A (2:31)

Yeah.

C (2:32)

A couple different years and zombies actually just come through. I mean, it's ridiculous. Like, I don't know how those guys go another 40.

B (2:41)

I can't imagine.

A (2:42)

Yeah. A great deal of respect. And then loaded you lotija low to Zhao. That's Saturday. There's actually quite a few guys doing it. I kind of thought Logio was losing its steam. And we have one on the. On the call here with us. Matt, tell us your feelings.

C (3:04)

A little bit of excitement, a little bit of regret. That's natural.

B (3:10)

Very nice.

A (3:10)

We'll see.

C (3:11)

I mean, you're ready.

B (3:12)

You're ready for it.

C (3:13)

I mean, you know, according to Strava, my, my fitness was. Score is up over last year. Last year was fun great. So I'm just hoping to have a fun year. I'll be slow. My goal is to finish during the daytime and eat chips in the river. Isn't that. That's kind of everybody's, you know, sit in the river, grab some chips.

A (3:34)

That's how it. I mean, Chip believes that loaded judge doesn't actually start until the finish line. That's when it gets good.

C (3:42)

That's true.

B (3:42)

That's true.

A (3:43)

The River Jackson, the burgers. Yeah.

C (3:46)

So it's mangy moose after the race.

B (3:49)

If you can stomach a burger after eating all day long.

C (3:52)

Yeah, that's true.

A (3:53)

Yeah. Nick, we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about Leadville. Nick and I did Leadville. Nick, how was your stomach after that experience?

B (4:00)

Oh, man, it's just like an eating and drinking contest. Yeah. I wasn't feeling good all the way back.

A (4:08)

I mean I decided I only ate never seconds when I did it this time. And I wasn't. It wasn't bad considering, like if you emptied all of those never seconds into a bowl and you were like drink this. You would barf. But somehow spread out over nine hours, they weren't terrible.

B (4:25)

Yeah.

A (4:26)

I told Charles that my goal was to end the race with more never seconds in my pocket than when I started. I was going to just grab them all from the aid station. So I came back with. I'd make money on the race.

B (4:38)

Yeah. Make three, four bucks a pop, you know. Yeah.

A (4:43)

Okay. Very good. Team announcements. Grateful for Canyon's challenge. It went very, very good. We act. This is the craziest statistic. We had 60 ish, 70 ish members of the team sign up. And then we had 50 people who were not part of the team who joined the event. That's an incredible amount of un Utah cyclists. So thank you for all those that participated. We very successful day. So thank you very much.

B (5:15)

That's great.

C (5:16)

Fantastic events too.

B (5:18)

Great support.

A (5:19)

All Chip, let's. This was Chip's baby. He did a great job. Kudos, Chip. Good job.

B (5:23)

Yep. Yep.

A (5:25)

We're going to be releasing the 20, 26 kits soon, the white version, so that's exciting. We're going to have those soon, so look for those.

B (5:35)

And.

A (5:35)

And beyond that, we are working on team camp dates. I don't even want to say that for next spring because that means we're getting to the end of our season here.

B (5:44)

But.

A (5:44)

Yeah, team camp. What do you guys. Maui Camp. That's true. So you can go to the website Dean Walker's working on. Maui Camp, if you wanted to go to that. Dude. Maui Camp. That's a huge step. That's a huge step.

B (5:58)

That is huge.

A (5:59)

Oh, my gosh.

B (6:02)

What.

A (6:02)

Let's take a poll here. What do you guys think about releasing multiple dates for team camp to the team and then having everyone vote? Is that a terrible idea or is that a good idea?

C (6:14)

I. I don't. I'm not opposed to that.

B (6:16)

That'd be great. Yeah, I think that's a great idea. It's always hard to work around.

A (6:19)

I know.

B (6:19)

Spring breaks, you know, you got kids in multiple different school districts. And so spring breaks are going to follow, you know, on different. No, calendar days.

A (6:28)

Spring breaks, early April. So anyway. Okay. Look for.

C (6:32)

Somebody's gonna decide anyway.

A (6:34)

Yeah, we'll put a. We'll put a vote out.

C (6:36)

Yeah.

B (6:36)

Okay.

A (6:37)

Very good. So today's next day. Jenny Lynn, nick's wife, wrote A1. Have you read the. Have you read the introduction, Nick?

B (6:45)

I did. She gave me a preview. Yeah.

A (6:47)

What do you think?

B (6:49)

That's great. Okay.

A (6:51)

Sometimes that doesn't go well, so that's good.

B (6:53)

That's good.

A (6:54)

Okay, I'll read it, Matt. Chime in anytime, Nick. Chime in anytime. This is a good. This is a good introduction. This is a good start off.

B (7:00)

Okay.

A (7:02)

From Jenny Lynn. Nick is a writer who loves. Who proves that passion, persistence, and maybe a touch of stubbornness can take you pretty far. Whether that's up a wasatch climb at sunrise or across the finish line at Leadville. That was poetry. He grew up in Salt Lake City as the oldest of three kids. Earned as Eagle Scout. Yes. How many palms did you get, Nick?

B (7:27)

Zero palms.

A (7:28)

Oh, okay, good. I thought you were going to dig in there.

B (7:30)

I was waiting for. Okay. No, no.

C (7:32)

Are you.

A (7:32)

Are you.

