King of the Ride

Episode 162: John Gaston is the Most Interesting Person in Professional Cycling

And cycling isn't even the most interesting bit. John is a professional skier with aspirations to make his debut in the Olympics the same time as his sport makes its debut. That's right, skimo is on the verge of becoming an Olympic sport in 2026 and John is one of America's very best. But he didn't grow up on skis, nor on bike (at least on bicycles). Nor was it in his plans to start and run an outdoor apparel company. Nor was it his plan to be a perennial presence on the Leadville podium. And yet, there John is!

• Keep Bicycle Accident Law in your rolodex just in case you need it!
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Episode 161: Kate Veronneau is Spearheading the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift

The bike racing action across France doesn't end when the men hit the Champs-Élysées. Heck, it's just getting warmed up for the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift!

It's long overdue that women's cycling is hitting its stride right now and the fact that it's earning its due is thanks in part through the work of Kate Veronneau, the Director of Women's Strategy at Zwift. This former NCAA Division 1 college basketball player and professional cyclist has helped the TdFFaZ earn such a high place in global recognition.

Kate was kind enough to check in during a very busy week in France to help spread the word about what all she's doing right now, this week, and year round to elevate not just women's cycling, but women in general. 

• This episode is supported by Bicycle Accident Law. If you're involved in any kind of cycling incident or accident, be sure to contact Matt Scarborough and his team.
• Get your hands on the latest batch of AG1. Their next gen formula is out and its something I use daily. Visit drinkAG1.com/tedking for a free welcome pack on your first purchase.

Episode 160: Dan Lloyd is a Jack of All Cycling Trades

Former Pro Tour professional cyclist, recent UCI gravel worlds qualifier, Global Cycling Network host, former team director, infrequent -- and perhaps former -- race commentator, Dan Lloyd has worn many hats in cycling. And now he has King of the Ride guest on his resume!

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• Need cycling legal advice, visit BicycleAccidentLaw.com
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Episode 159: Florian Vermeersch is an Entertaining Chat and an Even Faster Cyclist

Florian Vermeersch is a Belgian cyclist with some very impressive palmares to his name. 2nd place in Paris-Roubaix as a 22 year old, a pair of silver medals at the UCI gravel world championships, a handful of wins, a whole bunch of podiums, not to mention he's often the right hand man to Tadej Pogacar in plenty of races on the UAE Emirates squad.

This was a really fun conversation to learn more behind the scenes with Florian on his ride through the World Tour ranks.

• If you have any need for a cycling lawyer, I can't recommend highly enough that you reach out to Matt Scarborough at bicycleaccidentlaw.com.
• AG1 is my daily go-to for general wellness. Give them a try at drinkAG1.com/tedking

Episode 158: Roger Brown is Chasing UNBOUND Glory

Our most frequent guest is back! Roger Brown brought a new training technique to UNBOUND XL and that was a mix of training, not training, waffling on whether he would do the event or not, a trip to Europe, and ultimately a successful go at the 359 mile UNBOUND XL! 

We'll talk all the usual song and dance about his preparation, how it all shook out, how he bought a shirt (for free!) in the town of Alma, seeing things deep into sleep deprivation, GLP-1, and why we weren't at the Formula 1 race in Montreal this weekend.

• Thanks very much to UnTapped for supporting this episode. Get your hands on all new Mint UnTapped and use the code "RogerXL" for 20% savings on any mint product at untapped.cc.
• Visit join.whoop.com/ted to get a free one month of the new WHOOP 5.0 plus a free band.
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Episode 157: Rob Britton Just Won UNBOUND XL

Rob Britton stole the show Saturday morning at UNBOUND. He not only passed Lachlan Morton after a 200km chase, but he forced the UNBOUND organizers to rethink their morning strategy because he crossed the line just before 9am, when there's traditionally a 50 mile roll out. He rode the nearly 360 mile in smoking fast pace!

Rob is not new to racing, as he's won some of North America's biggest road races. With the switch to gravel in 2022, he's has big results in the LTGP and plenty of other big events. With success at Badlands, the BC Epic, and others, the ultra distance is nothing new to Rob either. Sit back and enjoy this fun conversation picking apart the very long day (and overnight, and the next day too).

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• Give the newest edition of AG1 a try by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking

 

Episode 156: Mads Würtz Schmidt -- On a Gravel TEAR

Mads Würtz Schmidt has national titles, world titles, and World Tour pro wins but going into 2025 he's taken his skillset to gravel off-road to gravel. He's already racking up wins taking two UCI wins, the prestigious Traka 200 title, and now he's here on North American soil to try his hand at Unbound. Mads and I met up two days shy of the boiling hot Gravel Locos for this face to face conversation.

Covering his time in rainbow stripes, his World Tour career, struggles with physical and mental setbacks, how therapy helped him rebound to the incredibly positive (and productive) place he is now.

• Follow Mads @madswurtzschmidt
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Episode 155: Emily Newsom -- Professional Cyclist

Bike racers don't come much friendlier than Emily. They also don't come much more fierce, much more driven, they generally don't juggle as much, their palmares are usually shorter and they probably didn't have a first career as a professional pianist. But this professional athlete is all of those things which makes her an amazing podcast guest, which make for a really fun conversation!

Enjoy this conversation with Emily Newsom and follow her at @instagram.com/emilyjoynewsom

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As always, boost your health with my favorite bit of greens, the newest generation of AG1. Visit drinkAG1.com/tedking for your welcome kit.

Episode 154: Levi Leipheimer on the Future of American Bike Racing

Fresh off hosting the 2nd annual Growler bike race and the 16th annual Levi's Gran Fondo, Levi sits down with Ted to talk about the state of cycling here in North America. The Growler has the crown of the highest purse of any one day race in the world... let that soak in for a second. Bigger than winning Paris-Roubaix or a Tour de France stage. $156,000 is up for grabs and the race draws road racers, the top gravel racers, mountain bikers, and more.

Ted and Levi raced Tours of California together, lived in Girona at the same time, and were members of the same peloton so there's some interesting overlap that they can discuss and dissect in today's episode.

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Episode 153: How To Ride Fast with Jan Heine

Ted sits down with a return guest, Jan Heine of Rene Herse Cycles and Bicycle Quarterly, to discuss how to be fast in the modern age of cycling. "Get low and pedal faster", right? Well... there's a lot of truth to that, but there's a lot more nuance to it. Tire widths, frontal exposure, riding with aero this and that, this dynamic duo talks through lots of the hot button issues on the tip of gravel racers tongues these days.

If you enjoy this episode, be sure to scroll back to episode 97 where we talk lots of other fun anecdotes from other the years together.

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As always, try out AG1 -- and earn a free gift with your first purchase -- by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking