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Mountain-biking pioneer, Ashley Korenblat, has one of the coolest stories in cycling. After graduating from Dartmouth Business School in the ‘80s, the Arkansas native did a stint on Wall Street, but found that bond trading got in the way of her passions for cycling and skiing. She made her way back to New England where she joined the startup bike company, Merlin Metalworks, as CEO. She helped fellow Arkansan, Bill Clinton, get elected president before bailing on the East Coast altogether and relocating to Moab, Utah, where she has resided ever since. Ashley and her husband acquired Western Spirit Cycling, and she has led the company as CEO for the past 23 years and counting. In today’s episode, Ashley shares how she has seen mountain biking explode in popularity since she first got involved in the early ‘90s and how we can advocate for the value that mountain bikers provide when it comes to public land management in the pivot from resource extraction to recreation. We also touch on the ride she did with Bill Clinton, what her transition from Merlin Metalworks to Western Spirit taught her about problem-solving and leadership, and how she hopes to make the mountain bike industry more welcoming and accessible. All this and more in today’s episode. Make sure not to miss it!

The Park City Point 2 Point is one of the best mountain biking events out there. Indisputably a true mountain biker's course, packed with both fun and difficulty, with magic and beauty at almost every turn, the event is hard to ignore. Today we are very lucky to be joined by the founder and organizer of the event, Jay Burke! In our conversation, we get to go in-depth with Jay, talking about the inspiration behind the beginnings of the race, and then going through the course, play-by-play, trail-by-trail, and how you can approach the event if you are lucky enough to take part. This insider information is invaluable, and can really give your preparations a big boost, along with your excitement levels! Jay talks about the highly technical descents, stretches for recovery, refueling requirements, and the array of climates that the race traverses. Our guest also speaks about the focus of creating a primarily experiential event on some of the best single-tracks in the world! So for all this and much more from a great friend and mountain biker, be sure to listen in today!

It is always inspiring seeing someone blaze their own trail, and today’s guest, Isabel King, is doing just that. Not only is she walking her own path into the world of professional cycling by leveraging her Strava performance, social influence, and support of social causes, but she also has an MBA! Isabel has managed to carve a unique niche somewhere between a traditional professional cyclist and a cycling influencer. In this episode, we hear about Isabel’s journey and how she went from being a D1 soccer player at Columbia to a professional triathlete to business school, and then onto cycling more seriously. Because Isabel lives in LA, we naturally touch on some of the magnificent road and gravel riding opportunities, and she shares some of her favorite routes. We talk about the kind of cyclist that she thinks she will become, and we also hear about how she came to train with Reggie Miller. We couldn’t let Isabel go without picking her brain about the state of the economy and stock prices, where she gives us some great insights. Wrapping up, we hear about the inspiring fundraising Isabel has done and will continue to do on her bike.  

Can you imagine someone coming out of nowhere to take major Strava KOMs from both retired and current world tour pros? Well, that’s exactly what today’s guest, Drake Deuel, is doing, and he is not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. In today’s episode, Drake talks about his introduction to cycling while he was a rower at Harvard, and unpacks his decision to pursue cycling more seriously. We also geek out on some of our favorite LA routes, along with some others Drake has done around the country. Drake combined two of his passions, cycling, and computer science, and managed to land an internship at Zwift. Over the summer, as he was working remotely, he did some traveling and got a great deal of cycling in. He is set to start a full-time job at the fast-growing company in December. We talk about the rise of indoor cycling, the place it has in complementing its outdoor counterpart, and Drake also shares what the future has in store for him. To hear this and more, tune in today!

Our guest today is Formula 1 driver for Williams Racing, George Russell. He is currently at the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix, the third of 23 races in the longest F1 season to date. You might already be a long-time fan of F1, you might be unfamiliar, or you might have watched Drive to Survive on Netflix but, in today’s episode, you’ll discover that there is plenty of overlap between cycling and F1. In 2020, we saw the UCI Road Cycling World Championships take place in Imola, Italy, and a month or so later, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix took place at the exact same venue, with bikes and F1 cars using the same start/finish line at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari race track. Cycling is also a large part of how F1 drivers train and maintain their fitness. George talks about the role that cycling plays in his training, both physical and mental, and he shares who among the grid he believes would be off the front and off the back in a race. We also discuss the recent crash with Valtteri Bottas at Emilia and his thoughts on the new sprint qualifying format. Tune in today!

Escape Adventures has been a staple in the bike tour world of the American West over the last 30 years and we are so lucky to welcome the cofounder of the company, Jared Fisher, to the podcast today! Jared and his team have run amazing and popular tours, traversing iconic routes, while managing three different highly-regarded bike shops too! In short, Escape Adventures is an amazing business that has built a dedicated and growing customer base from their home in Las Vegas, Nevada, and their story is truly surprising and inspiring. Jared and company also conducted some incredible work during 2020, which we hear all about in our chat, and listeners can expect to come away from this episode with a desperate need to head out west as soon as possible! Our guest also opens up about the company culture at Escape, and how this has determined their continued success. A sizeable portion of this episode is spent discussing e-bikes, with Jared believing strongly that this new sector of cycling is an extremely positive thing for everyone, and why we should be embracing these advances with open arms. So for all this and much more from a true legend, join us on the show!

