Smack in the middle of finding success (and the yellow jersey!) at the Green Mountain Stage Race, I wanted to sit down and talk with Sam Boardman about all things contemporary professional cycling. From his days at UCLA through the wild times at Wildlife Generation and Legion, right up through the present in his impressive European debut with Project Echelon, Sam has stories to tell! And if you can't get enough here, then be sure to read what he's written at The Escape Collective in his Rookie Report. Check out the King Challenge and please please join us if you're available October 12: KingChallenge.org. Help out my fundraising for the ride here: https://www.pledgereg.com/5124/tedking And get your hands on that jumpstart to the day you're looking for with drinkAG1.com/tedking

Welcome one of the world's very best at cyclocross (and pretty handy on all types of bikes), Joris Nieuwenhuis! Joris is a multi-time national champion of cyclocross for the Netherlands, he earned a silver medal at the 2023/24 UCI cyclocross world championships, he's raced the Tour de France twice, has won on the World Cup stage, and plenty of others.  We met up in Sweden as we were taking part in the Grit n Grind gravel race as part of the world championships qualification.  Follow along on Joris' ride at @joris.nieuwenhuis Don't forget to give AG1 a try, visit drinkAG1.com/tedking

Adam Roberge is on a tear. By my count, he's won the past three consecutive races, four out of the past five, plus plenty more to his tally this year alone. Today we'll talk about all the things you might imagine, the two of us racing together and landing in identical spots on consecutive weekends, how he got into cycling, what's happening with the general state of cycling in Canada, and his national championship win this year. We'll talk about the more controversial topics like using logic and game theory (i.e. tactics) to win races, aero socks, and aero bars. That and so much more coming up! You can see my Nepomuk Narly race recap here: https://youtu.be/Tnsn_vs5we4 And get your hands on some AG1, gosh darn it, by visiting: drinkAG1.com/tedking Follow along on Adam's adventures here: @adamroberge

It’s July so it’s Tour de France time! I’m thrilled to have our guest on the podcast, Sam Bewley. A Tour de France rider himself, a Tour commentator and sports director, we're here to shed light on what's happening now two weeks into a very exciting Tour. Sam is a New Zealander living in Europe, courtesy of the bicycle. He won a world championship medalist on the track, then  graduated to the World Tour and had a successful, lengthy, thirteen year career there.  Sam is now a sports director with Israel Premier Tech as well as a new father. Yeehaw! Don't forget to get your hands on AG1 by visiting www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

Daniel Oss is the man. This long time World Tour professional raced on some of the biggest teams alongside some of the biggest names in the sport. From Liquigas to BMC to Bora-Hansgrohe to TotalEnergies, he was easy to pick out from the bunch with his rock-star long hair. He was also nearly always at the front and often pulling Peter Sagan along to victory. He's now a gravel privateer as well as a commentator for EuroSport, taking on UCI races as well as Unbound.  Ted and Daniel were teammates for two years beginning in 2011 and this was a very fun catch up at a brewery in Emporia, KS a few days before Unbound. Follow along with Daniel's adventures at @daniel87oss  Check out WHOOP, try it out for yourself with a free WHOOP 4.0 band your first month FREE at join.whoop.com/ted And be sure to get your free offer at drinkAG1.com/tedking

Roger Brown has a fan club. He's a four time Unbound rider, has accumulated more than 800 miles across the Kansas plains (which marks a considerable portion of his lifetime mileage). He's a father of four, a co-owner of mine at UnTapped, and he back for another edition of Unbound and another podcast!  If you enjoy this show, check out his previous three episodes number 113, 91, and 75. Also, check out AG1 by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking to get your five free travel packs and a year's supply of vitamin d3k2

Your 2024 Unbound 200 men's champion, ladies and gentlemen! Lots to talk about in this episode as Lachlan and Ted chat for nearly 90 minutes on all things bikes. From Lachlan's entry into the sport, his tough time in the World Tour, Lachlan and Ted's shared time in gravel and its enigmatic future, and of course ample race analysis from Unbound. Follow Lachlan's wild exploits at @lachlanmorton And get your hands on some goodies from AG1 by visiting www.drinkAG1.com/ted While you're at it, get a free WHOOP band and one month of membership included by visiting join.whoop.com/ted

