Latest / Zone2Speak Podcast / Morgan Aguirre: From a Rented Bike to PAS Racing

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Morgan Aguirre: From a Rented Bike to PAS Racing · Zone2Speak Podcast

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Now, let's get into the episode.
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Welcome back to ZONTOSPEAK. Today, I am joined by Morgan Aguirre,
3:31
a rising force in the gravel racing scene whose journey from casual cyclist
3:36
to international competitor is nothing short of inspiring.
3:40
Morgan's cycling adventure began in 2019 when she rented a bike with the goal of riding 50 miles.
3:47
Encouraged by fellow Seattle resident and now world tour rider Veronica Ewers,
3:53
Morgan joined the Font Cycling Guild, marking her entry into competitive cycling.
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Her passion and determination led her to make a bold move to Girona,
4:03
Spain, where she immersed herself in the European Gravels circuit.
4:07
Now racing full-time with Panormal Racing Team, Morgan has already claimed victories
4:13
in the Gravel Earth Series, including wins at the Hills in Italy and Tierra de Campos in Spain.
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Her focus on mental resilience and embracing the unpredictability of gravel
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races has made her a formidable competitor.
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In this episode, I will explore Morgan's experience at Unbound Gravel 2025,
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her role in the dominant Panorama Racing Team,
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and her evolving mindset that has propelled her into new heights in the sport.
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Morgan, welcome to Zontespeak.
4:43
Wow, thank you for having me. What an intro.
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Better than I could have said it.
4:49
Well it's all you did so congratulations to
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you and all your success i was so
4:57
happy when i saw your win at the hills a little
5:00
bit muddy but let me just rewind a little bit if you can share how your cycling
5:07
journey begun back in 2019 what initially drew you into the world of bikes and
5:13
And what sparked the shift from casual riding into competitive racing?
5:18
Yeah, yeah. It's an interesting story. And actually one that I feel like is
5:24
not all that unique, especially in the women's space. I think there are a lot
5:28
of female cyclists that sort of came out of nowhere.
5:30
That kind of, you know, happened. I think a lot of women had jobs and were doing
5:34
other things before cycling.
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So much before cycling, I guess I was never an athlete. I would never have considered
5:42
sports or considered myself athletic in high school.
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In college, I was in mock trial and speech and debate, but I never played sports. It just...
5:53
Wasn't something that came naturally to
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me or maybe my parents didn't like encourage it I
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don't know but yeah I rode horses and showed llamas
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and that was kind of the extent of my like extracurriculars that's
6:06
nice though yeah yeah yeah
6:09
so not sport related I would say and
6:12
then you know like most people went to university graduated and
6:16
moved to Seattle Washington for work and was
6:19
working and it's funny because I actually don't feel like
6:22
I don't say it all that often but technically
6:26
where the cycling thing sort of started I had
6:29
just started running my dad had run a marathon for the first time in his life
6:33
and I decided well he's old and he ran a marathon so like maybe I can do it
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yeah and it was funny because at the time I thought like going under four hours
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for a marathon like that for me was like, oh, that's, that's fast.
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And then I moved to Girona and I'm like, oh God, that was, that was not that fast.
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But for someone working full time and who had no previous athletic background,
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I was like, okay, I'm, that was my goal.
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And so I had started running some and training for that and yeah,
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enjoyed it enough. And it was actually a breakup at the time with a boyfriend
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who did ride bikes in a very casual way.
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I think, like, I want to pretend it was this thing that I did because I just
7:17
needed a hobby and needed something to do. Take your mind off of that breakup.
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Yeah, but 100%, I think at the end of the day, it was probably me,
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like, trying to get attention and, oh, look at me, I'm riding bikes now.
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So that's when I went and rented that bike from the Trek store in Sacramento
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when I was home being sad.
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And I decided I was going to ride 50 miles. Very flat, 50 miles.
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And that was kind of... That's a healthy way of healing.
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Yeah, I was like, you know what, need something to do, wanted something to post on Strava. And...
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Yeah, that sort of started it. And from there, I was like, okay,
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now I need to buy a bike. So I bought a bike on Craigslist.
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And that's when a friend of mine, Veronica, reached out and said,
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hey, I just joined this team.
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I can see that you're new to riding and riding around by yourself.
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Do you want to come to this team ride?
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And that definitely was what kicked it all off. So I would say there wasn't
8:15
much time between being a casual cyclist and being a maybe more competitive.
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You immediately jumped into the racing wagon.
