Latest / Zone2Speak Podcast / Unbreakable Spirit: Kai Luan's Paracycling Journey

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Unbreakable Spirit: Kai Luan's Paracycling Journey · Zone2Speak Podcast

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Now, let's get into the episode.
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All right. In this powerful and inspiring episode of Don't You Speak,
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I welcome Kyle Wan, a four-time U.S.
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Paracycling national champion whose journey embodies resilience and determination.
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Diagnosed with osteosarcoma during his junior year of high school,
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Kyle underwent a right-below-knee amputation.
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Remarkably, within a year, he returned to competitive sports,
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initially in martial arts, before discovering his passion for cycling.
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Now an accomplished paracyclist, Kai is also a dedicated attorney and an advocate for adaptive sports.
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From navigating the road to paracycling to mastering both physical and mental
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performance, Kai opens up about the heights, the challenges,
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and everything in between.
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I will explore what drives him, the unique demands of training and competing
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at the elite level, and how he continues to break barriers both on and off the race course.
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Whether you are an athlete, an advocate, or simply someone who believes in the
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power of human potential, this episode will leave you inspired.
4:34
Kai, welcome to Zon2Speak. Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm super excited to
4:39
be here today. Awesome, so am I.
4:42
What was your first moment of I want to be a Paralympic was it a person a race
4:49
a moment I know I come from triathlon and I wish to just do yoga and running
4:54
you know like a normal person,
4:57
and when I saw an Ironman live I was just like oh my gosh I was so inspired
5:03
I was like I had a high and I really wanted to do it of course it took me it
5:08
was a little bit of a journey to get there,
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But anyways, what's your story? What's your aha moment?
5:14
Yeah, I mean, for me, I didn't think I realized that the Paralympics really
5:18
existed pre-amputation, honestly.
5:22
So for me, it didn't really kick in until my amputation was in 2012.
5:28
And then so soon after, it was September 2012, and then I started getting into cycling around 2016.
5:35
And then 2016 was the V0 PIP.
5:39
So I think I was just watching TV, and then that happened to come on,
5:43
and it would have been all yes.
5:46
So that made me realize there was, I guess, an entire category of sports that
5:51
wasn't commonly broadcasted. But, you know, nowadays in social media and everything,
5:56
it's a lot easier for people to discover new things and new avenues.
6:00
So, it was definitely, like, I
6:02
think Instagram had a huge influence on me discovering hair sports again.
6:08
Because definitely when I first started getting to bike lane after the entry
6:14
station, because I didn't really ride bike for the entry station,
6:18
the only adaptive athlete that I really knew of was, blanking on the name,
6:26
but he was a dual below the knee empty runner from, I think, South Africa.
6:31
Uh, so that was, I didn't realize there was anything outside of running.
6:36
So discovering the Paralympics and Olympics really opened up a whole new world
6:39
for me in terms of the basketball sport.
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And I've always been an athlete growing up.
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I did much work growing up. I played soccer, tennis, et cetera.
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And I ran cross country, track field.
6:52
But yeah, I think cycling was the one thing that I think really struck a core
6:57
with me. and I could tell deeply, deeply in love with it.
7:02
Well, awesome. It's awesome to have in our community.
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And I wish there was more coverage on paracycling or any type of parisports
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because I personally love it.
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I think I'm even more inspired because it's hard to imagine going through that
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type of diagnosis and overcoming and then I don't know.
7:27
Correct me if I'm wrong, but almost starting from scratch and thriving.
7:34
Yeah, I think it definitely depends on how you enter the sport,
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because I know a few adaptive athletes, or a adaptive cyclist,
7:43
who, there's this really strong cyclist in Minnesota called Mitch Reckie.
7:49
He was like a cat one-two racer before he got into a car accident,
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and that's how he came down to it.
7:56
With okay i think it's definitely different whereas like
7:59
i discovered cycling after the after so i never knew what like competitive cycling
8:05
was with like two good legs you know so like i think it's definitely different
8:10
depending on like how you enter the sport and where you enter the sport because
8:14
like i became so much more active after the end,
8:18
really yeah so like I competed at rock climbing national champions national
8:25
champions back in 23 which was really fun I didn't really rock I'd never rock
8:30
climbed before that really and then,
8:34
This year, I'm going to start doing triathlons, which will be really fun.
