Transcript 0:00 [gentle music] Hey, welcome to the Danger Nome podcast. 0:14 I am your Dan- [laughs] I am your Danger Nome host and also your Tio Gomez. Today we have a special guest, and by, uh, special request, it's the one and only Leah Schneeberger. 0:26 So I heard Leah's, uh, call up at the Fat Bike Worlds, and it took the announcer a while [laughs] to go through all the huge races that Leah has won, but 0:38 I'm going to go through them now as the grand introduction of the Ice Queen. She, uh, started racing fat bikes in 2016. She's won the Huge Ass series four times. 0:52 She's won the Snow Crown Race series four times, won the Iola Snow Bully for the fourth time this year. She won the Polar Roar... Pol- uh, the Polar Roll- The Roar [laughs] The Polar Roll for the fourth time this year. 1:09 Uh, won the Badger State Games twice, won the Fat Bike Birkie twice. She's shooting for her third this weekend. 1:18 On the mountain bike side, she won the Wars series, uh, the overall and for three years, won the Oard to Shore twice. Uh, she came in third as her best finish in the Iceman Cometh. 1:31 She got second in the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40, and she also won the Half Margie Gesick. Uh, welcome to the show, Leah. Hey, Gomez. Hey, guys. [laughs] It's good to be back. 1:44 He, he, he, he tricked me on, on coming on today. 1:47 [laughs] He had tried to get me before the Fat Bike Worlds, and I, I didn't, I didn't wanna do it, but, uh, he said, "Oh, there's these, these fans that are wanting to hear about your, your races." 1:57 So I didn't believe him. I th- I thought it was just a ploy. See, now, I thought that she had sent [laughs]... the email to say, "Oh, hey, you should interview Leah Schneeberger" So I forwarded that email to you. 2:11 I'm like, "Hey, you've got a fan," so. Yes. [laughs] I have got as... Just like you have one listener, I have one fan. Right. Indeed, yeah. So that's why we're here. Scoreboard. Uh, that's an amazing, uh, race resume. 2:27 And when I, I was at Fat Bike Worlds and heard all the call-ups, and by far you had the longest intro, the, the most race wins. 2:39 And you said you, you helped me put this list together, and you said, [laughs] "There's even more." [laughs] Yeah. There's, there's a couple more, but I didn't wanna, you know, make everyone fall asleep. [laughs] So, uh, 2:56 for those of you that, uh, haven't been a longtime listener of many of our podcasts here, Leah was the host of the Dose of Fat somewhere back pre-pandemic for g- like a year and a half or two years, right? 3:08 Actually, yeah, for about two years, and our last show was pretty much today to the, to the date two years ago leading up to the Fat Bike Birkie- Oh, dude... of 2020. Yeah. 3:20 We raced that weekend, and then the next week the world shut down. Oh, man, so- Yeah, so this is a, a two-year anniversary to come back. Well, yeah, and it's- What a time warp... 3:31 it seems like, it t- it appears as if we're on the verge of taking a big step back to normalcy. I'm, I'm gonna go to Sea Otter, the, the show in, uh, California in May. 3:45 It's gonna be held the time of year that it's supposed to be held. Looks like the companies are all showing up, so, uh- It's gonna be packed. Yeah, yeah. So hopefully things are getting back to, to normal. You're... 3:59 We're having a, a normal Birkie. We're just... We're... It's like the Tuesday before the Birkie, right? Yep. So, uh, you're probably, uh... Y- you've peaked your training- [laughs]... 4:11 and now you're in the, you're in the, you're n- you're resting, right? Oh, gosh, and I needed it. I have been working so hard, and last week, [laughs] the workouts, I was just, "Come on, just finish it off," you know? 4:24 "You've been working for three months. Just check these last couple boxes, like, fight through it," but I really just wanna sleep. [laughs] I am like, "I'm so tired." So this week is a rest week. Yeah. 4:37 And, uh, oh, I'm, I'm loving it. I mean, I'll do a workout tomorrow with just a couple leg openers, but that's- Yeah... that's about it. Well, well, how you feeling? Yeah. I'm, I'm feeling, I'm feeling really good. So 4:52 I wasn't actually planning on racing this winter, but then they went and dropped the Fat Bike World Championships in my backyard. So I thought, "Well, [laughs] that's great marketing," you know? 5:06 [laughs] I know, but- Call, call something the Fat Bike World Championships, and, uh- It kinda came out of nowhere... it'll draw some, it'll draw some ballers, right? [laughs] Yeah, exactly. 5:15 So I thought, "Well, if they're... If it's only a couple m- hours away and I'm sure everybody's gonna come out for this, I gotta at least make a, a play for it." So I made the decision to start 5:27 to, to make a go for it- Mm... to start training, and it's like, okay, well, if you're working on all this fitness, I might as well race the rest of the season. Mm. 5:36 So I threw in a Huge Ass, a couple Snow Crowns, the Polar Roll. Uh, went for that one. And, uh, you know- And the Polar Roll has re- top-notch competition in it, too. Um- Yeah, yeah... 5:49 that's a Todd Poquet, uh, production and- Oh, that's, that is my favorite race. So you have all the, all the Michigan fast people, all of the Minnesota fast people, and all of the Wisconsin fast people- Yeah... 6:03 at that one. Yep, and, uh, Jordan WakelyUh, took it again [laughs] by a large margin. Yeah. That guy [laughs] you just, you cannot hold onto that guy in those steep climbs and, and tight turns. Um- Right. Yeah. Yeah. 6:18 And then I, I was able to take the win at that one a- again this year. I think experience plays so well in, in our favor when it comes to that course. It's, it's all single track and the s- the snow is soft- Yeah... 6:36 uh, in a lot of places, so you gotta know how to ride it. And the climbs are so steep that the majority of people cannot, uh, clear them. Right. They've gotta walk. Yeah. 6:47 And there's a, there's a style and just a certain amount of power and grace that you gotta put down to be able to clean them and, and if you can, that's a huge advantage 'cause you're gaining, I mean, maybe 30 seconds- Sure... 6:59 to a minute every time. Um, and then if you can handle your bike in those super tight turns that they've got in Ishpeming and Negaunee and, uh, keep that momentum, no one, you know, just no one- It was super cold-... 