C (7:33)

Are you an Eagle Scout, Stu?

A (7:34)

I am Eagle Scout, yes.

C (7:36)

I am also an Eagle Scout.

A (7:38)

I couldn't get a driver. I couldn't get driver's license, so I had it Nice.

B (7:43)

Yeah.

A (7:43)

Welcome to the Eagles Nest. Okay, then. Served a mission in Milan, Italy. Incredible. You speak Italian?

B (7:51)

See, that's a little rusty these days. But I speak.

A (7:54)

Earned an economics degree from the U and an MBA from Westminster and even found time to volunteer at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics.

C (8:05)

Dang.

A (8:05)

Supporting the US Olympic team with athlete services and translations. Were you married then?

B (8:11)

No, I was living the bachelor life.

A (8:13)

Are we going to dig into that or should we just ask right now? What was that like? What was that?

B (8:18)

It was great. Yeah, it was fun.

A (8:20)

Did you get paid for that or was that like volunteer?

B (8:22)

No, it was a volunteer. I. I was able to get a. A leave of absence from work and I still had my job when I came back three months later, which was awesome.

A (8:32)

Incredible. Did you keep the coat? Do you get. Do you wear that around still? Is there like a special?

B (8:36)

I do. I do have all the Torino Olympic gear, so that's one of my most favorite sole gear. I got the Torino gear.

A (8:44)

That's my favorite thing is when you see an old 2002 Olympic coat come out somewhere, just like a purple, purple coat, you're like.

C (8:52)

Does he. Does he still have the beret?

A (8:56)

The roots beret?

B (8:57)

The roots beret. Those are still around. Yeah. So good.

A (9:01)

All right. Okay. So Nick's been with Opium.

B (9:04)

Optum.

A (9:05)

Sorry, Opium. Yeah. Nick's been on opium for 23 years. Nick's been with Optum for 23 years, working his way up from sales to director of business operations. And I think he tell you the reason he stayed so long is because of the people and relationships. Is that true?

B (9:23)

Yeah, most of it, yeah. Opportunity for growth too. So cool.

A (9:27)

Do you go to the building? Is, are they at the point of the mountain? Is that where you.

B (9:31)

They are, yeah. They do have an office there, but it's. It's pretty empty of an office these days.

A (9:37)

Okay.

B (9:38)

So. Okay.

A (9:39)

Nick's been married to his wife, Jenny Lynn for 17 years. And she keeps him fueled with plenty of baked goods. He's a proud dad of two. One through fertility treatment. Me too. Nick, very good. And one through adoption. Very expensive children. And shares his home with Bella, a five year old Saint Bernard. Oh my gosh. Who probably weighs more than all of his bikes combined, that is. How much food does that animal eat a day?

B (10:06)

Oh, that's not excessive. Unless she gets her hands on a pizza. You know.

A (10:12)

Just a full pepperoni.

B (10:14)

That's a story for another day.

A (10:15)

How did you pick. How'd you pick Saint Bernard?

B (10:19)

You know, I. I grew up with a Saint Bernard. And so, you know, during COVID when everyone was getting their covet puppy. Yeah, I. I. Bella became available, and I'm like, let's. Let's give it a shot. So crazy. That's cool.

A (10:36)

Do you want to talk about your kids for a sec?

B (10:38)

Yeah, they're awesome. Jackson's 14 and Emma is 10. Jackson's into Mountain biking with Skyline Mountain biking. So I've been helping out the team as the. As the coach. Sweep at the sweeper. Team sweep. And Emma is getting into softball, so that's fun. All sports are in full swing.

A (11:03)

Very cool. Nice. He's been passionate about sports since he was young. Ran track, cross country. Once ran a marathon. Should we talk about that? I love marathon stories.

B (11:16)

Like, my favorite. Oh, yeah, it was good. Okay. That was a St. George marathon. And 99, just out of high school, so I think about mile 18. Yeah, I had a lot of cramping and just did a lot of walking.

A (11:31)

Oh, yeah?

C (11:32)

Yeah. Any chafing? Any chafing, Nick?

A (11:35)

Yeah, tell us.

B (11:36)

Not. Not that I recall.

C (11:38)

What I would say a successful marathon is no chafing if you finish and no chafing.

B (11:45)

And you are dope, because how many have you done that?

C (11:48)

I have done? 30. 30 of those bad boys.

B (11:51)

That's amazing. That's amazing. How many of them were St. George?

C (11:55)

27.

B (11:56)

27.

C (11:57)

So I know St. George pretty well.

A (11:59)

That's amazing. Okay. This was cool. Finished in four hours and four minutes of that marathon and sword. Never again. Eventually found his true love, cycling. Since then, he's tackled countless endurance events, multiple centuries. Six lotigas, Steamboat Springs gravel, and most recently, the Leadville 100 MTB. Oh, Nick is so grateful for me. Duele riding with them has pushed him to grow as a cyclist while also creating meaningful friendships that extend beyond the bike. Around the house, he's known as the guy who fills the garage with bikes, never stops talking about cycling, and occasionally finishes a project or two in between rides. That sounds about. That's exactly. That is exactly how my wife would describe me. Passionate, disciplined, and just stubborn enough to keep pushing through the hard stuff is what makes him such a strong writer and a great husband and father. I like Matt's additional question here. Nick, if you had to introduce yourself and your. Wait, Matt, you asked this question. This is very good.

