Podcast appearances and mentions of jess cerra

Huge thanks to Sam Boardman from Project Echelon for coming on to the pod! We hit a bunch of training and racing topics, and it's easy to see why Sam is a favorite in the pro peloton. Check out his links below the Chapters for The Last Best Ride and others! 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Ski Mountaineering (Ski-Mo) 04:42 Training in California 07:01 Upcoming Races and Season Start 11:30 Introduction to Sam Boardman 17:51 Early Days of Cycling and Obsession 24:33 Struggles with Body Image 31:02 Importance of Individual Training Approach 33:58 Working with a Coach 36:43 Off-season training and upcoming season 44:33 Training changes over the past 10 years 51:48 Accruing long-form fitness 57:13 Favorite and effective workouts 01:11:29 The importance of gym work 01:14:01 The number one thing that makes you fast 01:15:45 Training methods that didn't work 01:17:34 Racing Opportunities and Overexertion 01:21:47 The Importance of Recovery 01:25:06 Nutrition during Races 01:34:45 Contributing to the Cycling Community Sam IG: https://www.instagram.com/boardmanito/ Jess Cerra: https://www.instagram.com/jesscerra/ Last Best Ride IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelastbestride/ Sticky Bottle Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thestickybottlepodcast/ Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS9FDuHl_qp8ajqQuWwNtew/join

Just in time for the heat of the summer, we are having an open discussion around the importance of hydration during tennis training and competing! Jess Cerra, VP Product and Community Development at Salt Stick AND pro cyclist & Danielle Lao, aka the little giant, D.lao, pro player, 2 time All American at USC and an all around stellar athlete are sitting down to talk all about the ins and outs of hydrating for tennis, training and to ensure peak performance as any level athlete!  We talk about: - Who is SaltStick? Who started it and why? - Salt Stick partners and pro athletes  - Cycling to cross train - What does your on court and off court training look like - Personal struggles of hydration - Salt Stick products explained - What items are best suited for league players or people who play tennis and still might be playing a lot but aren't training like elite athletes - How will Salt stick help me as an athlete? If I'm not working out, can I take/use saltstick? - Sports drinks vs. salt stick products - What is Dysautonomia - Electrolyte supplementation  - Sodium vs. salt - Why do we sweat? and why do some people sweat more than others – how does humidity effect this? - What do we sweat? - Any way you can change your sweat amount or type? - Debunk some hydration myths!   If you have any further questions or want to continue the conversation?! Email us at podcast@tennis-warehouse.com   Shop with us for all your TENNIS needs all over the WORLD:

If you've ever thought you could make your own energy bar, or sports drink, or any other kind of athletic food, it's always good to hear how others have done it. My guest today is Jess Cerra, founder of JoJe Bar, a gluten free, real food energy bar designed for endurance athletes. She shares her startup story, telling the unlikely series of events that led to launching, building, and ultimately selling a sports nutrition brand. We also talk a little about how her upbringing and support throughout her racing career came full circle to putting on her own event that helps fund scholarships for other girls in her community. It's a fun story that, as a fellow entrepreneur, I love sharing to inspire you to follow your own dreams and see where they take you. WANT MORE?  Find the Bikerumor Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean, and through RSS, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Can't find it? Let us know which players you use so we can get them up to speed! And let us know who you want us to interview. Click that PODCAST link in the menu and send in your suggestions! Hit like, hit subscribe, and hit play. Then just get out and ride! FOLLOW BIKERUMOR Keep tabs on all the latest bikes, wheels, components, gear and tech on The World's Largest Cycling Tech Blog by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. FOLLOW TYLER Like us? Love us? Follow your host, Tyler Benedict, on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

On this episode of The Go Crazy Podcast we sit down to talk to Jess Cerra. She is an ex-professional cyclist with a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology and currently works as the VP of Product and Community Development for JoJe Bar and SaltStick. In this episode we dive into everything electrolytes: what they are, how they affect performance, and tips for consumption.Follow SaltStick @saltstickFollow Jess @jesscerraFollow Bart @bear_lee_runningFollow Danny @dannygoescrazyFollow The Go Crazy Brand @thegocrazybrandFollow The Go Crazy Podcast @thegocrazypodcastShop The Go Crazy Brand at thegocrazybrand.com

With Rose Grant announcing her retirement, it is the end of an era for gravel racing. This week, Kathryn and Kristi pay homage to Rose's career by welcoming Rose onto the show to discuss the joys of racing gravel, and why this part of her life is ending. With her daughter turning ten, Rose hopes to carve out more time for family and friends. Kathryn and Kristi surprise Rose with three friends and competitors, Jess Cerra, Nikki Peterson, and Evelyn Dong. The group shares how Rose's dedication to gravel has shaped their careers and the ways they have learned from her. We are grateful for you, Rose! Visit her website at https://www.rose-grant.com/Follow Rose on Instagram@rosekgrantcover photo cred: Devon Balet*** Support the Podcast *** InsideTracker: Get 20% off at insidetracker.com/feisty. Coalition Snow: Learn about Coalition Snow's Far Out trips at https://www.coalitionsnow.com/pages/far-outSaltStick: Use code FEISTY20 for 20% off all items on SaltStick.comMentioned in this episode:Inside Tracker - September 2022This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacyChartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

In today's episode, we speak with Jess Cerra about her experience creating the sports bar JoJé Bars and transitioning from Xterra athlete to pro triathlete to pro road cyclist and to her current career as a professional privateer gravel racer and race director! Tune in to learn about her nutrition strategy while training and during events like Unbound Gravel, as well as her experience mentoring in the biking world.Born and raised in the mountains of Montana, Jess grew up embracing the outdoors and the active lifestyles that came with it. After earning a Bachelor's Degree of Applied Exercise Science at the University of Montana, she went straight into research in athletic performance while completing a Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology at San Diego State University. There, in 2007, she was introduced to mountain biking and quickly fell in love with the sport, and her career took off. She won the XTERRA Amateur National Championship in 2010, propelling her to the professional triathlete ranks the following year. Between 2015 and 2019, she transitioned to a career as a professional road cyclist, competing at the sport's most prestigious races in the United States as well as Europe. In 2020, she made the switch once again, and currently competes as a professional privateer gravel racer for the Pinarello Scuderia Team. Please note that this podcast is created strictly for educational purposes and should never be used for medical diagnosis and treatment.See you in the next episode!***If you would like to work with our practitioners, click HERECheck out our 4 Week Real Food, Real Quick Program HERETry Trifecta Meal Delivery by clicking HEREIf you're interested in sponsoring Nutritional Revolution Podcast, shoot us an email at nutritionalrev@gmail.com.***Mentioned:Jess Cerra's Instagram: @jesscerraJoJé BarsBuy JoJé Bars HEREJoJé Bars Instagram: @jojebarJoJé Bars website: https://jojebar.com/Get 15% off your first purchase by using code: tryjoje15SaltStickGet 20% off your first purchase by using code: NEWSALT20Alete Nutrition website: https://aletenutrition.com/Buy Brazi Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread HEREThe Last Best RideWebsite: https://www.thelastbestridemt.com/ Instagram: @thelastbestride

And we are BACK! After a long stretch and COVID craziness, I have a treat for you! Jess Cerra is defined as a Super Fast Lane Women.... she comes from a small but very well known town of Whitefish, Montana. Jess was raised in Whitefish and impacted greatly by the resources from the High School through Scholarships. She tells her story of growing up in Whitefish, going to college, but then getting involved in endurance sports and ultimately creating her own company! Jess is the Founder of JoJé Bars, which are a phenomenal meal bar! She is a Chef, Professional Cyclist and also one of the founders of The Last Best Ride along with her partner Sam. The Last Best Ride is an epic Gravel Ride through Northwest Montana. The 2nd event is happening August 21st in Whitefish. This event also provides Scholarships to Women, which is near and dear to Jess. In 2021 they saw over 500 Gravel Enthusiasts and plan on even more this year, myself included. Join me as I dive into a few intimate details of the cycling world, business ownership and even some failures. This episode is sure to get your mind thinking about 'What you can do' and how failing forward is definitely a path to success.

