Episode 8: Ted King & Joe Cruz Ride Buddies

Gravel cycling's favorite dad, Ted King, and bikepacking's favorite philosophy professor, Joe Cruz, sit down in Ted's cozy living room for an IRL chat.
On the surface, it might not seem that a former WorldTour pro and a bikepacking-infatuated philosophy professor have much in common, but the two were so motivated to record an episode in person that Joe drove 2.5 hours north to meet Ted in his home. As it turns out, they've been on each other's radars for a while. Ever the obsessive and thoughtful route designer, Joe poured over maps of Vermont to help craft what would become known as Ted's legendary VT-XL ride in 2020, a 310-mile/+35,000' homage to the Dirty Kanza (presently known as Unbound Gravel), which he rode as a DIY substitute to that year's event. Joe then went on to write about it on Bikepacking.com.
With that unique collaboration as a backdrop to their meeting, the two discuss a wide range of topics in this episode, covering everything from the type of riding they're both inspired by these days, to being early adopters of social media as a tool for inspiring and building community; they touch on Lael Wilcox's recent Arizona Trail FKT attempt and some of the controversy surrounding what it means to be "self-supported"; they discuss the value of rides that leave you so tired and hungry that they cause the constructs of daily life to fade away; and ultimately, they share the notion that people are fundamentally good and want to take care of each other, which seems to be especially true in the congruent worlds of gravel cycling and bikepacking.
It's a great conversation between two of cycling's most interesting and inspiring personalities, so sit back and tune in, you're in for a great ride.
Full episode recap: https://ridewithgps.com/journal/6363-ride-buddies-episode-8