C (12:56)

All right, so if you had to introduce yourself in your own words, how would you do it?

B (13:03)

Oh, man. You know, I'm the quiet, reserved guy. I love to ride bikes, love to be outside in the outdoors in the wintertime. I'll get out and ski or do some snow hikes or sledding with the kids and, you know, just love being outside. Family time, friends, and I think everything else covers it.

A (13:25)

Tell me more about a couple references to stubbornness. What is. Is your. Is she specifically referring to cycling stubbornness, or does this go deeper? Matt? Nick.

C (13:37)

I can answer that question.

B (13:39)

Okay, go ahead. So.

C (13:42)

So Nick decided that. Well, like, I mean, he was like, hey, it might be a good idea to do Leadville. Do you want to do that with me? And I was like, no, I do not want to do that. That's too hard. So he signs up and then he's like, we're basically training for Leadville and I'm along for the ride, so. But then there were certain things that I refused to do, like hill repeats up on Puke Hill on the mountain bike. And I can't. I can't believe that. Yeah, I can't. Like, Nick did that three or four different times and without me anyway. But he. Yeah, like, stubborn in that sort of way. Like, stubborn in that he's not gonna. He's not gonna let me or anybody else tell him what to do as far as goals, which is great, and. And stubborn in the best way, which is, like, if he starts something, he's gonna finish it.

B (14:41)

So. Yeah.

A (14:42)

Very cool. And, Matt, you added these at the bottom. Why don't you go through them? This is really fun. I've never had a co host that was this thoughtful. Matt, Very good.

C (14:51)

Oh, you know, I'm a thoughtful guy. You know, it's interesting because I think the thing that I put in there was that if I was going to describe Nick, I mean, the word that I would use to describe him, really, if there was just one word, is just. He's just solid.

A (15:09)

Right.

C (15:09)

But Nick is. Is extremely dependable. And I have to. I have to preface this with I don't believe that Nick has until, what, last week? I don't believe you'd ever cancel the ride on me. Contrast that to, like, people like Ryan Welch. I'm not calling him out specifically, but I am. I saw stuff on the group Me where it was like, oh, guys, I planned this ride, man, fast.

B (15:37)

I.

C (15:37)

Anyway, Ryan's an awesome guy. I'm not trying to rip him, but I will rip David. I'll call him dog diarrhea.

B (15:43)

Kirby.

C (15:46)

We would have. We'd have things scheduled and. And I just get a text in the middle of the night, Dog diarrhea. I'm out. And I don't know what exactly what that means. But he does have two doodles. And so. But Nick was like, I. I could always. I could always depend on like leaving my house or we had a couple different meetup spots and I could always depend on him being there, which was. Which is so great. You know, it just really motivates you to get out and go. So Nick, wait.

A (16:15)

Do you talk about that for a second? Nick, is that something that you are or is that something that you learned? Talk about being dependable. Is that like part of your personal mantra?

B (16:23)

Yeah. Yeah. I've always tried to be. You know, I was the oldest growing up and tried to be that responsible, reliable, dependable person. So cool. And then it sure helps having someone, you know, getting you out of bed in the morning to when it's dark. You know, like the. The mornings we have now, it's dark at 5am for an hour and a half. It's hard to get out there solo. And so if you have someone out there meeting you somewhere, it's. It's makes a little easier.

C (16:52)

Nice.

B (16:53)

Cool.

C (16:54)

I'd also say that Nick is strong. I think if you've ridden with him, you know that he's. He's just tough. He rides at his own PA that pace this summer has pushed me to my absolute max. And I've claimed, like, for his success this season, I. I've claimed a lot of that success because I rode nice and slow and allowed Nick to do most of the summits twice as he came back and got. Came back and got me. Which is. Which is fantastic. And then, you know, Nick says he's a quiet guy.

B (17:28)

That.

C (17:28)

And he can. Nick can be quiet on rides, but he can also be pretty chatty. And that's a lot of fun. But he loves a good joke. So, like, one of our. I think one of our best jokes is I created a segment up Upland Drive that's called Sean's Mom.

A (17:46)

I've been on it.

C (17:47)

Not.

A (17:48)

I mean, who doesn't.

C (17:52)

Our goal. Our goal. I would love to be fast enough to. To be the. The k. Get the kom on Sean's mom, but so bad, dude. But we. We do regularly compete for the local legend of Sean's mom, which is amazing. Sean's mom being Sean Mont. Many on the team. And I think we laughed. I mean, like, there was another. I'm thinking of other things. Like we were riding through the U and saw this little robot, like a little delivery robot. I don't know if you've ever seen that on campus. It's a Sight to behold. But we started calling that the. The mobile weed dispensary. And I mean, that's been. I don't know. We just figured it was appropriate for the U. And then there's another one that probably I should have Nick explain, which I call Hunting Grandma. And he's good. He's good at that. That's been kind of a continual joke for us as well.

B (18:46)

Nice. Yeah.

C (18:48)

I don't know. I don't know. You want to talk about. About your hunts for Grandma?

B (18:52)

Well, it was just one instance over by the Hogle Zoo and the Bonneville Trail where I didn't see this older lady on the right hand side. And I kind of sped through and she. She kind of got upset that I didn't see her, and she kept on. That I kept on going. She thought I should have given her the right away, which I would have gladly given her the right way had I seen her. But we.