This week we sit down with Jess Cerra and Sam Boardman to discuss the Last Best Ride in Montana. Held in Whitefish, MT in August, Last Best Ride boasts not only an amazing route, but also an amazing community. Episode Sponsor: The Feed Last Best Ride Website Support the Podcast Join The Ridership  Automated Transcription, please excuse the typos: Last Best Ride [00:00:00] Craig Dalton: Hello, and welcome to the gravel ride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in-depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes. Who are pioneering the sport I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner down, unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. This week on the podcast. We welcome Jess, Sarah and Sam Boardman onto the show to talk about Montana's last best ride. Many of you will probably recognize justice name as a gravel cyclist, often at the front end of the pack of these gravel races. She's also the founder of Jo J bar and currently as vice president of product and community development at both Joe, Jay and salt stick. She's also a member of the Pinarello Scuderia project. And a long time envy athlete. Sam Boardman, not as well known on the gravel cycling scene, but certainly a crusher out there on the road. He's a member of the powerful Legion squad and riding very well. Having one stage three of the Joe Martin stage race. Recently. The two partners have come together to create last best ride as a showcase for the love of their home in Whitefish, Montana. I hope you enjoy learning more about this event. It certainly sounds from all accounts that it's a great community event. And a spectacular ride. Before we jump in i need to thank this week sponsored the feed. For those of you who aren't familiar with the feed, the feed is the largest online marketplace for your sports nutrition, offering brands, you know, and love from scratch labs to cliff bar, to Martine plus their athlete customized supplements called feed formulas It's those feed formulas that I wanted to talk to you about and make sure you're familiar with feed formulas are personalized supplements for athletes developed in part with Dr. Kevin Sprouse from the EDF pro cycling team. Following the same protocols, the top athletes use. These are best in class, branded supplements, never generic. You get personalized recommendations based on your needs as an athlete. They're all packaged in a convenient daily pouch. So no more messy bottles keeping organized on the counter. You just grab a single pouch and it's got your fully customized order. Right. In one place, you can go on the website@thefeed.com slash the gravel ride and save 50% off your first order today. On that website for feed formula, you can walk through what are the individual supplements that you need. They've got a base formula, then they have multiple different add on packs based on your age, whether you're recovering, whether you're peaking for something. So it's a really great way to make sure you've got all the supplements you need and in an incredible easy way to consume them each day. You're not going to forget anything in a bottle somewhere on the other shelf. Everything's in those. Personalized formula packages in their daily pouch. You can get 50% off your first order, simply visit the feed.com/the gravel ride. Would that business behind us let's jump right in to my interview with just sarah and sam boardman Hey, Jess, Sam, welcome to the show. [00:03:18] Jess and Sam: Hey, Craig. Thanks for having us, Craig. It's good to be here. [00:03:22] Craig Dalton: Where am I speaking to you at right now? [00:03:25] Jess and Sam: We're in a beautiful and snowy, Whitefish, Montana. [00:03:30] Craig Dalton: It's hard to believe. I literally just had a pool party for my son this past weekend in California. And you're still getting snow over there. [00:03:37] Jess and Sam: Yeah, we little bit embarrassing, but Rose Grant is a professional mountain biker who also lives here. And we tried to do a ride on Friday and we had to get rescued and we know what we're doing. We failed the pool parties. [00:03:54] Craig Dalton: Yeah, not this time of year anyway, was the listener knows. We always like to start off the show by learning a little bit more about your background and how you came to gravel cycling. And then I'm excited to talk to both of you about last best ride and the big gravel events you've got coming up this summer. So just why don't we start off with you and just talk a little bit about your journey to cycling and how you found yourself riding off road. [00:04:16] Jess and Sam: Yeah. Well, I'm actually from Whitefish, Montana, which is something not a lot of people can say. And I growing up here. You have an affinity for the outdoors? No matter what I think most people who move here and raise families live here because they want to spend time outside. With that said cycling, wasn't a huge part of growing up here. I pretty much found cycling in grad school. I. I went to the university of Montana for my undergrad, studied exercise physiology, and then moved to San Diego to pursue my master's in the same field. And it was when I was studying elite athletes in the lab and actually bringing cyclists into our exercise physiology lab. That my curiosity was peaked and I ended up randomly doing a VO two max test on a lab bike and finding that I had the engine, I just needed a bike and all the things that go with it. So one of my professors was I'm on a mountain bike team and she helped me get started. And I started on that team and I raced Xterra off-road triathlon and mountain bikes for a long time. And then I. Professional road racing career after that. And instead of officially retiring, I say that I evolved into gravel cycling because I think gravel is that area where you, you can be a pro without having to only be competitive, you can bring value to the sport in other ways. [00:05:54] Craig Dalton: Yeah, absolutely. So unpacking that, I'll just a tiny bit first off for the uninitiated. Explain exactly where Whitefish is located in, in Montana. [00:06:04] Jess and Sam: So it's up in the Northwestern corner. It's tucked by Flathead lake in glacier national park, which is a big draw to the area. We're about 30 minutes away from glacier. What like nine 90 minutes on the bike. If I'm drafting behind Sam. [00:06:20] Craig Dalton: and then it's pretty close to the Canadian border. Is that right? [00:06:24] Jess and Sam: Yeah. like an hour from the Canadian border. [00:06:27] Craig Dalton: Yeah. Amazing. And when you were growing up, were you doing other endurance athletics, like running or skiing? [00:06:33] Jess and Sam: Yeah. So we, you know, and we'll touch on this. When we talk about the mission for the last best ride I grew up in, you know, a pretty humble family, pretty low income. So access to. A lot of sports like cycling or skiing? It was a little tricky for us. There's a ton of community support here. There's actually grants for kids to participate. So I was able to do some Nordic skiing that way. We have an outdoor figure skating rink, and I did some figure skating with some of those grants. But it's funny because looking back, I was always drawn to endurance. I just didn't have an example of what endurance as a sport or as a career would be like something like professional cycling. And you think that I would, and in Montana that, that I wouldn't have that, but it just really wasn't something that was part of our daily life. You know, my parents were focused on working and I grew up with a single mom, so. That was challenging, but she did her best to get us outside. We did a lot of hiking and exploring here. But Yeah. [00:07:41] Craig Dalton: Amazing. And then, so when you went to college and you discovered the bike for the first time, as you started to become involved in. That the team aspects of road racing, was it immediately apparent that you had an engine that was better suited for the longer, more endurance stuff versus sprint site? Tough. [00:07:58] Jess and Sam: Yes. It's funny how you, you learn that. I actually was a really strong climber and I think that I began goes back to. The VO two max and lung capacity, but definitely I like to suffer for a really long time, rather than compacting that all into five seconds. So those were the systems that I trained. [00:08:22] Craig Dalton: yeah, that makes sense. And then Sam, how about you? Where, where did you grow up and what was your journey to the bike? Like. [00:08:28] Jess and Sam: Well, I'll tell you that, but first I want to add something to justice story that she did not add, which I think is the funniest part, the random aspect of her introduction to cycling. Wasn't so random. It was. Part of the protocol for her research was taking the temperatures of the athletes, who she was studying. And to do that back in the day when she was doing it, the only way to do that was through a rectal thermometer. [00:08:56] Craig Dalton: I thought that's where we're going. [00:08:57] Jess and Sam: So the people who were doing the studies, they were always super jilted because they would always come in according to way adjust all that. And they would say, well, have you done the test? And eventually she just wanted to say like, but yes, I've done the past. And that's how she actually took the test and how she was discovered by her superior supervisors as a very gifted endurance athletes. So people should know it was not so much random. Low grade bullying and yeah, [00:09:27] Craig Dalton: I love it. [00:09:28] Jess and Sam: it's I don't know. I just, I liked that because it's, it's similar to this rumor and legend. I heard about Alex House where as an endurance athlete, everyone who he talked to, who he told I'm a professional cyclist and he would tell them like ever in the tour de France and stuff like that, they'd be like, yeah. Cool, cool, cool. Have you run a marathon? He always was just saying, no, I've never run a marathon. And then apparently, and this is what legend has at one day. You just woke up and was like, gosh, darn it. I just need to run a marathon so that when people ask me that from now on, I can say, yes, we did. And he like broke all his toes or something like that. And just bloody wind speed. But point is, it's an important detail. [00:10:08] Craig Dalton: yeah. Now he's a reasonable athlete, according to the best people out there. [00:10:12] Jess and Sam: yeah. With a rectal thermometer. No, [00:10:17] Craig Dalton: Well, you never know. [00:10:19] Jess and Sam: my my introduction to the bike was a lot less invasive, I guess you could say. It w it was brought on mostly as a way to fill the void that I had in my life when I left running. And I say left running as if it was like something that I chose to retire from it wasn't, it was just my life in high school. And when I, when I discovered it freshman year, I, you know, fell in love with it. And it just was everything that I wanted to do. And when it came time to apply to college, I realized like the only schools that I wanted to go to having come from very small private school and wanting to broaden my horizons, as far as my educational experience goes, were large state schools with very, very competitive running programs where, I mean, they had these kinds of schools were pumping out national champions left and right. And if I wanted to be part of, you know, the, a squad, the division one squad, I would either have. Scrap my way onto the team so that I could just race be races or I would have to run at the club level and doing either of those didn't really fit in my competitive zeal that I accrued during my high school life and running. And I knew that it would also probably destroy the love that I had for the sport, because it would probably just Jade me to the point where I didn't want to do it anymore. So I decided to just try something new, find something. In the meantime, the summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college, which having gone to UCLA who were on the quarter system and they notoriously start very late. I had five months off between when I ended my senior year and when I started college and it wasn't because I took a semester off or anything, it's just, that's how the calendar works. So I had a lot of free time to figure out what I wanted to do. In the meantime, I was working as a janitor in my high school, and my parents had gotten me a fixed gear bike to commute, to work with. And I just fell in love with scooting around in the city. And just finding the bike scene in Washington, DC, where I grew up and discovering the bike and that kind of communal aspect. And then finally come August. Of 2014. I decided I wanted to get a road bike because as is the natural progression for most people that I've talked to in cycling, you wanted to be able to go further and go faster and actually be able to change gears and not blow your knees out of their sockets. So I use the money that I've gotten working as a janitor and bought my first road bike, went to California, found the club team and just became obsessed. Race the club scene for three years when I was in college, until I got onto a domestically amateur team and then started branching out into more competitive national events. And then I signed my first pro contract in 29. [00:13:14] Craig Dalton: Amazing and shout out to rock Creek park in DC for a little road riding. [00:13:20] Jess and Sam: I grew up. Yeah. Rock Creek park. It's I mean, it's funny. It's like I go back there very frequently and I basically rediscover or discover for the first time, in some cases, parts of the cycling scene, which is super exciting to me because having grown up there. You know, you think, oh, I know everything about it, but it's actually really cool to be able to go to your hometown and find something absolutely new to it in the sphere of what you love to do. And that it's actually robbery park is one of my favorite places to ride it's right by my house. [00:13:52] Craig Dalton: Yeah, quick aside. I, I went to school at American university in Washington, DC and discovered mountain biking and amazing. So I discovered a mountain biking in DC, which is very sort of counterintuitive, right? Like where would you find green space to mountain bike in DC? But as you probably know, there's all these sort of interconnected green spaces in Washington, DC, that once you sorta tipped off to them, you sort of do a little section. They're all short of obviously. You're a little section, then you go around next to some apartment buildings you find another section to do, and you can do these neat hour long loops in the city. [00:14:25] Jess and Sam: Oh, my gosh. I mean, I. So much credit I have to give to my high school running coach to who instilled in me the kind of sense of adventure. And you could call it, I call it organic navigation, but most people know that as being bad at directions where it's basically kind of just, you know, where to go when the road looks a certain way, or you kind of just decide, you're going to feel out your route. And he was the one who introduced me to just looping together. Different routes. So, I mean, like you're saying, we would start in Tenleytown, we'd go download the Archibald trail through Georgetown we'd loop through all these little random back trails that kind of nestled themselves in the woods through spring valley and all these areas where it's just, you know, he taught me how to just have fun exploring during your training [00:15:16] Craig Dalton: Yeah, absolutely. And another shout out to the CNO canal, many miles on that canal [00:15:21] Jess and Sam: many miles on the CNO canal. [00:15:24] Craig Dalton: So great. So you you've, you're racing professionally on the road. How did you find yourself in Montana? [00:15:30] Jess and Sam: So just being from here ever since we met, had always talked about wanting to go back. I mean, I think she can tell you that she never really clicked with big city living or at least like being in larger urban areas with. It never really bothered me. Having grew up in Washington, DC, moved to LA for college and then moved to San Diego. It was funny where we were living in north county, San Diego Encinitas. That was pretty sleepy beach town in my mind. And just at the time it was living in Oceanside two towns up, which again, very small town in my mind, but there's still towns of 150, 200,000 people. And it's all part of one big conglomerate to call it, you know, its own town. It's kind of ridiculous because similar to LA it's just, you know, San Diego county LA become just massive giant cities with little pockets of populations here and there. But eventually when it came time for us to leave where we were living in Encinitas, she decided she wanted to move back to wipe this. And she said, if you want to be with me, I'm going to be up there. So ball's in your court. So the decision was pretty easy. So now I'm here. But Yeah. honestly, I've, I think I've taken to it pretty amazingly. I mean, I love the writing that we have up here. I love the community that's up here and it's just a very welcoming place that. Just champions, outdoor living in every form that you can imagine. And I think what was really important to me as someone whose life has revolved around road racing for the past seven years, it was I think, a big step for me to try and find a place that I could visualize myself living, where I could have fun where the road bike wasn't the apps. Epicenter of my existence. And you know, this past winter, I learned how to ski for the first time and my knees are still intact. So that was sweet. And I learned that I loved it. And that really gave me a lot of, I mean, hope is a weird word to use, but it did where it's like, you know, there's this kind of panic that sets in sometimes when you think about, oh my gosh, what am I going to do when I leave competitive road cycling? I mean, there's just so much to try out here. There's so much to do and so much stuff to have fun with that. You know, I'm really glad that I was brought up here because now having lived here for a couple months now, it's just, it's hard to imagine being back in a big city, it really is, which is very odd. I always thought I wanted to stay in a big city. [00:18:13] Craig Dalton: Yeah, it's interesting. And for listeners who live in California, California, is this