On today’s show we have the American cyclist, Keegan Swenson. Keegan’s story is one of pure grit and determination. From a young age he has been drawn to the challenge of pushing the limits of his mind and body on the bike. His persistence helped him earn Junior national, Under 23 national, and Elite National Championship titles in cross country mountain biking. He was on track to go to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but after a 1 year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a couple of bad days on the bike at critical races, Keegan was not selected for the single spot available to an American.

Since then, Keegan has shifted his focus from the short, hour-and-a-half World Cup XCO races to endurance gravel and mountain biking. The change in disciplines has resulted in a commanding winning streak that he wasn’t able to achieve in the World Cup XCO format. Since 2020, he has set numerous Fastest Known Times, an Everesting World Record, an appearance at the elite road world championships, LifeTime Grand Prix overall titles, and in 2023 he obliterated the Leadville 100 course record by 15 minutes—a record held since 2015 by Alban Lakata, who is known for being one of the greatest endurance mountain bikers of all time.

In this episode, we cover the importance of building a support team to help you achieve your goals; the importance of rest, recovery and nutrition as an athlete; and the psychological aspects of being one of the world’s greatest endurance athletes.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Wil Matthews (@photowil)