C (19:23)

We now bought. We both bought trail bells. And so we're much better. We're much better cyclists, stewards.

A (19:28)

Very good.

C (19:29)

Yeah. Yeah.

B (19:29)

To. To boot, my wife created a. Or customized a water bottle that said Hunting Grandma on it.

A (19:36)

Oh, my gosh. I'm going to need a picture of that.

B (19:40)

Yeah.

C (19:41)

When we're on different trails, it's like we'll say, watch out for Grandma, which is kind of a good. A good. Just reminder to be safe.

B (19:49)

Right.

C (19:51)

Nick doesn't. He's a good example. Like, I. I've never heard Nick talk bad or talk smack about anyone, unlike me. And, and just talking about Ryan Welch right there.

A (20:00)

But.

C (20:02)

And I've never seen Nick lose control of his temper, which is pretty impressive other than the time when he crashed while taking that picture going around the corner up in Mill Creek Canyon on the trail. And, and I did hear a couple words fly, but that's about the. That's about the extent of it. And the other thing I'd say is that Nick. Nick really loves his wife. He loves his family, he loves his slobbery dog. And he never.

B (20:34)

He's.

C (20:34)

He's really consistent in that. He never varies from that in speech or action. And here's the most important thing. My wife has actually said that I'm a better person because of riding with Nick. Like, she's noticed a change in my personality and she's noticed Nick's influence in my life. So. Nick, I appreciate you. You're a great friend and a great person.

B (20:57)

Thanks for the intro.

A (20:58)

Yeah, that's cool.

B (20:59)

I love that.

A (21:01)

I was going to share my screen so if you're watching the video, um, this is, this is good. We're gonna just dig in. Okay. So Nick did. I want to just kind of know the whole story here. So Nick did Leadville. This is mile, what like 78. So we have about 26 miles left. Okay, this is what I want to talk about. Matt, you can go after me, but can you tell us about this day? Nick, are you glad you did it? Are you happy you signed up for this? I mean, what was your whole experience like?

B (21:37)

It was, it was a fun day. Like I was glad I did it, signing up for it. You know, I. I did a lot of research on the course and it's not, you know, extremely technical. It's more chunky in nature.

A (21:54)

Yeah.

B (21:55)

And I kind of, you know, learning about it, talking to people felt like it. It suited me that I could do it, I could train for it, had to get the right bike for it. But yeah, it was a great day from start to finish. It really tested you mentally and physically. And that, that picture you were just flashing on the screen is. Is really just kind of a moment of true exhaustion and, and realizing that I had to go back up power line. See, I love that.

A (22:29)

Would you go back or is that like one and done, kind of like bucket list? I mean, do you want to. Are you more interested in doing new other things or was that one of those things where you're like, oh, I got to go back. I got to see what I can do.

B (22:39)

I think I'd go back now that I know the full extent of it. Like during the summer I had, I went, you know, I went and pre rolled the course from the start line out the Twin Lakes. So I'd seen, you know, maybe 75% of it. But the crux of it, Columbine, I hadn't seen. Yeah, so yeah, I'd go back. No, with some learnings.

A (23:03)

So yeah, yeah, I would say the first time you do it is pretty. Learning curve is pretty crazy. But I mean, you've done some good events. Any memorable moments or which one most difficult tested you the most? Is there any. Anything that stands out?

B (23:17)

Yeah, yeah. You know, Leadville was a great test of physical endurance and just mental. But you load a job will test you as well, especially if you get some. Some bad weather thrown in there. I can't remember what year it was. It was like 2014 or something. We got just bombarded with rain going up and over Strawberry Pass. And so I borrowed a garbage bag from the feed station. Oh my gosh. And and wore it as a poncho all the way into Montpelier. Awesome. I wish I had a picture of that.

C (23:54)

Does anyone do a picture of it?

B (23:55)

That would be so good somewhere. I might, but, yeah, you know, that's a great memory of that event of, you know, you got to deal with all kinds of things, including weather and mechanicals. Most years you get fortunate and have good weather. You just have to deal with some, some headwinds. But.

A (24:14)

Oh, my gosh, that is so good. Okay, Matt, that was my. I just want to know about Leadville. I want to know how he, how, how he felt, what he thought. I love that picture because I know exactly how you feel. So that moment right there, you're like, oh, I'm dead. I'm gonna be walking the next, like, 15 miles.

B (24:32)

It's.

C (24:33)

It's such an impressive, impressive ride. Just, I mean, for somebody, like, I haven't done it and I don't, I don't really feel the need to do that. But, like, are there races that are harder?

A (24:44)

I don't know. I mean, it's. People have asked this question. I, I. And I'll let Nick respond, too. It, it's only difficult. This is my personal opinion, because of the nature of what they have created, the pressure that they've created to make you, like, want to go fast. That's what makes us, like, get that belt buckle.

B (25:11)

Yeah.

A (25:11)

When you go to Loaded Joe, you're like, whatever. I'll just, I'll just. This will. It's a day. When you go to Crusher, you're like, oh, well, I'll just do my best, point to point, the same thing. But when you go to Leadville, there's like this really weird. This is me kind of like, you're constantly like, the whole time like, oh, am I going fast enough? Is it, Am I doing. I don't know. It's. You're exhausted because you're just trying so hard to go fast. I know it sounds so dumb because some races, I'm like, listen, this is going to be like the longest day ever. And it's fine. However it turns out, it's fine. I thought it was. I think it's the most exhausting day of absolutely. On a bike. It's. It's so exhausting.