weird place, right? You can ride your bike all year round, very little interruption. In fact, it's hard to take a step back and think about having a quote unquote off season. Whereas most places elsewhere in the country, in the world, you have snow, you have real winter and you're forced to do other things. And I remember growing up on the east coast for me, that was sort of a healthy. Sort of cycle of the year, right? Because you just sort of naturally transitioned to something else, whatever it was in the winter, rather than just riding your bike hard core all year round. [00:18:50] Jess and Sam: oh yeah. I was pretty nervous even. Yeah. Being the one that pushed us to move here and what our long rides every weekend are so important to me. And to your point, I feel healthier. I feel it is so nice to just take a break from those things, because now I'm looking forward to riding more than usual, but it also is weird to not be so fit and may [00:19:16] Craig Dalton: Yeah, [00:19:16] Jess and Sam: I'm used to being so, so come may. Not [00:19:21] Craig Dalton: not quite there yet this year. [00:19:23] Jess and Sam: quite there yet. It's also like your life has changed too. Yeah. And my life revolves more around work. I mean, so the thing that I discovered is. To justice credit. Like she's just, she's training differently now because she's working multiple jobs, basically with organizing the race and her own full-time job and balancing training competing. But to her credit, if she wanted to be fit and trained, she could. And that's just the thing about being in an environment that's not California, which is perfect weather all the time. He kind of just ended up getting creative. Like you, you know, during the winter, Jess was doing a bunch of. Yoga yoga sculpt doing some like gym workouts at home. She was doing endurance hit workouts at home. Yeah. You did a ski race. I mean, it's just, I honestly think that it, you know, for me and I re I reckon for justice as well. It actually was very refreshing to be in an environment where bike racing and bike riding. Wasn't the only way that you could get fit. And it actually felt good. Going into the season, having not just written my bike and myself into oblivion, because it actually got me excited for the season, whereas an excited to ride my bike more like justice thing. Whereas I found in, you know, past years, sometimes you get to the end of your base training phase, which for most Californians, I mean their base training starts in October, November, and it goes all the way until January, February, where racing starts pretty early relative to. Season or re rest of the country. And by the time you get to that first race of the season, you're just like, oh my God, I can't stand training anymore. I need to race. I need a race. Whereas this year, I mean, I took some time off and then learned how to ski. And that was like the first couple of weeks of off season activities was just learning how to do the activity and then doing those activities and actually staying fit in a relatively, you know, fun way that was new. And then by the time I got. To the point where I was supposed to raise, I was actually really excited to just like be on my bike, not just race, but like be outside in the warm weather where my knees can be exposed to the elements. [00:21:36] Craig Dalton: Being part of the Legion program. Did you find yourself, had you hit the fitness you needed to hit for some of the late the races they had you slated to. [00:21:43] Jess and Sam: I think it was in, I would say probably not the fitness that I would have wanted, but again, it was. I don't think I was actually unfit for the races. I just don't think I was fit in the way that a lot of the people who I was racing and surfing and in the sense of like racing fitness, because a lot of the riders coming from warmer climates who are doing those early season races, that the program that Legion does in California, they've been racing since January. And I literally just flown from a blizzard. And we'd seen a lot of snow during the winter. And I was mostly doing like base training work starting in December, going through February to one of my first race in Arizona was, and it's not that I felt, felt unfit to the point where I couldn't finish the races. It's just like That top end wasn't there. But now, you know, having had a bunch of races under my belt and we're going into the next block, which is like the key block, the target block of the year from. I do feel a lot fitter and I don't feel the same level of burnt out as I would normally at this time of the year where I'm just like praying hands and knees for break after the blast block. So I actually, I did feel less fit, but, you know, I felt like I was excited to raise again. [00:23:03] Craig Dalton: That makes sense. And then just for you racing gravel this year, you're part of a program. Do you want to talk about that team you're involved in and what your goals are for the year? [00:23:15] Jess and Sam: Yeah. So the scooter Rhea Pinarello program is sort of a multi-faceted program that emphasizes what I was mentioning earlier that there's unique skillsets and unique people. They deserve to have an opportunity in the cycling world. And so. The idea of our marketing director of Pinarello is Kim Rogers. And she's just an incredibly hard worker. I have a lot of respect for what she's accomplished with the program in the first year, and then leading into this year. But we're a group of athletes that range from competitors to adventure, people, to community leaders. So my role is a community leader. And basically what that means is I'm none of my partners and of my sponsors expect me to be winning races are on the podium. And that's something that I've communicated to everyone and they they've accepted, you know, I've had my time for that. Being a trained really hard and, and won races and had the injuries and then the whole deal. And now it's what I really want to focus on is helping more people get into the sport, making it a welcoming place where you know, all types of people are accepted and have opportunities and just being able to. Represent amazing brands like Pinarello at large events is, is super important. And it's like, because I don't care about a result, I'm going out there to have fun. And the pressure isn't there, you open yourself up to creating those experiences with people. Like I'm constantly on my feet in the sun before I do an event and talking and hanging out and. My, the energy bar company that I founded, Joe Davis. Is now a part of a larger suite of sports, nutrition brands, and my company kind of mirrors. We go to the events that mere my schedule with Pinarello and support. So I'm also doing that on the side. And it's just, it's super fun to. To know that we're in a place now where the emphasis isn't always on results. I mean, that's amazing. It's super cool. I still look up to the women who are crushing it right now. And I think that is great, but it's also really more relatable to a lot of people who have families and work and see like they do, they do have a place and you don't have to come to an event to. You can come to just ride your bike and meet people and you'll be accepted and you're not doing anything weird. You're probably doing what 95% of the other people around you are doing. So Yeah. it's, it's, it's a good, it's a good, a good team for me, for sure. [00:26:12] Craig Dalton: Awesome. Let's take a two minute detour and hear about your company. What can you tell us about like the judge, a bar philosophy and the types of products that you make? [00:26:21] Jess and Sam: Yeah. So this is also a concept that after grad school, I decided not to do a PhD, which was the track that I was on. Like from high school, I knew I wanted to do this path and I was really into research and I diverted to pursue cycling and I. I had met a nutritionist who I worked with and she was a private chef. And so I started helping her kind of as her assistant at first. And then I ended up taking over her clientele when she moved away. So that's kind of the piece about nutrition and being in the food world, but is important to the story. So I had this background in exercise physiology. I S I started this private chef company. I started catering events and I really focused on just fresh food healthy food that people who wanted to be active, wanting to eat. And I just took the guesswork out of it. So, at the time, this wasn't in 2008. 10 ish. There was really no good energy bars out there. We weren't in this food revolution where there's like all of this amazing all these amazing choices when you walk into whole foods or whatever. And so I thought I wanted to create something that was delicious, but tastes in homemade. My favorite things to eat are. Cookies or baked goods or stopping by the bakery before I ride. I also wanted it to make sense from a macronutrient standpoint. And so I kind of flip the script on how bars were made. They were always really carb-heavy before which we need, but I also wanted to add in more fat for. Those zones that are more endurance and I wanted it to be something that was digestible and you could eat, eat a lot of it. At the time I had a coach who had Lyme's disease and was on a gluten-free diet. And so I thought, well, I'll try making it gluten-free little. Did I know that that segment was going to blow up in the future and become so. So I created this bar and it was just kind of a rinky-dink operation out of my kitchen at first. And I actually, some of my private chef clients helped me move into my first co-packer and I was in a small co-packer down in San Diego and just grew the brand grassroots style within the cycling and trapline community. And a big, the big wind for Joe Jay was when we got into REI. And I think we were accepted at the end of 2018, and that really helped our, the brand breech our people in the outdoor space and in let's see. I think of October of 2019, I was approached by this company called elite active nutrition is the name now a L E T E, which means all athletes, not elite athletes. And they reached out to me. They had started this platform by acquiring electrolyte brand called salt stick. Really huge in the triathlon world. I'm hopefully helping it become huge in the travel world. So they reached out to me about acquiring Joe, Jay, and it was a great fit because it allowed me at this point, I was caught up in all of the logistics of running a business. And also the logistics of being the hamster in the wheel of cashflow when you own a small business. And this allowed me to step away from that. And I'll admit, I don't love entrepreneurship from that standpoint. I just am wired in a way where I want to help other people and I want to do the right thing. And I want a brand that does those things. And I really don't like the other part of it. This company enabled me to do that. They said, we're going to take all of that. We have a team in place already, and then you can create your role in the company and you will come on and you will do that role. And so it was a perfect fit. They didn't want to take the bar and change it and, you know, cut the margins and do, do all the things that sometimes larger companies want to do. So I created my role of VP, of product and community developers. Enjoying this team, we've now also acquired bonk breaker and we'll be acquiring two other brands. And yeah, so that's what I do. I work on product development. We're developing some new flavors right now. And then I also, like I mentioned, I get to be out in the community and we, I get to lead all of our brands and make sure that we. Have at our heart and soul, we are an accepting platform. We have a diverse group of athletes and ambassadors. We're inclusive. We're thinking about doing the right things for the environment in sport and all of those, you know, amazing things that I like to focus on. So, sorry, that was not two minutes. That was like five. [00:31:32] Craig Dalton: That's okay. Now I appreciate the entrepreneurial journey and that's a great outcome and amazing that the vision can now be propelled forward, you know, with the distribution that maybe you weren't going to be able to achieve this company can get it out there even further and allow you to focus on what you love. [00:31:49] Jess and Sam: Exactly. [00:31:50] Craig Dalton: fabulous and allow you more time to start things like gravel races in your hometown. [00:31:55] Jess and Sam: Yes. [00:31:56] Craig Dalton: So let's talk about that. I mean, I love talking to event organizers because I think it's such a, such an art behind creating an experience that is native to the community that you're in and showcases everything you want to showcase. I feel like it's like a love letter to your commute. When you design a gravel course, and I love designing courses here in Moran. So I'd love to hear about the inspiration for last best ride. And then let's talk about the details. Let's get the listener stoke to put it on their calendar. [00:32:25] Jess and Sam: Okay. Well, I think to back up a little bit, when we first started spending a lot of time here was in 2020 during the Panda. When we realized we weren't going to be doing any racing. And we kind of did the thing that everyone was doing. We scattered to a smaller place only. This is my home. And we also bought a piece of land at that time, which turned out to be total baller, move that we had no idea. This is going to be like the best decision of our lives, but I think. We, so to Sam's point about being adventurous, he started exploring and making these gravel routes for us, these crazy off-road routes. And he didn't even have a gravel bike yet, but he was taking me places that I had never been after growing up here. And remember the first gravel. Right. We did. You did it on your road bike, that old KTM bike and yeah. We ride this route consistently now. And we're like, how on earth did you write this on your road bike? Like we it's like when you don't know any better, when you first start exploring off road, like you might throw some wider tires on your road bike. And you're like, oh yeah, like, so we were kind of exploring and realizing that this place is prime for a gravel event. I had also. My first event, the season before was our friend, Kevin Laura King run an event in Vermont called rooted Vermont, and the little town there from Richmond reminded me of Montana and attending that. Having such an amazing time. And knowing that gravel was a place that I wanted to be, I thought that they're just nailing it. Like how that the community embraces this event. It's super low key. They make a whole weekend out of it. And I told Laura, I said, my wife is really needs an event like that. It's so incredibly beautiful here. So. I think we started exploring more and then I can pretty sure I made you ride like an old steel, gravel bike of mine. Remember that? And it was like two sizes too small for you. And then he ordered a gravel bike and we just like, I don't know how we went from. Two rides to like the next day we were at the forest service office with our masks on like knocking on the door where it's like appointments only. And we were like, hi, we would like to put on an event. They were like, why we're in the middle of a pandemic? Why would you, when you talking about, and we're like, no, it's definitely the, the pandemic won't be here next year. Like we're looking at next year. Little did we know that it was going to be an extended, extended pandemic, but luckily we picked August as our month because you're pretty much guaranteed. My dad will tell anyone that comes here, that he's seen snow here every month of the year. But if you're going to pick one month, August is a pretty safe bet. So we picked August for our race and that's Yeah. that's kind of how we started. [00:35:30] Craig Dalton: and was the community embracing of it. Like I know a lot of rural communities when they hear about the prospect of a thousand athletes coming to town and booking hotel rooms and accommodations and food and all that stuff. They're super excited to get behind it. Were you experiencing that in Whitefish? [00:35:48] Jess and Sam: Well, there's been a little bit of a shift here and Whitefish? I believe this was the fastest growing town in the country during COVID. Which is why, when I mentioned us buying this little plot of land we didn't know that was going to happen. I had a, I had a theory. I was kind of actually obsessed about real estate at the time. I had a theory that something was going to happen because I remember what happened during the last recession. And. So to your question, it's a little different here. It there's a lot of people that come here in the summer in glacier park has gotten so overrun that they now actually have a ticketed entry system. So it was sort of a balance of knowing that we already have a lot of tourism and this isn't a town that needs that tourism boost to survive. So we wanted to make sure that this event was going to be a net positive for the community and that our community was going to feel supported. And that, again, that it's a positive. And so that's one of the reasons why we wanted it to focus around our scholarship. [00:36:56] Craig Dalton: And do you want to describe what that scholarship looks like? [00:36:59] Jess and Sam: Yeah. So, as I had mentioned before, growing up here fairly low income I did not have a college fund growing up and I had a guidance counselor in high school. My sophomore year that came to our classroom talking about college. And when I found out that it costs money to go to college, I had a little meltdown. My dad actually took me to her office and we spent three years together working on scholarship applications and I won. So many local scholarships along with Pell grant and federal aid, but I didn't have any student loans for undergrad and she just had this profound impact on my life. Mostly just because she believed in me and she didn't hold my hand by any means, like she made me do the work, but I've always had this dream of creating a scholarship and. Giving that back to the community and finding young women who deserve to be uplifted and supported financially. So we figured this rate. Was a good way to accomplish that goal. We both have our careers. We felt like it'd be a perfect way to