Pro Cyclist Chase Wark pt. 1 - Mega Mid South FKT

Pro gravel cyclist Chase Wark joins me today to talk about setting the fastest known time on the 300-mile Mega Mid South gravel loop after wildfires devastated the Stillwater, Oklahoma area and cancelled the Mid South gravel race. Find Chase @chasethebiker on Instagram.  I wrote a story with my thoughts and reflections on the interview you'll hear today on my substack. Find that at https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/. That link is in the show notes & you can also find it in my bio @hardwaypod on Instagram.  The #1 thing you can do to support this show is to subscribe to my substack and if you'd like me to write and drop pods more frequently, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It takes a lot of time to produce these and your support helps make it happen.  I'll be dropping part 2 of this interview soon where Chase and I do a deep dive on life, bikes and family.  After an extensive search for the perfect bike partner, I'm excited to announce that Lauf has joined the Choose the Hard Way family. Lauf makes the coolest road and gravel bikes known to humankind and for 2025 I'm riding the Uthlad all road bike and Seigla gravel bike with the Grit suspension fork. Find them @laufcycles on Instagram.   Lauf is the Apple of bike design and they make elegant products that just work better than everything else. Follow my subtack and @hardwaypod on instagram to meet up with me at gravel events like Overland and to see what adventures I tackle on my Lauf bikes in 2025. Check them out at www.laufcycles.com.   Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.  This podcast is also brought to you by my best-in-class partners at Palm Tree Pod Co. They're a full-service podcast studio with end-to-end services to help any brand, business or individual take a strategic approach and standout. Find them at www.palmtreepodco.com Follow @hardwaypod on Instagram to get a look behind the scenes at what goes into the Choose the Hard Way podcast and substack and more.