LeadBoat Stories

Over the next several months, we will be featuring many of the incredible athletes who have taken on the LeadBoat challenge and sharing their stories and journeys as they prepare for LeadBoat. We hope that you will join us!

LeadBoat Stories #6:

Reset, Recharge and Remember Why You Love Riding a Bike:

Advice from Two Coaches (and LeadBoat Athletes!)  

Uncertainty, volatility and change have become the new normal for most of us. The world has shifted into uncharted territory and COVID-19 is impacting each of us in different ways. As athletes, we’re experiencing event postponements and cancellations with an ending that is currently undefined. To help us navigate these times of uncertainty, we reached out to two LeadBoat athletes, Neal Henderson and Andrea Dvorak, who spend much of their time coaching and guiding fellow athletes.

Both Neal and Andrea have guidelines and tips that they are using personally and with the athletes that they coach. The general message is to use this time as a reset button, slow down, remember why you love riding a bike and take time to find balance. Read below for additional stories and insights from each of these coaches.

Andrea Dvorak

Andrea raced professionally for 10 years with a very decorated resume including the United States Olympic Long Team for the 2012 London Olympic Games, winning a stage of the Route de France, competing in multiple World Championships, winning a silver medal in the 2011 US National Road Race Championship, and winning the Cascade Cycling Classic Stage Race.

Even while racing at the most elite level as a road cyclist, Andrea’s general philosophy has always been one of balance. After racing her road bike professionally for nearly ten years, she is now able to help the next generation of cyclists. Applying her extensive knowledge as a racing cyclist, Andrea along with several others, started the Miller School of Albemarle Endurance Team. A top priority for this team was for their student-athletes to be both successful athletes and students.

Now as the league director of the Virginia Interscholastic Cycling League – part of NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling League), she works with young athletes and focuses on fun and safe events.  Andrea acknowledges that cycling can be an intimidating sport to get into, but recounts the discovery and love for the bike:

“After our parents let go and we venture off the driveway, the cycling world can be a scary and intimidating arena. I am sure we all have stories of our ‘first bike’, ‘first ride’, ‘first race’. My ‘first’ experience was a combination of all three – first bike, first real ride, and first race, a triathlon. At one point during the race, I had to get off my bike and walk it up the hill, because I had no idea what gears were and how shifting into an easier gear could make life easier.”

She eventually met her first coach/teacher/bike friend, Ruth Stornetta, on the University of Virginia cycling team where her love for two-wheeled adventures began. 

“During these uncertain and difficult times, I encourage athletes to return to the basics. Remember the feeling you had on your first mountain bike ride, or the first time you rode on a new bike or a new trail. Perhaps when riding a bike was not just ‘training.’ It was fun.”

Neal Henderson

Neal is a former professional triathlete and has coached athletes for over 2 decades. His coaching achievements are notable, including athletes with top stage finishes at the Tour de France, GC podium finishes at the Giro Rosa, World Championship titles and Olympic and Paralympic medals.  It’s safe to say that he has extensive experience, expertise and valuable insight when it comes to coaching athletes.  

Last week Neal sent a message to his athletes, from his amateurs and masters racers to his Olympic hopefuls.  Notably, the message was the same to all of his athletes “pulling back from training is the best thing that we can do in this time of uncertainty. Slow everything down and focus on mental, emotional and physical health”. 

Neal understands exactly how mental stress impacts our physical state.  

“It’s almost impossible to put real deadlines on any training right now.  As endurance athletes, we like to have schedules and we’re operating in a different time now.  What is unique about this time is that everyone is getting input from others about what they can and can’t do.  The feeling of control is being lost and managing those feelings is difficult.”