7:12 no one can catch you... this year. I r- I, I, seeing a picture of you- Uh... [laughs] uh, that you posted that [laughs] That like literally like you have like an ice beard. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. 7:22 So I mean, it's so cold up there every year. This year it was negative three the entire race. And you don't realize how cold it is, right? 'Cause you're working so hard. 7:31 You know that it is 'cause your water bottles are, are freezing. And fortunately, I always have someone there. I'm prepared to, to get bottles, so that's never a problem for me, but 7:41 I, you know, I knew my face was cold and I was scratching at it and I would feel like flakes. I was like, "What's, what is going on?" And then, uh, a, a picture got posted and I had a frost beard. [laughs] That's crazy. 7:53 And I don't have a beard. I mean, all these guys, you know, they come in and they got the, the frost, like the icicles hanging down- Right. Right, right, right... to their chest. But even I- Yeah... had it. 8:05 I mean- I've seen it on eyelashes, eyebrows. It's- Eyelashes... it's crazy- Yeah... how the cold weather affects, but, uh, d- and you didn't really notice it that, that it was super cold? You were just working that hard? 8:15 Yeah. 'Cause that's what I find is if I'm getting cold, I can really just turn up the wattage a little bit and sh- you can- Warm right up. Right. You're working so hard you don't even notice it. 8:25 And then I, I have the 45NRTH Wolvhammers- Mm-hmm... and then I have electric socks. Oh. So knowing that you're gonna... You, you never know how long this race is gonna take you because the conditions can add hours. 8:37 Right. Right. So I've raced it four times. My best time was this year because they shu- they cut the sh- course down to 26 miles, but I've ridden it where it was 45 miles. Mm-hmm. 8:47 And then there was one year where you couldn't pedal [laughs] your bike hardly. So it took me about two hours and 45 minutes this year. It's taken me up to seven hours. Man. 8:57 So you, you don't know how long you're gonna be out there, so you've gotta be prepared- Right... for quite a, a long period of time and, uh, y- you know, little foot warmers [laughs] just not, not gonna cut it. 9:11 So I like to wear those electric socks just- Yeah... in case I'm out there for four hours. I just got a pair of those Wolfgar Arctic mitts- Yeah, those are beast... from 45NRTH. Um, I'm, I'm liking it. 9:24 Yeah, those are good. I've worn them a couple of times 'cause it isn't that cold now, but I wore them in tw- in the 20s on the day that we got the snow, Monday, I think. And, uh, I don't know. 9:36 Yeah, it, they didn't overheat, and man, my feet stayed cold for, or stayed warm for three hours. Toasty. So, you know. Once you get past that one hour point, you know- [laughs]... 9:46 then you know you've got something good. It's numb. You don't know. [laughs] So, uh, w- we-- you also won the US Open, which talk about good marketing. Wisconsin, what the... Like the [laughs] Yes... 9:59 Wisconsin, everything happens- Wisconsin... in Wisconsin this year. Upping. It's like what the- Upping the game. Yeah, so George and, uh, the Snow Crown, uh, the US Open. Yeah, yeah. Uh, so [laughs] 10:16 George sends me a text with a screenshot of the US Open and I said, "What is, what is going on?" And he's like, "Well, uh, you know, these golf courses, they don't wanna be a part of just a race. 10:32 Like, they wanna be a part of the PGA Tour," [laughs] Right? Level of- Nice... biking or whatever sport that's going on at their place. Uh-huh. So they say w- you know, "We want a national, we want a national race." 10:46 And, and, uh, so that night George got on his computer and he made a logo for the [laughs] US O- There you go... the US Fat Bike Open. [laughs] And then- And ta-da. And it... I didn't attend that race. 10:58 You went and you won, but I... Just the, uh, the photos and the promos, I, I helped promote it. Um, but the, the trophies and some of the- Oh, my gosh... photographs, it, it looked like they really did it well. 11:11 Their, their start finish was all emblazoned- Mm-hmm... with the logos. The, the podium shots were all good. So, you know, and that, that means a lot to the folks that look at it on the internet, right? Yeah. 11:23 I mean, they made a, a... it's... I mean, they made it into a big deal. Yeah. And it will be, and it'll grow. That trophy is like 50 pounds, by the way. [laughs] You know, he puts it in my hand. I'm on the thing. 11:33 I almost fall off the podium. [laughs] You know, I'm a cyclist, okay? The arms- Right... not so much. Uh, but they're keeping that in the golf, uh, country club. Oh, nice. Yeah. 11:46 And each year they're gonna engrave the winner's name on it, so it's gonna live there. There you go. Yeah. Yeah. Huh, very cool. So and, uh, what other big race had, uh, have you won? 11:57 Oh, well, we should talk about Worlds where- Oh, yeah... Sonja- Yeah, so that, that was a- You and Sonja... ooh, that was such a good race. So fun. Um- Good, good conditions, good grooming. Um- Yeah. 12:12 Every-- So with [sighs] My deal is I love the single track. That's where I shine. I'm all about power surges and rest. Mm-hmm. Power surges, rest, holding momentum. 