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Yeah, I joined this club and it was just like, that's what people did.
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They did, we did local races, we did lots of group rides, they were training
8:32
and I would go to the group trainings.
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And having never played sports before, it was like a whole new,
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having a team was like a totally new concept.
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And like, I pretty quickly found a home with this team and it was an experience
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I hadn't, I hadn't had before.
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So yeah, things happened pretty quickly.
8:54
Yeah. Well, look at you, like you had the talent all along that just needed something to spark.
8:58
Yeah yeah I guess I needed someone to
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and I think even when I first joined the team I
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definitely spent like the first year getting dropped
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a lot and I was
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by far not one of the strongest women on the team and
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then I just yeah I remember one day deciding like
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huh I don't want to get dropped anymore like this
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sort of mental switch kind of flipped and
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I was like I think I can hang with you know the other
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girls maybe and yeah having someone to tell you that you can and they believe
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in you is something I hadn't ever experienced and and it's so powerful just
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takes one person to say hey you got something here totally a little harder and
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then you're like what me and yeah yeah absolutely.
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And what made the big move from the U.S. to Girona?
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Girona is a known hub for elite cyclists. What influenced that decision and
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how was the relocating to such a cycling-centric environment impacted your growth,
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your training, and your perspective on the sport?
10:01
Yeah. Yeah. So it was in 2022 that I came to Girona in the winter.
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I didn't know anything about Girona, really, except that people rode bikes here.
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And I was living in Seattle at the time, working full time and just training
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to race kind of locally, domestically with the team.
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And I could work remote, so I could be located anywhere. And we had a lot of
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our engineering team in Europe.
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And so I thought, well, why don't I just go over?
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Yeah, let's just go train over there. So I decided it was a lot cheaper than being in Seattle.
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So I booked an Airbnb for three weeks in December to January and just came over
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with my bike and decided I was going to work and kind of train there.
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And I figure if you bring a bike to Girona, you meet people.
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And that's kind of what happened. And so I was there for three weeks and,
11:00
yeah, decided this is a pretty cool place to ride bikes.
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And so that sort of planted the seed.
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And then by July, after I had finished kind of racing with the team I was with
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at the time, and I say racing loosely because racing in the U.S.
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Is certainly not racing in Europe, I decided, okay, you know,
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why not move to Girona? Like I can work from here remote.
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It's cheap, like less expensive than being in Seattle.
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And why, yeah, why not? But it was interesting because I didn't move with any
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ambitions to ride a bike competitively.
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Like my goal in moving there was, oh, this is a cool place. I liked it. It's sunny.
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Definitely not to be a professional cyclist. I was working full time and enjoying Girona for Girona.
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Wow. How cool. Yeah. I mean, of course, I'm not a professional cyclist,
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but I came here kind of because of that. I also came here in 2022 for TRACA.
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Okay. I was here for a week, and I raced Traka 200.
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It was fast, but not as crazy fast as these days.
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But my husband and I really enjoyed. And yeah, 2020, end of 2023,
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I got also a job that I could do remotely.
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So we were like, let's go to Girona.
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Yeah. So we moved here 2024, yeah.
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Totally. It was a good spot to be. And then I think, you know,
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I'd never considered racing on, I didn't move here considering,
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oh, I was going to race on the road because when I did move,
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obviously I was not at a level that that was even a thought.
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I knew that the racing in Europe on the road was next level.
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And so I thought, oh, well, I could like join some of these gravel races that are around.
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And that's when I think my first one was Rancho, was Rancho when it was a UCI
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race and very end of 22, I think.
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Yeah, I think that's the end of the season, right?
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Yeah, I think October maybe of 2022.
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What happened between moving to Girona and then, I mean, you were on one of
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the top gravel races in the world.
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Like, how did this happen?
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Well, that's such a crazy thought. Yeah, so Rancho Gravel happened.
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That was my second ever gravel race at the end of 22.
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And I liked it. I, you know, enjoyed it. I think I ended up maybe fifth or something.
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Overall, I remember being shocked and amazed by Dani Shrewsbury.
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I remember watching her like pass me with this group at like speeds I had never
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seen and thought, wow, she's so strong. This is crazy.
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So yeah, that was kind of my intro to gravel. And I just decided,
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you know what, I want to keep riding my bike.
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And it was actually in the middle of that year that I was laid off from work.
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And so I ended up with a good amount of severance at the time.
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And I thought, well, this is severance to live in the States.
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I'm living in Girona. This is going to go a pretty long way here.