We asked Neal what advice he would give to those who are training for LeadBoat.  Neal offered the following:

1. Look at and address your limiters- Going out and doing long rides isn’t an option for most of us. If you have something that you know is a limiter, this may be a great time to address it. Whether it is a skill, an imbalance, a weak area – these things may become bigger problems when unchecked. Identify what you can address and work on now.
2. Reduce high intensity and high volume workouts- A few quality workouts per week is sufficient right now (2-3). High intensity and high volume can run down your immune system and could put you at increased risk. Physical stress coupled with mental stress add up. Now is not the time to ramp up your training. Hopefully in a few weeks we will have more firm data on what will happen.
3. Minimize screen time- While following the news and staying connected are important, limiting time on screens, both big and small, will clear some space and time for us.

A couple of weeks of reduced training may be a blessing in disguise. When the weather warms up is when people often push themselves too much. Neal’s advice is to take some pressure off of yourself, dial it back and take care of those things that we can control.

Read more about Neal: https://apexcoachingco.com/gym_trainer/neal-henderson/

Follow him on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/apexcoachingco/

LeadBoat Stories #5: Healthy Fear

Fear is a natural emotion that comes with facing the unknown or pushing yourself to new limits. For this week’s LeadBoat Stories, we are going to dive into managing the fear that comes with racing and meet two incredible athletes, Kristen Mucitelli-Heath and Larissa Connors, who encourage others to embrace all the feelings that come with endurance racing.

Kristen Mucitelli-Heath

Kristen comes from a big, tight-knit Italian family, and has been a competitive athlete for most of her life. Along with her husband and seventeen-year-old daughter, she surrounds herself with three rescue dogs, a rescue cat, and 14 cuddly chickens.

She began cycling in her early thirties and has a passion for proving that if you commit and put your mind to doing something, then you can. “I’m competitive. Sometimes to a fault. Ok- I’m definitely, definitely over-competitive”.

She has competed in hundreds of races- from Ironman Triathlons, to Olympic Triathlons, Leadville 100s, Cyclocross Championships and more…but the LeadBoat Race is a new threshold for her, which she finds simultaneously terrifying and exciting.

Kristen is drawn to the simplicity and joy of racing, even when it gets hard. “I love that to succeed, you need to persevere through some amount of suffering, or a lot of suffering, and come out on the other side. It’s mental and intellectual and so basic all at the same time.” She finds that the races are so exhilarating because of the combination of layers and challenges.

“I just inherently love racing. Even when I hate it. Racing itself is joy, even when it’s awful.”

Although Kristen has raced many different distances, she still faces fear when pushing herself to new limits. Last year after finishing the Leadville races, she had breathing issues and elevation sickness. “The unknown is scary. Knowing how wiped I am after races, then driving an hour or two to start another 144 miles is intimidating. Pain is a certainty.”

She compares the feeling to when she was pregnant with her daughter and wondering how much labor was really going to hurt, but also knowing she couldn’t avoid it. “I’m not a pro and I have an amazing coach and a great support network, but there is a lot to figure out to make it all go smoothly- from logistics just getting our bikes out there, to race logistics such as fuel, recovery, you name it. This is a whole new level of challenge.”

She urges fellow riders to acknowledge and take note of your fear, but refuse to let it drive, change, or shape you. Instead, she says that it is important to find a mantra or what motivates you, then internalize it and use it. “Work to understand what moves you. Visualize what success looks like, keep thinking about it, and spend time seeing that in your own mind. Make a plan and work your plan, do what gives you a sense of control.”

Follow Kristen at: https://www.instagram.com/kmmheath/

Larissa Connors

Larissa Connors, undefeated in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB Race two seasons in a row, loved being outside as a kid. This love sparked her interest in running, which shifted to road biking in college. After a brief stint on the triathlon team, a boy (who is now her husband) convinced her to try road racing, and she became hooked. 

Though Larissa has made a name for herself in the endurance sports world, the past couple of years haven’t been the smoothest ride. “I worked my way up to racing the World Cup XCO, and had a blast traveling all over to race bikes including the 2016 World Championship in Nove Mesto. At the end of that year a really unfortunate situation caused me to walk away from XC racing, but fortunately after a year of recovery and soul-searching I decided not to give up bike racing altogether and started competing in ultra-endurance mountain bike races.”