8:39
But yeah, I hated swimming growing up. I mean, I still don't like swimming.
8:44
Yeah, I think most triathletes don't like the swimming. Unless you come from
8:47
a swimming background, we're all like, okay, today I've got to swim. Yeah.
8:53
But I do think that I became more active in coaching than I was.
9:00
It's good to see you smile. Wow. So tell me, you mentioned these other cyclists, Cat 1.
9:06
So what was your journey getting into cycling and what's your classification now?
9:12
What are some of the unique aspects of training and racing in your category?
9:17
Yeah. So for paracycling internationally, I think there are 13 different qualifications.
9:24
So within each territory, you have people who try to do their best on pairing,
9:32
grouping people with similar disabilities with each other. Okay.
9:36
So within cycling, you have five cross-occasion for hand cyclists, age 1 through 5.
9:43
And you have five cross-occasion for uprights, C1 through 5.
9:48
You have, I believe, two for tricycle.
9:53
And then you have one for tandem which is sort of like visually so that makes it 13,
10:00
I'm considered a C4 so below knee amputees, single below knee amputees pretty
10:06
much all fall under C4 unless they have another disability that might pump them up or down to C3.
10:13
And then a lot of the other athletes in my classification I think drop foot
10:17
is a common one because you don't have control of your calf I believe I'm not
10:22
entirely sure about that Thank you.
10:24
Every year, the USA Paralympic Cycling, they host what's called a paracycling
10:30
event where an athlete can come and get classified to do what paracycling they can do.
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And then based on that, you have to learn that.
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So for cycling, paracycling, there's only road and track. I don't do any track stuff.
10:46
But for road, you have time trials and road races.
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So in the Cs, C1 and C2 do 15-kilometer time trials, give or take, plus 2-kilometers.
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C3 will sometimes do 15 or sometimes do 30. I feel like they've been sticking around lately.
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And then C4 and C5 do 30k. And then on the road races, it's usually around like 40k plus C1, 2.
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And then C3s are in the middle. Sometimes they'll do the C1,
11:16
2 distance. Sometimes they'll do the C4, 5 distance.
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Okay. and then I think what's unique
11:22
about Parathlet I think that a lot of people don't know which I what's super
11:27
interesting is that like the C4 or 5 road races will race together across the
11:32
students from a classification and the way to tell who's in your classification
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is by helmet color so for Parathlet you have specific helmet color depending on what,
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classification you're in so luckily C4 is white all my helmets are white already
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so I didn't have to buy a new helmet nice so But yeah, one of my friends is a C3 and he had to go out.
11:53
I think initially he just tainted his helmet blue.
11:59
That's funny. And do they put the characters together just to have more people or would you know?
12:07
Domestically, I think it does help having more people. Yeah.
12:10
There aren't that many characters like this to compete nationally.
12:13
So it's always more fun with more people, whether or not they're in your category or not.
12:18
Internationally, the fields are much bigger, but I do think that having an 80-percent
12:22
field is way more fun than having a 40-percent field.
12:25
Especially because you're racing across different classifications,
12:30
you can look at your helmet colors and say, all right, I can work with them
12:33
because they're not in my classifications.
12:34
So you could have a parade between a C3, C4, C5. Yeah.
12:42
That would make for a very interesting dynamic when it comes to races.
12:46
I haven't done an international race yet. efforts and it'll be in three weeks.
12:51
So I'm really stoked for that.
12:52
Nice, nice. Where is it?
12:55
The time trial is going to be off in Belgium.
12:58
And then the road race will be in Brugge. Sorry for pushing the pronunciation.
13:03
I wouldn't be able to tell either.
13:06
Oh, that will be so much fun. How exciting. And then the results of that,
13:10
is that you qualify for the Olympics or Paralympics?
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Or is that too early still?
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It's a bit early, but it does help gauge where everyone is at.
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It helps determine who is on the U.S. national team.
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So, the U.S. national team will go look at World Cup results,
13:29
Paralympian World Cup results, Paralympian World Champion results,
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and, like, some domestic U.S. results, like the U.S. national team.
