I recently sat down with athlete and cycling coach David Sheek, who joined me to talk about the Mammoth TUFF, a mixed-surface endurance cycling event he co-founded with cyclocross and gravel rider Amanda Nauman.

David and I met via Zoom during his training camp in Mammoth Lakes, while he was in the final decision making process on whether to attend the Unbound Gravel XL (350 miles!) in just a few weeks.

We chat about the growth of gravel cycling, bike prep, handling the effects of altitude, what to carry on your bike, hydration and nutrition, and the COVID-19 protocol at the re-scheduled Mammoth TUFF, which is coming up this Fall. Great tips, especially for cyclocross riders who are used to racing for an hour, that might want to get into these day-long endurance gravel rides.

We ended up talking for about an hour and a half, so I’ve pulled the highlights of our conversation into this episode.

The TUFF, originally scheduled for 2020, has a new date - September 18, 2021: https://mammothtuff.com

David Sheek bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-sheek-27450b64/

RideCX: https://www.RideCX.com/

Thanks for listening!

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