She competed in about a dozen 100-mile MTB races and had the time of her life finding her limits, pushing herself to dig deeper, and meeting new people. At the end of the 2018 season, she was competing in LA Ruta De Los Conquistadores when she got severe Rhabdomyolysis which forced her to quit the race on the second day.

“After 8 hours in a rural hospital where no one spoke English, a dead cell phone and no shirt I escaped to the race hotel, flew home and promptly spent 3 months feeling like I was dying. I thought that was the end of my bike racing career, but it turns out after 3 weeks off the bike my body had decided it was time to make a baby. I wasn’t dying, I was pregnant.”

“I was undefeated in the 100-mile races for two seasons in a row, but taking a year off to recover from Rhabdo and having a surprise baby is making me feel super vulnerable because I no longer feel like an athlete.”

Though her journey was a little bumpy, Larissa loves pushing her limits and seeing how far she can go. LeadBoat is the ultimate challenge because not long ago she was wondering if she’d ever race bikes again. 

“I’m going outside of my comfort zone because I’m used to feeling fit and having tons of base fitness, and I have none of that this season.”

Larissa feels that LeadBoat is the perfect goal because it’s humbling, scary, and exciting. When it comes to racing, the unknown is what she is most afraid of. “I know my worth as an athlete doesn’t come from results, but it felt damn good to be one of the best ultra-endurance mountain bike racers in the U.S. I knew at the start of every race that I had a good chance of winning, and I felt strong, confident, and prepared. This year there is so much unknown. My fitness is so different than it was last year at this time. Not feeling prepared and not knowing if I can get to that place in time is crazy scary.”

She feels that doing things that scare you are important accomplishments, and that it is important to step out of your comfort zone. “Racing 100-mile MTB races used to scare me, labor used to scare me, racing at 10,000 feet used to scare me…but by doing these things I have learned more about myself. I’ve grown as a person and I’ve had all kinds of fun, rich experiences that I cherish.” 

“If I stayed in my comfort zone, maybe I wouldn’t have gotten Rhabdo, but I for sure also wouldn’t have gotten a baby”. 

“If you are scared, embrace it. Let yourself feel the fear, think about what exactly you are scared of, then think of your plan to tackle it.”

Follow Larissa at: https://www.instagram.com/larissaconnors/

Kristen Mucitelli-Heath and Larissa Connors show us that facing your fears pushes you to new limits to discover what you’re capable of. Fear is inevitable, but learning to manage and tackle it makes you unstoppable.

LeadBoat Stories #4:  Taking Up Cycling Later in Life

For this week’s LeadBoat Stories, we are featuring two athletes who started cycling later in life.  Despite self-identifying as late bloomers for their entry into the cycling scene, these athletes prove that it’s never too late to pick up, embrace and commit to a mind blowing challenge. Nan Doyal- a writer, author, lecturer, cycling coach, mother and former international business owner, discovered the bike in her late 40s. Cliff Bockard- a father, husband, Senior Executive and all-around strong athlete didn’t explore cycling as a standalone sport until 2018. 

Although Nan and Cliff haven’t been racing bikes since their youth, they are full bore cyclists now!  We are inspired by their determination and motivation to prepare for the #LeadBoatChallenge. 

Nan Doyal

Nan is a writer and author, a lecturer, a cycling coach and the mother of two young men (22 and 24 years old) and an Australian Shepherd. A decade ago, she had a very different life, i.e. running an international business, working all over the world and spent most of her time away from home.  She left that career in her late 40s to write a book and it was during those years that she discovered the bike. 

Although Nan started riding a bike when she was 48 years old, her palmares are impressive.  She competed in her first gravel race at the age of 51 and won her first 200-mile road race when she was 2 months shy of her 52nd birthday.  In 2018, she won the 50+ age group at Dirty Kanza. In 2019, she placed 2nd in the SBT GRVL 50+ category. 

