Russell Finsterwald holds five national titles in mountain biking but stepped away from the World Cup relatively early in his career to pursue longer distance XC races in the US. When gravel became the dominant force in the off-road scene, he thought about retiring as soon as he finished the remainder of his contract. But in preparation for the Lifetime Grand Prix last year, he created a 350-mile route across southern Arizona that he dubbed the Spirit Tour. The goal was to answer some burning questions about the new discipline, such as, "What are gravel bikes capable of?" "What does it take to flat them?" And "What is the spirit of gravel?" In the process, Finsty and his fellow tourers Keegan Swenson, Kerry Werner, and Ryan Standish came up with a few answers and kicked off an annual tradition. Finsty finished 3rd in the inaugural Grand Prix, took a commanding victory at Big Sugar, and just completed the second Spirit Tour in preparation for the upcoming season.
In this interview, he and Payson chat about the hours he spends scouting trails and devising routes (including the one they rode just before recording the episode), and how the Spirit Tour evolved this year. They discuss the difficulty he had early in his career racing the World Cup circuit and why he’s hooked on pushing the boundaries of gravel. They also talk about his FKT ambitions, his burgeoning real estate side hustle, and why the most dreaded race in the Grand Prix is the one he’s most looking forward to.
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YouTube: Payson McElveen