There are certain people to watch for the win on any UCI road race start line and Matej Mohoric is certainly among them. He's won the road world championships as a junior and then u-23 rider, he's won three stages of the Tour de France, plus one stages each in the Giro and Vuelta. He tallied a monument, dramatically winning Milan-San Remo, dramatically in the first known case of a race win on a dropper seatpost. Last fall he took home the rainbow jersey in the UCI Gravel World Championship and this weekend he will race his second ever gravel race at Unbound. Tadej is a former teammate of mine and I loved talking to this young whippersnapper a decade ago with a new fresh perspective to cycling. He's always been wildly curious and brought a freshness to cycling well ahead of his time. And if you haven't seen his post Tour de France stage win interview, it's the kind of thing that will melt your heart. Watch that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjTROQR9pHQ Follow Matej this weekend and the rest of the season at @matmohoric

Many people who end up among the infrastructure of cycling begin as cyclists themselves. If they make it to the professional ranks, they often segue to professional cycling as mechanics, team directors, team managers, or soigneurs. It's rare that the timetable is reverse and they go from a professional soigneur to a professional cyclist, but that's exactly the scenario which "Gee" has experienced. Now one of the fastest women in gravel, Gee raced under the SD Works banner and has taken wins and podiums in UCI races and... well, quite frankly most of the gravel events she's raced. She podiumed at the Traka 360 this year, has bounced around between Europe and the United States this spring, and that allowed this meet up in Emporia, Kansas one week away from Unbound. Follow along with Gee at her instagram, @geegeertje And give AG1 a try by visiting www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

Christopher Blevins is on a tear. Winning the opening round of the UCI cross-country mountain bike race in Brazil here in 2024, he finished with the silver medal the next week in round two. Wearing the stars and stripes as the reigning US national champion, Chris has the Olympics high on his mind this summer going into Paris. From his early days on the BMX bike to showing stellar results on both the road and mountain bike in the U23 ranks, Christopher had to make a big decision going into the last Olympic cycle heading into Tokyo. We'll talk about that decision and how it's paid dividends since then. In addition to being extraordinarily fast on all things two-wheels, he's also a very fun, engaging, creative person. We'll talk about Stilspoke, an outlet for community building and storytelling, which is just launching now! Check that out at www.stilspoke.com You can follow all of his adventures at @christopherblevs And don't forget to get your hands on those five free travel packs plus a year's supply of vitamin D at www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

Laurens is a vibe. His Live Slow, Ride Fast mantra is a media company and it's a way of life! He has very big plans for 2024, so listen in as we talk the Portugal N2 trip, his target of Tour Divide, how he stays fit at 43, and what it takes to compete at the pointy end of World Tour bike races in this modern age. N2 trip in summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7I4RBIlp9c Follow Laurens at: @laurens_ten_dam And why don't you buy yourself some AG1 at: www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

The multi-disciplined Tobin Ortenblad joins us on the podcast today. The former u23 national champion in cyclocross, the recently tattooed SSCXWC victor, the often bearded and fun loving Tobin Ortenblad, that is! We talk all facets of cycling from his early days right up through the present at Levi's Gran Fondo. The state of road cycling, his favorite genre of cyclocross, gravel, and everything in between. Join us for this riveting conversation. Follow along on @mctubbbin's via his instagram here.

This conversation started with a social media post. Namely, this one: https://www.instagram.com/p/C40wy-_Oh5Z/?img_index=1 You could argue that Noah is not your average MidSouth competitor, unless it's argued that he's the exact, prototypical MidSouth competitor. On a lark, Noah hatched the idea of doing MidSouth on a $2 per day beach cruiser rental bike and then he went ahead with the idea. Follow along over the course of this unique and hilarious conversation. Try AG1 by using the following this link: www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

Our guest today is Michael van den Ham. Michael is a long time staple to the North American cyclocross circuit, he’s a four time Canadian national champion, he’s tallied 6 UCI cyclocross race wins, he’s raced the world championships on an impressive seven different occasions, and he's supremely handy on a gravel bike. Not only that, he's recently retired from the professional 'cross circuit to focus on a wider variety of disciplines and to take the reigns of the Canadian national team for cyclocross as their newly appointed head coach. Don't forget to visit drinkag1.com/tedking to get your hands on some AG1.