That has been the case both on and off the bike for Nan:  “It is the challenge of facing what scares me and taking it apart piece by piece to understand how to deal with it. Then putting it back together and getting on with the job, that motivates me. It has taught me to change what I can and deal with everything else. One of the reasons I love teaching and coaching so much is that I now have something to pass on that helps others.”

Nan states that she came into cycling late in life because she was doing other things that had nothing to do with physical activity. 

“Ever since I got on a bike and started to challenge myself – my life has been transformed and I have been able to do things for myself and for others I never thought possible before.”

*Photo credit: Linda Guerrette

“I am inspired to take this one on, to race hard with and against other women like me, to teach and coach those that follow me, to share what I learn from this with others. I am excited about the training journey it’s going to take to get ready for this. I have never raced in MTB before (and have only ridden one several times), but I live on a gravel bike in Vermont and there is MTB all around me out there. What more can I tell you – except I love to ride my bike, I love being outside, love the mountains. I am nervous about this (in a good way) but I am ready to take this on. I just can’t wait.”

“I’ve thought a lot about the LeadBoat Challenge – it scares the heck out of me.  But I have grown to embrace that feeling.”

“Most of the things I am most proud of have never involved my making it to the podium. They are the times when everything went wrong – mechanicals, weather, injuries etc.  When I was sure I’d lost the race and wanted to just cash out, but I didn’t quit, I kept going and I finished.”

“Overcoming that terrible feeling, beating out that voice in your head that wants you to quit is the best win of all.”

“What excites me most about LeadBoat is the journey and what it’s going to take be ready. The physical, mental and emotional demands are going to be more complex than anything else I’ve done before.  I’m really looking forward to training to be the strongest all around athlete I’ve ever been in my life.”

Follow Nan at: https://www.instagram.com/nandoyal/

Cliff Bockard

Cliff didn’t own a road bike until 2012 and aside from a Trek 970 aluminum mountain bike that he had through college, it was his first real bike of mechanical stature.  Cliff didn’t compete in cycling events until 2018.

Prior to picking up cycling, Cliff was a ski racer and tennis player in New England.  Somewhere along the way, Cliff and his wife Susie discovered cycling: “Perhaps that is what drew me to cycling – there is a component where you control your own destiny — but the difference in cycling is that the community around you can and WILL get you through a race…to a destination…or at the very least to a bike shop.  I have witnessed that firsthand and have been a beneficiary of all three as well! Cycling = community.”

Although Cliff started cycling slightly later in life, he hasn’t balked at taking on enormous cycling challenges over the past few years.  He has competed in both Leadville and SBT GRVL, calling both races “absolute bucket list events individually”. Layering in the training, logistics, double carbo- load and equipment is where all the fun begins for Cliff.

“I view this challenge as a privilege and many of us have different journeys as we train.  I have 2 great boys, an amazing wife, a very demanding job…and travel a bit. Challenging?  Sure. But everyone will have their different means of getting to the start line.”

“What motivates me are the people attached to cycling in every form…and the ultimate reality that we are lucky to be able to do this.”

Follow Cliff at: https://www.instagram.com/cliffbockard/

Nan and Cliff both exemplify what it means to continue to take on challenges throughout life.  Their unique paths demonstrate that it’s never too late to pivot or try something new to accomplish great things.

LeadBoat Stories #3: Balancing Training with a Demanding Career

Our LeadBoat stories continue with something most all of us can relate to – demanding careers. It’s always tough when those pesky jobs get in the way of our training rides! But in all seriousness, it’s something many of our journeyperson athletes must take on and overcome. This will be especially true with LeadBoat. Two extremely tough challenges on their own are now combined to make it, well… to make it EPIC. We spoke with Myles Webster and Kristin Carpenter to learn a bit about their backgrounds and how they will be preparing to tackle a big weekend in August.

