Mi Duole Cycling Podcast Utah's oldest cycle team (est. 1984)

Meet the most interesting man in the Peloton, Ryan Wells.   Ryan is one of the most outgoing, friendly, and genuine guys you’ll meet.  Ryan grew up in the Olympus Cove neighborhood skating, playing the guitar, and working on his tan at his parent’s swimming pool.  He went to high school at Skyline and later got both a degree and postgraduate degree from the University of Utah.
Ryan is living the life that many of us think about living when we are daydreaming on the bike.  Ryan teaches during the school year and travels around the world cycling during the summer.  As an example, in the past year, Ryan has biked in Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, France, Spain, Mallorca, and the Canary Islands.  Additionally, he has biked and attended several stages of the Giro, Tour de France, and Vuelta all within the last year.  Ryan has been living in Spain during the 23/24 school year teaching English.  
Ryan has followed his passions to the extreme. Ryan is passionate about learning, teaching, cycling, oh and the grateful dead.  Ryan has leveraged his passion for learning and teaching to become one of the state of Utah’s best teachers.  Ryan teaches Spanish at Taylorsville High School.  He was awarded Teacher of the Year in Granite School District and nominated as Teacher of the Year by the State of Utah Board of Education.  He’s followed his passion for cycling to become one of the most consistent and strongest cyclists on the team.  Don’t let his 27-minute Emigration time fool you.  Ryan is a freight train that will get his power to about 280 watts and just park it there for hours. He finished on the podium for Lotoja last year and he’s charging for the top spot this year.  
If you are lucky enough to ride next to Ryan, be sure to chat with him about his favorite dead show or his favorite podcast.  He’ll chat your ear off.  He’s a great dude and I’m stoked he is part of the team. 

In episode 106 of the Mi Duole Cycling Podcast, we are thrilled to introduce team member Jesse Loper. Jesse is an experienced adventurer with an impressive resume, having completed the grueling Leadville Mountain Bike Race three times. His passion for cycling extends across gravel, road, and mountain biking. Beyond his biking prowess, Jesse is also an accomplished outdoor photographer and a dedicated triathlete. Since joining the Mi Duole team in 2019, he has become an invaluable part of our cycling community. Tune in to hear Jesse's inspiring stories and insights from his diverse and adventurous life on two wheels.

Zac will be the first to deflect any attention or focus on him; however, we’re going to ignore his advice and let the team learn more about a man who I consider one of my best friends and an amazing human being.
Zac will introduce himself more in the podcast, but there are six things I really want the audience to know about him. 
Anyone who interacts with Zac comes to love him. He has had an extremely successful career because he can relate and build relationships with such a diverse group of people. Doesn’t matter if it’s a bunch of dudes who like to wear lycra or camo, they all love him. 
Zac has the nastiest feet on planet earth. I don’t know how he got so many girls in high school and college with those things. Imagine having a continuous callous on the bottom of your foot. That’s exactly what the bottom of his feet are.
Zac is old school tough. I can’t think of time Zac didn’t finish something he started; whether its running Rim to Rim to Rim, Ironman, P2P, Leadville, LOTOJA or a marathon, he finishes.
Zac is an amazing Father. Being the Father of 5 kids requires a lot of sacrifice, patience, selflessness, and love. He embodies all of these. I still remember when Zac found out his 4th and 5th were twins. He manned up, took responsibility, and is giving those kids an amazing life.
Zac is hilarious. I often play this game with Zac where I ask for his opinion on a random event or subject. He ends up taking it somewhere unexpected and makes me laugh every single time.
Zac is faithful and loyal. Zac is faithful to his family, friends, and God. If I were stuck or in trouble somewhere, I know Zac would drop everything to come and get me. There are certain dudes who you would want to be in a fox hole with. Zac is that guy. 
I won’t embarrass Zac any further out of concern that he will literally end this podcast prematurely; however, I’ve spent literally thousands of miles with Zac in Glacier, Whistler, the Grand Canyon Kauai, Carmel, Leadville, Moab, Jackson, St George and more. Those are some of my most cherished memories. He’s a tremendous example for me and somebody I consider a dear friend. (Taylor Cannon) 

AJ has been riding & racing bikes since before most of the podcast audience was born. But he’s so much more than a talented cyclist. He’s one of the most driven, goal-oriented people you’ll meet and he’s a natural leader, both on and off the bike. He’s raced hundreds of races, (some years more than 50 races!) & he truly enjoys racing but he loves to mentor young cyclists even more. He ran a junior development team for Hangar 15 & it was one of the most fun & rewarding things he’s done. When he’s not out putting in the hours & watts on the bike, he’s leading huge teams & projects for CHG Healthcare or he’s busy being the most supportive dad & husband. AJ is an excellent listener and is always willing to advise on matters of career, life and his favorite, bike race strategy!

When Jon decides to do something he doesn’t quit before it’s done. Jon’s journey into distance running commenced in 2005. He has since completed numerous races, both road and trail, with some detours for cycling along the way. His love for trail running grew as he got older (easier on his body) and met others that enjoyed exploring the nearby mountain trails. He likes to see how far he can push his body. When people ask him how he does it, how he runs so far and so fast he replies with a frustrating answer of, “you, just put one foot in front of the other.”  This could be a motto for Jon’s life, reflecting his unwavering dedication and refusal to succumb to adversity. He has worked hard consistently from a very young age and doesn’t give up easily. He’s dedicated to what he does, and is loyal to his family, friends, and beliefs. 
In preparation for running the 2023 Wasatch 100, Jon completed a solid block of training that included numerous long runs and a couple races. He sacrificed a lot of time and a lot of energy to training and strengthening his body to peak performance level. For race day, Jon set ambitious goals for each aid station, meticulously orchestrating every detail, from drop bags to crew supplies, in an effort to minimize the inevitable uncertainty. Jon had a goal of finishing the Wasatch 100 in under 24 hours and he crushed that goal, with the help of running angels (including his crew), finishing in 21 hours and 30ish minutes. He took third place overall. His friends and family are so very proud and are continuously in awe of his efforts and ability. His determination and strength are attributes that his three daughters learn from daily. His wonderful wife, Alison, can be seen at every aid station during whichever race, but may be quiet because she’s trying to hold back happy/proud tears every time she sees her runner. 

If you know Jack, you know that anything he’s willing to invest time in is something he really cares about. Jack has an unwavering ability to set goals for himself and completely focus in and dedicate himself to achieving them. This stands true in his personal life  as a husband and father to our two children, his professional life where he has to be one of the youngest people to be made partner at a reputable/legitimate venture capital fund- certainly in our region- and in his cycling career where 5 years into owning a bike he finished LoToJa as the 24th fastest rider ever. 
I’m proud to say I got Jack into his cardio fitness era. When we met in 2014 I convinced him to start running with me in the mornings as it was something we could do together before work. Much to his chagrin, I even convinced him to run a couple of half marathons and wasatch steeple chase but in 2018 we decided to try out cycling together. We bought matching Pinarellos and spent the summer as two of the slowest people on the mountain. That position would clearly not cut it for Jack and his interest in cycling quickly spiraled. 
Fast forward to 2024 - Our kitchen is now a science lab for his various nutritional supplements and the concoctions he mixes on a nightly basis. Our garage houses so many bikes, I’m fairly certain he’ll be parking on the street this summer to make room for more. And I’ve recently learned we’ll be spending our retirement driving a sag wagon around France for our competitive cyclist children. 
But in all honesty, cycling has brought a lot of joy to our family and I love that he loves it as much as he does.