The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS

Before They Were Champions: Revisiting An Early Interview With A Young Christopher Blevins

• CTS • Season 5 • Episode 278

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In 2025, Christopher Blevins won 9 UCI World Cup races and was the first American Male to earn the UCI Men’s World Cup Overall Championship in 34 years. He raced for Team USA at the 2020 (held in 2021) and 2024 Olympic Games and won the inaugural UCI Short Track MTB World Championship in 2021. Before any of those accomplishments, in the summer of 2021, Blevins was an early guest on this podcast. We're revisiting that conversation in Episode 278 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" to showcase the wisdom, work ethic, and authenticity he exhibited as a young athlete on the precipice of becoming one of the best athletes in the world.

Episode Highlights:

  • How BMX training translated to racing MTB and on the road
  • The influence of Durango Devo and mentors at Hagens Berman Axeon
  • Making the transition from Junior to U23 to Pro
  • Starting to work with Coach Jim Miller in 2019
  • Seeking balance off the bike with poetry and music

Guest Bio – Christopher Blevins:

With a background in BMX, Cyclocross, and Road Racing, Christopher Blevins developed into a MTB World Champion, World Cup Champion, and 2-time Olympian. In 2021, he made history by winning the inaugural XCC World Championship. Riding for Specialized Factory Racing, Blevins is known for his technical brilliance, tactical intelligence, and clutch sprint finishes. In 2025, he won 9 UCI World Cup races and was the first American Male to earn the UCI Men’s World Cup Overall Championship in 34 years. Off the bike, he’s a poet, advocate, and inspiration to many, using his platform to grow the sport and empower the next generation of cyclists.

Read More About Christopher Blevins:

Website: https://usacycling.org/athlete/christopher-blevins

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopherblevs

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/19o8lsgMX0NLiGHPfbgOud

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HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

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SPEAKER_02:

For the team at CTS, this is the Time Crunch Cyclist Podcast, our show dedicated to answering your training questions and providing actionable advice to help you improve your performance, even if you're strapped for time. I'm your host, Coach Adam Pulford, and I'm one of the over 50 professional coaches to make up the team at CTS. In each episode, I draw on our team's collective knowledge, other coaches, and experts in the field to provide you with the practical ways to get the most out of your training and ultimately become the best cyclist that you can be. Now, on to our show. Christopher Blevins has been a rising star in the sport of cycling for many years, and he's now a star shining brightly on the world stage. In 2025, he won nine World Cup races and was the UCI men's cross country series overall champion, scoring over three hundred more points than his second place competitor. He's been a dominant force in short track for several years now, and now he's showing he's got the goods for the 90 minute stuff as well. As a fellow American, mountain biker, and overall fanboy, I am stoked to see Christopher at the top. I interviewed him a few years ago leading into the Tokyo Games. And there was so much wisdom in that episode from such a young athlete. I wanted you, our audience, to hear that message again, or perhaps for the first time if you've joined us recently. Originally I was going to reach back out to Christopher and see if him and his coach Jim Miller want to come back on the podcast. But I think there's some beauty in listening to Christopher from four years ago to tell his origin story about how BMX racing set the groundwork for higher level cycle cross, road, and eventually cross-country mountain bike racing. And how his love of creating music is not only a balance to all of the racing, but a similar channel of flow that can unlock aspects in all of us for joy and happiness. The original interview was over an hour long, and please feel free to go back and listen to the full thing. It was season two, episode sixty. But for today, I've shortened things down a bit to focus on his story, some training tips I think can apply to everyone listening, and of course, Christopher's advice in life. So sit back and enjoy my interview with the newly crowned cross-country World Series overall champ, Christopher Blevins. So some of the quick overview here, like I said in the intro, is uh I want to learn more about you, Christopher, and I want our listeners to to learn more too, because there's more than just like bikes and and bunny hops and stuff going on here. So uh could you tell our listeners a bit more about yourself, where you're from, and man, how you got into where you're at?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um, of course, I'm from Durango, Colorado. Um very proud of being from Durango because it's such a special community, and you know, I'm I'm the product of a number of like incredible youth cycling groups, and chief among them is Durango Devo. Um but I started not on the mountain bike, I started with BMX when I was five. Um there's an ad in the local paper, and my dad took me to the BMX track, and you know, BMX tracks are kind of just you know total playgrounds for kids growing up, and that's why there's so many young kids that are that are BMXers racing nationally all over the country, and that was one of them. Um, and that was my introduction to to the bike and racing at a high level. Um and uh yeah, I was really serious with BMX all through elementary school years, and somewhere along the way, mountain biking and and road were added to the mix, and then those two became the the the sole focus and um went to Cal Poly uh in San Luis Obispo for college, actually graduated officially just a couple weeks ago. Um congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, it's weird with you know just closing your computer and calling that the end of college, but yeah, uh such are the times. Um but yeah, uh now I'm you know it's it's new chapter. Um I guess sole focus right now is the Olympics, and and uh after that I'm a college grad and we'll see where to go.