Derek Teel is on the podcast today. His strength training platform, Dialed Health, has become the gold standard among amateurs and pro cyclists alike. His following is prolific at @DialedHealth which perhaps has helped echo the story he's going to tell on today's episode of being hit by a car at 65mph and left for dead. This is a heart-wrenching story of challenges and overcoming obstacles, no matter who you are or what you're up against. Derek's story is one of positivity and strength.  Check out the first chapter of Ted's 2024 comeback story here on YouTube. And Ted's vlog from the start of the season here. And give AG1 a try by visiting drinkAG1.com/tedking.

Neilson Powless is just getting warmed up. His rise through the sport starts decades ago, when he and his sister Shayna were playing games secretly engineered by their parents to help encourage their endurance engines. Winning the XTerra World Championships in 2012, for example, indirectly shuttled him to picking up wins in the World Tour today. Recently becoming a father, Neilson reflects on the change of perspective that comes with racing knowing there's someone(s) very special back at home. His humility is matched by his friendliness, Neilson is one of a kind and makes cycling fans both at home and abroad very proud how he performs.   Check out Ted’s newest podcast venture, Gravel Kings here: https://gravelkings.podbean.com/

Ben Hoffman is an amazing athlete. This born Coloradan, now Arizonan, is an 8 time Ironman champion, 7 time Ironman 70.3 champ, has finished as high as second at the hallowed Kona Ironman World Championships, as well as 4th place twice. He's a monster on the bike, duking it out on what's dubbed the fastest group ride in the country, there in Tucson, Arizona, and has toed the line at gravel races and Cape Epic in South Africa. He's training for the Paris 2024 Paralympics with hopes of bringing home a medal. Better yet, he's a father and wonderful of father of two young kids. As I start my journey into 40 and beyond, I saw a lot of parallels with Ben and wanted to sit down for a fun chat.  Ben thinks that AG1 is great and so do I. So visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking to try elevating your health in the coming year.

Matteo Jorgenson is a young, powerhouse professional road cyclist. Born in Idaho, he's made his way all over the world racing his bike, and ultimately onto arguably the best team in modern day cycling, Visma-Lease A Bike. At just 24 years old, he's quickly and stealthfully tallied one of the strongest list of palmares American cycling has ever seen. With a focus and results already rolling in during the spring classics as well as stage races like Paris-Nice, Tour of Romandie, and overall victory at the Tour of Oman, Matteo's future looks very bright. You can follow Matteo at his instagram page, @matteojorgenson. All details for the inGamba trip across Portugal can be found here. Don't forget to recalibrate your health with the simple step of starting your day with AG1. Get your free year's supply of vitamin D plus five free travel packs with your first purchase. Visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking 

Special ASK ME ANYTHING episode! You sent questions in, we answered. From van life to real life to gravel in the casual sense to gravel in the hellbent racing sense, lots of UCI questions, and everything in between. Please visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking to get those five free travel packs and a year's supply of vitamin D. To submit more questions, visit www.iamtedking.com/contact 

Tanner Putt has spent the majority of his life spent in cycling. I’ve known him as a bike racer — a very successful one in the u23 and domestic scene, especially. But it was when I was reading a recent Outside magazine article about Americans racing the Tour de France and in particular the atypical pathway that seemingly every American has to travel to make it from here in the states to the start line at the Tour, that I knew I had to talk to Tanner. He’s quoted in the article about how to make that path to success simpler.  Tanner overseas the Road Racing program at USACycling which is a very impressive ship to be navigating and it's one I'll be watching closely as I'm a fan of his and a fan of American road racing. Don't forget to visit join.whoop.com/ted to get your free month of WHOOP And drinkag1.com/tedking to get a year's supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs.  Try them both now, thank me later.

