What’s your favorite race and why?
My favourite race of the year is the BC Bike Race. It is really hard to beat seven days of riding and racing on some of the best singletrack in the world.

How did your upbringing shape who you are today?
I grew up the youngest four boys, which meant that throughout our childhood adventures, be it hikes, bike rides, or sport, I have always been forced to tough it out to keep up. This helped me develop the grit and determination necessary to progress and eventually become a professional in a hard sport like cycling.

How do you stay motivated during long, grueling training sessions or races?
I like to use the tough moments in training as opportunities to prepare for the tough moments in racing by using my visualization skills. This helps create more purpose and increases the specificity of the training. It is easier for me to get motivated for these hard efforts knowing they will physically and mentally translate to race performance.

What role does mental toughness play in your performance, and how do you cultivate it?
Mental toughness is huge in cycling, and improving mine has been a continuing project. When I was racing XCOs as a U23, I realized that my main limiting factor was my mental fortitude in the inevitable tough moments during a race. It became bad enough that I considered switching disciplines or retiring from cycling altogether. Eventually, I decided to do something about it, and spent four years working with a sport psychologist and reading as much as I could in order to build a tool box to confront the issue productively. This helped me build a solid foundation that I still rely on to this day.

What has being an endurance athlete taught you about life outside of sport?
Being an endurance athlete has helped me increase my ability to deal with challenging life situations. In training and racing, you push yourself to the limit, mentally and physically, and each time you do, you learn something about yourself and recalibrate your limits. Challenging life situations, whatever form they take, are stressful and take us to our limits, as well. When I am there, there is a little familiarity from my experiences in sport, and that helps me navigate them a little bit better.

What piece of new technology or equipment could you no longer imagine living without?
My Wahoo bike computer and the online route building software on Strava. These technologies make exploring and riding in new places easy, not to mention helping me find unknown areas close to home. For me, this new technology helps improve the part of riding a bike I love most: exploring and being in nature.

What advice would you give to someone who’s just getting started?
Find yourself a friend, mentor, or coach that is more experienced than you in order to accelerate the learning process.

What is one habit or routine you believe has contributed most to your success?
One routine that I rely on a lot is my process of reflecting on performances and extracting the valuable lessons before moving on. This routine helps me move on quickly from failures and stay humble and process-focused after successes.

What is your go-to interval session or segment that lets you know you are ready for a big event?
When I am preparing for a big gravel event, one of my go-to sessions is a 4-6 hour gravel ride with several 10-20 min threshold intervals distributed throughout. I like to perform each of these intervals on variable terrain to give me the confidence that I can go fast no matter the situation. To increase the specificity, I like to choose a route that has a density of climbing and surfaces that mirror that of the upcoming event. During these intervals, I also practice the logistics of fueling on that specific terrain, such as taking a drink or Liquid Shot over rougher off-road terrain.

What training, recovery, or nutrition strategies do you want to implement this year to take your performance to the next level?
I am aiming to improve my nutrition on and off the bike. Off the bike, my focus is eating the right amount for the training I am doing in order to improve consistency and day-to-day recovery. On the bike, I am focusing on fueling hard sessions at my race-level carbohydrate intake (~120g/h) so that my system is prepared for race day. This is relatively simple stuff, but the key is implementing it day after day to support long-term progress.