12:26 Uh, but a lot of the races [laughs] that have the competition are on these wide-open courses, these, you know, these snow road crit style courses. Right. 12:38 And- People, people commented about the videos I posted about that race that, "Oh, is that a road race?" It's like, well, yeah. It pretty much, yeah... some road tactics get- Yeah... get used. There's drafting. Yeah. 12:51 There's a lot of, there's a lot of tactics that go on, and you just have a, to have a tremendous amount of sustained power, uh, for those types of races, and that's, that's not my sweet spot, but knowing that that's what I was going to have to do, that's what I've been training. 13:09 Mm-hmm. And so, uh, coming out, and it had been a while since I had really raced, raced, so I had no idea how I'd do. 13:18 Uh, and, and the lineup here didn't just have girls that liked to fat bike in the winter or, you know, some girls that liked to mountain bike and then, you know, have some fun in the winter fat biking. 13:31 This race had, uh, big-time triathletes in it, uh, road cyclists that were registered. Uh, Sonja obviously is, is always gonna be, uh, going after the win. Mm-hmm. 13:45 Um, so there is some really strong just riders in general. So it was really scary because I don't, I don't know if I... I didn't know if I could match up against women that did this style of steady, you know, high 14:02 power output, um- Right... type races. Like, I've never done a crit, right? I've never done a road race. Sure. Um, but these courses are, you know, on these golf courses, pretty much flat- Mm-hmm... wide open. 14:15 You know, you could have five bikes wide if you wanted. Sure. And, uh, so when we lined up, I'm, I'm next to Sonja and a couple other girls, and it was a slow, uh, lead out. Right. Right? So you're- A parade lap. 14:31 Yeah, so you're jockeying for, for position, and- It was painfully slow to watch. It was so slow. [laughs] I thought we were gonna- It was like, oh dude... sink. You gotta stretch these guys out a little bit. 14:42 I thought we were gonna sink. But they were- And then every- [laughs] Really just- Oh... really slow. Yeah, it was really slow, but then the second the guy pulled off, wa! Wa! [laughs] And of course I'm gonna mark Sonja. 14:57 Yeah. Right? Uh, so I just thought, "Okay, you just gotta be in whatever pack or group that she's with." And so I was able to latch on, uh, to a group. 15:07 I wanna say there was about 12 of us, 12 of us, and I was really excited to be in, uh, the, the pack a- as the leading two ladies. Mm-hmm. And we were able to pull away even on that first lap from everybody else. 15:23 And so I knew, [clicks tongue] okay, this is probably a race between the two of us as long as I can, uh, hold this pace because we're so susceptible to the pace of whatever pack of men that we're with. Mm-hmm. 15:37 That's just the way it is when we're riding a mass start against men. And if you're in a pack that's naturally faster, that gap is just gonna keep increasing. It usually doesn't decrease because- Right. 15:53 'Cause of the drafting- Yeah... uh, effect. You don't have to work as hard to go that fast. Right. 15:58 And then the packs that are farther back, the, they just aren't holding that pace, and it's hard to speed that up- Right... 16:06 when you're now in a, in a, in a headset where, okay, I'm jockeying with the people that I'm with, and I've gotta h- you know, save energy for the end- Mm-hmm... and, and, and that kind of thing. 16:18 They're not always thinking, "Okay, let's bridge to the next- Right... group." 16:23 [clicks tongue] Um, so I was pretty excited to be in that group 'cause I knew, okay, it's between her and I, and it's probably gonna come down to the finish as long as I can keep up- Mm-hmm... uh, this pace. 16:33 But the, the day before I had pre-rode, and the course was solid. Right. It was solid concrete. Right. And so I had put the tire pressure a little bit higher than I'm comfortable 16:48 with because I feel like I've lost a couple races due to the fact that my pressure wasn't as high as everybody else's on some of these roadie style courses. Mm-hmm. So [sighs] 17:01 I, I, I put it up a little high, and then the course wasn't as solid as it was the day before. It was a little chunkier, and right away I'm thinking, "Oh," you know? [laughs] "You, you, you missed the, you missed that." 17:15 And so there was definitely some areas where the rear tire is getting wiggy. Mm. And I, I was able to hold, but the problem is, uh, some of the guys couldn't 'cause you know their tire pressure was probably- Yeah... 17:28 a couple pounds even higher than mine. And, uh, my strategy was to try and stay closer to the back of the group to try and gain as much of that wind- Mm-hmm... 17:40 blockage a- as I could 'cause I just didn't think I was as strong as Sonja or, or the other guys. Mm-hmm. So it was like a tactical, uh, move for me. 17:50 But the risk that you run with that is when the conditions are a little chunky, people crash. Yeah. Um, so early on in the race, maybe the second lap, [clicks tongue] 18:04 I actually got crashed out two times where we were, uh, coming around a corner, and I took the inside lane and, uh, a gentleman would encroach on me, and I'd have to slide over farther. 18:18 And then it, it wasn't the hard pack. All of a sudden- Mm-hmm... I was in a dead spot in the- Yeah... in the snow, and it brought me right down while the rest of the pack is still screaming. Right. 