13:39
And sometimes they'll also look at Paralympian World Cup results.
13:43
I had it on the podcast Jakob van Gaas he lost, oh my god,
13:48
now I don't know if he's the right or the left but he lost part of his arm in
13:52
battle and he's a Paralympic champ so it was very nice also to share his story,
14:01
okay so, stupid question does your training,
14:07
differ from regular cyclists?
14:10
Like, is it any different? I wouldn't think so. Let's go.
14:16
Back to the same, you know, you still have your zone 2, your VO2 max,
14:19
sprint workouts, speed squat, tempo, etc.
14:22
I do try to pay a bit more off the bike workouts due to muscle imbalances between
14:29
my right and left leg. Yeah.
14:32
There's a few inches difference between my right squat and left squat.
14:38
So the left is doing more work? The left is doing more work.
14:41
So I have power pedals. so like getting power put and you could like 70 30.
14:48
Wow wow on good days i'll be like 65 35 but definitely i try to do a bit more
14:58
like yoga and stretching and strength workout on the right leg um i think one
15:05
thing i need to do a lot with like single leg drills on the trainer,
15:08
just so that I can make sure the right light is working and building up,
15:13
getting a smooth up and up on the prosthetic side versus just,
15:18
the biologics.
15:20
Yeah, yeah, makes sense, makes sense. And everybody that I talk to,
15:25
you know, there's so much talk.
15:27
I mean, it's nothing new on, you know, yoga or flexibility work.
15:31
I just went this Sunday to a yoga brunch event and it was so much fun and I'm
15:36
really I'm going to try to do more.
15:38
Really, really going to try to do at least once a week.
15:41
I'm so bad at it. I'm so bad. I get excited and I want to do it,
15:45
but I can't get consistent.
15:48
Yeah. Right now, I'm probably consistently once a week.
15:52
I don't stress the second time in the week, but I do really should get better
15:56
at incorporating strength and yoga in my routine over the entire season. Yeah. Yeah.
16:02
Yeah, yeah. But, you know, we also have lives, and we've got to keep on also
16:08
being kind to ourselves and say we can't do it all.
16:11
But you are on the trajectory to the Olympics.
16:15
So that's what I'm gathering.
16:18
Paralympics, sorry, sorry. Yeah, I mean, yeah, the goal is to make the LA a
16:23
Olympic team of the extreme control. I'm not going to lie.
16:27
But there's definitely a lot of really strong competition, I think, right now.
16:32
Especially in paraplexes. We had a huge influx of new paraplexes, which is the same.
16:39
It's super nice going to a race and not having more than one person to compete against.
16:46
It's super fun. Even there was a gravel race, I think, last year or two years
16:53
ago, and I didn't make a podium.
16:55
I was so happy about that because there were enough people I was raking against
16:59
that I couldn't make a podium, I think. Yeah.
17:03
Competition drives you too I think
17:08
you work harder sometimes because it depends on your mindset but growth mindset
17:13
obviously you're happy that there are more people joining and you're happy to
17:18
have competition and get stronger right now there's some really strong B45s
17:24
in the US which is fantastic,
17:26
it's always nice having people to chat with everyone's super tight-knit and
17:30
close even though we are competitors on the board.
17:33
We all talk like we always have to chat and check in with each other once in a while.
17:41
That's wonderful that, you know, it's a tight community. Really cool.
17:46
So what is a typical training week for you?
17:52
Yeah, so, you know, it's finally spring in Chicago. That was the race season that started.
17:59
It's always interesting depending on where you are in the States. that
18:02
like the race season will start different times but march end of
18:05
march march the beginning of the cacao race
18:08
season so we had rock road last weekend and
18:12
very a lot of a crowd very the test saturday
18:15
which is really fun but training week
18:18
so yesterday was a recovery run and this year my trick is because i'm starting
18:26
to build more running and swimming my routine this morning i did a strength
18:31
workout and went on a recovery then tuesday will be a swim and a run,
18:39
when they both do interval uh thursdays will be done to friday which depends
18:45
on if i go race on a weekend or not it might be recovery it might be too and
18:50
then we can find out like i have racing so there's two christmas chicago this
18:54
weekend i haven't decided if i'm doing them yet but,
18:58
if I'm doing a long ride at the end or racing so cool,
19:03
Well, are you doing the triathlon for fun or testing it out to see if it's something
19:07
else you want to pursue more seriously?
19:10
Both. Both. I mean, I mentioned earlier that I really don't like it. I'm a self-aware.
19:15
But I did use the running track country and triathlon field in high school, and I did enjoy that.
19:20
I had a really good crew I was training with in high school,
19:22
but I did the building running back into my career in general.
19:26
And it all kind of lined up that, like, this year was the first year that Illinois passed the bill.
19:33
That says that insurance companies have to cover sport-specific prosthetic devices.
19:41
So before, I would have most likely had to either get a grant or pay for a running blade out of pocket.
19:49
And prosthetics could go anywhere between $15,000 to $25,000 for below the prosthetic. Wow.
19:57
So starting this January 1st, I was able to get a running blade through insurance.
20:03
I mean, I still have to get some, but it added a whole new facet of activity back into my life.
20:09
So right now, I'm just doing it for fun.
20:12
I mean, I enjoy cycling. I enjoy running. So we'll see how much I can put on swimming.
20:18
Yeah. I mean, the swimming, it's all technique.
20:21
So you just need the hours in the pool, probably some open water swim,
20:26
because that's where you're going to be racing.
20:30
And yeah i mean i also was never a fan of swimming it felt boring i don't want to offend anyone,
20:37
but that was my experience and uh some days i like it was a love and hate that
20:42
it turned into a love and hate relationship you know some days it's just like
20:45
just have to do it other days i was very excited but i guess i wasn't great
20:50
at it either so it makes it hard you know to love when you're not good at it.
20:54
Oh, for sure. But eventually, I got to a good time per 100 meter, and I was happy with it.
21:02
And on the triathlon, you know, you just need to survive the swim.
21:06
To win a race, you really need to have the bike and the run.
21:09
Yeah. Because you can be the fastest swimmer, and if you don't have the bike
21:13
and the run, you're not going to make it to a podium. Yeah. Yeah, we'll see.
21:18
Exciting. Do you have a distance? You're starting with sprint or Olympic?
21:23
Sprint. So for para-tries, it's all sprint.
21:27
Okay. I'm lucky enough that there's two para-tri-triathlons near Chicago.
21:35
There's Leon which is doing first weekend down in Indiana and then there's Fuzzle
21:40
Curry which is on the other side of the board in Wisconsin,
21:43
and then Chicago Triathlon in August also has a pair category so it's nice having
21:49
like more events that will have their category so,
21:54
it's like days where I am compared to other people and all races yeah that's great.
22:01
What does representation in sport mean to you and how do you hope your story impacts others?
22:10
I just hope more people get out and start moving.
22:13
I think movement is such a good way to relieve stress.
22:19
For me, it's a stress reliever. It makes me happy.
22:22
If I'm angry, I'll go for a ride. If I'm sad, I'll go for a ride or just move.
22:26
I think movement is fantastic, but it's a soul and mind.
22:30
The past weekend at Barrier-Roubaix, I was talking to a four-year-old and he
22:35
was asking questions about my life.
22:38
I love kids because they have a barrier. They're honest.
22:42
They just want to know things and it's great talking with them without having to think about it.
22:49
They have this sheer genuine curiosity and I think that we need more of that in life in general.
22:57
I just hope if I can get one more person writing, if I keep going for a ride
23:01
or just doing something, keeping self-active, I think that leads to a better life than everyone.
23:08
Couldn't agree more. I keep on nodding here. Nobody can see it,
23:12
but I'm nodding and smiling back at Kai. I completely agree.
23:16
And sometimes for me, just even walking my dog, change perspective,
23:20
change the mood or improve the mood.
23:23
It's nature, outdoors, sports, moving your body. yeah there's no better medicine there really is,
23:33
It's also just such a good way to explore your environment, which is how I got into cycling.
23:39
I used to love driving. I still love driving. It's very convenient.
23:44
But cycling, I rode through neighborhoods in Chicago that would drive through
23:49
and just see so many new things. You can interact with people more.
23:53
You can see these cool things that street corners that you didn't know to support
23:57
a new restaurant or cafe.