SPEAKER_02:

But um Yeah, exactly. More chapters after that. Tell me, tell me a bit more like uh like BMX. Why why did that resonate with you? Like when your dad brought you down and you just started playing, like what what what hooked you there?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean it's you know it's simple, it was just how fun it was. And uh my dad reminds me pretty often after my first trap race we traveled to, I think it was in Salt Lake City. Um, it was a national race there. And uh I mean it's a simple thing, but on the on the plane home, I was just like, Dad, that was fun, let's do it again. And he's like, I always remember that moment, and I was like, Yeah, son, we're gonna do it again. And you know, I mean, my my dad and I went like my mom and sister, my mom kind of stayed home with my sister, so my dad was traveling me with me the most. But we I've never counted, you know, how many holiday inns we stayed in around the country and livestock arenas we race BMX in, but it's in the hundreds for sure. Um so it was quite an adventure uh growing up and really special um to have that that high level of of focus and you know community, even though it's an individual sport. Um and then you know, BMX was the introduction to like the the racing and the competitive side of it, and I think that kind of planted a or really lit a fire in me and and kind of built that competitive competitiveness that each athlete needs at this level, um, really young for me. Um and the counter to that was was Durango Devo and kind of a more adventurous side.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so I mean, what's unique is right in Durango, not only do you have all the trails and all the outside to ride in and stuff, but Durango Devo and what uh Chad has created there with the culture and also just a bunch of off-road athletes living there and creating careers there. I mean, you're just like you're at the epicenter of riding bikes.

SPEAKER_00:

Totally. I mean, yeah, yeah. Chad um and and Sarah Tesher, you know, the the co-founders of Devo, like I often think, uh, especially recently, like the impact that one person can have in their community and starting a youth riding program like that that has alumni, you know, in um winning grand tour stages with Sep Coos and the Olympics now twice with Howard and I, and and also like in the in the in the industry or coaching kids and all over the world. And it's just really special uh yeah, what what during Odevo is and and kind of the the ethos that it operates on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's it's um you know, right time, right place, and and uh you know, your dad and mom and even your sister putting in the hours of getting around the country. So it's a really unique community and situation to allow you to do what you do. So it's uh I wanted to like portray that for people. Um opportunities that you've had.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's uh, you know, I I I like I think this, especially reflecting now on making the Olympic team, it's like it really is the product of all of these people who've influenced me and um giving me opportunities that I was truly fortunate to have in right time, right place. And obviously there's a ton of work, but with everything of you know, achievements of this magnitude, there's there's there's a thousand people uh and tiny moments that add up to it. And uh yeah, I mean it all started with with BMX and Durango Devo.

SPEAKER_02:

