PODCAST of the WEEK #2
Podcasts have contributed more to my intellectual live in recent years than anything else I can think of. I’m a self-confessed ‘podcast nerd,’ and I’m not ashamed of it. Sharing podcasts with friends, colleagues, and family members and having conversations about them is one of my greatest joys in life, so I’m endeavoring to share at least one each week here! I’d love to hear from all of you about shows and episodes you love!
The Adventure Stache
I feel the need to point to a couple specific episodes in this POTW, since that’s the format I began this series with, but really, I’m recommending The Adventure Stache in its entirety; it’s outstanding.
The Stache is outstanding because Payson McElveen’s interesting confluence of life history, vocation, intellect and curiosity propel long-form (often 2hr +), in-depth conversations with fascinating figures from within and without cycling that transcend sport. Payson only conducts his interviews in-person - which is vital to connecting with guests - and sport is simply the starting point for conversations, a catalyst for discussions that swirl around broader topics, like health and well-being, contentment, personal growth, community, and entrepreneurship.
While Payson’s training in Exercise Science might suggest a preoccupation with performance-oriented topics, his Minor in English Writing and predilection for philosophical thought is probably the predominant driver of the insightful tangents the show’s conversations tend to take.
The Ned Overend / John Tomac pod is not an emblematic episode, but one I found incredibly wonderful to savour. These icons of the sport were hugely inspiring to me as a kid absolutely transfixed and passionate about mountain biking, and while I’ve had the good fortune to ride with and hang out with Ned Overend - which was a true pleasure - John Tomac (my biggest hero) pretty much disappeared from the cycling scene after retiring, and this could be the first interview of any depth I’ve ever encountered with him. I suspect just about any cycling fan would enjoy this pod, but I’m pretty certain anyone who was involved in mountain biking in the 1990s will absolutely love it. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.
Equally incredible is Payson’s conversation with Julie Furtado, mountain bike legend. The only reason I didn’t lead out with this one is that the conversation covers heavy terrain around the subject of mental illness, child abuse and suicide, which some might want to be emotionally prepared for.
Furtado was an absolute icon in the 1990s, an awe-inspiring racer who seemed to excel in all disciplines more than anyone, male or female. But she retired early and dropped out of the public eye in the pre-internet era, leaving a void. This is the first interview of significant depth Furtado has undertaken since her retirement, and it is a very special and important conversation on many levels.
For the cyclocross lovers reading, Payon’s interviews with Helen Noble and Tim Johnson are solid gold too. Really, I don’t think there’s a Stache episode that isn’t great in some way, evidenced by the fact that I’ve been binging on the pod without getting burned out out in for a week!