Myles Webster

Myles is a 47 year old pediatrician with a successful and busy practice. He’s also a dad to three girls (yay #parity!). It’s not surprising that working to find balance is a priority. He started riding 10 years ago by commuting during his residency. His experience at the Irreverent Road Ride in Vermont has served as his training grounds, and more than likely helped him come to the conclusion that he has what it takes to finish 250 tough miles in two days

Myles plans on relying on Zwift to focus on higher intensity while coping with less than ideal riding conditions. He will also take advantage of the many gravel grinders in the North East. These will break up his indoor training, keep him focused, and provide fun to keep any burn-out at bay. Being as efficient as possible is key, and for Myles that means volume with double sessions when he can and sneaking in lunch MTB rides near work when it fits.

He’s “Just kind of winging it. No training partners, no coach. No sponsors. Not many hills or dirt roads in Rhode Island sadly – but lots of coffee and double IPAs.”

Follow Myles on Instagram  at https://www.instagram.com/vtvelo/

Strava: Myles Webster

Zwift: Myles Webster WWCC

Kristin Carpenter

Kristin is the founder and CEO of Verde Brand Communications. And while that is definitely her paying gig, she’s also a mother of two teenagers. Her very busy and demanding schedule means finding places of release and ways to take care of herself. In the past decade, she has turned to her bike. The bike has been a central part of her self-care and a vehicle of self exploration. The process of training and competing paired with the camaraderie she has found in off-road cycling has transformed her life. She describes this community as “must-have” – like air and water.

Balancing all of it means using the inspiration she’s found through training and competing to keep her inspired. It’s also where she finds herself the most creative – problem solving for work, family, friends, and Verde.

To make her training time the most efficient, Kristin works with CTS’s coach Renee Eastman. Structure is key when life schedules are super busy.  “LeadBoat will be the ultimate focus for this new level of my process in 2020! To say I’m stoked is the understatement of the year.”

Although a demanding career is definitely part of why Kristin is excited by the commitment LeadBoat is offering, she’s also very stoked about the parity this challenge is lending, and leading, in gravel cycling. 

LeadBoat Stories #2: Winter Training in Snow Country

While a handful of LeadBoat athletes live in temperate climates that allow them to train undisrupted throughout the year, many others face freezing temperatures throughout the winter and have embraced this cold weather and unconventional training.  Graham Muir, from Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Rose Grant from Columbia Falls, Montana are two such athletes. Both with training underway, they have not shied away from the outdoors in their preparation for LeadBoat.

Rose Grant: 2019 Leadville Trail 100 MTB Champion

“I just spent a full week training on skate skis. This allowed me to get some longer days in to help build endurance, allow the body to move in a different way than the bike alone, and allowed me to get some quality work in outdoors”.

“I’ll put my nose  down most of the month of February with my structured work indoors on my Feedback trainer, and hope some days may allow me to get outside on the road with my MTB for unstructured riding, weather dependent”.

 

“I make skiing with my daughter a priority and try my best to embrace the seasons and maintain a healthy balance knowing I have time. As the weather changes, longer training days become more achievable and makes Leadboat possible with it being a later season event”.

Follow Rose on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/rosekgrant/

Graham Muir-Iditarod Trail Invitational 350-mile Finisher

Despite the impending ITI1000 followed by the LeadBoat 250, Graham states:  “I still don’t classify myself as a cyclist – more as an adventurer who rides his bike. I don’t take it too seriously as far as getting uptight or too stressed but have total respect for the toughness for the events I take on”.

Although self proclaimed ‘not a cyclist’, Graham can be found on the remote, snowy roads of Routt County on his Fat Bike in sub zero temperatures.

“My trainer is my fat-bike. During the week when I get 90 mins to 2 hrs to train before the sun comes up a couple days a week, I will go climb some hills. On the weekends when I get a bit more time, I’ll try to keep it a little flatter and just spin some slow, fat miles. The weather has to be very bad for me not to go out”.