B (25:59)

Quite a day. Yeah.

C (26:01)

You know what? I've. What I've noticed. I've talked to Nick about this. So we had a ride after Leadville where we were just doing the, I guess the Mill Creek time trial, where you go up to Birch Creek, get on the trail and then go down the trail to grandeur. And I think it was our first mountain bike ride after you'd done Leadville and somewhat recovered Nick. But so, you know, you get to know a guy when you follow him all year. I mean, you know how he looks, you know how he holds his body, you know how he reacts as he hits different things, especially if you're doing the same trails over and over again. And Nick riding that. That specific trail pre Leadville versus Nick riding that trail after Leadville. There's a difference in the way that he held his body. Like, in the way that he. He was a lot faster and more efficient. Like. Like the way I'd. The way I'd explain it is like, when somebody runs, like, after they've done a certain amount of mileage, their body just naturally gets into a gate that's just more efficient and faster just so that they can. They can just go. Or if you're like me, I mean, you're slower or whatever, but. But that's all I can compare it to is like, Nick was a different writer and is a different writer after Leadville than before. I think that race just beat efficiency into him.

A (27:21)

It's really impressive because his hands are numb. They're still numb.

B (27:24)

That's true, too. Don't know if I'm breaking or not.

A (27:28)

All right, Matt, any questions? Right, what do you want? Where we want to go next?

C (27:32)

Oh, boy. What, Nick, what's your favorite? I think I. I don't know. What's your favorite bike? What's your favorite trail? What's the. What's the best day for you? Like, best long day?

B (27:47)

Oh, that's tough. Now that, you know, I've spent a lot of time on a mountain bike that I love now, so I. I love going for long rides on the road bike. Just like an out and back to Morgan or.

C (28:02)

Out and back's important. Not down.

B (28:06)

84. Yeah. Favorite trails would probably just be, you know, up in Dog Lake and. And with. With gravel or mountain. The way you can connect trails now around where we live is just awesome. So love being. Thinking about new ways to put together a route.

A (28:30)

Nice.

C (28:31)

That's cool.

A (28:32)

What about Nick? I want to talk about your family for a bit, just because it's interesting, you know, Kristen and I took a really long path to get our kids. Can you talk about that? Like, just what you learned and what's taught you about life and just gratitude in general and. And whatnot about getting your kids?

B (28:53)

Yeah, no, it's, you know, it's definitely a part of life that you don't think you'll ever have to, you know, you don't think it's going to be a challenging part of your life, but it turned out to be that way. And when you go through it together with your wife, it makes you stronger, gives you a deeper appreciation for the road of life. And when we struggled early on with fertility and eventually found ourselves on the path of adoption, like I said, a road we never thought we'd take. Looking back now, you can see how those hard seasons can. Can shape you as a person, as a, as a couple, a husband, wife, and, and that's. You become, you know, better because of them, stronger together. So.

A (29:45)

Dang great answer. Very wise, Nick. Any follow up there, Matt?

C (29:50)

I don't know. I think Nick's a good dad. We talk, we talk often about. It's funny, right? Like we like on rides, we'll talk about kids, like how they're doing, sort of where they're at, you know. And I've got a, I've got a few years on Nick and, and so my kids are like my youngest is, is 20, almost 21. And it's been, it's been interesting to hear like, hear Nick talk about like just the things that everybody goes through and for me to have probably a little bit of perspective on that, like just a time. And, and every kid is different. Every kid is, is awesome. And every parent has goals, you know, for their children that they're trying to enforce, you know, and it's a, I mean it's, that's been a really cool thing for me to just to be able to, to have those conversations and, and that's, that's probably part of why, why my wife loves it that I, that I ride with Nick. You know, as I just come home, like more thoughtful, you know, deeper perspective and, and have done some cool things too. So.

B (31:06)

Love that.

C (31:07)

That's great.

A (31:08)

Very good. Nick, you feel the same way?

B (31:11)

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Matt, you're a great sounding. No.

A (31:19)

What a drain. What a. He just drains me.

C (31:22)

He's just an anchor.

B (31:24)

No, we're in different stages of life and so you got good perspective on, on, you know, everything that comes up and that's, that's how it goes. Just, you know, the conversations you can have with folks when you're out on a long bike ride are awesome. Just. Yeah. About bikes or work or family, etc. Very cool.

C (31:45)

That's our team. That's our team. If you think about it like I think about the different guys, like, you just. You meet up with so many different medes, and they're so, so different, like in their talents, their abilities, but in their perspectives on life. And, I mean, they just inspire. We've got a. We've got a pretty spectacular group that we get to ride with. And. And kudos to the team for. For all just being really stellar people who are very motivated. Yeah, it's a cool thing.

A (32:20)

Well, and. And the variety. The variety is really interesting when you look at maybe the traditional group of cyclists who are quite. They're really kind of like a similar mindset. The group here is pretty diverse when it comes to background and skill level. And I agree. Very cool that so many guys have come together. And girls, now we have. We have new. An influx of ladies onto the team. Very good.

