The Adventure Stache Payson McElveen

Dutch cyclists Ivar Slik and Jasper Ockeloen have been traveling to the U.S. a lot over the past few years. After successful road careers in Europe, they made the jump to gravel cycling and have thrown down some standout results. Ivar won Unbound last year, rocketing to a level of fame in the U.S. and Euro cycling worlds that he wasn’t expecting. Jasper won Gravel Locos last year and came second at Belgian Waffle ride, but after two years of bad luck, he's still waiting to do Unbound without a race-halting puncture. They’re both prepping for the event this year as top contenders. 

Payson sat down with Ivar and Jasper in Bentonville last week to talk about their cycling careers and the sock business they run together, Sockeloen. Jasper talks about his growing frustration with Continental racing that pushed him to lean into Sockeloen, and how fellow Dutchie Laurens Ten Dam inspired him to get into gravel racing. Ivar talks about his now-legendary attack at Unbound in a rainstorm and what it was like to become the unofficial king of gravel with the win (and a course record). They also talk about their long-time friendship, the nitty gritty scientific data behind Sockeloen’s aerodynamic credentials, and Jasper’s ever-present gold necklace. 
Instagram: @theadventurestache

Justin Williams returns to the show to talk about the rapidly-evolving criterium scene. He pulls back the curtain on his decision not to take part in the newly-formed National Cycling League; his announcement about his own series, Circuit Racing International Tour (CRIT); and how going behind the scenes at an F1 race last year informed his ambitions for cycling. He also talks about whether criterium has a problem with aggressive riding, adding a third team to his roster after L39ion and the Miami Blazers, and a recent incident when he decided to address online criticism head-on. 
Instagram: @theadventurestache

Ever since he was a child, Taylor Lideen knew he experienced the world differently. Even before he knew that he suffered from depression and anxiety, he noticed that his emotions seemed to run higher than other people’s. As a teen, he struggled with his mental health even as he built a  successful career as a cyclist. Over the years, he’s won 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo and Unbound XL, and is competing in the Life Time Grand Prix for the second time this year. But his bouts with crippling depression have been a consistent presence in his life, both on and off the bike. Last year, he released a film, Shifting Mindset, in which he opens up for the first time about his struggles with mental health. 

In this week's episode, Taylor talks about navigating depression and anxiety as a child, and how his love of cycling was both an escape and a trigger. He talks about how meeting his wife Mary in high school changed his life, how his relationship with his dad was caught up in his anxiety about attaining race results, and the therapy he credits with saving his life. Since speaking openly about his battle with mental health, Taylor says he’s felt a sense of relief. He tells Payson why he felt it was the right time to address his struggles publicly, and how he’s hoping others might benefit from hearing his story. 
Instagram: @theadventurestache

At some point during college, Caley Fretz realized that his aspirations of becoming a professional cyclist weren’t in the cards. By the time graduation rolled around, he was sipping limoncello on the coast of Italy while covering the Giro as a journalist. He never looked back. He went on to work as Senior Editor at VeloNews before becoming Editor-in-Chief at CyclingTips. While there, he shaped the outlet into a distinctive, often humorous, writer-driven voice in the cycling space. Late last year, he and many other members of the CyclingTips team were laid off by Outside, Inc., and he struck out on his own to create Escape Collective, a journalist-led, membership-driven antidote to mainstream cycling media.

In this conversation, Caley tells Payson about the gap in the market that Escape Collective is trying to fill and the state of cycling media that got him here. They talk about the investigative piece that Escape Collective published about the implosion of the Zaaf Cycling Team earlier this year and how he’s envisioning much more than road cycling for the future of the outlet. They also talk about the long shadow of Lance Armstrong, Caley’s unfiltered thoughts on Outside's takeover of cycling media, and Tom Boonen’s legs. 
Instagram: @theadventurestache

This week, Payson and VeloNews journalist Betsy Welch break down the first race of the 2023 Life Time Grand Prix. While there were few surprises at the front of the race, there were plenty of unexpected finishes and variables to suggest that we’re in for an exciting series. Payson and Betsy run through the leaderboard, discuss the riders that surprised them most, consider the implications of Keegan Swenson’s sprint finish with Russell Finsterwald, and highlight some serious mid-race comebacks in the women’s field.
Instagram: @theadventurestache

The 2023 Life Time Grand Prix is about to be officially underway. The seven-month series will encompass seven races and involve 70 of the best gravel cyclists in the world. This year brings a host of new competitors from across the globe, from South Africa to Australia, Alabama to Switzerland. There are some familiar faces as well as plenty of new riders with impressive resumes. There are world-class triathletes, road racers, and engineers; veteran gravel racers and those who have just taken up the sport in the last couple of years. It's shaping up to be an exciting and dynamic field, and it all kicks off this weekend.
In this week’s episode, Payson sits down with Michelle Duffy, Marketing Director for Life Time’s athletic events, and Betsy Welch, a journalist and senior editor at VeloNews who spent last year chronicling the series in detail. Michelle has been instrumental in bringing the Grand Prix to fruition and facilitates the application and selection process. She, Payson, and Betsy do a rundown of the riders, focusing on the ones that are new to the series. They also discuss the new format and how the altered points system, which allows athletes to drop two races from their final score, might affect tactics. 
Instagram: @theadventurestache