18:28 So now I gotta sprint-Burn, uh, big matches- Mm-hmm... to catch back up. I'm thinking, "Oh, man. I don't, I don't know," but I made it, right? Mm-hmm. And then sure enough, later on that lap, there was another turn. 18:39 Again, I went for the inside- Man... and got squeezed out [laughs] again, and in the snow I am, and everyone's riding away. And like, "No, you're not g- you're not losing this race in the second lap. 18:50 Like, you're gonna at least go for it." Yeah. You, you might blow up, but you gotta go for it. It's the world- It was four laps, right? It was a four-lap race, uh, six-mile laps. Mm-hmm. So it was a 24-mile race. 19:00 Um, so I was able to grab back on. I'm back in the group, and I was still s- I was, I was struggling. You know, I was, I was wavering, right? I wasn't in with them solid. I wasn't resting. Mm. I was just 19:14 r- really pushing hard just, just to keep up. And then, so I was still, uh, wavering off, off the back, and I would've preferred by that time to be farther up, you know, in the m- in the middle. 19:28 I just couldn't, couldn't get there. And then what ended up happening is over and over again on some of these turns, uh, there were wipeouts. Mm. 19:37 So a, a, a guy would wipe out, and it didn't take me out, but I had to slow way down and, and creep around to make sure that I didn't fall. And again, that pack is just gone. Right. 19:47 It's just amazing how they don't slow up. They just... You're, you slow up for a second, and they're gone, and I'd have to get out of the seat and sprint like it was the finish- Right... several times. 20:00 And, uh, you know, I'm looking at Sonja, and man, she is up closer t- to the front of the pack, and she is just riding so smooth. I'm, like, having problems. 20:10 [laughs] I'm going [laughs] back and forth, and I'm thinking, "Man, she is crushing it," right? Like, "How can I do this?" Um, so finally on that last lap, I was able to get a solid, uh, 20:25 piece of that group, and I got onto, uh, Sonja's wheel. And I [laughs] remember several times guys would try and get in front of me. Mm-hmm. And I, and I had to say, "No. I'm staying on this wheel," 'cause that... 20:40 You know, that's what would happen, is we're riding together, and then shifts happen with the group, and you get pushed back. Right. And then the guy goes down. Right. So I, I was like, "I'm not playing that anymore." 20:52 Yeah. "I'm not, I'm not allowing that." So I, I literally would say, "No. I'm sticking on her wheel." Yeah. Like, this is... I'm racing this person. Right. Right? I need to stay with her. So- I'd say just go up one. 21:03 Just go up in front of her. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] Right. Um- Just move up one. Well, and yeah. Well, in front of her there's, you know, like, another four- Oh... you know, five dudes. Yeah. So yeah. We were- Yeah... 21:13 we were easily... I mean, we had a large group of- Yeah... uh, going, so we were [laughs] we were flying. 21:19 'Cause I, I saw you a couple of times, and it must have been some of those times where you were trying to get back up into the pack. 'Cause I saw you a... 21:27 The few times that I saw you and cheered for you, you were by yourself. Yeah. I mean, I was having to work on my own to catch, uh, this pack at, at least eight times. Wow. I, I... The... 21:39 So, so by the time we're in the last lap and I'm in there and I'm solid and now I've finally rested a little bit- Uh-huh... I'm, like, so excited- [laughs]... that I, I made it. 21:48 'Cause I'm like, "I can't believe I bridged that gap so many times. I'm here. I actually have a chance." Yep. And, uh, I got a little overexcited. Yeah. 21:57 So we're nearing the end, and there was one final turn before the straightaway on the finish, and I, I don't know. I don't know. I'm usually better than this, but I started sprinting, uh, before that turn. Yeah. 22:14 And that's what did me in. [laughs] Really? I mean, yeah. So by the time I made that turn, so sh- so she had a little bit more of, of the draft, right, for a little bit longer, made the turn, and just plowed by me. 22:27 Like, [laughs] I was standing still, and just dusted me. [laughs] The shake and bake. Oh, baby. [laughs] It was good. I mean, oh, man, what a race and what a finish. Like, the fact that, uh, you're able... 22:40 A, a, like, a- women are able to race together in these mass, uh, start races with all these men is so unusual. So when it happens, it is so exciting. And then to come down to a sprint finish- Right... 22:55 like, I was giggling. I was so happy. Like, I've, I don't think I've ever been happier to come in second in a race in my life, and against such a great competitor as her. Um, so I was 23:08 just stoked at, at where I was at- Mm-hmm... in the training, and okay, m- maybe I still got it. [laughs] Right. Maybe I, maybe I, I still can pull out another couple years. W- we'll see. So it w- I- it was a blast. Uh. 23:24 I, I had a blast, and it was a great race. Yeah. It was well run, I thought, and I liked the venue. For as, as far as a place to go watch a race, a, a great place. I saw what I think is probably a lot of the course. 23:38 Uh- Yeah... I was able just to walk around and, and, uh... And that's the thing about these golf courses is they're way more spectator-friendly than- Mm-hmm... a, a, a polar role. Right. Right? I had, uh, 23:53 a, a c- some of my family there, and they were at an area where they were able to see me probably 12 times throughout the race. Mm. 'Cause we would double back over and- Right... 24:03 and it's wide open, so they were kinda running around through [laughs] the snow to try and get to different places. Right. Yeah. And from a, from a spectator standpoint- It was exciting, right?... 