King of the Ride

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
• Change your shaving game entirely with Bolt Skin + Shave. Use the code KING15 for handy first time buyer savings! And give them a follow at @BOLTskinshave
• And give the newest generation of AG1 a try by trying out drinkAG1.com/tedking

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

Get your hands on a Straz Components Sealant Funnel at www.StrazComponents.com and use the code king15 for some handy savings!

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.

Simplify your life by giving the Straz Sealant Funnel a try! Visit strazcomponents.com and using the code KING15

Try out AG1 by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking

 

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.

Save some money on your next bike light purchase! Visit ExposureLights.com and use the code KING10 to get your hands on the best lighting system on the planet.

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

Episode 152: Quoc Pham — Designer, Entrepreneur

Quoc Pham has the work ethic of a World Tour pro cyclist, the design savvy to walk a Parisian runway, and an upbringing that’s extremely unique in the cycling world as a refugee from Vietnam. He launched his eponymous shoe company, Quoc, back in 2009 which has seen many iterations from a dapper commuter, to a fashionable boot, then with the release of the Grand Tourer he ventured into the backpacking and gravel space which has been his launch pad all the way to the feet of Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.

Episode 151: Mega Midsouth FKT, Wildfires, and much more

Chase Wark and I set out on a pretty wild adventure on Sunday March 26, separately but for the same purpose. Purposes, rather. We were both seeking an FKT on the Mega Midsouth and in a much bigger picture, we were seeking to raise funds for the United Way of Payne County. 

This podcast is in conjunction with The Stable Cyclist and covers a lot from a very busy weekend in Oklahoma. Please enjoy.

I am continuing my fundraising through the end of March by sending money to my @iamtedking Venmo.

Get your Viair Recon Mini by visiting this website and using the code TEDKING10
https://viaircorp.com/products/recon-mini-rider-carry-air-compressor

And get yourself some AG1! Just visit DrinkAG1.com/tedking to get yourself a free $76 value with your first purchase.

Episode 150: Maghalie Rochette -- Professional Cyclist (Semi-Pro Baker + Wood Worker)

Maghalie is a supremely successful professional cyclist with a lengthy list of palmares including nearly 50 UCI wins, World Cup podiums, and loads of national titles. She's in the midst of being a cyclocross racer with her heart and soul in the sport that is thriving in Belgium and is trying to find its legs elsewhere.

• You can find Maghalie and her Dirty Talks podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rtdEydjqc4E38onNx5Lql
• Watch her CX Fever show here: https://www.youtube.com/@maghalierochette
• Get your hands on a $76 value from AG1 at www.DrinkAG1.com/tedking
• Get a FREE UnTapped water bottle by using the code "bottle" when you spend $50 of UnTapped at www.untapped.cc

 

Episode 149: Race Around Rwanda Winning Recap!

Hello and welcome back to King of the Ride!

Today is a bit of cross-pollination. I am drawing from a recent Gravel Kings podcast, where Laura, Stu, and I sit down to dissect Race Around Rwanda in a two part recap. But here we've distilled it down into one episode.

So, please do yourself a favor and hit SUBSCRIBE on Gravel Kings. We're three hosts with radically different cycling backgrounds talking about what matters to you in the cycling world.

I'm excited to have created a vlog from my time in Rwanda. Please check that out here:

https://youtu.be/mKWJMqNM9lE

If you are a watch-a-podcast kind of person, then check out this exact show here:

https://youtu.be/2ax09zLeJMs

Episode 148: Dirk Friel -- Founder of TrainingPeaks

One of my favorite things to do in this podcast is to talk with the How I Built This style, namely to chat with the movers, shakers, and entrepreneurs to hear how they started their business. Amid being a professional athlete and then coach, Dirk started TrainingPeaks, which at this point has to be among the most popular pieces of training software on the planet. Every single Tour de France team, World Tour team, pro rider and aspiring professional uses TrainingPeaks. 

Hey, don't forget to get your free Ted King signature water bottle by visiting www.untapped.cc, putting $50 of product into your cart, and punching in the code BOTTLE. A free water bottle will be added to your cart, plus you'll have earned free shipping. Offer valid until March 1 or while supplies last!

Episode 147: Cameron Wurf -- Professional Athlete (three times over)

You likely know Cam Wurf from his exploits on a bike. He set record after record in the Ironman World Championships on the bike leg, then stepped back into the UCI World Tour after a six-year hiatus and has been working his way into headlines since. He's an Ironman winning athlete, generally found somewhere on the podium when the race is a wrap, but he's also known for wild exploits like running a half marathon for training the evening after riding Paris-Roubaix.  Let's not forget that he's an Olympic and world champion rower from his first foray into athletics, so he's basically been an endurance athlete his entire life. This conversation is not one to be missed, thanks for tuning in! Follow Cam at @cjwurf Get that $48 value from AG1 by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking And follow the Kristian Blummenfelt excitement here and here!