23:59
And whenever I travel, I try to put my
24:02
bike my camp is such a good way to get to know the local community.
24:05
And like the local neighborhoods and like see what.
24:08
People are doing you know yeah absolutely
24:12
i do ultra cycling so that's one of
24:15
the things that i most love because you go to a destination and
24:19
you're just riding for hundreds of kilometers and you
24:21
really get emerged into the culture
24:25
of if it's a new country and you really get
24:28
to see the everyday you know people and how
24:32
things are and yeah it the bike
24:36
you're moving fast enough that you
24:39
can see a lot it's not walking but it's slow enough
24:42
that it's not as fast as a car so yeah for
24:45
me there's no better way completely agree yeah and
24:50
are there any specific ways you advocate for
24:53
accessibility and inclusivity yeah so
24:57
so i started a non-profit with
25:00
a few friends it's also my race team that i race
25:03
with it's called indigo cycling so through the
25:06
program we do a bunch of different things like locally in chicago
25:09
we host like group rides and we both taxis tax
25:12
games and taxis rates to get people into racing there you
25:16
know we have just captured a free entry for like BIPOC women stuff like that
25:20
and then we also have a race grant for paracyclists for women and for BIPOC
25:27
because racing is pretty expensive you know yeah and on top that we work with different events.
25:36
So this year, we worked with Mid-South Travel down in Stillwater,
25:41
Oklahoma, to give up free para-entries.
25:43
We worked with Rock Road and Mark, Illinois, to give up free para-entries.
25:47
And we worked out with Barry, Roubaix, and Hating, Michigan to give up free para-entries.
25:51
So we're trying to work with local organizers to help advocate and help market
25:58
the event and also to say, hey, we want to get you out of these events.
26:02
Tell us how we can help you get out.
26:03
We have questions about support. we've all raced these before we can tell you
26:08
whether or not it's doable and the answer is it's always yes,
26:12
it's doable there's going to be a few sections we might struggle with it but
26:16
like that's gravel racing, right?
26:18
I think the best part about gravel racing particularly in the US is that we're
26:22
not bound by the strict structure of USA cycling which is like the national federations in the US,
26:28
because that's a category but by now being that but gravel, you know,
26:33
age groups non-binary, you have tandem, you have singlete, you have five bags, and now you have para.
26:41
It's a lot easier for gravel events to slot in a new category.
26:45
It's been really fantastic working with them.
26:49
Also, the last best ride in Whitefish Montana is fantastic. I get along with
26:55
Rebecca's title, Idaho.
26:57
I'm from some of that area. We had Jess on the show and she talked about the last best ride.
27:04
So let me just see. I don't know if I misunderstood, but I mean,
27:07
I get that it's easier for something
27:09
that is not regulated to add a new category. And that's wonderful.
27:13
What an amazing, incredible work you're doing. It's incredible.
27:18
But federations don't have a para category already?
27:23
Not on the road. Most racians don't have that category.
27:29
That's a shame. Yeah. I understand but like I used to.
27:37
Help post Sue Chris in Chicago. I mean, we still do the crack.
27:41
It's just like I took part of the Intelligent Theory.
27:44
And it's definitely difficult getting a nexus of like this to come out.
27:50
Tour of America's Zero Land, Togue up in Wisconsin, usually has a pan-sacled
27:55
category, which has been fantastic.
27:57
But it's also just like difficult getting people to come out during the time.
28:00
Especially Criterium, where like there's always a bit of, But there's already
28:04
a bit of a hesitation around like New York cyclists doing a crit because we're
28:08
going around circles really fast, but I tried something. Yeah.
28:12
And then by adding like I think additional barrier being para on top of it,
28:17
it definitely has been for some.
28:19
Like even at the national level, we don't always have a national crit rate.
28:25
So like this year for 2025, we only have a time trial and a road rate.
28:29
We don't have a crit or para.
28:31
Whereas last year we had road rates, crits, and time trial but the year before
28:36
it was also just road rates and natural.
28:38
So I think even on natural level, crits are not I think participation is always an issue Okay.
28:47
And it's a lot of preparation I guess to get everything So I think on the local
28:53
level for smaller event organizers it's definitely difficult to get even one pair of,
28:59
And honestly, racing by yourself for 30 minutes is not very fun going in circles.
29:04
So I just enter the normal cat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 races.
29:09
Oh, okay. Okay. Well, hopefully with the work you're doing and getting more races,
29:15
you have this category and getting more people in with the free entries and
29:21
also mentorship of how is this course and things like that to eventually have
29:27
that category. on more races.
29:30
Yeah, that's cool, right? At least for gravel, I feel like it's extremely easy
29:33
for every gravel category, honestly.
29:38
Yeah, makes sense. So tell me about your time being in the U.S.
29:45
Paracycling nationals.
29:47
You are a four-time U.S.
29:50
Champion, national champion, right?
29:52
Yeah, so that's... How was the experience like? Four times.
29:58
Yeah, I mean, it's fun. So, like, one of them was an eSports national champion.
30:03
That was the first one back in 22, I believe.
30:07
It was my first really eSports race.
30:10
So eSports is an interesting thing where, like, it's based partially on the
30:15
algorithm and different because you don't have, necessarily,
30:18
like the technical skills to
30:19
go around corners and timing, riding through corners and stuff like that.
30:24
So that felt more like a pure power test. but the last two was Nationals down
30:29
in Augusta, Georgia and Nationals in.
30:34
Rockco, not Rockco, Jamesville, Wisconsin.
30:39
Augusta was really warm. It was... Oh, I bet.
30:43
Yeah. Georgia. Haught in Hill, mid. Yeah. In August, too, which was really fun.
30:49
And it was a solid hill on a time trial course, which was insane.
30:56
So, but that road race is really fun because they combined the C4s and C5s.
31:01
So, we had, I think, 60 people in our race. Nice.
31:04
And then it's also it's always nice having someone to race again so like it
31:09
was cool working with people in other categories, eventually getting dropped
31:13
and just seeing where I am across the entire spectrum because after,
31:17
a US domestic race they'll release a category or like an overall ranking of
31:23
where you are compared to all the other parasites that race that day across all the categories.
31:31
It's always fun just like meeting people because I feel like every single national
31:36
event I go to, there's at least a few new pair of titles that weren't there the last year.
31:42
And it's always a mix of who goes, who doesn't show up.
31:45
Chris and I are catching people one year and seeing them two,
31:48
three years later and seeing what they've been up to and seeing how strong they've gotten.
31:53
Everyone's improving year by year and I feel like the times are getting faster and it's insane.
31:58
Everyone's working really hard for LA. yeah it's
32:02
it's crazy the field is getting faster and faster for everyone but i guess you
32:08
know in the paracycling the community is even smaller so yeah i bet you see
32:12
a lot of the same people every race how how was it like being on the podium
32:17
and crowned like national champion,
32:21
i mean it was a good feeling i'm not gonna lie it's um i partially it's like,
32:26
it's cool being recognized I think it's definitely yeah you put a lot of hard
32:32
work into it yeah but it's also like talking about representation,
32:36
cycling you know there aren't very many agents in cycling but it's still being
32:40
recognized that way and also so,
32:44
it's definitely like validation for like the training that I've put in and also
32:49
training that others have put in like huge things for like all the vendors who do have categories.
32:57
Because I know it's extra work for them to talk and like negotiating with classes
33:02
saying hey we need an extra set of prizes for this and that and everything so
33:06
I think it's like a huge community to put on everything or race even if it's at a single category.
33:14
Yeah, that's true. So we talked paracycling, we talked triathlons,
33:22
anything beyond that? Is there any dream project or adventure that you would love to pursue?
33:27
Oh, so you mentioned ultracycling. I'm doing my first ultracycling race this year.
33:33
Wow. Tell me more.
33:36
There's a race that's starting in Chicago called the Mishigami. Okay.
33:42
The full Mishigami. So Lake Michigan is the only great lake out of five great lakes in the U.S.
33:49
So the Michigan Lake starts in Chicago, goes all the way around Lake Michigan,
33:55
through Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and back to Chicago.
34:00
Wow. How many kilometers is that? So that's 1,000 miles.
34:05
Okay. So about 1,600 kilometers. Yeah, I'm doing half of it.