24:12 the golf course works good. It was an exciting race. And, and all of those gol- golf courses have nice clubhouses- Yeah... where you can get warm, you can get a beer, you can get a brat. It was, it, it was tight. 24:22 You know? It was fantastic. Both at the US Open and at the Fat Bike Worlds, loved having that, uh, the country club right there- Mm-hmm... because you could-... 24:32 hang out and warm up and wait for the race rather than just standing out in the cold for half an hour. Yeah. I kind of poo-pooed it in, in my write-up of that race. 24:41 More or less that, like, none of my friends [laughs] wanted to go there. So, like, I wanted to rent a house and have a big soiree and yada, yada, but it's like, well, nobody wanted to go race. I don't wanna go to a crit. 24:54 We don't wanna go race on a golf course. Yeah. Like, but going to watch, it was good. 25:01 And a bunch of my other friends I- that I saw, I actually ran into a bunch of people while I was walking around on the course that I knew, and some of my friends down from, uh, Camp Lake down there. 25:12 Shout out to my Camp Lake crazy friends. Woot, woot. Woot, woot. [laughs] So Sonia Matson, the nicest lady in fat biking. Oh my gosh. How... What... How are you gonna beat her in- You know-... in the Birkie? 25:29 It's so hard to [laughs] not like her. [laughs] You can't... Yeah. I, like, I wanna not, but you can't help it. [laughs] Yeah, sorry, you can't. Uh, she doesn't, she doesn't, uh- [laughs]... 25:41 make any press by ma- talking smack about anybody or anything. She's just a, she's just- Oh... naturally a nice person. Yeah. So you're gonna have to beat her- That's the truth of it... 25:50 fair and square and s- or something. [laughs] Yeah. And, uh, I'm, I'm definitely gonna do the best that I can to, to mark her at the Birkie, and I'm, I'm gonna... I'm going for the win. 26:02 I mean, I've been training for a long time. I put everything I got into it. I don't think I could've done anything more. Uh, the training's been more consistent this winter than ever before. 26:13 Uh, I used to trudge around outside i- in the rolling hills. It didn't matter if it's snowing, negative 20. I'd, you know, I'd be out in, like, a full coat. At the start I'd drop the coat. Uh-huh. 26:25 Uh, sleet, it, it didn't matter. I didn't have a trainer. That always... I always looked up to you because you [both laugh] were the person that went outside. 26:35 And a lot of these, you had brought it up, you know, a lot of people on the Zwift and the, um- Yeah, so here I am just, you know, fighting the elements e- every training session. It was something. 26:49 I'm on my fat bike on the roads in any kind of weather. It, it didn't matter. Mm-hmm. And y- you look at, like, the time training, and I'm like, "Oh yeah, I'm totally gonna dust everybody 'cause I got... 27:02 I'm doubling them in the amount of time that I'm out there." And, and then I got... I get beat, and I was like, "What in the heck? 27:10 How is that even possible that someone that's putting in six hours a week beats someone that's putting in 15 hours a week?" And I'm like, "Okay, I'm doing something. I gotta change this up." Mm-hmm. 27:19 And that's when, um, I, I jumped on that trainer. Yeah. Right? 27:24 So this winter I switched it up and I, and I said, "Okay, I'm gonna take out all the elements, and I'm just gonna build strength and power and stamina on the trainer." So all of my training this winter has 27:40 been indoors on a trainer except for, you know, a couple fun rides and then the pre-rides and the races. Yeah. So I'm kinda testing it to see, see what happens, like if that will work. What trainer are you... What... 27:51 Now I, now I'm, like, kind of a trainer nerd [both laugh] since I work at a bike shop, and I have to sound like I know or care about trainers. Yeah. But give- I've got the Wahoo KICKR. Yeah. All right. 28:02 And I do, I do TrainerRoad. It's pretty simple. And then I, I just slap a ton of Netflix on, and I've gotten through every series. 28:09 And thank goodness this is almost over, and I can get outside on the bike because I am [laughs] running low on shows. Like, I am digging- The Handmaid's Tale. 28:17 [laughs] I, I am r- yeah, I am scraping the bottom of [laughs] Crazy. Wow. [laughs] All out of shows. I am [laughs] Gotta go riding. [laughs] Yeah, I, like, I'm, I'm looking at the temp- Make me watch... 28:30 I'm like, "Just get past this Birkie, and I... and then I'm free." [laughs] And it looks like it's gonna be 50 degrees, so I am gonna be out there playing all spring long. [laughs] Nice. Nice. 28:40 You usually get down to Arkansas and whatnot. I just posted on my Facebook cover a bridge that Rock Solid had built down there on the Ouachita. Yeah. It's like, oh. Beautiful. 28:51 Oh, unbelievable those guys, what they're doing. The-- We live in such fortunate times, you know? I, I w- I go out on my rides [laughs] every day, and I'm just like, "Damn, I'm so lucky that I-" It's so sweet. 29:05 [laughs] Exactly. And even, even when I started riding mountain bikes 12 years ago, even Cam Rock was junk. Right. You couldn't even... You, you didn't know- And now... where you're going. It's... 29:15 And now it's top of the line. Oh. Uh, like, all of these. I used to go to Blackhawk. It was junk. Oh, I loved Blackhawk. It was covered in mosquito- mosquitoes, and it was so tight. Yeah. And, and you had all... 29:26 Like, all the foliage was encroaching on you and, and scratching you. [laughs] And then you're like, "Why am I here? I would... Like, never... I'm n- I'm never coming back to this place. This is horrible." Right? 29:36 You go to Blue Mounds, and you're chucking the bike 'cause you're so pissed, and you're like, "I come to ride my bike, not hike it." But now all these places are so ridable and- Right... fun. And, right. 