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And so that's kind of when I decided, you know, maybe I could ride my bike,
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a little more and see what happens. And so I spent 20, 23, I think I did maybe
14:17
four or five races and just was basically spending my severance money to go
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kind of ride my bike in some interesting places.
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And yeah, I don't think even in 23, I thought, oh, you could make money riding
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your bike. That still was not a thought I had.
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And then 24, at the end of 23, I
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ended up finding enough cycling and they were
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willing to support me in my cycling it
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was obviously not paid but I was at least not spending
14:47
all of my own money to go race that's nice you had the bike the kids and then
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support traveling support traveling exactly right and so that was kind of my
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goal 24 was like 23 was me spending all my own money 24 I was like okay maybe
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I can find someone to pay for some of my travel.
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And then this year at 25, I really decided, okay, maybe I can pay my rent riding bikes.
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I wouldn't say, you know, the goal was to have any excess, but it was,
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can I cover my living expenses?
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And so it's definitely been a steady, like, kind of progression that I don't think I ever planned.
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I don't think in 2023, I could have ever thought of myself being here.
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But now I'm really trying to think about, okay, what does 26 look like in 27?
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And like, now I really am trying to like make plans yeah
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i think you should because you're doing really well and what
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a blessing that layoff was right put you
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on a completely different path yeah absolutely i think about that sometimes
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also the the renting the bike from the truck store i mean had i or had i not
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broken up like broken up with that boyfriend i think i don't think i would have Sometimes,
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I think most of the time, we don't have the big picture.
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And then when you look back, it's like, oh, my God, everything makes so much sense.
16:11
Yeah. Yeah. And it's crazy to think how like that one little thing or one thing.
16:16
It's a catalyst for something huge. Yeah. Everything. Yeah. Crazy. Let's talk unbound.
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So Unbound Gravel is one of the toughest races in the world,
16:25
gravel races, I should say, mentally, physically.
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After facing a mechanical setback in 2024 edition, how did that experience shape
16:35
your mindset and preparation leading into 2025?
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Yeah, I think, yes, last year was definitely a bit of a bummer,
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but I also didn't go into the race last year with many expectations.
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I had just I had broken my wrist at
16:49
the traca and yeah so I
16:53
I just I wasn't in a place as far as training or
16:55
really mentally to to have many expectations of
16:58
the race so I would say regardless of mechanical which was unfortunate to not
17:03
be able to finish the race I definitely wasn't going in with you know top form
17:08
by any means and so this year I thought you know again it's funny Unbound for
17:14
me has never been a race that I thought like, this is my,
17:18
I want to peak for this race. Like this is it.
17:20
Because for me, 200 miles just seems like way too long to ride a bike.
17:25
But I'd also never done it. So I guess I didn't know. And I think I,
17:29
even this year went in with not too many expectations.
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I think my goal was to kind of keep things simple, not overthink,
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I think the weather we were really unsure about.
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And so I guess my goal was to sort of Be okay with the unknowns,
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which is something that I'm not great at and sort of embrace the unknown.
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And yes, know the key parts of the course, you know, practice the feed zone,
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know how that stuff is going to work.
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But at the end of the day, Unbound is such an unpredictable race that it's sort
17:59
of being comfortable with not knowing what's going to happen.
18:03
Yeah. And what about this year's race? What is stood out to you the most?
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And whether it was a breakthrough moment or a major challenge?
18:13
I mean, you were doing really well. You finished top 10.
18:17
Yeah. And, you know, it's a very tough field out there. So congratulations.
18:23
Tell me a little bit about how did this year go for you? Oh,
18:27
yeah, it was, you know, it was really interesting.
18:31
So I as an American, it's interesting to me because I've, I started racing gravel in Europe.
18:37
So it's funny, because you know, the US is kind of right that the home or we
18:41
like to say the home of gravel, but I actually started racing in Europe.
18:45
And so I'm not super familiar with how races are raced in the US or the competitors there.
18:51
So again sort of adding to the unknowns i going into the race though i knew some key spots and,
19:00
it was a bit of chaos there was you know a big group we
19:03
had some crashes but i knew that when the pace went up going through eskridge
19:08
into divide road which i guess at the time i didn't know divide road was divide
19:13
road now i know what it's called and quite how crazy it can be but i knew going
19:18
into Eskridge that there was going to be a fight for the top.
19:21
And so once the pace started to go up, because Cecily, one of my teammates,
19:26
was on the front, I tried to make sure I could get up ahead as far as I could.