invest back into the young people and the community. And I full heartedly believe that one of the best ways to get young people into cycling is to equip them with the ability to go out and. Either learn a trade or get an education and become, you know, get themselves into a place where financially they can afford a bike and they can enjoy that and incorporate into their life. And they're empowered to do that. So it kind of like. What does the bike race have to deal with the scholarship, but it, as Sam put it, he wrote in the tech guy, like simply by attending this race, you are bettering the lives of young women in our area who are, you know, have financial need, but also have academic merit. So. [00:39:08] Craig Dalton: Yeah, what's interesting as well is I think just the sh. Participation levels in the community, people who aren't cyclists are going to notice that it's happening and they're going to see and hear that, oh, a scholarship comes out of that. So maybe it even helps some of these younger women become aware that scholarships are available and that a path towards a higher education as possible with these, you know, following the same path that you did. [00:39:31] Jess and Sam: That's so interesting that you just brought that up because I learned fairly recently that one of our recipients from last year, her friend read about the scholarship and. Her friend did not have financial need, but she, she drugged this young woman down to the counselor's office and said, you have to apply for this. And she didn't think that she even deserved or knew that she can have that opportunity. And then she ended up being our top recipient. So we were really good point. And that it's like something that I, I want these young women to know that like, you. You deserve a chance and like at least apply for it this year. We have five recipients. So, and I'm about to go to the scholarship nights at the schools and the next couple of weeks, and actually give the awards out. But we also have seven land permits. So it's pretty, it's an arduous task with the land permits. And I know that. you know, the people who are at the head of these entities, it does mean something to them that, you know, it's not just a bike race. It's for-profit [00:40:44] Craig Dalton: let's talk about the courses. It sounds like you're going through a lot of different types of properties. So what's the gravel of riding like in Whitefish. [00:40:51] Jess and Sam: Awesome. I would say it varies from. You know, depending on where you are in the valley, where we live, it can vary from champagne, gravel to straight up single track the way that we like to ride, but the courses themselves traverse through a, I would say pretty wide variety of surfaces. So. Both routes. We'll take a route that heads east out of town. And you will go up through some logging roads that are owned by a local lumber and logging company that who are wonderful. They're wonderfully supportive of the event. And that will then transition you into forest lands, which is where most of I would argue what 90% of our race takes place on 80 to 90% of our race. And once again, the forest service are wonderfully supportive of the event as well. And we appreciate everything that they've done to help us. They were actually the ones who were. One of the most ardent supporters in the beginning when we were trying to design routes that were cool and they were the ones encouraging us saying, this is exactly what we love public lands to be used for. Is this kind of recreation that is based in exploration and, you know, cyclo eco-friendly tourism. So then we'll try the routes then traverse through forest lands that. Pretty much wind your way through a bunch of the mountain roads up north of town. So Northeast of town, they will then bring the riders back to a dividing point where there will be an aid station where the short route will then take some more of those forest service road. Through some single track trails onto mountain property. So we have a local ski resort, big mountain ski resort that has also helped us immensely in providing sections of their property for our route. And that will basically direct riders up to a section of the mountain road where they can then explore some of the single track there and then head back down. Into town, the long route diverts back to where close to where we started. And then they start heading up north along what is called lake shore drive, which is a beautiful picture of. Road exactly, as it says, which borders the east side of a Whitefish lake, and you make your way north along this road, and it will pretty much on align, transition to gravel, depending on the time of year, it can be either champagne, gravel. It can be kind of rutted if it's rained or it can be straight up washboard. So you get, you don't know what you're going to get. Typically. It's fairly dry. And it seemed a lot of traffic because that is nearing the end of huckleberry picking season. So a lot of locals will go out that road to some of the secret huckleberries spots that I don't even know where they are. Cause they're so secret. But so it can typically be a little washboard, but that we'll head north all the way to a road called Warner peak. There is some. Road name and technically most of the roads around here are called forest road or forest service road, big old number. And I should know this because I designed the route, but I get confused and all the digits, but it's commonly in locally known as water peak. So you bank, you take a right and you start climbing it's about a six mile climb from the turnoff of what is upper Whitefish lake. To the top of Warner peak, and that basically deposits you onto this Ridge line that overlooks the entirety of the valley. it. truly is on a clear day, a stunning picture SVU and that surface transitions from the kind of predictable, typical valley country champagne S gravel road to pretty Rocky technical climbing. And the gradients aren't, hellaciously steep in that section, but they are steep enough where you're going to be going slow and you're going to be needing to have some technical savvy to be able to navigate around some of the bigger rocks and sections. And there are also some drainage pipes that are late. The road to help ease snow melt washing away some of the roads. So if you can practice a little like bunny hopping or lifting your front wheel and back wheel whilst climbing it's summarized. It's one of the hardest climbs. I think you'll find in a gravel race, the hardest climb you'll find in a gravel race comes shortly thereafter. You descend down the Ridge line that takes you to the backside of the be of big mountain ski resort. Now the course then takes riders to the top of big mountain, the absolute peak where the summit house is. And this is where the ski resort basically has all their chairs going to the very top to get to that. You go up what we have called the. The mountain goats scramble this big horn sheep, big horn sheep scramble. And basically we discovered this ride on, or this way up on a ride that we did early in 2020 when we were kind of just moseying our way to the backside. And we found ourselves kind of running along the Ridge line of all of the ski slopes. And we're kind of looking up and seeing all the ski runs and we finally made our way to a service. And we said, Ooh, let's turn up. That, how high can we go? And apparently you can go the highest you physically can, but to do so you have to go up. What is essentially a wall of roughly 35% average gradient for 300 meters, the longest 300 meters of your life. [00:46:40] Craig Dalton: It is an actually rideable. [00:46:42] Jess and Sam: So there are two people that we know who have written it on a bike. One of which is me. The other is one Caleb Swartz, who is a Marian university alum who wrote for the bear dev team. And recently completed. Really Stellar's a cyclocross campaign is a private two rider who lives in Missoula. He trains a lot with Howard rots and some of the local Missoula hitters. He rode his XC bike at the race and he was the only person in the race to ride up the entire scramble without take unclipping, walking his bike. [00:47:18] Craig Dalton: All right. There's a big challenge for you people out there. [00:47:20] Jess and Sam: Yeah. So you get to the summit house, there's a feed station. Then you descend down another climb. It's called Taylor Creek, which takes you back to upper Whitefish lake road. And you go back the way you came out back into town. [00:47:35] Craig Dalton: right on. So tell me the distances of the short course in the long course. [00:47:39] Jess and Sam: So the short course. is 47 miles with about. 4,500 feet of climbing in the long course is 90 miles with that 8,200 feet of climbing. We might have to make a couple tweaks. We know we have to make a couple tweaks. So the short course this year, because of some logging that's happened, but it will be. Similar within that range. So it's a good, it's a, it's a good distance. Like the pro the pro dudes last year, Ted and Howard, and a local guy named Andrew, Andrew, Frank, they, we could not believe this. They finished. And just under five hours, we, we were expecting like a five 15, but I would say on average the short course would take you. Around three and a half to four and a half hours in the long course would be close to. I don't know, six, six to seven hours if you're relatively cruising, but it can be a huge range because it's just such a, a hard course. So the benefit of the the three finishers we've mentioned in there super fast time, the road Taylor Creek, the descent that you take back down into town had just been basically flattened by logging equipment. So it wasn't really the gravel that Jess and I had previewed throughout the summer, but it actually was so packed down because of all, it was basically concrete is what it was. And I remember I previewed it actually with Ted on Thursday, before. And we were descending it. And we were looking at each other and saying like, people are going to rip this. Cause I mean, you didn't even have to worry about dodging any kind of rocks or ruts or anything. It literally was just smooth pavement made out of mud that had been flat. And it rained also, which well, we, we say our race is predicated on the views because. I don't think that as Sam went through this course, like you cannot describe these views. They are jaw dropping. When we ride here, we're riding in all the time and it never looks the same. It's just so amazing. But then it poured rain, which cleared out all of the wildfires. So that was the benefit and it was very foggy in the morning of the race and people still that it was like a, just like I said, a different kind of view, but that we, I was like calling the medical volunteers. Like we need to put someone, we need like two people going on that descent, like to medical stations, because I was so afraid that someone was going to be doing like 60 miles an hour down this gravel descent and just fly off into space, but it turned out. We had, I think one of the most advanced medical plans, the forest service actually asked us if they could keep the template of it to use as an example. And we treated a bee sting and that was it. So the other side, Yeah. When you become an event director, you're pretty much just stressed out the whole time about someone getting hurt or something going wrong. [00:50:49] Craig Dalton: a hundred percent. So it sounds like with a fairly rowdy course, you need some pretty capable tires. Is there a size that you recommend? [00:50:57] Jess and Sam: I mean, I am of the camp of you should run as, as big as you can. It's a, it's a big debate for us on our course, because we know again, given the conditions of really the back sections of the course and the climb, like. I think the debate is now whether a hard tail mountain bike is the fastest bike for our course, but there, there are a lot of sections where having a pretty rigid snappy gravel. Where you can just easily put out power very consistently would help, but tire wise, as wide as you can run. I mean, I think, and less than the 36, you will not be caught. You will not have a fun 30, 36 is the minimum that you can do to, I would say like complete the ride. You will not be comfortable. You won't necessarily be happy, but you'll be able to get through. I ride the rose and cert courses around here on my crux, my specialized crux, which is a 2019 model that clears the 38. And I'm pretty comfortable on that bike. I don't ever feel really that I'm under biked. And I went, it's fairly dry and I'm not worried about getting mud in my stays. I will, I can clear a 42 on that bike. And I would say if I could run that consistently without worry of, you know, starting to take pain off, I'd run a 42 easily. I would say that's probably most traveled bikes. We'll clear 42 minimum. But that's, that's the. [00:52:34] Craig Dalton: Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I mean, I think that's one of the interesting thing about taking a survey of all the gravel events out there. It's interesting seeing what people recommend, and I'm always frankly, more attracted to the races that are saying, bring your big tires. You're not going to regret it because it means they're getting creative with course design and really pushing the limits and capabilities of both the athletes and the bikes. So to onto some just not simple. What are the event dates and where can people find out more information about the event and are there still slots available this year? [00:53:07] Jess and Sam: So our date is Sunday, August 21st, and we have a welcome happy hour and scholarship fundraising evening on Friday, August 19th, that packet pickup and some liberal community rides are Saturday, August 20. Our website is the last best ride empty as in montana.com. We have been sold out for some time. We do have a wait list. It's pretty big. So if you got on the wait list now, unfortunately, You're probably planning for 2023, which is actually good because I don't even know if you could find a hotel room or an Airbnb at this point and Whitefish. It's why we send out early communication. Like before Christmas, the year before letting people know, like here's our links to our favorite camping and hotels, and like, here's how to make your life easier to plan to come to this little area. I just want to say as an aside, because we do talk up this course as being. Hard. It was also very important to us, but it is something that you could do if you're trying your first event. And our short course is manageable for anyone trying your first event. And we even have different start waves for the event for people who have different goals. If you want to hang out and meet friends, if you wanna, you know, ride a little more steady or if you really want to. You know, go full gas. Just the introduce that like, you don't have to start in the front and like elbows. So I really want to emphasize that our long course, definitely fitness would be the biggest challenge if you're newer to gravel. But it is inclusive. [00:54:53] Craig Dalton: And then finally, what's the finish line experience? Like what have you designed there? [00:54:59] Jess and Sam: Well, that was really, that was really important to us. And again, we wanted to focus on like our local vendors. And so we have above average race food. We have a local chef named Tim. Good. He has a catering truck. He owns a restaurant here and he has a catering truck called the cuisine machine. So last year you would find Mac and cheese. You'd find corn bread, chicken Marsala pork chops with huckleberry barbecue sauce, watermelon salad. And then we had our local ice cream company out and we had huckleberry ice cream, which is specialty to Montana. We had one, they made one forest called gravel road. And then we had beer vendor, wine vendor, and a local kombucha vendor, and all participants receive two drink coupons so they could use it however they wanted. Yeah. What else? Oh, and we offer bear spray. We never even touched, touched. The wildlife area, but yeah, we also sell bear spray and highly, highly recommend that you ride with it and know how to use it. [00:56:05] Craig Dalton: Well, we'll let people do their own research. As they're thinking about 2023 for this, I love getting these types of events out on people's radar. We realize that they're not unlimited capacity, so you've gotta be able to plan ahead. And I, for one really loved traveling to new areas and experiencing gravel around the country. It just reminds you of what a special place the United States can be and how much amazing outdoor activities is right there on our own country. [00:56:30] Jess and Sam: We would love to have you up here. I mean, if You can come this year, we we'll we know the person [00:56:36] Craig Dalton: one special slot. Nice. [00:56:38] Jess and Sam: special slot for you, but if 2023 works better, we'd love to have you up here. And yeah. [00:56:44] Craig Dalton: Thank you for that. And I appreciate both of your time. It's great to get to know you. And, and again, I hope everybody checks out last, last, best ride. I'll put link in the show notes and we'll make sure everybody knows how to find you guys. [00:56:56] Jess and Sam: Thank you so much. Hope to see everyone. [00:56:59] Craig Dalton: That's going to do it for this week's edition of the gravel ride podcast. Big, thanks to Sam. And just for joining us. I love the sounds of what they've created out there in Montana, and certainly hope to visit it someday and myself. I'll be sure to put appropriate links in the show notes. If you need any more information about last best ride. Huge. Thanks to our sponsor. The feed. Remember you can get 50% off the feed formula. Just visit the feed.com/the gravel ride. If you're interested in connecting with me, I encourage you to join the ridership. Just visit www.theridership.com. It's a free global cycling community based in the slack channel. You can visit us and communicate with other gravel cyclists all around the world. If we're able to support the podcast, please visit buy me a coffee.com/ Solo ride. Additionally ratings and reviews are hugely helpful in my discoverability and my goal of connecting with as many gravel cyclists as possible. Until next time here's to finding some dirt onto your wheels  