And just to kind of portray that that development, because there's there's some there's some young uh developmental routers that listen to this podcast and stuff too. So I mean you went from Durango Devo to the whole athlete program, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Yep. And uh from there uh to the Oxen Hogman Berman crew where you were racing on the road. And tell me a little bit, just like because I saw you racing on the whole athlete program when I was uh directing team uh here in the United States. I saw you there for a bit, and then you know, we didn't see much of Christopher Blevins because you were racing on the road so much. So can you tell us a little bit about uh what what made you move from whole athlete to Hogs Bergman?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um well, you know, whole athlete was uh I think like whole athlete had a huge impact and on so many athletes. And like me, you know, I mean my my college roommate, um, my best friend, Anders Johnson, uh, I met through Whole Athlete. Um, one of my best friends and you know, high school girlfriend, I met there, and then Haley Batten, who I'm, you know, uh going to the Olympics with and teammates with on Trinity, um, as well as Kate Courtney, you know, we all came through Whole Athlete and the level of like I think excellence and and professionalism that Whole Athlete had, it was uh was really unique and a great time for athletes that wanted to be serious about the sport, like learning how to be professional and and and train really well. Um, and that was huge, you know, and it was like I said, great timing for our developmental stage. Um, and then you know, I had a good connection with specialized as a junior since I was racing on the um NCCF specialized junior routine based out of the Bay Area with Larry Nolan, another fantastic program, and then whole athlete as well. So um that specialized connection along with I guess my piece race result on the road helped me have a have a call with with Axel Mercks. And um, you know, I wasn't sure I wanted to race the road, continue racing the road in college um in my first couple years of U-23, but it was uh you know a dream to race for action that I had had since I was like 13, 14. And uh Axel allowing me to have the freedom to race mountain bikes along with road was was uh too good of an opportunity to pass up. And I'm really grateful I you know said yes to to racing on action because I'm you know stellar team.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, yeah, and and I I mean it's it's the foresight of what Axel has there is just you know recognizing how to manage you and and give you the options because clearly there's passion for both road and mountain. Right now you're on the mountain mission, and uh there'll be more chapters to come to, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I think you know, I was still like it was only what three, four years ago when um when I was first U23, yeah, four years ago. But like that was that was still early for kind of the cycling industry to consider these roadies that also race mountain bikes or mountain bikers that also race road. And now it like is starting to feel like the norm or like a hidden kind of advantage that can can hopefully you know help develop more Matthew Vanderpoles or Tom Pitcock's. Um so from a strictly training perspective, the mountain bike mixed with the road, mixed with cross, um can can develop you incredibly well um and be very versatile both in how you race and how you respond as an athlete. Um I think you know Axel recognized that mountain biking was not gonna do harm to my road, even though uh I missed a few starts. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, no, that's it. And that that's the developmental aspect of of the athlete. It's like which which bike? All the bikes. Yeah. You definitely do that. And I think, you know, a nod to your current team too. I mean, Trinity Racing. Um, tell us a little bit more about that because they're they're far reaching too. I mean, they've got athletes on all disciplines.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um, you know, this year with Trinity is kind of a new, it's it's in some ways like the inception of a new team, and it's really exciting, kind of, yeah, like you said, the far reaches that this team has already and how um it'll continue to grow. Um, a very solid, you know, young road team with a lot of good Brits, but um, an American with Luke Lamperdi who just won pro-crit nats. And um, for me personally, uh, I'm not sure if I'm gonna race any road this year, but I I have the opportunity to do so with Trinity, which was really intriguing. And then Cyclocross. Um I'm 99% sure I'm gonna give it a go at the World Cups and Cross Worlds this year. And you know, Trinity offers the experience and know-how and uh platform to do that. So it's yeah, it's an exciting team to be a part of and uh I think grow with.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I like that a lot. And you know, it's it's interesting to be able to interview you and have our listeners uh hear this like, you know, how does a rider develop with all the bikes? Let's just say that, and uh in in perform at such a high level. So I I guess from the training side of things, if we go back to BMX, can you tell our listeners like what are the main differences in like how you prepared for BMX racing versus cross-country mountain bike racing?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um I think you know, people who aren't cyclists at all or uh, you know, watch the Olympics maybe and see cycling as a discipline and they're assume that riders could do both, but that's like thinking uh I mean, essentially you saying bulk could beat the best marathon runners, and that's the difference in BMX from a training perspective. It's like a 30 35-second race and incredibly chaotic and and dangerous, um, exciting, but uh yeah, I as a kid I started lifting weights pretty young, like at 12, and it was all functional stuff, and then I never got that big, and that's kind of why I realized in some ways like my body type is is better suited for the endurance side of things, and I want to keep my body you know intact and not not have like 13 surgeries by the time I'm 30. Um exactly. Um but I was doing a ton of sprint work, uh goes without saying, and then a lot of work in the gym, and I know that's the formula for um all of the the the elite BMXers. Um I do think though that they and this applies to track racing as well, they are starting to realize the benefit of of training with volume, even though they're sprinters, and uh go on some road bikes and suit up in the chamois. Um and uh you know, it just just builds a healthy athlete.

SPEAKER_02:

Um I was just gonna say, which is really exciting because it adds in like so much health component to it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00:

And I yeah, no, I think that you know, maybe that was that was an advantage to to me in my later years of BMXing, which I stopped when I was 16, but having a full focus on the road and mountain, maybe you know, it was more of in some ways, it was an advantage than a detriment um to focus on the endurance side of things. But it's certainly BMX from a skill standpoint um was huge and foundational. And then also from a mental side of things, like when you're getting ready for a 30-second BMX race where the first two seconds determines your whole season, really. Like you gotta be so locked in and have that um resilience. And you know, I I definitely think that that has helped me when it hits the fan for sure in road racing and stuff. Um, and working my way through the pack. I learned that all through BMX. So um it's a great sport for for young kids. It it will lead to it will if you if you escape it, you know, and you and you head to mountain road. Uh but and also like I love the BMX world and the community, but uh it's different. Yeah, it's for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