19:30
And unfortunately, still ended up behind a crash.
19:34
I ended up... It's funny, I was talking to Rosa about this the other day,
19:37
trying to figure out what exactly it was that happened.
19:39
But someone crashed, and I think their
19:42
bike landed across the double track we
19:45
were on so then rosa crashed and
19:48
then i crashed over her and i think maybe g crashed next to us but i'm not sure
19:54
exactly who it was or what happened but all of a sudden we were on the ground
19:58
and you know got back up pretty quickly as happens shifters were a little twisted
20:02
move things around and we went and then that was the moment when cecily and carolina were.
20:08
Got a gap and took off. And it was a very well-timed, smart move.
20:14
And they knew the course and when to make that move and did it perfectly.
20:19
So by the time we sort of all collected ourselves, we were maybe a group of eight or 10.
20:24
And we were rolling with some good speed for a little bit.
20:28
And then, I mean, all of a sudden, people decided they didn't want to bring it back.
20:33
I mean, I was quite shocked at the lack of interest in bringing that pair back
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because I think at the time, I didn't realize that Lauren Stevens was with them.
20:44
But either way, the second that I found out that Carolina and Cecily were gone,
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I knew in my head, and maybe it's because I'm their teammate and I know them
20:51
as riders, but I think I knew they weren't coming back.
20:55
Yeah i knew that was a pair a pair you didn't want off the front so
20:59
yeah i mean at that point i decided okay i it means
21:02
i kind of get a card to sit here for a little bit i'm not going to help close
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the gap to my teammates until i know they're well off in the distance and that's
21:11
what i did for probably until the first feed zone okay and that's what how many
21:16
kilometers do you think That's at 112 kilometers is the first feed.
21:22
And then at what point you picked up the pace to get on the top 10?
21:28
Yeah, so then between the group, I think before the first feed,
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the group ballooned back to almost maybe 30.
21:37
I mean, we were really not moving quickly.
21:40
And it was between the first and the second feed that, again,
21:45
really not moving all that much.
21:47
No one really wanted to attack but it was pretty cool actually there
21:50
was a point where g rosa and i sort of
21:52
came together as like a little girona crew and
21:56
it was really nice having them and riding with people who are familiar and decided
21:59
you know what let's let's break up
22:02
the group a little bit because yeah a big huge group means you
22:05
have less people working and it's just it's always better to have less people
22:09
so we at first originally were like let's get away and we tried twice the first
22:14
time they let us well not let us go we went we were off the front for a few
22:19
minutes but eventually everyone decided they didn't want to let the three of us go anywhere,
22:24
which is fair and that didn't quite stop us so we tried again i remember seeing
22:29
g give like a pat on her butt and say she was she was let's go and we went again
22:35
and that second time that we went away was the time that broke the group from the bigger,
22:41
maybe 15 of us, broke it down to about eight of us.
22:44
And that was just after the first feed. So we ended up with this group of eight of us for about.
22:51
Most of the time between the first kind of in second feed and then a bit out of the second feed.
22:56
And it was at kilometer 65 when there was just kind of yet another kicker that.
23:05
It was Lauren de Crescenzo that kind of rolled over the top first, I believe.
23:10
Rolled over the top. Went very hard over the top. She probably wasn't just rolling.
23:15
And it was Cecile who followed. And we kind of thought, okay,
23:19
Cecile's just sort of closing the gap, but she was actually being really smart
23:22
and was really more attacking over the top of the climb.
23:26
And that's when Rosa and Sophia jumped.
23:29
And I just, I don't know if I was just a little too far back.
23:33
The gap was a little too big for my legs to close it, or they just weren't quite
23:37
there in that moment. I don't know.
23:39
But that's when the split from four and four happened.
23:43
The unfortunate part was that it was me and this woman, Sarah Lang,
23:48
who I was riding with, And then Anika and G, Anika and G had their teammate
23:53
Sophia ahead of us in the group of four.
23:57
So what really played out was a group of four against two, because Anika and
24:01
G weren't going to do anything to close that gap.
24:03
So yeah, we gave it a good try, Sarah and I, for a while to close that gap down.
24:09
But in the end, the four of them and the two of us, it just, it didn't happen.
24:15
So that was kind of the the split
24:17
of the day and the moment I keep sort of replaying in my head yeah what a day
24:22
well it didn't help that you were in a crash either so that that blows but at
24:26
least nothing major happened then you could keep going yes yeah and I think
24:31
you know I know there's a lot of talk now about like oh the crashing at unbound
24:34
and all of that and I think.
