industry. 

In this interview, Rachel talks about internalizing racism from an early age, the recent conversations she’s had with her brother that bring her hope, and why we should shouldn’t stop talking to our friends and family who express racist opinions. She also talks about her work in evolutionary biology and how the mating behavior of male crickets relates human immorality, why she feels conflicted about virtue signaling, and why her experience living in a mostly white neighborhood in Minneapolis caused her to move across town. She also shares her quarantine must-haves, and explains why you should approach your social justice work like bike racing. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Ruth Winder is a professional road cyclist who rides for the UCI Women’s WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo. In this conversation, she talks about her nail-biting win at road National Championships last year, and why her experience doing the Everest Challenge in May was even harder. She opens about her struggle with an eating disorder early in her career when the team she was on requested that she lose weight in order to enhance her skills as a climber. She talks about the ways in which disordered eating is perpetuated and even encouraged in competitive cycling through slogans like “eating is cheating” and the privileging of numerical data over health and wellbeing. She also tells Payson and Justin about her baking subscription service in her hometown of Boulder, Colorado, and why she’s already thinking about what she’d like to do in retirement. Finally, they discuss the 2016 Rio Olympics and why it was a largely unhappy experience that has prompted Ruth to shift her focus towards goals that encompass the whole year and don't predicate happiness or success on one or two races. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Quarantine Companion, mountain bike World Champion Kate Courtney returns to the show to talk about how her life and training have changed in the last few months. She and Payson talk about her covid-19 fundraising challenges, why the last few months have provided her with greater confidence in her process, and why the support of the global cycling community is more important now than ever. They also talk about some of her top secret preparations for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, what her backup plans are if the remainder of the 2020 World Cup season is cancelled, and her “95% Rule” for balancing work and life. With Justin out this week, Kate answers some audience questions in addition to the standard Quarantine Companion rapid fire questions, including a much asked and highly controversial one about plant-based diets. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Chloé Dygert is a track cyclist who has won five world championships and a silver medal from the Rio Olympics in 2016. She currently races for the UCI team Sho-Air Twenty20. In this conversation, she tells Payson and Justin about how her extensive history of injuries has only served to strengthen her drive and competitive mindset, how she managed to win every single title at the 2019 Colorado Classic, and why she’d rather quit than get second place. She also talks about her goal of competing in seven Olympic Games, her passion for Barbie collecting, and why she has a lot more in common with Michael Jordan than you might think. They also have a debate about the growing importance of social media in professional sports and whether or not it’s a positive change for athletes, and Chloé explains why she can’t stand talking to people at races. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

In this special episode, Payson and Justin are joined by fellow pro cyclist, Christopher Blevins, for a wide ranging conversation about racial justice. Growing up as one of the only people of color in his small mountain town, Chris confronted the realities of race in America from an early age, and has gone on to study criminal justice and prison reform in college. Justin shares his own experiences of growing up in a predominantly black and Latino part of Los Angeles, and how racial inequality was apparent from his early days as an elementary school student as well. They also talk about the problem with expecting athletes to ignore political and social realities and just do their jobs, and how sports can both break down the barriers of racism and reinforce racial stereotypes. They discuss what “defund the police” actually means, and whether or not it’s realistic to hope for change within the hearts of those who discriminate against people of color. They address the merits and limitations of tokenism within athletic marketing, and suggest ways in which to avoid fatigue and cynicism in the face of so many global crises. And last but not least, they double down on the pushup challenge, and learn Chris’s must-haves while in quarantine. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Coryn Rivera is a road cyclist who rides for the UCI WorldTeam Team Sunweb. Over her 16 years of racing, she’s achieved 72 national titles and won the Tour of Flanders in her first year on the World Tour. In this conversation, she talks about growing up racing and training with Justin in California as a junior, the nail-biting team relay at Collegiate Nationals when she went head-to-head with Payson’s team and forced him to dig deeper than he’s ever gone, and the cultural challenges of moving to Europe and being the only American on her team. They also talk about her surprise win at the 2017 Tour of Flanders and how she navigated the pressure of achieving early success. Her ability to find mental fuel in spite of prestigious competition has been key to her ongoing success in the WorldTour, and she highlights the importance of finding a “why” after transitioning from junior and collegiate racing to the pro ranks. They also talk about elevating the profiles of entire teams rather just the team leaders in road cycling, and the life-threatening crash that made her turn down her professional racing opportunities and go to college instead. Lastly, they raise the difficulty of the Push Up Challenge yet again, and Coryn brings the heat. 

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]

Chase Garrett is a former Red Bull athlete marketing manager, and founder and CEO of Icon Source, an online marketing platform connecting brands with like-minded athletes from all realms of professional sport. Throughout his career, Chase has managed athletes and agents in tennis, NFL, MLB, NBA, cycling, snow, and motocross. 

In this conversation, he talks with Payson and Justin about why he chose to leave his dream job at Red Bull after six years to start his own company, what it was like working for one of the biggest companies in the world and befriending world famous athletes, and how he's keeping his small business afloat in the time of the pandemic. They also talk about how he identifies marketable athletes from outside mainstream sports, and the time he ended up in the trunk of a car in Monaco with NFL star DeMarcus Ware.

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Email: [email protected]