There's rumor of someone coming out of South Africa who's an absolute machine in off-road racing. He's cleaned up in his home country and now he's on the move to North America. That person is the very affable Matt Beers. On the heels of his recent sprint to second place at the inaugural Little Sugar in Arkansas, Matt is lining up for the season finale Big Sugar this weekend. Between these big late season races we caught up, talked shop, talked global gravel and lots more. Be sure to visit www.drinkag1.com/tedking to get yourself a year's supply of vitamin D and five free travel packs with your first purchase.

Ben Delany has a career in cycling media to his name. He's seen the sport soar, he's been there during troubled times, and he's excited to break out on his own and expand what cycling media is. As gravel has taken off, he's now a bit of a cycling media privateer himself with the advent of his YouTube channel and the ways he interacts with brands. Join me on this conversation with someone who shares a rich history of cycling knowledge. To see Ben's YouTube channel, visit TheRidewithBenDelaney To try out WHOOP, visit join.whoop.com/ted To join the King Challenge, visit KingChallenge.org To support my King Challenge fundraising efforts, visit pledgereg.com/4715/tedking

Dave Wiens is a Coloradan. He's an outdoorsman. He's a mountain biker and skier. He's a father, husband, and hall of famer. He carries the torch of the International Mountain Bicycling Association as their executive director and has a vision for cycling, hiking, and just being outside that makes people want to be part of this vision.  This is a very fun one and I know you'll enjoy it. Don't forget to visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking to make all your hopes and dreams come true!

Not all professional athletes are one dimensional and Alexey is proof of that. This busy body has a lot going on, both on and off the bike. After an impressive 2nd at Leadville and 3rd at SBT, he's only whet his appetite for an action packed end of the year.  We caught up on the eve of SBTGRVL and had this terrific conversation about the state of the (gravel) cycling world and where he's placing his piece of the puzzle. I really enjoyed this conversation and I know you will too! Please do yourself a favor and visit www.drinkag1.com/tedking  

Anna Greetis is always on her toes. She looks after seemingly anything resembling a road bike, gravel bike, or cyclocross bike here in America for SRAM athletes, and then still has time to head off to Europe for some of the biggest bike races in the world. Anna is an all-star as she's helped keep my fleet of bikes in tip top shape for years now and does it all with a genuine smile and easy conversation. We cover her globetrotting schedule, her entry into the sport, the hurdles of being a female mechanic in a male-dominated profession, and an optimistic look at the future of a more welcoming cycling. We caught up at SBTGRVL amid her whirlwind travels before jetting off to the next one! Please visit www.drinkAG1/tedking to get those 5 free travel packs plus a one year's supply of vitamin D. You need vitamin D, so why not get it for free, right?  

There are many chapters to Ryan Standish's path through cycling, but beginning in Australia at the age of two straight up through the present, there are a book full of anecdotes along the way. From the pursuit of Olympic mountain bike dreams to a shot at the World Tour to the current ambiguous endurance off-road scene, Ryan mixes his passion for cycling with close-to-the-heart interest in giving back with his fledgeling company, Rocket Sloth. Check that out at www.rocketslothco.com Visit www.drinkag1.com/tedking to try out AG1

On the eve of Tour Divide, I thought it would be wise to talk to the friendliest character in bikepacking, Lael Wilcox. We caught up with Lael on her ride TO THE START of the Tour Divide, as she rides from Tucson, Arizona to Banff, Alberta, Canada. There are loads of questions on my mind as it seems like this event is intentionally cryptic. For example, the Tour Divide is a ride along the Continental Divide Trail... which is also called the Great Divide... which starts in Banff... unless you consider the start in Jasper, Alberta... and the route usually stays the same... but sometimes changes year to year? I'll be relying on Athletic Greens to seek daily nutrition thanks to AG1 all throughout my ride. If you're interested in trying Athletic Greens visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking to get on the fast track to simplified nutrition!

Paige Onweller stamped her name as a contender in the gravel scene by winning Big Sugar 2022. Lots of podiums and top 10 results also live on her palmares, despite a very short list of total races that she's ever done. Given her greater life story of selling her house, buying a van, and pressing pause on her career as a PA makes her transition to gravel all the more impressive.  Visit www.athleticgreens.com/tedking and pick up those 5 free travel packs!