24:36
Yes I did I did get lucky I mean I.
24:39
Was able to get back up and twist my bars and keep going. And I know some people that wasn't the case.
24:45
But yeah, as the peloton grows and the field sizes increase,
24:49
I think crashing is more and more just a part of what happens at the beginning
24:54
of a hectic race when it means a lot and everyone's stressed.
24:58
It can happen. I mean, you see that on the road, obviously, quite a lot.
25:02
And you mentioned you started racing in Europe.
25:06
Racing gravel in Europe versus the U.S. can be very different beasts.
25:11
What do you think are the biggest adjustments you would have to make in adapting
25:15
between European and U.S. gravel scenes?
25:19
Yeah, I think the distance is very different.
25:24
I think there are a lot of longer races in Europe, but a lot of these,
25:28
especially the UCI races, tend to be much shorter, punchier races compared to
25:33
what you sort of see over here.
25:36
But I think, in general, I feel really lucky to have started in Europe and then go to the US.
25:44
I think the technical skills, the positioning, the sort of tactics that you
25:49
learn while racing in Europe, because roads are narrower, I think more people
25:53
are coming from a road background,
25:55
really only help over here when you have wider roads,
26:00
less turns.
26:02
And yeah, it's definitely a different way of racing. But I think it was funny coming to Unbound.
26:08
I think I'm constantly used to like comparing my descending skills to,
26:13
you know, I look at G and Rosa who I ride with and, you know,
26:18
Danny and like these people in Girona who are excellent descenders.
26:21
And I'm constantly like trying to get to that level.
26:25
And then I come to the US and I'm like, oh, yeah.
26:28
Oh, I'm pretty good at this. I'm pretty good at descending. Yeah. I'm like, oh, okay.
26:33
I'm like, I'm just comparing myself to like the best of the best.
26:37
So that was, that was a pretty welcome surprise. That's a good moment. Yeah.
26:42
Yeah. Not that the descending and unbound is anything crazy,
26:45
but I think if you learn to ride gravel in Girona, I don't think it gets much
26:50
more technical than that.
26:53
Yeah yeah yeah i
26:56
i ride a lot with my husband and i like
26:59
to say i have okay skills i mean doesn't compare to you
27:03
guys racing obviously but yeah sometimes it feels like i'm a kid you know because
27:08
i would be scared and he'll be like no go back up and do it again yeah yeah
27:14
but that makes the difference it makes a difference yeah you have to break that
27:18
fear and then start getting the skills,
27:23
And it feels good when you have a moment when you're like, okay,
27:26
actually, I can handle my own.
27:29
Totally. And I think, you know, even road racers would say this.
27:32
I remember talking to Veronica once and her saying, like, I think it was a couple
27:36
years ago, how quickly she had to improve in descending. Because she said being
27:40
a climber means nothing if you can't descend.
27:44
Like, if you can climb with the group, but you're going to get dropped on the
27:47
descent, it doesn't matter. Yeah. And so, yeah, I think...
27:51
Learning how to go up down fast is just as important as going up quickly.
27:56
Absolutely. Yeah. You are racing with Panorama now, a team that has been making
28:01
serious waves in gravel.
28:03
I mean, dominating it. Yeah. What does being part of the team mean to you and
28:08
how has it influenced your performance, confidence, and race day mindset?
28:13
Yeah. It's been great. I mean, it's very cool to be in an environment where
28:22
everyone is kind of trying to do the same thing, but in a way that,
28:26
like, I know from the outside, I feel like there's sort of this air of like,
28:29
oh, it's Paz Naral, like, it's the Paz Racing Team. I don't know.
28:32
I think sometimes you get sort of that vibe. And I think I've been really pleasantly
28:38
surprised in that, like, just the lack of, like, competitive nature between each of us.
28:44
I think all of us at the end of the day, obviously, are competitive people and
28:47
we're all racing for results.
28:49
But being able to support each other in however the race plays out and be really
28:57
excited for each other's success is really nice and something that has been
29:01
great. And learning from people.
29:03
I think me being newer to sports, I have a lot to learn.
29:07
And someone like Mads Wurtz Schmidt, he's been really helpful in things like
29:14
nutrition and how to fuel and how to eat before a race.
29:17
And those are all things he learned from the world tour and things like that.
29:20
So having the experience has been awesome. And I've learned a lot pretty quickly.