It's it's way different. But that's that's kind of my point for for listeners who don't know maybe anything about BMX. It's just like the the metabolic demands are drastically different than cross-country mountain bike racing. However, those technical skills and those those you know high-risk situations, that's translatable. I think that's what I see in you when I when I when I watch you race, it's just like that technical proficiency and focus when shit gets crazy. Like you got that. And it's pretty fun to see, you know. Um, and so I I have this question on here. Uh, in in it's what type of rider would you describe yourself as like to our listeners out there to better portray like the the type or style of riding that you do?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I I mean I'd say um at the risk of sounding like I'm avoiding the question, maybe like I am an all-arounder. And uh when even when I was on the road, like I had a couple solid TTs. I was never gonna be a you know Grantor GC rider, but uh I could climb up the longer stuff. Um I was I was the leado guy for our sprinters on action and even had a couple sprint sprints myself. Um in XEO, you know, I mean XEO is essentially a time trial for an hour and a half, and you can't really like, you know, it's it's it's more you in the terrain than it is you and the competitors. But I am really good at starting. And if I'm starting fifth row, like I can get myself to the first or second row um by the end of the start loop, and I think that's a huge skill. And that that does, you know, implore the BMX skills of the punch, the punchiness and the and the um, you know, the tack to to move through the pack. Um courses, I think that's a good indication of the type of rider I am. And and I like steep, shorter climb. So something in the under one minute range, but fast dry descents are kind of typical of growing up on the west. So prefer those over the wet, rooty stuff we see so often in Europe. But um, and then if you throw in a couple pump tracks and jumps, then uh then I'll really be loving it. But we don't get that all that often.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, yeah, yeah, for sure. And I I say that a lot too in terms of uh cross-country mom bike racing, is it's a technical time trial with a hard start. Yeah, you know. And if you know, if you're coming up the ranks like you have been and you gotta negotiate moving through people, but I think that's where that you know the bike handling skills and the anaerobic training that you had early on. I mean, that's that's showcasing through now. So um, but yeah, that's it's interesting to hear uh that background and as it applies to today. But yeah, you're all around her making chapters as we go here. So um uh you know, you mentioned Durango Devo and how influential it was you know to your development, but uh to the training side of things. Can you describe like when you moved from BMX to that Devo team? Like what kind of volume were you doing? Was it intervals? Was it racing? Was there structure? Like what did what did uh what the heavy doing?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um, I mean Devo was famous for like intervals being like a bad word, and like we were allergic to intervals, and that's special. But at the same time, we had monthly telegraph time trials, which is a you know, 15 minutes if you're really fast. 20 minutes uh was really good as a kid. And uh yeah, 20-minute climb uh in Durango. And Howard forever had the longest time, probably still does. Uh and everyone was cheering at the top and built little tunnels that you'd you know, human tunnels that you'd go through. And it's like what a cool way to get kids stoked on pedaling hard and seeing what they're made of, um, without them realizing that they're training like that. And then, of course, we'd have little town sprint races on the road bikes and stuff like that. Um and then should mention also weekly short tracks that Chad designs the courses uh and they're always just so fun. Um and then I was in a unique position because I was racing BMX like so seriously, like about 12, right? I had already had six national titles and um was like a veteran in the sport at that time, like six years of traveling and had a had a routine and like was training really hard. Like uh I don't know what the hours were, but it doesn't fall too short of what I'm doing now. Um so Devo was really like no structure and go ride your bike with your friends. Sometimes it'll be hard, sometimes you'll show up and play foot down in the parking lot. Um, and that was really healthy. Um I don't think I would have, you know, quite gotten to the point I'm at so quickly. Uh like for instance, one piece race when I was 18. If I didn't have a coach when I was 15 and start training a little more structured, but in the case of like a Howard Graz or Sepp Koos, they had the natural talent and just went on these crazy long adventure rides. And then like by the time they were later in their junior years or in college, they were like, Yeah, okay, I'll I'll do this seriously, and um very quickly, you know, went to the very top of the sport. So they're rare cases in exceptional athletes, but um, yeah, the the mix was was essential for me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and that's and that's kind of the the point there is like because you came at it at such a different angle, uh, so focused and so intense, like early on. I think you know the pendulum was in one direction. And uh Devo made that pendulum swing a little bit more and kind of gave you that that balance or that that uh the fun factor you needed to to balance it all out.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that's a testament to the power of you know community and training. And that's it. Like you can go out and bang your head against the wall on an interval day all by yourself. And there's something special to that, and there's something important about that, like learning to love that if you're serious about it, and learning to have that kind of intrinsic inner motivation to meet that wall and go past it. But at the same time, like find the community and the training partners, whether you call them that or you're just riding buddies, that you can go out and have fun with. And don't isolate yourself in your in your training plan uh to where you don't say yes to a fun group ride and don't really know how it's gonna go, but it always turns out great. So um that's a that's a piece of advice I'd have, especially for young riders, is like leverage your your community or you know, seek out the the people around you that are doing the same thing as you.

