King of the Ride

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

Roger Brown has four bike races under his belt. He's raced Unbound 200 twice, some random race in college that he discusses today, and now the Unbound XL! Admittedly, neither Roger nor Ted finished the XL, but that doesn't mean it doesn't come without stories. Drop in on these two friends catching up on an epic overnight in Kansas. Use code "podcast" at untapped.cc to get some handy savings on all UnTapped active nutrition! And visit www.drinkag1.com/tedking to finally try out AG1!

The Tour Divide didn't go my way, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn anything. I had hours and HOURS of alone time to ponder everything under the sun -- before, during, and after my race -- and it was fun to condense it and talk about it here with the one and only Rebecca Rusch. If you're curious about my packing list, please check that out here, www.iamtedking.com/blog/td-packing And don't forget to give AG1 a try, visit www.drinkAG1.com/tedking

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.