29:27
That's really good and it's really good to hear that there is this
29:30
camaraderie between all of you despite obviously the competitive nature yeah
29:35
totally that's absolutely and how about how is living in Girona like has anything
29:42
changed I mean you you started here so I guess nothing really changed but what
29:45
is your day-to-day as an athlete here yeah absolutely,
29:49
Girona is, I think, sometimes I take it for granted, especially I'm now in Utah,
29:55
I'm up in Park City at altitude for a couple weeks.
29:58
But I think even being here, I realize there are things I take for granted riding in Girona.
30:04
I mean, notably the traffic and the cars and riding on big roads with cars.
30:09
Gosh, I'm so used to like little quiet farm roads that I just can't ride around
30:14
big giant cars here. I find it quite stressful. Yeah.
30:18
So that's a big difference. But I would say day to day in Girona is it's really
30:22
an easy place to find community.
30:26
And I think sometimes for better
30:29
or for worse, I think everyone is really accessible, which is great.
30:32
I think sometimes it makes you feel I'm sure you're familiar with like the feeling
30:35
of, oh, but everyone's so close.
30:38
So I should be constantly getting a coffee with someone or seeing someone or
30:42
when someone reaches out, like it's it can be a hard place to say no.
30:45
And I think as an athlete now I'm learning
30:48
that half of the training is
30:52
half the job and the other half the job is recovery and being
30:56
really aware of my time and energy
30:59
and you know trying to not feel guilty when
31:02
I want to just stay at home and
31:05
do nothing is something I'm learning and something that can be a bit
31:08
tricky in Girona sometimes but yeah
31:12
I think my day-to-day sort of really depends on
31:15
the day and can be a lot of socializing and
31:18
seeing people and and training i typically train
31:21
i'll eat breakfast in the morning and and try to.
31:24
Get out i try to get out before like noon
31:27
is probably the latest usually otherwise like afternoons i
31:32
just i lose all motivation like once it's
31:34
hit 1 p.m if the training hasn't happened it's it's over whereas
31:38
it's funny i know i'm glad to hear it because i'm the same like i
31:41
i'm a morning person and sometimes i'm
31:43
like call just go later in the day you'll be nice and never
31:47
happens no way never happens yes yeah it just the
31:50
motivation drops but it's funny because i know someone like like rosa is
31:53
just such an afternoon like trainer and
31:56
it just it works and i think everyone has their own their own
31:59
style but i i can't do it so i try to go out in the morning and my parents also
32:04
live in girona which is really nice so they moved here as well they did they
32:10
actually it was quite a random story But the same year that I was decided to move to Girona,
32:17
they had also been planning for several years their retirement and knew that
32:21
they wanted to retire in Europe.
32:24
And I was in Girona at the time and they were in Portugal when they realized,
32:29
we don't really want to be in Portugal. We think actually maybe we want to be in Spain.
32:34
So they started looking at different cities to move in Spain.
32:37
And I said, well, I mean, I live in Girona.
32:40
That's in Spain. Why don't you, yeah, why don't you, like, come take a look, see what you think.
32:45
And, yeah, they've been here for the last two years now.
32:49
So, that's pretty fun. Oh, well, that's nice to have family close by.
32:53
Yeah, super nice. Yeah. When I don't want to cook dinner or I need a dog sitter.
32:59
I can dog sit, too. Yeah, oh, there you go.
33:03
I do have a cat, though, so. My dog's a cat. Oh, okay, great. He's basically a cat.
33:11
My cat is basically a dog because I also have a dog, so he has the dog personality.
33:18
Those are the best kind of cats. Yeah. Love it.
33:21
Yeah. He's more of a dog than my dog, which is funny. That's funny.
33:25
I always tell people, I'm like, you know, I really like, I'm not a huge cat person.
33:29
I don't dislike cats, but I just, maybe I'm not passionate enough to own a cat.
33:33
But I've always said I like cats that are like dogs that want to hang out and cuddle.
33:41
I don't know. There are some cats that don't really want to hang out much.
33:45
Yeah. Yeah. Those are hard. They hide. They're like, I want cuddle.
33:49
That's why I have a pet. Yeah, exactly.
33:52
So you have also had standout performances in the Gravour series.
33:57
Are there any races or wins in that series that meant the most to you personally and why?
34:03
Yeah, I think, I mean, I think the hills obviously was a big one that I think
34:08
for a lot of reasons was probably my first, was my first win in a bike race.
34:16
And so that felt really good. And I think kind of helped with a lot of maybe
34:21
confidence that I needed.