SPEAKER_02:

That's sage advice. I couldn't agree more. Couldn't agree more. Uh well, I know you started working with Jim Miller, and that's when you know your structure probably changed quite a bit there too. Um, can you talk about uh what you were doing a little bit before Jim? And then once you started working with him and maybe even what the experience was going through that transition.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Um I mean, I I'd honestly say the structure almost went down in some ways. Um, and I know you know you've had Jim on, and I'm sure he's talked about like his philosophy of just building the engine and just going out and you know, like honestly, just busting your ass. So like structure, I wasn't accounting for every minute of the ride in a specific power zone, but the work went up for sure, and the volume went up, um, which I wasn't expecting because I was choosing to focus on the mountain bike at that time. And I was I I thought that uh you know, I'd be doing hour and a half rides, like two and a half hour rides. And now those are those are those are short, short. Um, so when I had a few four hour days in a row with like high endurance, it was like oof, this is this is grueling. And um I think that Jim's philosophy uh really centers around that engine building. And uh it takes time, you know. I mean, building fitness uh year in, year out, like will continue to to to stack the pyramid higher on your form. And uh I think that's where where I'm where I'm at and where I'll hopefully continue to see those gains. But transition was was midseason. I kind of realized um, you know, I wanted to change and just to see what I was capable of with a higher workload. And I remember before, I sort of alluded to this just a second ago, but before Australia Worlds, my first year under 23, like I had a few four-hour days, and I was like, damn, like Jim, why am I why am I doing this? And he's like, volume build fitness. And I was like, all right. And then I had one day I went. If he's if Jim listens to this, he'll probably maybe he'll remember and laugh about it, but I certainly remembered. Um, I had a like four-hour ride and I did three hours and 40 minutes, and you know, I think this was after I had asked him why he had the high volume a month or so away from world champs, and uh he says, you know, 20 minutes short is um an hour and a half a week, which is you know, five hours a month, which is you know, 50 hours um of trading block or something. And I was like, man, am I like on this prison sentence of doing it? And but like now I'm at a point where a four-hour endurance plus ride, which is that high level uh of endurance that you can just kind of uncomfortable all day, like I I really love those days, and I'll go out and pick this epic ride and just bust it out. And uh it's funny how your perspective of that and your perspective of what's hard changes the more you really settle into it. So took some adjustment, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you know, that that's it entirely, and it takes time, but once you have that fitness, I mean uh when you're fit, everything's more fun, including those long, sticky, you know, tempo rides like you like you're talking about. But you know, what Jim's coming from, and I share a similar uh mentality with him, but it's like what he's doing there is you know, 20 minutes short on one ride, you do that over the course of seven days, it starts to add up. You do that over the course of you know 31 days, it really adds up. And uh I did a podcast with Steven Siler, and he talked about kind of that long-term approach to developing an athlete. And it's it's not only the long rides, but it's like a bunch of those long rides strong together over time, over time to build that engine and get that pyramid uh nice and wide so it can go nice and high. And it's uh you know, and volume does build fitness and then eventually you know hone it down to get that performance, which is where we're at right now.

SPEAKER_01:

Totally, totally, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so it's often just to speak on that, I think. Yeah, and I'm sure Steven Siler would say that something along the lines uh as far as my limited understanding of his philosophy, like training is a lot more simple than people often make it. And you know, you still need incredibly smart people like yourself and Jim and Steven, you know, leading the athletes. But um yeah, you just kind of gotta put your nose to the grindstone sometimes, and then as you get closer to the event, understand what output you need for that and and hone it in a bit closer.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and that's it. And I think not to training is simple in my head. Human physiology and human psychology is complicated.

SPEAKER_00:

Very true, very well said, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And getting the athlete to have buy-in and getting them motivated to do the work, that that's you know, that's the art of it. And I when you can do that, when you have somebody like Jim or Steven, that can motivate the athlete in intelligent ways and sift through the BS that's out there, because there's a lot of BS, and I think that's what makes the strategy complicated or deciding on a strategy complicated. That most athletes, yeah, they they they want the you know, the secret weapon or the the magic pill or something like this, and it's just a bunch of work. Good rest and get it done and then have have some good timing.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, no, I like that. I like that. So um kind of coming back to uh you know, you alluded to it a few times, but like when you started working with Jim, you hadn't decided necessarily to go laser focus on the mountain bike for the Olympics. When did you make that decision?