In episode 7, we have a meaningful conversation with Jess Cerra, who lives in Whitefish, CA. Years ago, Jess moved to San Diego to complete her Master's Degree in Exercise Physiology. While working in the lab on her thesis, she accidentally discovered that she had an “Olympic level” Vo2 max. Her professor introduced her to mountain biking and Xterra Triathlons, where she won an Ametuer National Championship. After surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis, Jess found herself on a road bike to gain back fitness. She stuck with the road bike, competed in  road races as a Cat 2 athlete, before getting her first Pro contract. To support her racing, she was also a personal chef and owned her own catering company called “Fit Food by Jess.” Eventually, Jess founded JoJé Bar, a certified gluten-free energy bar made with wholesome real-food ingredients. After years of building the company, she reached a point where she sold JoJé Bar to Alete Active Nutrition, where she is currently the Vice President of Product & Community Development. During this time, Jess started transitioning from Pro roadie to Pro gravel racer, with more focus on enjoyment than results. She and her partner, Sam, also moved back to her hometown in Whitefish, Montana. In 2021, she and Sam also created The Last Best Ride (TLBR), a community-driven gravel event that showcases their home in Whitefish. An important component of the TLBR is the scholarship program Jess has created, which awarded $21,000 to high school girls in her hometown. This year, the program has grown and expanded! This episode is inspiring as we learn one woman's story about how hard work, self-belief, and a positive village can help meaningful projects, companies, and events come to life and flourish. GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us! Follow Jess Cerra on Instagram: @​jesscerra Check out the Last Best Ride: https://www.thelastbestridemt.com/  Follow the Last Best Ride on Instagram: @thelastbestride Buy JoJé Bars (our favorite is the Lemon Blueberry Quinoa): https://jojebar.com/collections/joje-bar Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org Nikki Peterson is the League Director for the Nevada League. Learn more about the Nevada League here: www.nevadamtb.org