“Now that I think about it, no weather has ever been too bad. When the mercury drops and the wind picks up this is when the challenges change but stoke stays the same”.

There is something to be said about getting in those winter miles outdoors-you will very often be rewarded with the gorgeous rising or setting of the sun!

Follow Graham on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/graham.bush.muir/

LeadBoat Stories #1: Overcoming Adversity 

Two  days,  250 miles and nearly 20,000 feet of high altitude climbing. It’s an alchemy of the two of the most revered off-road road cycling events in North America. One of America’s toughest, grittiest mountain bike races followed by an equally challenging 144 mile gravel race.

For the 2020 LeadBoat Challenge athlete, this is more than a test of mental and physical fortitude on the bike. For some of our athletes, just making it to the start line will be a victory.

We are featuring two athletes who have shown resilience to overcome adversity.  Enjoy these inspirational stories of Meg Fisher and Jay Thomas who will be taking on the #LeadBoatChallenge in August.

Meg Fisher

At age 19, Megan (Meg) Fisher was a promising Division 1 tennis player with the world at her fingertips. While on her way to start her second year of college, Meg’s life took a drastic turn for the worse. She was involved in a car accident that almost killed her and changed her life forever. While lying in a coma, Meg had her leg amputated in order to save her life. 

“Before bikes were a part of my life, I was involved in a horrible car accident that stole the life of my first love and my left leg. I awoke from my coma to a new reality.”

 

Following the accident, Meg was forced to
re-learn some of life’s most basic tasks – eating, standing, and walking. In a true testament to her work ethic, Meg returned to college and competed in her first triathlon just one year following the accident.

For most people, going through this type of life-altering trauma would leave them without hope to compete in any type of sport, let alone one that’s inherently driven by two legs. Meg, however, never believed that her injury would stop her from competing and living her life. 

Meg has since launched a successful career as a Doctor of Physical Therapy and is involved in many research projects that test and improve prosthetic technology. She uses her story of trading tragedy for success as a message of hope and inspiration to those around her.

 “I can’t hide my physical scars and I hope others will see elements of their story reflected in me.  Additionally, I hope others can take a piece from my journey and use it to fuel theirs.”

With Meg’s determination and competitive drive, there’s no doubt she’ll take on the LeadBoat challenge in stride. We look forward to following along on her journey to the start line on August 15 & 16.

 

Follow Meg on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/megfisher/

Jay Thomas

For 51 year old Jay Thomas, his route to the LeadBoat startline has taken a different path. During his day-to-day, Jay balances a demanding work life, owning two successful businesses in the bike industry and committing to his family as a dedicated father and husband. Life is seemingly normal, but for Jay, there’s more than meets the eye.

Earlier in life, Jay served as a U.S. Marine in the Gulf War. He was running surveillance as part of a sniper task force. Being exposed to war at an intimate level left him with memories that haunted him and lived suppressed deep in his psyche. When he hit the deck in his training accident in California, those memories surfaced and his life went into a downward spiral. He hung up the bike and reached for the bottle. Drinking became his hobby and cycling was out of his life. He continued to drink and descend further and further into depression, until he found AA and began an intensive outpatient therapy program. He worked diligently through the program, focusing on his mental health and overcoming his demons and PTSD while abstaining from drinking.

“After that crash, something in my head snapped. I realized I had been holding in deep, challenging memories from my past. And all of the sudden, they surfaced.”

Overcoming alcoholism and treating his PTSD was a major life hurdle for Jay. A little over a year ago, he picked up the bike and began riding again. He reached out to an old coach who got him back on track and fit. He began feeling like himself again. He’s been sober since 2017 and prepared to take on his first bike race since 2012: the LeadBoat Challenge. For Jay, LeadBoat is more than just two hard days on the bike, it’s a chance to talk about bigger issues.

“I want to bring awareness to mental health issues. These are real issues and we can’t keep them silent. Particularly for us Marines, we are told we can’t talk about this stuff, but I want to change that.“