B (32:48)

Yeah, very good. Awesome.

A (32:50)

Nick, I wanted to ask a bit about the transition into cycling. Like, why. Why did it stick?

B (32:59)

What.

A (32:59)

What made you kind of move over and why and when were you like, okay, this. This is what I'm doing. I love spending all this money on bike stuff. This is the grid. What. What made you kind of transition into this?

B (33:11)

Probably early. Early to mid 20s. I started getting really into it. I mean, I. I grew up on a bike. I did a lot of mountain biking. I got my cycling mirror badge and rode the 50 miler around bear Lake. But I think, you know, after being home from admission in college years, I. I tore my meniscus in my left knee. And so that. That kind of had some shift, you know, less. Less running, less impact on the joints. And, you know, the bike gave me that same endurance challenge and that I craved. And then just over time, you know, being consistent, you get stronger and you get more into it.

A (33:59)

And then remind me, Ryan Welch, was he here or was it Chris Harmon who.

C (34:04)

Who.

A (34:04)

Who kind of connected us?

B (34:07)

Chris Harmon.

A (34:08)

Yeah, Harmon.

B (34:09)

How do you know Chris? He grew up just up the street from me. Okay. And even though he's a few years younger. Yeah. So I. Chris Harmon. Tony Quinn was my neighbor growing up.

A (34:21)

Ah.

B (34:22)

So I was. Tony was our merit badge counselor for. For cycling. Yeah. And, you know, he had us going around Bear Lake, and that's awesome. Up and down parleys and.

A (34:33)

Oh, perfect.

B (34:35)

I don't like.

A (34:37)

That's better than Sharp's podcast. Remember where Sharp's young men advisors had him riding down, like, I15 to Lake Powell? You remember that?

B (34:45)

Oh, my gosh. Wow.

A (34:48)

So that's so good.

C (34:50)

Yeah, that's very good. Nick, I was going to ask you what got you into what got you into cycling, like the way that you do now. Like, I remember, I think our first meeting was probably on that shuttle bus in Swiss days. I mean, first real. Like we talked, like I'd seen you and kind of knew who you were, but we hadn't really. We hadn't really talked until that point. And you were, you were a strong writer. I mean, then with, you know, it completed Loaded Jet, I think you were doing it that year. Yeah, it overcome like a back injury, you know, that, that sort of thing. And it was like, I was like, oh, this guy would be great to ride with, and was shocked that we lived so close together and didn't know it.

B (35:37)

Yeah, it was great.

C (35:39)

I mean, just at the bottom of Sean's mom, basically. Right. And so anyway, it was.

A (35:44)

It's actually a very funny joke.

C (35:48)

I mean, it doesn't get. It doesn't get old, especially when you get a text, Hey, 5:30, Sean's mom.

B (35:53)

Yes, Right.

C (35:56)

But, but yeah, when I met you, I mean, you were, I mean, you were moving and you were.

B (36:02)

Yeah.

C (36:02)

You were motivated. So there's like this. Yeah. Why? You already had a canyon, a nice canyon bike. And, and your mountain bike could use some upgrading, which it did.

B (36:13)

Yeah. Mountain great. Yeah. Well, my father in law was and still is a great cyclist. You know, we did two loader jobs together.

A (36:23)

You rode with your father in law?

B (36:26)

Yeah, we didn't finish at the same time. I think he was ahead of me for a year or two. But yeah, it's been great that, you know, did some training rides with him early on and, you know, every, every time I'm down to St. George, I'm riding with him when I can, so it's been great.

A (36:47)

Is he a tough old guy? What's he like?

B (36:49)

Yeah, he's a great cyclist.

A (36:51)

Dang, that's awesome.

C (36:52)

He's got an E bike now, though, so we got to throw that in.

A (36:54)

There you go. Power boost.

C (36:57)

Dude's extra strong.

B (36:59)

Yeah.

A (37:00)

Nick, what about your job? I. I mean, I do think it's interesting you've been with the same company for so long just because it's kind of rare. Do you want to talk about that for a sec? Just what that company's like and, and why you stay.

B (37:11)

Yeah, yeah, Optum. It's. You know, I started out in 2002 at a company called Ingenix, and it was the company making the medical coding books. If you go to a doctor's office, they're going to have a CPT code or diagnosis code or HCPCs code and that's how they do their medical billing and reimbursement and it's industry wide, from provider side to the payers. And this content is absolutely necessary to have for reimbursement for insurance purposes and whatnot. So I started out selling the medical coding books. I did that for, I don't know, seven, eight years. And then they helped me out with the MBA program and just there was potential for opportunity to move on, to move into other things. It did sales operations manager and now I'm director of Business operations. So there's been lots of opportunity along the way. It's, it's a big company. The parent company is United Health Group in, out in Minnesota. So.

A (38:23)

Nice. Dang man, that's awesome. I, I don't know anything about what you were saying about the things that you do.

C (38:34)

Yeah.

A (38:35)

So if we were, if we were writing, tell me about what your day is like. Like what do you, are you working all hours or is this, I mean, are you passionate about the growth of your own company or. I mean, how does, how does it work for you personally, day to day with your business?

B (38:54)

Yeah, you know, day to day nowadays I'm supporting the sales team and so I support them with reporting sales, compensation, territory, planning all the, you know, turn of the year planning that happens and then oversee the, the roadmap plans for business systems and migration of old systems and new. So it keeps me pretty busy. Cool. Very good. Great.

