Transcontinental Tales ep. 0 | prep, training, and creating overview

I'm fascinated with conversations exploring the intersections of creativity and athletics. One of the people who inspires me in both of these realms immensely is my close friend, Tucker McCrerey. An exceptional mountain athlete and architect, Tucker and I live together and motivate each other to push ourselves both athletically and creatively, so we felt like it was time to record one of our many conversations. We ramble on about the highs and struggles of sport, performance, work, and creativity in what we hope is a relatable conversation to anyone motivated by a creatively driven relationship to sport.

I'm about one month away from my latest (and longest) ultra-endurance challenge: The Transcontinental Race. The TCR is a ~3,000 mile self-supported bike race across the continent of Europe, starting in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and finishing on the coast of the Black Sea in Romania.  While racing, I'll be sharing regular photos and podcasts, bringing you along to experience the moments and ups and downs of racing in such a crazy event. This first episode is an intro to the TCR, what I've been doing to prepare through training, gear and kit organization, and how I'll be approaching creative expression during the spirit quest across Europe. Follow Lost Dot and the TCR: Instagram: @thetranscontinental Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/68zVLiE9OGRN36zrUaeTfU?si=025ed40db1f84245 Race reporting: https://dotwatcher.cc/ Follow me on social media: Instagram: @jlointheflow Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/jacksonlong Substack: https://mountainathlete.substack.com/  

Neve, Italian for snow, is a portable, real food fuel born from Nora Fierman's passion for endurance sport in the mountains. A lifelong skier, Nora wanted to change the game around how endurance skiers fuel. Neve is a little pouch of goodness, made from foods like beets, tart cherries, and boysenberries and is the perfect companion for any adventure. Nora and I are incredibly aligned in our philosophies around nutrition, fueling, and meaningful movement in the mountains. We dive into a wide ranging conversation covering her background in sport and struggles with fueling her own sporting adventures, the challenges of starting a food business, and rambles on sport and life and beyond.  You can learn more about Nora and Neve at http://eatneve.com and use code intheflow15 to save 15% off 6 packs of this amazing new product.  Stay up to date with what I'm up to over at http://mountainathlete.substack.com and on Instagram @jlointheflow

Reckon it's time for a little check in eh? I'm back to share some rambling thoughts on creative challenges, mental health, and my passion for podcasting in an effort to revive and refresh this show. More to come.

The Tour Divide is perhaps the most renowned offroad ultra-cycling race in the world. Spanning 2,700 miles from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide, it's an extremely challenging endurance event that many highly experienced adult participants take years to complete successfully.  Edyn Teitge just became the youngest ever finisher of the race at age 15 on his rookie attempt, finishing in 19 days, 13 hours in a particularly difficult year. I've known and coached Edyn for the past few years, seeing him grow as an athlete and human and it was amazing to see him have such an incredible ride as a fellow recipient of the Be Good Foundation's bikepacking scholarship this year. We sit down and talk about his experience on the Divide, the ups and downs, bike setup, and goals for the future. You can follow Edyn on Instagram @edynteitge. Read my Tour Divide reflection articles on my Substack: https://mountainathlete.substack.com and follow me on Instagram @jlointheflow. Stay tuned for my upcoming documentary on my Tour Divide preparation and race experience coming this fall.

A final check-in & update from Jackson from New Mexico.

After crossing the halfway point, Jackson reflects on the Tour Divide thus far & adds some insight into the environment and people along the route. Some wind included, as he's recording while riding in some rad conditions.

Another mid-ride update from Jackson after a week of riding the Tour Divide. After some major adversity, Jackson offers a change in perspective in his mission to continue the race.

3 days and 400 miles into the 2,700 mile Tour Divide, here's an uncut report from Jackson on the race thus far & the events, crazy weather conditions, and route conditions encountered; follow along for continued updates!

The 2,700 mile offroad, self-supported bikepacking race starts on Friday, June 14th. Along with filming for our self produced documentary, my friend Rob Carter will be helping me post short, raw and uncut podcast snippets from the trail, sharing my experiences and challenges and race updates from within the race here on In The Flow. Stay tuned! Race tracking: https://trackleaders.com/tourdivide24 Jackson on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jlointheflow/ Jackson on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/jacksonlong