Colin Allred - NFL, Congress, the Senate Race - United States of Sweat - with Andrew Vontz & Jonathan Kaplan
Release Date: 11/12/2025
Abandon Your Family 30,000 Roundtable - Spencer Martin, Andrew Vontz, Jonathan Kaplan, Paul Redmayne
Choose the Hard Way
Tears, chamois cream, glory. Carb slurry was downed by the gallon and tears were shed in garages and at dinner tables around the world as the community collectively gave everything to secure midpack glory at select gravel major and minor races in mid 2026. — This episode is a conversation about the Abandon Your Family 30,000 experience with Choose the Hard Way & One Real Voice founder Andrew Vontz, Spencer Martin of WeDu / Peacock / Beyond the Peloton, Jonathan Kaplan of the Riding With newsletter / pod & special guest Paul Redmayne in the UAE, a 4x outdoor Everester who drops the...
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Jens Voigt on East Germany, Parenting Six Kids, Crashing at 70 km/h and Life after 17 Tours de France
Choose the Hard Way
Jens Voigt raced the Tour de France 17 times, wore the yellow jersey, won stages in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, and set the Hour Record on the track at age 43. He joins Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz how crashing at 70 km/h changes you in ways the world doesn’t see and the long arc of a life in sport. — This episode explores Jens’ childhood and upbringing in the former East Germany, his path through a state-run sports academy, and what it was like to build a career inside professional cycling without ever being the protected rider. — This is a conversation about...
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Patrick J. Murphy - 1st Iraq War Veteran Elected to Congress - Former Under Secretary of the Army
Choose the Hard Way
Patrick J Murphy, First Iraq War Veteran Elected to Congress and Former Under Secretary of the Army — Patrick J Murphy was the first Iraq War veteran elected to the United States Congress and later served as Under Secretary of the Army. He joins Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz for a wide-ranging conversation on service, leadership and responsibility. — This episode explores what it means to engage seriously with people who hold different points of view and why stepping outside an echo chamber is a necessary discipline, not a political stance. — This is a conversation about...
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The 10 Pack is Next - AYF500 Day 8 - Andrew Vontz, Jonathan Kaplan, Spencer Martin
Choose the Hard Way
On day 8 of the Abandon Your Family 500, Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz, Spencer Martin of Beyond the Peloton, and Jonathan Kaplan of Riding With share stories of deep fatigue, angry families, and the kind of indoor training glory you can earn but can’t buy. — They explore the strain this challenge has placed on their friendship, and why they can’t wait to do it again, slightly differently, in two weeks when they kick off the Abandon Your Family 30,000. — But first comes the second installment in the Choose the Hard Way Abandon Your Family Triple Crown, the 10...
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Frosted Flakes & Point Break - Chase Wark x WUKAR Fit x Andrew Vontz x Jonathan Kaplan - #AYF500 Day 6
Choose the Hard Way
pounds Frosted Flakes & puts in 4.5 hours on a single bottle of water in his in-laws’ 15-degree garage to pass the 760 km mark -- and Kip Taylor -- on the Abandon Your Family 500 leaderboard on day 6. — Art O’Connor, aka , strength coach to pro cycling’s biggest names including Chase, World Champion Keegan Swenson and many more, reveals why Patrick Swayze is the secret to high performance on the trainer. — Jonathan Kaplan of reveals the indoor / outdoor hybrid approach that is taking D.C. and the Abandon Your Family 500 community by storm. — Spence logs off to continue...
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#AYF500 Day 4 - Mad Watts: Carb Fury - Andrew Vontz x Jonathan Kaplan Reflect on the Event of the Year
Choose the Hard Way
Abandon Your Family 500 2025 Day 4 with Jonathan Kaplan and Andrew Vontz. Reflections on bad sleep, big carbs, and the skirmish between Front Range legends Andy Leach and Kip Taylor to top out first and complete #AYF500 in an FKT of under four days. — Day 4 sees the Kingpin, Big Spence, continue his secret training during the Boulder blackout. When will he switch his rides from “private” to “everyone” and deliver the big surprise sure to put him in the headlines? — Heads up. We have a full-length interview with Jens Voigt coming soon, and you will hear him in a way you never have...