What's path to victory look like in the hotly contested 2022 Unbound 200? That's what I set out to find out with our guest Ivar Slik. Ivar is a member of the Dutch Mafia, as amalgamated by Laurens Ten Dam and his introduction to his Dutch countrymen (and women) to the American gravel scene. Although Ivar's name is forever tagged to the win in the most storied gravel race of them all, he's been dabbling in the scene for years, and boasts a lengthy list of palmares prior to that. Like winning the sprint jersey at Tour of Turkey. Finishing second in the Netherland junior national championships. He rode a stagiere year with Belkin and was part of the hallowed Rabobank development team. Follow Ivar at @ivar.slik And help improve your day with a daily dose of Athletic Greens. Just visit www.athleticgreens.com/tedking and you'll earn an annual supply of vitamin D and 5 free travel packs.

Cole Paton is one of the good guys. He happens to be one of the good guys who's off to a screaming start to 2023. With international wins to his name this spring, second at Whiskey Offroad, and sitting third overall at the Life Time Grand Prix, we're hearing his name a lot and should expect to see him near or at the top of the podium for many years to come. Follow Cole at @colepaton And give yourself the same daily boost of nutrition that I do with AG1 by Athletic Greens. Visit www.AthleticGreens.com/tedking

Russell Finsterwald is our guest today. Professional mountain biker, crusher on a gravel bike, Russell wrapped up 2022 in third place in the Life Time Grand Prix and is looking for more this season. With a big year ahead, I wanted to check in to hear more from Russell, his background and history, plus his goals and ambitions for 2023 and more. Don't forget to get your FREE flask at www.untapped.cc just by adding a bottle of bulk UnTapped then inputting the code KOTR. Also for your five free travel packs plus a year's supply of vitamin D from Athletic Greens by visiting www.AthleticGreens.com/tedking   

Nicolas Roche is a pro's pro. This long time Irish born, French raised, global savvy individual has a lengthy list of impressive results. Twice finishing in the top ten of the Vuelta a España, Nico is a two time Irish national champion, and represented Ireland at the UCI road world championships seven times, the Olympics once, and just recently at the inaugural UCI gravel world champs.  He's got a heck of a lot going on, so I'm pleased as punch to have carved out the time in Oklahoma at MidSouth for this chat. Clearly there's room for another couple hours of conversation, hopefully later this year. To start your day off right, try AG1 by Athletic Greens simply by visiting www.AthleticGreens.com/tedking

Heather Jackson is putting up smashing results as she just now enters the worlds of gravel and ultrarunning. Which is as much a surprise that a "neo" pro would be able to accomplish these things as much as it's totally expected as she's been a triathlete for 15 years, expertly honing her 10-plus hour endurance. But let's talk about her time in Thailand! Or her medals from the US track national championships! Or growing up playing hockey... with me in small town New Hampshire! This is a great conversation that I know you'll enjoy.  Don't forget to give Athletic Greens a try by visiting www.AthleticGreens.com/tedking to jumpstart your day the best way possible.

Lauren's story of winning Unbound and having one of the most successful years the sport of gravel has ever seen is as impressive as it is improbable. Her comeback from a TBI is a journey through uncharted territory. Over the span of about a half dozen years, she went from being a professional road cyclist to a (very) traumatic brain injury to an intense recovery period to then earning a Masters in Public Health to next pivot to a career as a professional cyclist once again -- see, that's not the standard! But it sure is working for Lauren, so why mess with a good thing?! You'll find Lauren's social at: @laurenissima Don't forget, get your hands on 5 free sample packs, plus a year's supply of vitamin D with this offer from Athletic Greens. Just visit: AthleticGreens.com/tedking

Jan Heine is the president of Rene Herse Cycles and editor in chief of Bicycle Quarterly. He's a builder, an engineer, a story teller, a photographer, and as it turns out is pretty handy on the bike too with a recent FKT on the Arkansas High Country Race's southern loop which spans 475 miles across northwest Arkansas! I've wanted to have Jan on the podcast for years and this seemed like just the right time. Congrats to Jan and welcome to the show. www.ReneHerseCycles.com www.BicycleQuarterly.com Jan's ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/7953986189 To try out Athletic Greens, visit: www.AthleticGreens.com/tedking