King Ridge is a classic Sonoma County Hopper. This year we've added Annapolis and Kruse Rd to mix it up with a little gravel and to highlight the beautiful NorCal Coast. Join us as we talk about what makes road riding (with some gravel) so amazing in this area. Ted and Laura King and Jess Cerra share their thoughts on the best bike/tire choices, how to pack and prepare for a Hopper, and tips for optimal hydration and nutrition. 

Grab JoJé Bars at 20% Using Code smartathlete20 Visit their website at https://jojebar.com/ Today's episode brings a little bit of food cravings as our guest, Jess Cerra, shares what she eats as her fuel for training and race. She's a former pro XTERRA triathlete, pro road cyclist, and, currently, a professional gravel cyclist. She has a master's degree in Exercise Physiology and is the Founder of JoJé Bar. I initially ask Jess why she chose this type of "cake" and what effect it had on her performance. As we talk more about this fuel food, I also ask her what her strategy would be to keep being hydrated during the upcoming Birkie race. She tells me how she is preparing for this race and the important lessons she learned as this is her first time to join the Birkie event. Her past "horrible" experience also leads her to make JoJé Bar with macronutrients that would help other athletes or active people during their training. Jess mentions that she doesn't have a coach right now and we may wonder how is she doing with her Birkie training, right? Listen to her reasons and let us know what you think. Visit their website at https://jojebar.com/ Connect with Jess on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-cerra-a2306245/ https://www.instagram.com/jesscerra/ https://twitter.com/jesscerra_