Today we are very lucky to have an episode featuring the one and only Alison Tetrick! The three-time gravel world champion and cult-hero has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, balancing a career outside of cycling, and now continuing to evolve and shift her amazing career on gravel and in the mountains! Alison is the co-founder and CEO of SagaVentures, and we actually start this conversation considering the somewhat surprising duality of Alison's professional life. She talks about how switching between riding as a pro and work in marketing communications had very positive outcomes for both sides of the coin. From there we talk about the different stages of her cycling career, how she went pro, and the amazing relationships she has been able to maintain throughout. We also get to hear the inspirational and impressive story of Alison's recovery from two major accidents, and the obstacles she overcame through sheer determination to be stronger. Listeners can expect to come away with a real dose of the person behind the bike, as well as some great insight into what is on the horizon for Alison, so make sure to listen in with us, on Cycology.FM!

The world of mountain bike freeriding has come such a long way over the past couple of decades, and someone who has witnessed this firsthand, and moved with the tide of change is Richie Schley. He joins us on the podcast today to talk about his career, current professional setup, and hopes for the future for himself and the sport! Richie is an absolute legend in the space and proudly owns the title of 'cycling influencer', having smartly carved out a niche with strong brand relationships and visibility within cycling. We get into the nitty-gritty of sponsorship and branding, with Richie weighing in on the lessons he has learned about making the most of opportunities to make a career out of doing what you love, and some of the important landmarks along the way. We also discuss the irreplaceable utility of e-bikes, trail networks across the country, and some of Richie's most memorable magazine covers! The conversation covers rides that Richie still wants to do and the destinations at the top of his list. So for this great chat, layered with loads of awesome insight and experience, be sure to join us. 

Today we have a very special announcement on the show! ENVE Composites are making it official, they are releasing a custom road frame, with many exciting features that are bound to get enthusiasts' wallets out! To help us examine the specifics of this big step we are joined by ENVE's Marketing Manager and former pro, Neil Shirley. Neil gives us the inside scoop on the new custom offer, sharing the new features and advancements exclusive to this new bike. We also get to talk a bit about ENVE's manufacturing process, why they have ensured it is all done in-house, in the USA, and what this has enabled them to do as a company. From there, we switch gears a bit and talk about Neil's own cycling career, looking at the moment he fell in love with riding, going pro, and his recent redefinition of himself as a gravel rider! We also get to talk about his old team, Rally Cycling, and what makes it so special. To finish off, we spend some time discussing the general migration toward gravel, and hold-ups caused in the supply chain and events during the COVID era. For all this, take a ride with us today!

Rally Cycling has always been an exciting breeding ground for young talent in the profession, and today we are very lucky to welcome a great friend to the show and the current Communications Director at Rally, Tom Soladay! While Tom was still a professional rider, he was also on the Rally team, so his loyalty runs deep with the outfit. In this episode, Tom opens up about many parts of his journey in the sport and with his company, talking about the transition he made when he retired, some of the principles at Rally that have helped to create the strong sense of identity they are known for, and what his current role in communications entails. Tom also gets into more of the business side of the company and how they have managed to stay afloat without large amounts of angel investment. We also talk about the changing tides of the sport, the natural migration that has happened towards Europe, and the move towards a more global plan that Rally Cycling has adopted. A lot of what Tom talks about is related to longevity in the world of cycling, and how a more inclusive and holistic outlook can serve the sport and its athletes. We finish off the conversation looking to the future, imagining the scene after the disruption of the pandemic, the upcoming tours, and Tom shares his thoughts on the new stars to watch out for!

The world of women's cross country cycling is more exciting than ever and one of the reasons for this is the amazing Kate Courtney, who joins us on today's show! Kate is a world champion and was also crowned the overall world champion for the year of 2019 after a string of amazing results, and now her sights are set firmly on the Olympics in Tokyo, scheduled for later this year. As arguably the most exciting cyclist in the world at present, it is an honor to speak to Kate about her recent victories, current training regimen, and how she has managed the ups and downs of riding through the pandemic. We talk about indoor rides and her thoughts on the new technologies that make this more possible, engaging, and effective. We also get into the role of her family in motivating her and keeping her on track with her goals. Kate gives great insight into the life of a traveling competitor, talking about experiences of racing in Europe and the practices that have made these trips more manageable. We also discuss sports psychology and the importance of this aspect of preparation for the highest levels of athleticism, before our conversation turns to the important topic of more gender equality in cycling and beyond. We finish off this fascinating chat with some practical questions around training environments, bike choice, and the people that keep Kate inspired!

Today we are taking a bit of a trip down memory lane with Rob Story as we look back at the golden era of Bike Magazine and the beginning of the iconic magazine that Rob helped to launch. More than any other publication, Bike managed to capture the spirit of a particular time and ethos present in mountain biking. Irreverent, funny, and dedicated to adventure and great journalism, Bike opposed some of the more sanitized versions of sports magazines of the day. Launched in 1993, the magazine grew out of the same garden as Powder, adopting certain similarities while fearlessly plotting its own course through new territories, types of stories, and amazing features and photography! In our conversation, we hear from our guest about the period leading up to his appointment at Bike, and how the first few issues came together. Rob shares some stories about the important cast of characters that gave the magazine its signature blend of humor and inspiration as we talk about themed issues, the connection between mountain biking and marijuana, and how the style and content were decided upon before landmark changes around the turn of the century. For this fascinating conversation, and likely the first of many with Rob Story, listen in with us today on Cycology.FM!