This week I talk to Andrew Vontz, Vice President of communications and a member of the executive management team at Strava, who is also the creator/host of Choose the Hard Way, a podcast about peak performance and the obstacles people overcome to do great things. Andrew, beyond being a pro cycling superfan, spent the first decade of his career as a freelance journalist. Outside of cycling, he wrote features, interviews, and profiles about people, places, and things at the limits of human experience that regularly appeared in the country's top outlets. A cyclist himself, he has twice placed second at the 100-mile Unbound Gravel Half Pint race.
In this conversation, we discuss Andrew's career path from getting an MFA in creative writing at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to being an executive at the most influential company for the fitness of recreational athletes, along with the evolution (or lack thereof) of cycling in the United States and where we see things heading in the future.
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Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast can be found at iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify & Google Play
Giro d'Italia 2024 Preview w/Jonathan Kaplan
Has Superstar Dominance Made Pro Cycling Boring?
Riley Sheehan on the spring Classics, altitude camps & goals for the rest of his 2024 season
Mathieu van der Poel & Alpecin Dominate the Classics While Crashes Alter the Rest of the Season
Is Mathieu van der Poel Already an All-Time Great?
Can Anyone Beat Mathieu van der Poel at Flanders?
Could Tadej Pogačar & UAE Have Won MSR? Plus, Volta Catalunya Thoughts & Cobbled Classics Predictions
What Bike Should You Buy & Other Questions w/Jonathan Kaplan
Visma/UAE Domination & One Cycling Already In Trouble
Early Season Check-In & Julian Alaphilippe/Patrick Lefevere Beef
Aisha Praught-Leer on High-Performance Training & Her Cycling Fandom
One Cycling Rumors, Red Bull's Bora Acquisition & Spring Classics Speculation
January Ramble: WT Stars vs Gravel Pros & Early-Season Racing Breakdown
2024 Season Kickoff: MVDP’s absurd CX dominance, GC Wout, Ineos at Manchester United & more
Riley Sheehan on His Breakout 2023 Season & Future Goals
Why GCN+ is being shut down & what it means for the future of watching bike races
Why cycling’s rumored new professional league will have a difficult path to success
BWR Kansas Recap & Big-Picture Gravel Thoughts
Jumbo-Visma CEO Richard Plugge on Building Cycling’s Modern Superteam
Jumbo/QuickStep merger called off, Remco’s 2024 destination + Gravel Worlds Preview
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