A (39:29)

Matt, any follow up questions about Nick's job?

C (39:32)

I don't know, it's a lot more exciting than selling carpet.

A (39:35)

And also Matt, since we interviewed you, I've been, I've been very aware of people's window coverings and what. Oh yeah, very important.

B (39:46)

Yeah, window coverings, like a new commercial building. And you wonder if Matt's doing the job there.

C (39:50)

Yes. I've put like, I think people have like fallen off their bikes as I like talk about the, the virtues of automated shades and things like that, you know, so exciting.

B (40:04)

I love it.

A (40:04)

Nick, in the last, I don't know, let's say five years, what have you learned about just being out doing this ridiculous sport that we do that you would give like a young guy starting and you're like, here's what I've learned in the last five years about what makes this great, how you approach it or just advice in general. If a young guy was like, hey man, I'm just getting into this. Should I do it? Should I get into it?

B (40:35)

Yeah, you know, you think about it and I, I remember My first time I really caught on to like the differences in, in bikes and wheels. And I remember I was up in Cache Valley doing their Cache Valley 100, I think, and I was with this guy and he had some set of aero wheels on some deep dish and I just watched him kind of pull, pull away from me. Yeah. And I just, you know, had the basic, you know, rims on my bike and on my road bike and I'm like, why is he so much faster? Why is he pulling away? And you know, there's, there's a lot to do and know with cycling and if there's a lot of things you can do, you don't have to do it all at once. There's things that will give you a. Marginal gains. You know, if you were to, you know, upgrade your, your wheels or something, that would give you some marginal gains. And, and I think the other thing is just being consistent will help you build up that, that base that you need to be stronger and faster. Nice.

C (41:46)

Will my bolt, will my bolt raiser give me 10 minutes at loader jet?

A (41:51)

Actually, yeah, probably.

C (41:54)

We'll find out. Pretty hairy, pretty hairy guy.

A (42:01)

Nick, I don't want to put you on the spot, but there has been a few. So I, I've hung Matt Ryder's dad's Creighton riders list of like rules of life in my house. He, he did them for his funeral. They were so cool. Do you have like a set of rules that you live by? I mean, where does Nick's. What, where do, where. What are Nick's rules for life? Whether it's happiness, success, business, family, cycling, anything that you like, live by. Like your, your culture, guide for life.

B (42:33)

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, I'd say, you know, put your family in faith first. I mean, they're, they're really your everything. And don't let your friends, you know, go by the side as well. There's, there's a lot that can weigh you down in life as you go through challenges. And making sure you have your family and friends with you nearby in your faith will really be your anchor. And you know, kids grow up fast, so make sure you enjoy what's right in front of you.

C (43:15)

Yeah.

B (43:16)

And making sure you prioritize their activities over, you know, maybe cycling. Keep, you know, keep making time with the wife.

C (43:24)

Priorities.

B (43:25)

Yeah.

C (43:26)

Cycling one.

B (43:28)

No, cycling one, family two. Yeah.

A (43:34)

Matt, any follow up to, to that little question, Nick's rules to live by?

C (43:41)

I don't know. I mean, like, I think Nick appreciates a good view It's, It's a Funny. What I mean by that is, like, I've appreciated this more, I think. I don't know how long this has been around, but, like, my iPhone has, like, various. I figured out a way to, like, have it scroll through various pictures, and I don't know how it highlights them, but the majority of the pictures that are on my phone are things like, I don't know if you can see this. That's up at, you know, pipeline or whatever.

B (44:09)

Yeah.

C (44:11)

But it's interesting because I'll take these pictures, like, in the mornings and, and just be kind of, like, struck with, like, oh, the beauty of a sunrise, or like this trail, you know, going off into. Off into the distance, or like the best time of year, which is coming up where the pipeline lights up on fire, basically. Not literal fire, but like, where the leaves change. I, I. When I look at my phone, or at least the home screen on it, you know, or the lock screen, I'm just reminded of, like, a lot of the, A lot of the things that we've seen together. So I'd say, I mean, it's a cool thing. Like, it's a cool thing to be able to be out early in the morning and, and see those things, like, be up. Immigration, Nick's background. Like, I think we all know it, right. Like, up on the. I mean, we just know that place and we know. Know that it's there. And how many other people in Salt Lake City or in Utah can just know that by heart? So, yeah, he's a man who appreciates a. A good early morning and, and getting a good sweat on and falling back. Falling back to rescue his, his friend who's way behind him on the summit. And.

A (45:24)

That'S a, that's actually a good segue into Nick's training this year. Nick, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, I mean, you're a lot faster. You train a lot harder. Can you talk about this year, just kind of what you did different and things you learned?

B (45:38)

Yeah. You know, I think I. Knowing that I got into Leadville in January. Yeah. I started earlier. I think my wife would tell you that I spent far more time on Zwift than maybe I should have.

A (45:54)

Yeah. But not really a badge of honor, by the way.

B (45:58)

It's not like.

C (46:01)

Yeah, we define far more time, like, more than three times.

B (46:06)

Yeah. Yeah. Spent a lot of time on Zwift in the morning or still early mornings or, you know, late nights, and just, I really focused on building that base and spent far more time on the mountain bike this year than any other year I've had in cycling and definitely noticed, you know, an improvement in your bike handling skills and climbing and descending and it all added up. So.