Jess Cerra is a pro cyclist, a sports nutrition entrepreneur and founder/race director of the Last Best Ride in Whitefish, Montana (https://www.thelastbestridemt.com). We got to speak with Jess about her background in cycling, gravel and much more. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/adventureaudio/support

In Episode 20, we talk with Stephanie Chall. Stephanie has been a spin instructor for the last decade, started cycling outdoors with her husband, and dove into the Maryland League as the Director of Stoke. Essentially, this means she helps share the stories of student-athletes, coaches, and families throughout the league. Stephanie does not coach so she can focus fully on capturing photos, videos, and memories at the events. Something else that is unique about Stephanie is that she and her husband do not have kids in the league yet they passionately dedicate their time and energy to help get #morekidsonbikes. In August, Stephanie did something completely out of her comfort zone - she traveled to Whitefish, Montana to ride in her first ever race at the Last Best Ride! While Montana's beauty was certainly a draw, she was also inspired to attend the event because the Race Director, Jess Cerra, is a female and she was stoked to support a female-led race. We talk about what the event was like and how she overcame feelings of uncertainty to ultimately have a wonderful experience. This episode is full of important conversation, laughter, and inspiring stories. GMM is funded by NICA National with support from Rapha Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and Continental Tires. Also, the folks at The Gravel Lot, another wonderful podcast, have spent countless hours helping us! Learn more about NICA, GRiT, and getting #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes here: https://www.nationalmtb.org Follow the Maryland League on Instagram HERE. Jen Malik is the League Director for the Ohio League. Learn more about the Ohio League here: https://www.ohiomtb.org Nikki Peterson is the Program Coordinator for the SoCal League. Learn more about the SoCal League here: http://www.socaldirt.org

Jess Cerra (@JessCerra) is Vice President, Product & Community Dvlpmt @jojebar | @therealsaltstick . We talk to her about The Last Best Ride, riding gravel and founding an energy bar company.    SUPPORT THE SHOW: Use this link to Amazon to support the show at no cost to you - Just shop like normal! Get a 100% Made for you Training Plan: https://consummateathlete.com/training-plans/ Book a Call or Skills session - https://calendly.com/smartathlete Get one of Molly Hurford's Books - Shred Girls, Fuel Your Ride, Sponsorship Guide for Athletes, or Becoming a Consummate Athlete   Show Notes & Services: ConsummateAthlete.com Listen on Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/show/3eK9nI1Rmr7o9WvUcwCR2b Listen on Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/consummate-athlete-podcast/id1100471297

This week on the podcast Kathryn and Kristi welcome back two recurring guests, Laura King & Jess Cerra, to talk about their most recent bike packing adventure. After Jess hosted her gravel event the Last Best Ride in Whitefish MT, the pair packed up their gear and headed for the Colorado trail for an epic 4-day trip. They fill us in on all of the details, from what they packed, their route, the bikes they rode, and even how they filled their time off the trail during the trip. As performance-focus athletes, Jess and Laura explain how they designed the trip to push them both physically and mentally, as it was a way to get out of the comfort zone of their typical training grind. They tell us about the challenges of jumping into a new discipline of cycling, and how they managed the unknown terrain in the high alpine. **Support the Girls Gone Gravel Podcast** Joje Bars: get 15% of with code gravellove15 at https://jojebar.com InsideTracker: get 25% off at insidetracker.com/girlsgonegravel

This week on the show Kathryn & Kristi are coming to us live from their Women's Brunch the day before the Last Best Ride in Whitefish, MT. They first catch up with pro cyclist Sara Sturm, who went on to win the event. Also a finisher of the epic “LeadBoat” challenge last weekend, Sara chats about how she is feeling about the race, and what she thinks makes gravel events so special. Next, we hear from LBR race director, pro cyclist, and founder of Jojé Bars, Jess Cerra. We hear about the ups and downs (but mostly ups) of being a race director at a gravel event. Lastly, Kristi chats with Kim Rogers, the Director of Marketing at Pinarello. Kim fills us in on the path that led her to her position at Pinarello, and speaks about the efforts that she and the company have put forth to make an impact in the women's cycling community. **Support the Girls Gone Gravel Podcast** Joje Bars: get 15% of with code gravellove15 at https://jojebar.com InsideTracker: get 25% off at insidetracker.com/girlsgonegravel

Gravel cycling's biggest day occurred this past weekend, and we were on the ground in Emporia to document the race. On today's podcast we take a deep dive into Unbound Gravel, with analysis of the men's and women's race; thoughts on the race's decision to include both genders into one race; and how the wind and heat shaped the day. Then, Ben Delaney takes us inside his effort at the race, and what he saw from inside the group. Finally, we hear from multiple riders at the finish line of Unbound Gravel, with interviews from Ian Boswell, Jess Cerra, Shayna Powless, Travis McCabe, and many others. All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

Thank you for listening to What's Wellness with Ahlia Yoga! Let's connect - Share your email with me for future online live events! *Please leave a review & rating & let me know what you like/want more of as I love receiving your feedback... help What's Wellness grow by subscribing & sharing with your family & friends - thank you so much for your support!  Email a screen shot of your review to ahlia@ahliayoga.com to receive a discount code for a free full length yoga video from my website (regularly $15 per class for unlimited use). Thank you Jess for sharing your story as a professional athlete and chef, and how you infuse wellness practices into your daily routine! Get in touch with Jess via the following links: Instagrams: @jesscerra -and- @jojebar -and- @thelastbestride Website: www.jojebar.com Check Out My Favorite Wellness Products!! *Sole Water Kits *CBD Products (NO THC, Heavy Metals, or Pesticides - Organically Grown!) Use Code: What'sWellnessCBD for 20% off! *Try ENERGYbits Algae tabs (Chlorella & Spirulina) for dense nutrition! High in protein, vitamins & minerals great for energy & detoxifying. I eat ENERGYbits everyday! Use code: AhliaYoga for 20% off on www.energybits.com *I use all of the products from The Philosophie - an LA Based Woman Owned Superfoods Company! *I use Vital Proteins Collagen in my coffee and tea daily! *Please send any wellness, meditation or yoga related questions or suggestions via email or instagram! Email: ahlia@ahliayoga.com Website: www.ahliayoga.com - Ahlia offers a 200 hour yoga teacher training! Next program is starting 2021 ONLINE - Yoga Alliance Accredited.   *IG: @WhatsWellnessPodcast & @AhliaYoga *FB Yoga Group: Sunshine Yoga with Ahlia Weekly LIVE ONLINE Vinyasa Yoga Classes Wednesdays 4:30pm PST on Zoom.  I love answering your questions - please email me questions, comments, & feedback!! I hope you will subscribe, download our episodes, & share with others when you're inspired to! Thank you & Be Well, Ahlia Vinyasa Yoga & Guided Meditations On Ahlia Yoga's YouTube Channel --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/whatswellness/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whatswellness/support

**REBROADCAST** This week Kathryn and Kristi catch up with professional cyclist, chef, and entrepreneur Jess Cerra. We hear how a grad school lab experiment catapulted Jess into a professional cycling career, and she tells us about the challenges of making ends meet as a female professional cyclist. Jess gives us the inside scoop of how experimenting in the kitchen to find the best ride snacks led to a successful business that now helps support her cycling career, and shares some delicious real-food nutrition hacks for fueling on and off the bike. Like so many others, 2020 has pushed Jess to change her race plans, but she tells us how this has allowed her to jump head first into the wonderful world of gravel racing. Kristi fills us in with an update on the DK name change process, and Kathryn is finally getting out of “Hot-lanta” for some family time in the PNW.

