2022 Preview Q&A: listener questions, new sponsors, and events schedule

Explicit content warning

01/09/22 • 61 min

Payson answers listener questions about his upcoming 2022 season, including new and returning sponsors, his race schedule, and a few personal developments as well. He also shares some thoughts on the privateering model in gravel, and addresses what mountain bike he'll be riding this year.

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Previous Episode

Molly Cameron, professional cyclocross racer and transgender athlete

For over two decades, Molly Cameron has been advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within cycling. In her career as a racer, she was banned early on from racing in the women's category, and was forced to race with the men. In 2015, she was briefly banned from racing in the men's cyclocross national championship when the rules were changed to require a person's gender to correlate with the gender on their driver's license.
In this interview, she talks with Payson about being thrown into the spotlight after the outdoor community's reckoning with social justice issues in 2020 and 2021, after decades of advocating in relative anonymity. She talks about why she continues to fight for trans rights after so many years, what brings her hope, and how she plans to focus her mission in the coming years through her organization, Riders Inspiring Diversity and Equality (RIDE). She and Payson also talk about the controversy surrounding USA Cycling's decision not to remove anti-trans protestors as Cyclocross Nationals last month, and why the conversation surrounding trans women in sport cannot be limited to scientific data points.
Link to International Olympic Committee guidelines on transgender athletes: https://olympics.com/ioc/documents/athletes/ioc-framework-on-fairness-inclusion-and-non-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-gender-identity-and-sex-variations

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen

Next Episode

Ashton Lambie, track world record holder and gravel racer

In 2021, Ashton Lambie became the first person in history to ride 4000m in under four minutes. He completed the distance in 3:59.93, surpassing the previous record held by Filippo Ganna, the current time trial world champion. This was Ashton's third time to break the world record, which he had first held in 2018. He went on to win the individual pursuit at the Track World Championships two months later. Given this history, it is perhaps surprising that Ashton grew up racing gravel in Nebraska before discovering his talent for track racing.
In this interview, Ashton tells Payson about his history in gravel and decision to break the four minute barrier on the track. He tries to explain the specific pain that a rider experiences at that speed, and the bike setup that allowed him to average 62km per hour (38.5mph). They also talk about his complicated relationship with gravel's competitive trajectory, and why he's decided to race the Grand Prix after spending years on the track. He also talks about his recent move to Houston where his partner is training to become a NASA astronaut.

Instagram: @withpacepod
YouTube: Payson McElveen