34:22
I also think the conditions made it even more special because it was such a
34:27
crazy day. Yeah, it was gnarly.
34:29
Yeah, it was wild. And I think, yeah, that was a big one.
34:35
But then even going into the UCI-Monaco race after that, I just still remember thinking like,
34:42
I don't know. I still didn't. I don't know that I had this confidence that I should have going in.
34:46
And that was fun because Mads and I both went together and he's much better
34:51
at being confident than I am.
34:53
And we both said the day before I said, okay, we're going to win.
34:56
Let's win the race, the both of us for pause.
34:58
And, and we did, and that was kind of fun. So that was nice as well.
35:04
But yeah, I think I've got, I've got some more work to do.
35:09
Well you're i think you're starting to
35:12
see results and very happy for you you you
35:15
train with john wakefield right yes yep
35:18
that's correct he's been on the podcast as well
35:21
it's amazing guy awesome yeah yeah yeah yeah how is it training with him he's
35:27
such a funny guy but is he like a super tough coach yeah you know it's funny
35:32
because i also i won't say that i have a ton of experience with coaches to know,
35:37
you know, one versus the other.
35:40
But I, I obviously really enjoy working with him and I trust him and,
35:45
you know, trust what he puts in the plan is, is the thing to do.
35:50
It's, it's worked so far, but yeah, John's definitely a, he's definitely a no bullshit kind of guy.
35:56
Like if you need a little like, you know, fluff around the edges,
35:59
that's probably not him. I think he's just too busy for it.
36:02
But no, he does a very good job trying to keep my head screwed on straight.
36:06
And it's been interesting because I think with him, I've learned how to train.
36:12
I think before I had a coach for about a year before, and I did a lot of like
36:17
every interval session was like max efforts. We're always trying to get PRs. We're always.
36:23
And so I think John was the first person to teach me that you don't need to
36:28
go full gas in every effort like intervals don't need to be the scary thing.
36:33
And I think I do a lot more recovering and then the efforts that I do,
36:37
I'm able to do at a higher intensity.
36:40
Yeah, working with John has been fun. And I say I'm a pretty simple athlete
36:45
as far as athletes go. I don't ask too many questions.
36:48
I mostly just look at the plan and make the boxes on training peaks green and call it good.
36:57
Yeah i think you said something that for
37:00
me is so i think it's the most important thing is
37:03
that when you really trust your coach you know and maybe
37:06
that's why you don't ask so many questions i think it's good to learn like why
37:09
am i doing this why is this important i mean i like to know from my coach like
37:13
if i'm gonna you know he always tells me if you're gonna miss something don't
37:16
miss this one this one is important one but i think the trust between coach
37:20
and athlete is super important, that you're trusting the process,
37:23
you're trusting the exercises that are there, the training that it's there for you.
37:28
Definitely. Yeah. And I think I, you know, maybe if I wasn't having success,
37:35
maybe I would feel differently.
37:36
But I think at this point, you know, I, he knows what he's doing.
37:40
Obviously, he works with people much more talented than I, at a much higher level.
37:48
And so I think, you know, I can trust that if he's out there,
37:51
stringing together world tour wins that that he can help
37:54
me with my gravel racing and so yeah it's
37:57
been good sometimes cycling can be isolating it's a
38:00
solo sport i know you have a team and you have your parents here are there any
38:06
other community and emotional support system that you have built around you
38:10
to stay grounded yeah i think you know having people both here in gerona and in the US is nice.
38:18
Obviously having, you know, my sister and my boyfriend Mickey is really helpful.
38:24
And I think, you know, I think the isolation that comes with being a professional
38:28
athlete is something that I've been thinking about more.
38:32
And like I kind of mentioned before, I think something that I.
38:35
Have been working on kind of understanding i
38:38
think you go through these ebbs and flows
38:41
and i think girona can be a really great place for it but
38:44
can also make it difficult you know you go away for six
38:48
weeks or whatever for training for racing and you come back and all of a sudden
38:51
you kind of feel like i'm so out of the loop i don't like it's very easy to
38:55
all of a sudden feel like oh i have no friends i know no one i'm out of the
38:59
loop what's going on and then you jump quickly back into that community and
39:03
it's easy to find it again.
39:06
But I think as an athlete, you go through these ebbs and flows of,
39:10
you know, you're out, you're racing, you're traveling, and it's hard to keep
39:15
up communication with everyone or feel like you're sort of socially in the group.
39:21
And then you come back and all of a sudden it sort of changes.