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#AYF500 Day 3 - Boulder Storm - Andrew Vontz x Jonathan Kaplan - Abandon Your Family 500 2025
Choose the Hard Way
Abandon Your Family 500 2025 Day 3 brings big drama when 100 mile-per-hour winds mean the power grid goes offline in Boulder and Big Spence has to skip the daily recording to keep banking secret miles to upload later at an undisclosed location. Meanwhile, Andy Leach powers over the top and dominates the leaderboard while Meg Volz enters the chat and shows her family what commitment looks like. Jonathan Kaplan of Riding With logs another signature indoor / outdoor Norwegian method dual threshold workout day and continues his love letter to High Fidelity with hopes of getting Nick Hornby into...
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#AYF500 Update 2 - Kip’s Stealth Century Knock Out - Andrew Vontz, Spencer Martin, Jonathan Kaplan, & Special Guest Kip Taylor - Abandon Your Family 500 2025
Choose the Hard Way
A deep dive on the big action and family fallout from day one of the Abandon Your Family 500 in a groundbreaking conversation with Andrew Vontz / Choose the Hard Way, Spencer Martin / Beyond the Peloton, Jonathan Kaplan / Riding With, and the front range legend Kip Taylor (of Kip’s Corner fame) making his highly anticipated Choose the Hard way debut. Andrew, Jonathan, & Spencer press Kip on his 11th-hour upload of a 105-mile ride on day one. Get a look inside the high-stakes world of #AYF500 strategy from one of the masters of the game in this discussion of the obstacles challenge...
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#AYF500 Special Update 1 - w Spencer Martin, Jonathan Kaplan, & Andrew Vontz - Abandon Your Family 500 2025
Choose the Hard Way
Nothing says I love you like abandoning your family to get in shape for your endurance sport. The Abandon Your Family 500 is a challenge to ride 500 km on planet earth or on a virtual cycling platform over the course of 10 days brought to you by Choose the Hard Way / Andrew Vontz, Beyond the Peloton / Spencer Martin, and Riding With / Jonathan Kaplan. During the #AYF500, Andrew, Jonathan, & Spencer will be doing minisodes to share their experience participating in one of life’s most rewarding experiences: having fun doing something hard with your friends. Follow along here and at...
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The Abandon Your Family 500 Challenge w/ Spencer Martin, Jonathan Kaplan, Andrew Vontz - p/b Kip's Corner
Choose the Hard Way
Choose the Hard Way is the show about how hard things build stronger humans who have more fun. This episode is about living that philosophy and how you can, too. Choose the Hard Way & One Real Voice founder Andrew Vontz, Spencer Martin of WeDu / Peacock / Beyond the Peloton, and Jonathan Kaplan of the Riding With newsletter / pod discuss the history and lore of the Abandon Your Family 500. The #AYF500 is a challenge to do what endurance athletes do best--focus on themselves, ignore their families and real life obligations and ride 500km between December 15 and 25. The second...
info_outlineFormer 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% injury rate—and how that toughness translates to politics, parenthood, and public service. Plus: his favorite way to train and the one piece of workout gear he can’t live without.
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Jonathan Kaplan is the founder of WRITE CADENCE STRATEGIES, helping individuals and organizations navigate Washington, shape policy and manage reputational risk. He also writes RIDING WITH, a newsletter and podcast exploring the intersection of pro cycling, media, business and politics. Find that at ridingwithkaplan.substack.com.---------
For senior execs, pro athletes, and political leaders, podcasts aren’t optional anymore. They’re mission-critical.
At One Real Voice, Andrew Vontz coaches leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as podcast guests & hosts and stand out in the long-form, open-ended conversations where real influence is built.
When you’re ready to be great, DM him @hardwaypod or email hello@onerealvoice.com.
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The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That’s where Andrew Vontz shares his reflections on these interviews and writes about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.
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Wherever you’re listening to this podcast, please subscribe and hit 5 stars.
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https://www.onerealvoice.com/