SPEAKER_00:

It was actually it was pretty early on talking to Jim, and he was an advocate of it kind of from the inception, like of when we started working together.

SPEAKER_02:

Um that is like how long ago was this?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, this was three years ago, I want to say. Um but like I've told this story a few times in the past month, but I had a sticky note on my wall freshman year of college, which was 2016, um, that said Tokyo. So like I've had this on my my you know dream since I was a kid, but past four years I really realized like I could do this, and uh it definitely had a lot to do with my decision to leave action in 2020, 2019, sorry, and um and just focus on the mount bike. So it was good timing. Um and you know, we at that time we were chasing points to try to secure two spots and we fell a bit short. But um yeah, Jim and I have had this plan and but worked towards it for three, four years now.

SPEAKER_02:

We'll get into that here in just a second, but I guess uh Since we brought it up, how did it feel when you heard that you actually made that spot?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's you know, I mean goes without saying it's emotional and really special. Um and I I knew more or less like certainty that I had it, but still like getting the official call. Like I didn't expect to actually get the goosebumps and feel it so strongly, even though I I knew what I was gonna hear on the other end of the phone. Um but yeah, I mean it it's an honor and uh it's it's the continuation of the the dream and that kind of lives in the process, if that makes sense. 100% makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

Um and you mentioned that 2019 to 2020 um year in the in the transition. I mean, we had a little pandemic um get in the way and still kind of you know, we'll definitely hang it in there. Uh how did COVID change things for you? How did it change your your training?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, you know, 2019 wasn't a great season for me. I had high hopes and fell a bit short. And uh a lot of it, I won't go too deep into this, but I think throughout that year I realized like I a bit more why I wanted to be a bike racer and um how I wanted to be a bike racer and kind of the inner journey through that and realizing like, yeah, you know, I do want this and I want it my way. And um it was an important, you know, year of kind of that reflection to realize the purpose and smashing pedals and pursuing this goal. Um and I think if I didn't have that those challenges in 2019 and come out of it with a bit of a renewed sense of purpose, I I would have uh not worked as hard as I did in 2020. Um we're so fortunate as cyclists that throughout the pandemic it was the best social distance activity you could ask for. Um I mean, we're so fortunate. And I was in San Luis Obispo and these beautiful roads and busting my ass. And I planned some, I planned a mock grand tour of sorts. And it wasn't obviously quite the level of a grand tour, but it was like close to 30 hours for three weeks. Um and I had I do some creative things like bring out five guys, cat ones that are that had fresh legs on one day and and talk some trash and then let them attack me at the end, and I was like the one who had to pull back every move. Um so I mean that was a and then also as as a bunch of bros did, like I went for a ton of KOMs and I'd have one of those N plus days and have to steal like two 20-minute KOMs throughout it, and it was so cool to realize like in training, you don't have to go on the perfect five percent grade you know hill and meet your threshold and stare at your power number the whole time. You can do the same effort um when you're kind of chasing a carrot, whether that's a Strava segment or um whatever, uh some friends. So that's from a training perspective how I work through it. And then later in the year, I went to Europe, had about a month before the World Cups, um, and won racing there, and to get my feet under me, and um ran into Tom freaking Pitcock and you know he showed us a little. I think uh especially with Tom for you know listeners who don't know, I'm sure you know what Tom Pitcock is at this point. But after he smashed Nova Mesto and you know and beat all the elites, I was um like, man, can't you just hand me the U-23 world championships for for real humans? But I say that obviously joking. Um, you know, Tom was by far the most, you know, the most deserving that you can get. But yeah, long way of me saying the worlds was a big goal in my mind, and a second place again. I had one in 2018, but a silver medal to Tom Pitcock was um was great. So uh that kept me motivated throughout the whole year because I had the feeling worlds was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's yeah, I mean, a lot of athletes have had to recalibrate over that uh 2020 year, and it seems like you recalibrated pretty well uh to get that. But to go in a little deeper there, when you said you the mock grand tour, what was yours and gym's, what was the rationale, what was the goal of simulating something like that to the stresses of the body, to the mindset? I mean, why go so big on a year where there's no racing around?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, well, I mean, on one hand, it's a goal in and of itself. And if you make training camps their own achievement to work through, it it nicely wraps it up in a little bow, and you're like, yeah, that that camp that we called, you know, uh whatever you want to call it, put a fancy name to it, make a Google Docs and like plan your routes and have your hashtag Kate Epic. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Uh I don't have a have one The Beloved Zero.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. There you go. I'll use that one next time. Um but yeah, I had a bunch of point-to-point days where I had friends pick me up in Santa Barbara, like 120 miles down the coast, and um really like got creative with it. And when you approach training like that and plan it beforehand, it is a lot more fun and you're a little more motivated. Um, so that was one rationale. And then he has coached a lot of the world tour guys and saw that any of the guys that were in their early 20s who had a world tour in their legs just got a huge step up the next year. Um and by no means did I actually get a world tour or grand tour on my legs, uh, but I tried to the best I could. And uh that level, that load didn't necessarily pay off like in the short term, but I think in the long term, continuous hits like that will start to stack up really well.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that that's why I bring it up because it's there's twofold there. One is there's a principle of training called variability or variety. And as a coach, you you need to be you need to stay creative to add in variety, to change things up, to look at things in different ways, to stress the athlete in a different way. And uh, you know, when I heard you guys doing that, I was like, oh, that's that's awesome. That that's a brilliant way to do it, right? And the, you know, chasing, um, you know, chasing uh King of the Mountains and getting segments and all this kind of stuff, really motivating way to do this during COVID. And the other thing is, you know, spot on with the developmental rider, those who have more of the opportunity to um ride and race their bike more in a very in a functionally overreaching, or I would call it call it over-training if you want, but get super tired uh over the course of three weeks. They come out a changed rider. You know, you read anything, you interview athletes, and after their first grand tour, if they survive, if they bounce back and still want to ride their bike, um, they're a changed rider for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And uh especially yeah, the one obviously asterisk to throw in there, which I know you I know, you know, uh you were maybe gonna say this, but is rest after, obviously. So huge. Yeah, huge. I really shut it down for a week and then rebuilt from there. Uh, but you can't you can't do that all the time. Um, so three weeks is sort of the maximum that you can go though those you know, 30-hour weeks with with intensity. But uh yeah, gotta rest just as hard as you train.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and that's the asterisks, and and you you alluded to that as well. It's like you know, the gains in the short term may have not been, you know, as as uh clear, but in the long term, uh they will be, and that's just it. And I'm not advocating really anybody to do this on their own. Like if they listen to this, like, don't do that on your own. Like, make sure you got somebody uh overlooking your shoulder and giving you some guidance. But it's a very uh very effective way if you have all the tools in place to to really make an overload. Well, before we before we wrap this up, I know uh balance balance is an interesting one for athletes, uh, and you seem to find it off the bike. Um tell me more about, I mean, you're done with school now, but you have a huge music component to what you do and uh some rap and some poetry. Tell tell us more about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, you know, it's um it's a simple, you know, outlet and form of expression that's so different than being an athlete and such a good balance. Um, I actually recently wrote a little blog for for a friend um in his his group, he's got um about that kind of poetic art in the poet poet poetry process, excuse me, poetic process, um, and how for so long I've thought of it as something that's so different than cycling that it balances things out. But in a lot of ways, I think that the art of poetry and the process of poetry and you know, digging into your depth and figuring out what you're made of applies just the same to being an athlete. And you know, there's a lot of room as an athlete to have a poetic heart and artistic mind. Uh so you know, there's a lot of athletes with with uh kind of quirks or or hobbies that they they have running parallel to cycling, and it's it's hugely important to keep those other sides of us alive. Um and that was also everything to do with why I picked to go to Cal Poly instead of uh a cycling school. And I wanted friends that didn't know the sport and uh who I could relate to outside of the bike, and uh that was huge. So the balance in perspective is the most important thing. I think the balance in doing everything at once is is less important. You know, I've realized I think through the past couple years of of uh occasional scatteredness and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, that um sometimes you only need to do one thing and only need to focus on Tokyo or your job or whatever, whatever have you. Um, but keeping the balanced perspective is more important than than a balance of action in a lot of ways. So um understanding you know, you know, what else there is out there and and where it sits in the world and in your world is crucial. Um and and music and poetry is is the opportunity to to reflect on that for me. And um, yeah, I've got my mini guitar here and I'm terrible at it. But I I brought that in my bike case to Europe and I'm trying to get better.