39:24
So that's been interesting to kind of learn about is that it's not just me that
39:29
feels that way, but everyone kind of goes through these,
39:32
ebbs and flows when you're training you're traveling you're trying
39:36
to recover and then also trying to maintain friendships and social life yeah
39:40
it's a it's a balance and i think it you just learn by navigating it and find
39:47
what works for you yeah yeah and i think just not getting in your head about
39:51
i mean and i've even talked about this with friends i think.
39:54
Not getting in your head about the fact that like you know all of a sudden everyone
39:58
hates me like Like, I feel like maybe it's me, but I feel like I can get into
40:02
that space where like, oh, no, I haven't seen these people in so long.
40:05
Like, all of a sudden, I'm like, I have no friends and no one likes me.
40:08
And then, you know, you talk to someone like, what? Like, what?
40:11
That's a weird thought. But it's, you know, you've been gone.
40:15
You've been away. Like, you haven't had that connection.
40:18
Yeah. And I think it's normal, you know? I think even sometimes myself,
40:22
I'm so busy. Then I'm like, I'm a good friend. I'm a good friend. Don't drop me.
40:26
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It happens to everyone. I think everybody knows that everybody's life can get.
40:33
Super busy and it comes and goes in different waves yeah
40:37
yeah and i think again gerona
40:40
is a good place to find it's easy to find different groups of people
40:43
too like one minute you're hanging out with i think
40:46
also maybe the hard part about gerona is that
40:49
because there are so many athletes there everyone is
40:52
on a different sort of schedule and you really
40:56
feel those ebbs and flows of like okay in
40:59
the summer everyone is gone but then all of
41:02
a sudden in the winter people come back and then you know
41:05
world tour the racing starts and then everyone's traveling
41:08
so it's kind of a hard place to to keep track of people
41:11
yeah it's true it's true yeah
41:14
and looking ahead this
41:18
season still and next season what's on your radar
41:21
are there any specific races goals any
41:24
even personal milestones you are especially excited.
41:28
About yeah i think you know i feel like
41:31
we've kind of reached that sort of halfway point in the season it's
41:34
a long season i think looking forward which i
41:37
was only maybe three weeks away now i am
41:40
really looking forward to oregon trail i think that's the one race
41:43
i i i loved last year i think
41:46
stage racing is really fun and not something you get to do very
41:49
much in gravel and yeah yeah it's
41:52
a lot of climbing which i really enjoy and yeah
41:56
that'll that'll be a cool race i also am really
41:59
looking forward to just finishing out the earth series strong
42:03
and that's definitely a goal of
42:06
mine so between the rift and the rancho earth final there's still some work
42:13
to be done there and then mixing in some uci races oh i I guess I almost forgot
42:17
I'm heading back to also to the U S in August for the core four event and gravel worlds.
42:23
So that's, that'll be exciting. And then next year.
42:27
I can't say I'm quite sure yet. I am really interested in doing a bit more racing in Europe.
42:33
And I've mentioned a couple times, but the Lifetime Grand Prix is something that does interest me.
42:39
It's kind of this like what I've sort of seen as like the golden or my guiding
42:44
star a little bit in gravel.
42:45
Like it was like when I first started riding bikes that had just started.
42:48
And I thought like, oh, that's cool. Like that's something to aspire to.
42:53
So we'll see what 2026 holds. Do you have to do lifetime or series or you can
43:01
either or or you can do both like time wise and also efforts, you know?
43:07
I think you can do both. But I do.
43:10
I personally think that committing to the lifetime takes full commitment.
43:15
I think if I was to do something like that, it would take full focus.
43:21
And yes, the key Gravel-ish series races would be important, obviously.
43:27
But I think the amount of money and sponsor support that the lifetime requires,
43:32
I think, takes full commitment from an athlete and is something that I would really want to focus on.
43:38
Morgan, thank you so much for sharing your incredible journey and insights.
43:42
Your story is a testament to the power of embracing challenges and stepping to the unknown.
43:48
It's so exciting and, you know, inspiring to see that, you know,
43:51
you rented a bike and what, two years later, you're a professional living in Europe.
43:57
Well, thank you so much for having me. Yeah, it's been, it's always fun to like
44:00
share the stories and kind of remember them.
44:03
I feel like I'm always remembering them as I share them. And yeah, it's a lot of fun.
44:07
Wonderful. You're welcome anytime. Thank you.
44:13
And that's all for today's episode. I want to thank the listeners for tuning in.
44:18
Your support means everything. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider
44:22
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44:25
Music.