29:48 And don't get me wrong, guys. I love the chunk. Okay? Don't get rid of my chunk. I don't know, though. Okay? Blue, Blue Mountain chunk. [laughs] Some Blue Mountain chunk, I love it. Yeah. 29:57 Uh, but I do like that, you know, they do smooth out some areas for, for people, and that gets them out there, and it makes it more enjoyable for, for more people. 30:07 And if you want the chunk, man, just r- just go find it and ride it. Yeah. Go to, go to Nine Mile and hit Stone Soup. Mm, there you go. Or Stinger. Or... Yeah. I mean, you're good. Or- There's plenty left... 30:18 every time I think that I know a thing or two about riding a bike, [laughs] then I go to Blue... and ride Blue Mountain. [laughs] Yeah. And I'm like, "Yep, I still stink at bike riding." [laughs] Oh, man. 30:30 The-- I remember the first time- Hard... I went there. Mm-hmm. Uh, we... I mean, we were walking the whole thing, and I was so pissed, and I was just screaming, and, "This sucks," and da, da, da, da. 30:39 And this guy, uh, had passed us, and I'm like, "You're riding your bike?" A- a- and he's like, "Yeah, I'm doing really good today. I only touched down, like, once." I said, "What?"Yeah, I, I dabbed down want-- what? 30:53 Yeah, you ride this? He's like, "Yeah, yeah, I ride, I ride the whole thing." Oh my gosh. Yeah. If you rode there all the time, it would be... You know, you would get good at it, but- Yeah, well-... 31:02 when you hit it once every couple years- I can no-dab that sucker. Really? No kidding. Yeah, I can no-dab that sucker now. That's- But I go there quite a bit. There's... That's some scary-looking rock. 31:11 You gotta, like, get past the point of, like, wow, that rock looks really jagged. [laughs] It, it is jagged. That, that rock's gonna make me bleed. [laughs] I mean, that place is the tire buster, for sure. Yeah. 31:22 But in the winter when it's covered in snow, it smooths it out. There are no rocks. Right. Yeah. Ooh. It's a completely different trail. Completely different experience. Ah. 31:31 And one of the most b- beautiful places you can ride. Ah. I have to make, put that on my- The canopy there. Mm. You have to remind me of that next, next December. Yeah, it's wonderful. 31:39 [laughs] Well, I, y- y- it snowed here. Yeah, true that. You could probably ride it now. Yeah. The snow, mm, kinda dead now. The, the s- You passed it? Oh, well. 31:49 [laughs] It was, it was good for d- I got two rides in on this snow, but it's just, it's kinda dead. [laughs] What are you gonna do? I, I... Honest, I'm ready for some dirt. Yeah. Yeah. 32:00 Get past this weekend, and let's go find some dirt. Arkansas, Texas, I don't care. Let's go. Well, y- you always have those nice spring, spring ventures. I'd, I'd like to go to, to, to the Bentonville someday soon. 32:14 I, I think that that should be something that I do. That's a must. I mean, every year it's something different down there. Right, 'cause they just build all winter, so. Keep building and building. Mm-hmm. 32:23 That, that thing that's on my Facebook cover, yeah, I have to go, I have to go do that. So, uh, what else should we talk about? 32:33 Uh, [laughs] I thought about calling, calling Spinner and being like, "Uh, Spinner, have you been training? Would you like to, would you like to, uh, challenge- [laughs] Yeah, let's go... Wyatt to a race?" 32:45 [laughs] Spinner, I'm calling you out. [laughs] You scared? Two years. I hope you've been training, buddy. [laughs] He, he was pretty fast. Or I'd... 32:54 I saw him at the Sweaty Yeti, and I followed him for, for a bit, and I, I- Oh, okay... I had to ride pretty hard and recklessly to keep up with him. [laughs] But that's me. [laughs] You're pushing the limits. Oh. 33:08 [laughs] All right. I was, I was breathing hard and praying. [laughs] Seeing stars. [laughs] And, you know, like, whoa, yeah, almost died there. [laughs] Ooh, that was a close one. Oh, that's a tree, isn't it? 33:22 [laughs] Yeah, but... Oh, that was a good... Ah, it's so good. I love that one too. Sweaty Yeti. Yeah. I miss it. Even though it was semi-virtual, Saturday the whole parking lot was full, and it... 33:35 I saw a bunch of our old friends, and it was, it was like old times. And that's such a family reunion thing. Yeah. You know? So. Where were you? I just stayed home and rested. [laughs] I, I was thinking about this. 33:52 It's like- I can't race every single weekend like I used to. [laughs] Yeah. And there was- You used to be relentless. There was- Every race. Yeah, there was a Huge Ass and the Sweaty Yeti- Mm-hmm... on the same weekend. 34:03 Yep. And I live four blocks from- From-... Blackhawk, and I didn't go. Oh, dude. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But also- Mama need to rest... there's, there's also the thing of, like, this week you can't stub your toe. You can't... 34:16 So I thought, "Oh, should we... Should I bring the bike and maybe we'll go for a ride after? We'll go for a night ride here somewhere." 34:23 And I was like, "Uh, no, I'm not [laughs] gonna be the one that has to explain to..." Oh, yeah. It's been... I've... We're- Yeah... oh, man, so many months. It's like do not mess this up now. Right. Yeah. 34:34 Well, the, so, uh, the guy I'm seeing, his son is 17, and y- y- yesterday he, he gets up in the morning, I'm in the kitchen, and he's going to get his breakfast before school, and he just is like... 34:47 [imitates gagging] Oh, so- Snot and coughing. Oh, no. And I'm like, "Ooh." And I beeline it back to the bedroom. [laughs] And I wait for him to leave. And then- With the double, two cans of Lysol. Pshh. I... Dude, I did. 34:59 I took two cans of Lysol, and I just sprayed it over the entire house. Oh, no. [laughs] And then I got those little wipey rags- Uh-huh... and wiped everything in the kitchen. Oh, dude. 409. 