C (46:42)

This is, this is another benefit of riding with Nick is he basically says, hey, um, I, I think you had like a training program in your mind, or maybe it's an actual training program he's following and I'm just, he's just like, hey, okay, we're gonna do this in the morning, so you in? And I'm like, I'm in. I guess, you know, hey, let's go do dog leg. Oh, I don't want to do that because it's really hard. You know, that's that sort of a thing. But yeah, he just had, he just had us, had us going and had a program and I noticed it was a lot of climbing. I don't know why I would notice that, but it was a lot of climbing.

A (47:25)

Did you buy the program or would you, did you, did you create it with a coach or something?

B (47:29)

I, I found a program on training peaks that was specific to Leadville. So, I mean, I, I wasn't out there doing the structured plan and the intervals per se, but I was mindful of, you know, when you needed to get your long rides in and what type of rides it needed to be. I have done some structured training in the past with plan seven, and I found that to be beneficial. I was just coming off of back surgery with a, with a disc issue and, you know, if you lose your fitness, I, I, you know, due to an injury. When I did that, you know, coming back from zero fitness, I wanted a, a good structured way to come back and, you know, build some fitness. So that, that really helped when I did that.

A (48:20)

Nice.

B (48:21)

Very cool.

A (48:23)

All right, Nick, well, what's in store now, going back to Leadville? What are you thinking for next year? You do even care yet? What's, what's, what's next on the, on the dock.

C (48:33)

We need another steamboat like race.

B (48:35)

That was like.

C (48:36)

Steamboat was a steamboat was a riot.

B (48:38)

Steamboat was fun. I think right now just, you know, maintain a good base going into the off season, the winter months, get some skiing in Nice, and then one of my goals that I've had is, is maybe do 10 load of jobs by the time I turn 50. So a few more times and I'll be there. Got a few years to get there, so we'll see.

A (49:03)

How many more do you have?

B (49:04)

Four. Four more. Five more. Four more. Four more. Okay.

A (49:07)

Yeah, that's a good goal.

C (49:09)

That's fun.

B (49:10)

Yeah. Yeah, maybe. You know, I'll sneak another Leadville in there along the way, but it's. It's tough to get into, so.

A (49:16)

I know. Remind me, how'd you get in? Just lottery.

B (49:19)

It was lottery. Yeah.

A (49:20)

Dang.

B (49:21)

That's great. That's great. That was great, Nick.

A (49:24)

Very good, Matt. What else? What do we miss? What do we got to cover before we wrap up?

C (49:30)

I don't know. Maybe Nick's favorite. You got to share the recipe for those treats that you'd bring along. What were they? The. The balls of power or whatever they were.

B (49:41)

The peanut butter balls. Probably not.

C (49:44)

I like your. I like yours. Your description better. Yeah.

B (49:48)

Yeah. Oh, I can send it out, but I. I did find a. From time to time, I made some peanut butter balls that were energy peanut butter balls that I. I'd pass out to Matt along the. Along the road.

C (50:04)

I always accepted.

B (50:06)

Yep, very good.

A (50:08)

I'm just scrolling. I'm just scrolling through Nick's old Strava files here. Very exciting. You guys got caught in the rain up on Guardsmen this year.

C (50:17)

Oh, yeah, Very exciting.

A (50:19)

Nick, your Strava files go back so far. How is this even possible? They're like, back to 1998.

B (50:30)

What?

A (50:31)

Yeah, there must have been, like. There must be, like, an old Garmin upload or something.

B (50:34)

There could have been. I'll have to go look at it. I haven't scrolled back that far.

A (50:38)

Yeah, very exciting. I'm going through all of them. Deep dive. Very cool. All right, Nick, we always ask last. Last question. If somebody's joining the team, new guy is going to jump in. What advice would you give them about being part of this group?

B (50:59)

I think it's, you know, very similar to what the responses have been before from this question. But I'd say, show up, be consistent. Whether you're sharing the road or trail with people, they'll. They'll push you. They'll support you, and you'll get better over time on and off the bike. So. Nice. Very good. Very true.

A (51:24)

Okay, Matt, anything else?

B (51:25)

Wrap up?

C (51:27)

No. I'm glad you. Glad you chose to do this podcast. Nick is, you know, he's. He's like, who else? There's somebody else on the team they call the Silent Assassin, right?

B (51:37)

Yeah.

C (51:37)

I mean, that's kind of. That's kind of. Nick's five. Like, he's. He's just. He's just solid. He's the meat of the team, you know, And I'm glad. I'm glad we're highlighting him because Nick is a good, good man to know and. And a great friend and a strong writer and. And a really, uh, I guess you could say worthy member of dual Midwell age.

A (52:00)

So very worthy, you know?

B (52:02)

Yes.

C (52:02)

Loves to. Loves to suffer. Yeah. Scouts. Scouts, salute. Right there.

B (52:06)

Scout, salute. Yeah. There you go.

A (52:09)

Thanks, Nick. Thanks, Matt.

B (52:11)

Great.

C (52:11)

Thank you.

A (52:12)

Hour went fast here, so.

C (52:13)

Thanks.

B (52:14)

That was fun. Okay. Thanks, guys. Thank you, Sam.