WE UNDERSTAND THERE WERE SOME TECH. DIFFICULTIES IN THE UPLOAD. THIS SHOULD BE FIXED Welcome back to another episode of Coffee and Van Chats with Jess Cerra who is an ex pro cyclist now gravel adventure rider who has just started the LAST BEST ride in White Fish Montana scheduled to launch 8/22/21. https://www.thelastbestridemt.com https://www.bikehardcore.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coffeeandvanchats/support

This week Kathryn and Kristi catch up with professional cyclist, chef, and entrepreneur Jess Cerra. We hear how a grad school lab experiment catapulted Jess into a professional cycling career, and she tells us about the challenges of making ends meet as a female professional cyclist. Jess gives us the inside scoop of how experimenting in the kitchen to find the best ride snacks led to a successful business that now helps support her cycling career, and shares some delicious real-food nutrition hacks for fueling on and off the bike. Like so many others, 2020 has pushed Jess to change her race plans, but she tells us how this has allowed her to jump head first into the wonderful world of gravel racing. Kristi fills us in with an update on the DK name change process, and Kathryn is finally getting out of “Hot-lanta” for some family time in the PNW.

Jess Cerra is a professional cyclist with a handful of other feathers in her cap (...or helmet). A published, professional chef and entrepreneur as the owner of JoJé Bars, Jess has raced at the highest level of women's cycling and recently made the transition to gravel. During the King family trip across the country, we visited Whitefish, MT for a trip to Jess's hometown where she showed us around the gravel scene in and around Glacier National Park. That was stunning. This conversation is stunning. Jess has hilarious and heart-wrenching stories of what it takes to ride a bike for a living.

This week's episode is all about the sport's move onto gravel. Where did it come from? Where is it going? Why does nobody want to race on the road anymore? Abby chats with Olivia Dillon, who works at Velocio, Jess Cerra, who runs a gravel camp, and Alison Tetrick, the Queen of Gravel, for insight into the groad phenomenon. 

Chef and racer Jess Cerra is the brain behind one of the newest bars on the market, JoJé Bar. With her knowledge of nutrition, the needs of elite racers and her understanding of food as a chef, she decided to formulate a new bar with less carbohydrate, more fat and...

Show up every day. Whatever it is that you are going after in life, show up every day to take the next step. We know this simple recipe works but simple does not always translate to easy. Every time we show up we create momentum in the universe for our life. Whether you are an age group athlete or professional, we are all subject to the human condition in which motivation waivers and belief in self will rise and fall like a kid on a trampoline. As we gain more experience from showing up, we gain confidence. The physical evidence shows up and we reap the fruits of our labor. We know in order to reach our goals, we must face up to everything that challenges us and in this episode, we dive into the wisdom of two veteran professionals in the sport of triathlon. Carrie "Cazz" Lester and Scottie DeFilippis share their wisdom with the YT community as they open up about their differences as athletes, Scottie being the "trainer" and Carrie being the "racer", tips for staying present and not getting caught up in the hype of the mind. These two athletes have seen great success in their careers and are now methodically looking towards their future as athletes and coaches with Keep It Simple. We are grateful to YTP guest Jess Cerra for connecting us and to Canyon Bicycles for hosting such a great event for our communities to come together.

Who would ride their bike 300 miles in three days? Travis Flood, Jess Cerra, Stuart Brown and Tom Nelson are four out of the hundreds of chefs and members of the culinary community who do it to raise funds and awareness for No Kid Hungry. In this special episode of Add Passion and Stir, host and fellow cyclist Billy Shore talks to these four riders after the second day of the 2017 Chefs Cycle event about what motivates them to tackle both the challenge of the ride and the challenge of ending childhood hunger in the US. (The first Chefs Cycle 2018 will be May 15-17 in Santa Rosa, CA and the second will be September 25-27 in Charlottesville, VA.) It comes down to commitment and community. Arby’s Foundation Executive Director Stuart Brown, who experienced several mechanical problems, sees a parallel between his ride and the mission to end hunger. “When you rally around a community, it happens. Even though I had all the flat tires, I made it because of the power of community,” he says. Chef Travis Flood of California’s Alexander’s Steakhouse and Pappas Artisanal not only rides in the event but has the added pressure of preparing dinner for all the riders and volunteers each night. “I have so much love and respect and care for this organization that I don’t want to fail,” he says. Personal chef and professional cyclist Jess Cerra grew up food insecure in small-town Montana. “I realized the community was really helping my mom so she could feed us…. So for me it goes beyond kids who don’t have breakfast or lunch or dinner… they realize that people believe in them,” she says. Share Our Strength President and CEO Tom Nelson values the perseverance. “It’s people coming together—chefs, corporations, elite cyclists—saying we’re not going to fail, we’re going to persevere on this ride. We’re going to persevere in ending childhood hunger in this country,” he says. Be inspired by the dedication of four No Kid Hungry champions who persevere through a grueling physical challenge to help end childhood hunger.

With too much weight on his body and too much drinking in his life, John Abate hopped on his messenger bike and started moving his body. A few miles turned into more and over time with consistency and awareness, John pedaled his way to the active and cleaned up version of the life he experiences today. His discovery of cycling opened up so many doors for John. Camaraderie, mentorship, competition, purpose, deep healing and forgiveness on a level that left those closest to him in disbelief. With the addition of mindfulness and meditation, there is no limit to where he will take his sport because, as all of us who walk the warrior path know, spirituality is endless. John reveals to us his pathway to finding meditation and the recovery that allowed him to start living his life fully. He goes into detail about the hit-and-run accident that left John broken in just about every part of his body and one that doctors say most likely would have taken his life had he not been so physically fit. We go deep during today's conversation and although John repeatedly lets us know that he's had no formal training, his wisdom is deep and we are grateful that he shares it so generously. Co-founder of JoJe' Bars with YTP guest Jess Cerra, John applies his mindfulness practices not only to his sport but also his business. He sees the natural transcendence of a mindful life not only to benefit certain aspects of life but as a complete blueprint for life. In addition to John's personal story, our chat weaves in big concepts such as the delusion of time, the cumulative effects of meditation, the importance of compassion and empathy for athletes, mindfulness as it applies to business and why the end goal is not present moment awareness. Thank you for tuning in, please check the show notes before for ways to continue to support the show and connect with John. We realize you have a choice and we are so grateful that you continually choose to listen to the YTP.

Today's guest can ride a bike and not just from strength and talent. Her ability to understand the bike is a gift that she brought into this world and one that has led to her deepest moments of learning in life. Her unexpected path to the saddle came through her studies in Exercise Physiology and once it showed up, she put the throttle down. Starting out on the trails of off-road triathlon, Jess earned herself the Xterra National Championship as an amateur. Yet she had the clarity and data to see that cycling was her jam so she moved to the road and started racing and beating the best in the sport. She landed herself a contract, sponsors and a new direction in life as a professional cyclist. This is what we would call flow. A time in life when we seemingly stumble upon a purpose and without question, begin to live it out. This is the story of Jess Cerra. Jess is a professional cyclist, writer, chef and business owner of JoJe' Bar; a real-food bar founded on the mantra of "ingredients, balance, and energy". Dissatisfied with the bars on the market, Jess set up camp in her kitchen with a mission to create something that didn't already exist, a quality bar using the finest ingredients that tasted like a soft baked cookie. I can attest that she achieved her goal. We dive into the birth story of JoJe', Jess's rise to professional cycling and all that has been brought into her awareness from this journey of speed, competition, joy, pain, and darkness. No matter what seems to fall within her path, Jess feels supported by a guiding light that made itself known to her many years ago. We dive into meditation, the mental game for athletes, detachment, recovery, and racing. This is a conversation that warms up in its depth and builds in its gravity of context.

For episode 3 of The Dirt Field Recordings, Lindsay goes on a road trip with Jess Cerra to the Chico Stage Race. They have a great conversation along the way, talking about food, eating disorders, and the right way to fuel. It's a good one. Follow Jess on Twitter at  @JessCerra_ and on Instagram at @JessCerra. This episode of DFR is brought to you by Health IQ. Too learn more about life insurance options available to our active listeners, and to help the show continue to grow, please visit www.healthiq.com/dirtfield. If you'd like to contact the show, email us at dirtfieldrecordings@gmail.com.  Follow the show on twitter at: @dirtfieldrecord Follow Lindsay on twitter at: @thedirtfield and on Instagram also at @thedirtfield. Thanks for listening. Tell a friend and spread the word. And consider becoming a member of the Wide Angle Podium podcast network: www.wideanglepodium.com.