Sea Otter recap with Hayley Preen and Simon Pellaud
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. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen
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1:03:40
Allied ABLE is here: CEO Drew Medlock and Director of Product and Engineering Sam Pickman on the new gravel bike
Today, Allied Cycle Works released its long-awaited ABLE gravel bike. Payson has been test riding it for a year now and is pretty sure it's going to redefine gravel racing. He sits down with Allied CEO Drew Medlock and Director of Product and Engineering Sam Pickman to break down exactly what makes the bike so different, including that 57mm tire clearance, and how they developed it from idea to factory floor. They also talk about the input from Payson that was integrated into the final design, the ideas he had that he's glad they ultimately didn't include, and get nerdy about geometry. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen
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1:34:43
Welcome to With Pace
Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen
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25:58
Brayden Johnson on his disastrous factory team experience in 2024 and taking the 2025 season into his own hands
Brayden Johnson landed his dream situation in 2024 when he signed a contract with a factory team. As a third-year U23 rider, it was a crucial opportunity on his way to the elite field. He had already shown his potential, winning National Champs and podiuming at World Cups. Soon after moving to Italy for the new team, however, Brayden started to notice some red flags. Before the end of the season, he was blacklisted from the team shortly before organization collapsed altogether. This year is his final year as a U23 and he’s taking it on as a privateer. He has a lot on the line. The opportunities for U23s to continue racing in the elite field are few and far between, but by accepting the odds and preparing himself for any outcome, Brayden has found the freedom to go all-in. Payson sat down with him in Bentonville this week to talk about the coming season, when he realized that things had gone too far with his previous team, his long-time friendship with Riley Amos, and how he's taking things into his own hands this season. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen
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1:09:12
Gwendalyn Gibson on her unlikely path to World Cup racing and bringing a fresh perspective to the 2025 season
Gwen Gibson is one of the best World Cup XCO racers in the world, but she almost didn’t make it into the professional ranks. In college, she juggled racing with a full class schedule and held down three jobs to make ends meet. When she graduated, she thought it was probably time to quit her dreams of being a World Cup racer and find a ‘real’ career path. But then she started showing up to races and beating some of her idols, and in 2022, she had a breakout season, winning a World Cup short track race and nabbing third place at the World Championships after breaking her kneecap midseason. Now, she races for Trek Factory Racing and has scored eight top 10 World Cup finishes since joining the team. Gwen sat down with Payson in Girona to talk about battling her way into World Cup racing after years of determination, her continuing battles with self-doubt, what it was like winning her first World Cup race, and how she's building up her mental game after the disappointment of losing out on the Olympics last year with one heartbreaking race. She also talks about her friendship with teammates Evie Richards and Maddie Munro and how she still manages to win races despite shying away from confrontational tactics. Instagram: @withpacepodYouTube: Payson McElveen
Professional mountain biker Payson McElveen sits down with some of the biggest names in sports and adventure to get an inside look at what sets them apart. With no script, the casual conversations are as diverse as the guests, with topics ranging from harrowing tales of survival, to debates on current events, to everyday tips and tricks and everything in between. As Payson travels the world for his two-wheeled day job, listen in as he rubs shoulders with and learns from some of the most inspiring athletes, entrepreneurs, academics, and others as they chase and inspire greatness.
Netherlands