35:09 [laughs] I'm like, "I have gotten sick way too many times. I cannot, I c- Right. I'm just like, 'Four more days, man.'" I need- "Can you just not snot all over the entire house for four days?" These kids. 35:24 [laughs] I didn't even think about that, about getting sick. But I'd, I would worry about crashing or something, right? Or taking you out on a ride and you, me crashing into you. 35:33 [laughs] Yeah, I'm not so worried about that. Yeah. But sick, I've... I mean, I've gotten that damn COVID twice. Yeah. I got food poisoning from the freaking lettuce. Oh, man. I try to be healthy. Right. 35:43 I don't, I don't eat lettuce. And I was like, "Okay, I'm gonna be healthy. I'm gonna get a bag of lettuce and have a salad," and then I'm puking from... [laughs] All over, out, for like two days. 35:54 It- You eat, you eat, like, hardly anything. That's the one thing that I remember about recording the two years of shows is, [laughs] you know, Spinner and I would be here. We would be grazing on... 36:06 And having beers, and you'd be having a salad or, or something, something sensible. Yeah. I, I try. You... And it's, and a tiny bit of it, 'cause you were always trying to cut weight to go faster. 36:17 Gotta always cut weight. Yeah. Yeah. Well, this year we let that go. I'm just getting stronger. [laughs] Yeah? Are you still doing the, the gym workouts where you do these... 36:27 I've seen some of, some of your training sessions where you're doing- The balancing act?... the balance ball. Yeah. 36:32 And, and, like, you're standing on a, on a balance ball, and you're doing things with the, uh, medicine ball and all of that crazy stuff. Oh, yeah, I still do that. I think that's a, a big reason why I excel in the snow. 36:46 Yeah. It's all balance. That's really all it is. It... You know, whenever these races come-People are praying that it doesn't snow to keep the, the trail nice and smooth and- Right... and hard. Right. 36:57 And I'm just like, "Bring on the snow." Bring on the snow. Let- Yeah. The harder, the harder it is, the better I'm gonna do. Yeah. I, I love that little bit of driftiness, you know? Yeah. 37:07 I, I, I don't like it, like, perfect. But Sweaty Eddie was... It was just like that. Was good grooming with a little bit of fresh snow- Yeah... that had been ridden in on top, and it was a little loose. A little loose. 37:20 It's- Yep... drifting. Keep you thinking. Right. Yeah, keep your attention. Mm-hmm. Always keeping you honest all the time, and every, every turn you're like, "All right. 37:29 Here's as much as I can give her, I think" [laughs] Before you're in- Supermanning it- Right... right into the bank. Right on. Which happened at The Polar Roll a couple times. 37:40 Oh, there was just-- There's these stairs, and I've went down these stairs a million times, and I'm going down the stairs and I look, I glance to the left and I... 37:50 And the snow isn't covering the, some cement on the side, so of course, I'm looking right at the cement. I'm like, "That would really suck to crash- [laughs]... on that cement." 37:57 And sure enough, whoosh, slip out, and I'm going right for the cement. I'm like, "Oh, God!" Oh, you know, it, it... There's like four feet of snow everywhere, right? There is nothing showing. It's a whiteout. 38:10 [laughs] And I manage to find the one square i- foot of cement- Yeah... and [laughs] smack. God. Oh, God, it's so good. 38:24 So I do have, uh, a-- I guess I have the pop quiz co- question that I, that I didn't share with you, and it-- I just thought of it today. It's like, growing up, I, I idolized like... 38:39 I had posters on my bedroom wall of Mean Joe Greene and Bubba Smith. [laughs] All right? Two big football players from the '70s. Who were your sports heroes growing up? Who were, who were on your posters? 38:52 Yeah, well, I was a soccer player, so of course Mia Hamm. Oh, there you go. You know, the classic Brandi Chastain where she pulls the shirt off after they win- Oh, yeah... the championship. Yeah. Um, 39:03 yeah, and I, I always loved, uh, Mia Hamm so much. They talk about how much work she would do on her own while no one was watching. Mm-hmm. And I've kinda lived by that my entire life. 39:17 You know, it's, it's all about that work that you put in when no one knows. Yeah. Yep, yep. Right? And then, oh, you, you... We'll sit back and we'll wait, and we'll get the glory on, on game day. Yeah, yeah. 39:31 Put the work in to get the results out- You know, I loved-... to get those gains... Martina Navratilova. I used to watch the tennis. Mm-hmm. Yeah, so those girls. Had a lot of tigers on my walls. [laughs] Not posters. 39:43 I had a lot of tiger stuffed animals. Yeah? Nice. That was like my spirit animal. El tigre, and now the Ice Queen. Yeah. But, um, 39:53 you know, I, I think we s- mentioned this before, but my last name does mean snow mountain. 39:58 I, it came up in, uh, in, in-- when I posted the picture of you on the podium for US Open, somebody from Germany said, uh, it's a, it's Schnee and, uh- Berger... Berger. Yeah. Yeah. 40:15 It's Schnee is snow, and Berger- So, you know, it was destiny. Yeah, no kidding. Well, all of, all those wasted time bouncing that ball around- I know [laughs]... on your knee. 40:26 [laughs] Well- But when-- d- even just a couple years ago, you were still playing in an indoor league. Yeah, I was still playing. I just, um, I ended up stopping 'cause the knees just couldn't take it any longer. 