Girls Gone Gravel podcast Feisty Media

This week Kathryn and Kristi are catching up with Life Time Grand Prix athlete Caroline Tory from Aspen, Colorado. Caroline grew up in downtown Toronto but was always drawn to the mountains, and after attending college in Maine she moved to Colorado and dove head first into the outdoor lifestyle spending her time skiing and mountain biking. A collegiate runner, Caroline was no stranger to competition, so as she got more confident on her mountain bike competing in races was a natural progression. Caroline discovered that she was drawn to longer mountain and gravel cycling events, and her success in races gave her the confidence to apply for the Life Time Grand Prix in 2023, and she is taking on the series again in 2024. Off the bike Caroline runs the Literary Arts Program at the Aspen Institute, she gives her insights on balancing a demanding full time job and racing the Grand Prix, and answers the hard hitting questions; like if audiobooks count as reading.
Follow Caroline on Instagram @ctory1 
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel

The Life Time Grand Prix has officially kicked off for the 2024 season, and this week we are bringing you the show live from The Sea Otter Classic Fuego XL. Tune in to get all of the pre- and post race highlights live from the Laguna Seca Raceway in the heart of the action, including Janelle Spilker’s perspective of watching the women’s race unfold from the helicopter and interviews with Hannah Otto, Michelle Duffy, Alexis Skarda, and Sofia Gomez Villafane - and more!
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel

We are just days away from the start of the third season of the Lift Time Grand Prix, which kicks off at the Sea Otter Fuego XL in Monterey California. On today’s show Kathryn and Kristi welcome former pro cyclist, and current Life Time Grand Prix commentator Janel Spilker. The three discuss how this season could play out, and talk about some of the racers to watch this year on the women’s field. Janel also answers some hard hitting questions, like how awesome it was to ride in a helicopter, and gives a quick preview for the Fuego XL at Sea Otter this weekend. Kristi caps off the interview with some fun fact athlete trivia!
Follow Janel on Strava, and on social media @janelspilker 
If you are going to be at Sea Otter this week, don’t forget to come by the Uplift Industry Meetup that Kathryn and Kristi will be co-hosting at the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden. The event will be Friday April 19th from 4-6pm.
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel

Rachael Burnside didn’t grow up as a cyclist, but she has found her passion working in the cycling industry as the head of marketing at Shift Active Media. After a few years in the role, Rachael saw the need for women in the industry to have other women to guide them along in their careers. To fill this need Rachael started Uplift, a mentoring program that matches female leaders in the cycling industry with the next generation of talented business women coming into the scene. Rachael’s previous work in other fields had shown her the importance of mentoring programs for women, and she has made it her mission to provide opportunities to help women grow within the sport from all angles.
At Sea Otter this month Rachael will be part of the Women’s Panel on Wednesday, and she will be hosting the discussion panel at our Uplift Industry Meetup on Friday April 19th from 4-6pm at the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden.
Learn more about Uplift at www.shiftactivemedia.com/uplift and follow them on Instagram @uplift.mentoring.programme
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel

This week we welcome Hannah Otto and Kristen Legan for the first episode in a special series on the Life Time Grand Prix. Throughout the series we will be hearing from athletes in the Grand Prix to get the inside scoop on their preparation for the events, how they train, and what we can learn from their expertise to put towards our own training and racing. Kristen and Hannah are both cycling coaches, as well as being accomplished racers and veterans of the Life Time Grand Prix. They are passionate about educating athletes to perform at their best, and today they cover 3 areas that we can focus on to level up our training; creating a structured training plan, the principles of nutrition, and how to recover like a pro. 
Follow Hannah on Instagram @hannah_finchamp
Follow Kristen on Instagram @kplegan
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel

We all love a great comeback story, and that is what our guest this week brings us. Cecily Decker was an alpine ski racer from the age of six, and spent a stint on the US National team in her teenage years, before a horrific crash and knee injury altered her path. A fierce competitor, Cecily recovered from her injury and returned to ski racing getting a scholarship at Montana State University. But shortly after her collegiate ski racing career started, it was brought to an end by the long-term impacts of her knee injury. Cecily had been introduced to cycling as a teenager by her mom, and after being forced to retire from ski racing she turned to the bike as an outlet. She quickly became the president of the Montana State Cycling club, and her trajectory from bike-commuter to professional off-road cyclist began. 
Last year Cecily joined the Pinarello Scuderia team, and this year is part of the Life Time Grand Prix. Her season has already kicked off with a bang as she finished 5th at Mid South Gravel last weekend. Cecily gives us her inside scoop on the race, and what she is most looking forward to for her upcoming season.
Follow Cecily on Instagram @cecily_decker
Follow us on Instagram:
@girlsgonegravel
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Feisty Media Website:
https://livefeisty.com/
Support our Partners:
TransRockies Gravel Royale: Ante up and use code GGG24GR$100 to save $100 off race entry
Buycycle: save up to $100 on your purchase by entering code GIRLSGONEGRAVEL at buycycle.com
Precision Fuel & Hydration: Use this link to get 15% off your first order https://visit.pfandh.com/girlsgonegravel