SPEAKER_01:

So nice, nice.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I I think uh again, balance is such an interesting one, and I I'm I'm glad you mentioned it because like we get out of balance a lot, and we we but balance to me almost like doesn't exist, right? We the because life it's a zoomed out time period when we're talking about balance, right? And there's these time periods where you're just severely out of balance, and then you swing back the other way to find this other balance in order to balance it all out to where you want to go in the end. And so it's interesting like that. And I was listening to a podcast where you mentioned uh, you know, the rap and the music and the and the poetry um being so separate from the bike, and I was like, man, Christopher, I think it's I think it's real similar, right? But it's like a different mode, right? The creativity and the and the flow states that occur in both. It's like very similar.

SPEAKER_00:

Totally. And I honestly just recently had that had that realization. So interesting.

SPEAKER_02:

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Um and I understand that you that you have or or do work with uh some kids at a juvenile hall in your Durango, um, kind of working on some of this poetry and stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, in San Luis Obispo, actually. Um started this, okay. Yeah, yeah. I was uh sociology mitor in college, and that's kind of how I um became passionate about, you know, uh the human side of criminal justice and and and you know um had the opportunity to volunteer with this great organization and and help run a creative writing program there. More more often than than not, we just sit and play cards with the kids. And I haven't I went a couple times this past year, once it reopened with COVID, um, but haven't been able to have the consistency that's that's really important to to build those relationships. Um but you know, this is an example of choosing something that will widen perspective and choosing something that's important for you know a development that has nothing to do with on the bike stuff and um the development of of hum humanity and what my own humanity and how I want to relate to people. So um it's a simple thing and it's it's one hour a week um when I'm available to go in and um talk to kids who who may not have people believing in them. Um and and just yeah, you know, give them the time of day to play cards with them and and uh and be a resource, you know, if they if they want to talk to you about stuff. So um I'm also helping a uh with an a couple employees from specialize, not affiliated with with the company, but um we're running a program at an adult prison in in uh Salinas Valley. Um and there's just there's this group, it's a maximum security prison, and there's a a group that has organized to reach out to at-risk youth and uh try to tell them their stories and have an impact from behind the bars. Um so they lead seminars on you know mistakes they made and and development and how they can change the paradigms we have. So um I write letters with a lot of inmates and have learned so much about you know, about so much. So that's been huge. And I'd love to continue to to build those pathways and explore that, which uh, you know, is obviously a world away from from the bike stuff, but uh hugely important to me.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that is that is so rad. Uh I I didn't know that about you uh just before this this podcast. So that's really cool. Uh keep that going. That kind of inspires me to uh get off this microphone or get off the the phone or from a uh out from a bike race and go do something something different and get back.

SPEAKER_01:

So well thanks. It's cool, appreciate it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. Man, well, we we covered we covered a ton today, Christopher. And this is uh this is a wonderful conversation. You're a fascinating human being, and I want to thank you again for taking your time to be on the show. I know you got big things going on, so um, we'll put a pin in it here just at the top of the hour. But uh, my last question to you is um because like I said, we do have a lot of juniors listening to this uh podcast, and we also have uh people chasing their goals. So if you could give any advice to the young athletes, writers, musicians, or anyone pursuing their big dream, what would you tell them?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um I mean I I I kind of I feel like I to go back to what I said earlier about two things, two things that are sort of different, sort of related. Um, one of them is community and you know share the the what you're going through with others and and live in that kind of gift that you're doing together, whether it's riding your bike or um making music or whatever. But I think there's there's a lot of power in connection, and there's a lot of power to opening to other people and involving them in your process. And like I've started the show with, I'm I'm the product of so many people who help, you know, provide me opportunities to get here and provide me love along the way. And uh, you know, lean into those, be a resource for other people around you, and uh just go shred with your friends, you know. And then other side of it, more personal, is is slow down and take the time to to reflect and to examine your why. And it doesn't have to always be some some big kind of like foundational, you know, deep philosophical examination of of why you're doing something. Sometimes it's super simple and you're you're you're doing this because you want that. But you know, know your own reason, external of other motivations and um other achievements, you could, you could, you could get out there. Um and and you know, people people know what I'm talking about here, but so often we we forget to slow down and we we don't think there's more to life than than just increasing it in speed. And you know, we all need that reminder, especially now. So uh I know I do, but um I do too. Yeah, yeah. But keep that alive in the sport, you know, keep that that feeling of why you got into it and uh what you want to be as an athlete or or whatever it is, um, keep that alive.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for joining us on the Time Crunch Cyclist Podcast. We hope you enjoyed the show. If you want even more actionable training advice, head over to trainwright.com backslash newsletter and subscribe to our free weekly publication. Each week you'll get in depth training content that goes beyond what we cover here on the podcast that'll help you take your training to the next level. That's all for now. Until next time, train hard, train smart.

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Adam Pulford

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