40:37 That's the only reason I, I picked up mountain biking in the first place, is the, you know, the, the knees. It's just like, "Gosh, I gotta be able to walk when I'm 50," right? Mm-hmm. And then, uh, 40:49 before the show I had also mentioned this, like, wow, that made me think about, uh, since we're gonna talk about what you, who your influences are, it's like you're a really accessible, real, live, uh, role model for a lot of young, 41:06 uh, mountain bikers. Uh, and we have the-- all these-- I, I see all the NICA kids that come through our shop. Um, have you thought about being a coach or, or mentoring, uh, young, talented racers? I have. 41:23 I've thought a lot about that over the last couple years, and I'm still trying to compete at such a high level- Mm-hmm... that I'm, I'm still in the game, and it'd be hard for me to do both. 41:39 It'd be hard to coach- Mm-hmm... and still put in the, the training hours. And, oh, and by the way, I work for an ad- advertising agency. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] I'm in full-time sales. That's a little stressful, right? 41:51 So I, I kinda need to make some money so I can- Yeah... afford these bikes. 41:54 But I, I have thought about it, and when girls or, you know, or, or even young boys reach out with questions and I'm, I'm happy to answer or help. 42:03 And, you know, sometimes I'll, I'll go on rides, and I have gone, uh, to a NICA practice here and there, 'cause they allow you to do one once a year. But to be a, a coach, you've gotta pay them [laughs] to be a coach. 42:17 Yeah. Right? Yeah. You have to pay the organization to coach and get licenses, and it, uh- Well, if- And I'm like, "Eh." If I was, if I was, uh- I don't have any kids. Yeah. 42:28 If I was a NICA coach, though, and I had a daughter, I would gladly pay to go to some sort of seminar where you would try and instill... 42:41 I mean, just the story that you said about Mia Hamm and how you saw that she 42:48 was a worker, you know, that she put the hours in in training, and then-Good things happen on the pitch when you've run all of those stair intervals and things, and spent the time in the gym on the balance ball, and all the things that get you to that goal. 43:05 I think that those are the building blocks of, of, uh, of building that character that you need to be a champion. Right. Yeah. So, uh, I don't know. It's just a, a... 43:21 You know, that's, that's a big compliment though. I think, you know, I would bring my daughter to, uh, to a seminar that, that you ran, for sure. Yeah. And I've, and I've thought, I've thought of that. 43:31 I've thought of, uh, having just, like, a pl- a private- Mm-hmm... trainings or clinics. Not where I'm, I'm a coach per se, where I'm telling them what their weekly rides need to be, but, 43:43 you know, once a week, say on a Tuesday, "Why don't you just come out and we'll ride, and I'll, I'll teach you some things?" Mm-hmm. That'd be great. Right? 'Cause- All, all the things. Everything, anything you know. 43:54 But, you know, we've, we've mentioned this before. Yeah, okay, I've been helping a lot of my girlfriends on how to become fast, and now they're beating my ass. Uh, you know? [laughs] I'm great. 44:04 Give you all my tips, and then that's how you thank me, is you s- dust me? But- You smoke me? [laughs]... you know, you had a Thursday too. Although, iron shi- sharpens iron. Yeah. 44:14 So I, I also, on the flip side, yeah, it's like, "Ah, man, I'm gonna get beat by them," but it, it's also forcing me to work harder and continue to get better and faster, uh, because the competition is getting stiffer. 44:28 So the more that we're training more women on how to become fast faster- Mm-hmm... that allows us more competition, which is- Right... fun. 44:38 And provides opportunities like you had in Fat Bike Worlds, where you're racing head-to-head, and, uh- Yeah... it's extremely challenging, and that's what it's all about, right? Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Well, cool. 44:51 And, uh, do, do you want to, uh, before we sign off, do you wanna pitch any of your... Do you wanna sh- give a shout-out to Broken Spoke, Georgie? [laughs] Oh, always. Always. 45:02 Um, George and Sarah, they have always been such a big, uh, support for me and, and so many, uh, riders. 45:11 And I g- I gotta say, I got, I gotta give it up for, uh, Sherry Mix and, uh, for Leah Vanava- Vanavenhoven, uh, two up-and-comers on Broken Spoke that you're going to see their names a lot in the next couple years. 45:27 Very cool. They are fast. Um, yeah, and, and to all the other ladies, keep working hard, and let's see you on the line, eh? Yeah, yeah. 45:37 So, uh, Fat Bike Berkey, I'm gonna say that probably, uh, several people will listen to this on their drive up there, 'cause it comes out right on Friday morning. Oh, boy. 45:47 [laughs] So, uh, any- Good thing I didn't give up too many tactics, huh? [laughs] Yeah. An- any predictions? Uh, do you, do you, uh- Oh, it's hard. It's hard. There's so many signed up, and you just don't know- Right... 46:00 who's been doing what. But obviously, uh, uh, Sonya's the one to mark. I mean, she's definitely still the favorite. She won it last year, uh, won Worlds. Uh, so that's the one I'm gonna try and go a- go after, for sure. 46:12 All right. Well, maybe she'll just get in your jersey pocket and, and- [laughs]... be stalking you. Like, you be the rabbit. No, you be the rabbit. Oh, we've taken turns [laughs] Over the last five ye- five, six years. 46:30 [laughs] There you go. It's always a good battle. And- Well, thanks for having me on, you guys. And, uh, I'm back. I miss y'all, and come say hi. Don't be a stranger. Check us out on fastbike.com. Fastbike.com. 46:42 Fastbike.com Feel that? So we can build that. Just... 46:53 [outro music]
