Pro Cyclist Payson McElveen - The Hardest Ride Is the One You Don’t See - on Creativity, Pressure & What Comes Next
Release Date: 09/10/2025
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Former NFL linebacker & Texas Congressman Colin Allred joins hosts Andrew Vontz & Jonathan Kaplan on United States of Sweat, presented by Choose the Hard Way. Allred played at Baylor and for the Tennessee Titans before a neck injury ended his NFL career. He went on to earn a law degree from Berkeley, work in the Obama administration, and win a U.S. House seat in 2018. After a close Senate race in 2024, he’s back on the campaign trail, running again to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Allred talks about the mindset it takes to survive the NFL—where, as he says, there’s a 100%...
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Josh Turek knows how to win. A U.S. Senate candidate, current Iowa State Legislator, and two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA, Josh joins Andrew Vontz & Jonathan Kaplan on United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way. This is the show where politicians and policymakers share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing. Josh has faced adversity his entire life. Born with Spina Bifida after his dad was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, he overcame 21 surgeries by the age of 12. Later he was cut from the Team USA wheelchair basketball squad six...
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Pro Cyclist Payson McElveen - The Hardest Ride Is the One You Don’t See - on Creativity, Pressure & What Comes Next
Choose the Hard Way
Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz () in conversation with pro cyclist Payson McElveen (), Red Bull athlete and creator of the With Pace podcast & Riding with Pace YouTube channel. In a sport filled with mustaches, Payson McElveen has the most famous mustache. Payson’s palmares includes a pair of wins at The Mid South, two marathon mountain bike national championship titles (2017, 2018) and his films and podcast are among the biggest in offroad cycling. His With Pace podcast is a great listen and one of the biggest in endurance sports. His adventure films are hugely...
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Rahm Emanuel - United States of Sweat
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Rahm Emanuel was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that, he served as the White House Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama, and as the Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. He also represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009. Welcome back to United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way where politicians and policymakers join us to share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing. Jonathan Kaplan is my co-host and the founder of WRITE CADENCE STRATEGIES, helping organizations...
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Cameron Jones - Unbound Gravel 2025 Champion
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One Hour to Train - What do you do? w/ Spencer Martin of Beyond the Peloton / WEDU x Andrew Vontz of Choose the Hard Way
Choose the Hard Way
You've got an hour or less to train, what do you do? Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton newsletter & podcast + WEDU's Outcomes / The Move takes a break from the Tour de France to join Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz to talk about what they do when life and work are at max stress and you have little time to workout. Is Zone 2 really the right move if you have a few hours a week to train and you're a cyclist, runner or triathlete with a long training history and navigating highly stressful moments in work, family and life? Should you follow a rigid...
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Tom Perriello: Congressman, Special Envoy - United States of Sweat
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Welcome back to United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way where politicians and policymakers join us to share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing. In 2008 Tom Perriello won the election to represent Virginia’s 5th Congressional district by fewer than 1,000 votes. He later ran for governor of Virginia and he also served as Special Envoy for Sudan and Special Envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo & Great Lakes among many other acts of service. Marathons, 10-day silent retreats, Spartan Races & what happens when you’re...
info_outlineChoose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz (@hardwaypod) in conversation with pro cyclist Payson McElveen (@paysonmcelveen), Red Bull athlete and creator of the With Pace podcast & Riding with Pace YouTube channel.
In a sport filled with mustaches, Payson McElveen has the most famous mustache. Payson’s palmares includes a pair of wins at The Mid South, two marathon mountain bike national championship titles (2017, 2018) and his films and podcast are among the biggest in offroad cycling. His With Pace podcast is a great listen and one of the biggest in endurance sports.
His adventure films are hugely popular and cover his own go-fast exploits including a White Rim FKT and an FKT for crossing Iceland under human power, not the power of lightning-bolt throwing deities.
But the hardest ride is the one you don’t see.
There are hundreds of hours of Payson McElveen content out there and for an adventurer like Payson it seemed appropriate and more fun to go into new territory in this conversation. It was a fun one and I’m excited to share it with you.
You can find his podcast With Pace everywhere you listen and get more Payson at www.withpace.cc and @paysonmcelveen on Instagram and YouTube.
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