34:10
I'm doing about 800 kilometers. which is
34:13
a lot you go up to Wisconsin you
34:17
take a ferry across the lake and then you ride then they'll bring you to Michigan
34:23
and then you ride south from there and then back to Chicago so it's like 484
34:27
miles I think or something like that so yeah about 800k and about 10-11,000
34:34
feet of climbing which I think,
34:38
just under like about 3-4,000 meters of climbing probably.
34:43
They're relatively flat for the distance but I was looking at the course yesterday
34:49
actually and it seems like majority of the elevation is in the last I was going
34:54
to say don't be fooled because sometimes it's all at once or something like
34:58
that. It's a lot of rollers in Michigan.
35:00
Michigan is not flat I like rollers but when it's like I mean I don't mind long
35:06
climbs either if it's nothing too steep Yeah.
35:11
Wow, exciting. Do you have like the bike bags? It's self-supported,
35:15
I'm assuming. It is self-supported. No, I don't have it.
35:19
Okay. So you need to get some.
35:22
Yeah. Do you have any recommendations for my first off-the-cycling event? Oh, my gosh.
35:27
Yeah, I would say have fun and...
35:33
Don't bother what other people are doing, where they are on the map.
35:37
You know, I think for me, at least for me, ultra cycling, it's all about the adventure.
35:42
For sure, test everything that you're taking with you because it's a lot of
35:48
kilometers and you don't want to be, you don't want to scratch,
35:52
you know, because of something you didn't test or something like lights,
35:57
the bags, because some bags, you know, can be, need to fit your bike,
36:02
need to fit your riding style.
36:03
So it doesn't rub on your knee or something like that and easy to access so
36:08
you can open and close things.
36:10
What else? Eat everything you
36:11
want in the way because you're going to need all the calories possible.
36:17
And yeah, you know, power banks to charge everything, a good bike light,
36:24
safety first and at night, you know, obviously you need some light.
36:29
Oh my gosh, you're in for a treat. We need to chat afterwards.
36:33
I don't know how you went.
36:35
My goal is to not sleep during it. Ooh, wow.
36:39
You can do it. Yeah, I've never done it. I need to sleep. So I think every ultra
36:44
cyclist I have on the podcast will talk about what is your sleep strategy.
36:47
Some people sleep very little and smash it during the day and others just smash it and don't sleep.
36:56
Yeah, so I mean, I do kind of sleeping, but like it's only built-in sleep.
37:00
But because of the ferry ride, the ferry leaves at 1 a.m.
37:03
And it'll get to the other side around 5am 3-4 hours of built-in sleep and then
37:10
I'll do the last 280 miles,
37:15
That'll be a long day on the bike You can do it It'll be fun Yeah.
37:25
Looking forward to it Really cool I know you're sponsored by Salt Sticks so
37:30
bring all the Salt Sticks you get it's been great working for sure yeah,
37:38
Okay, so just some fun, hopefully fun questions.
37:42
You have a personal love for bubble tea? Yes. Oh, bubble tea.
37:47
Is this your go-to indulgence? When I'm off the bike, yeah. When I'm on the
37:52
bike, it's actually shaved ice or a slushy.
37:55
Especially after a long ride. Yes, a coffee shop is nice, but going to a gas
38:01
station and getting a slushy or going to a shaved ice store.
38:04
Oh, that sounds good. You get sugar, it cools you down.
38:08
It's water it has everything you need as a cyclist yeah
38:12
that's that's ultimate yeah i agree i
38:15
agree yeah yeah the u.s is amazing because of that that's one thing on your
38:20
ultra hopefully you go through a lot of gas stations you know because some destinations
38:24
are more challenging than others
38:26
but u.s gas stations are top resupply spots yeah like i know i can get,
38:35
I can take a protein bar, I can take a Gatorade, I can get a slushy,
38:39
I can get a hot dog probably, or a pizza.
38:42
Yeah. Yeah, you're good.
38:47
Travel Tales. You have traveled to various places for competition and leisure.
38:52
Is there a particular destination that left a last impression on you?
38:56
Oh, yeah. We were just talking about guests.
39:01
That's easily like my favorite groundhog every single
39:05
year I try to go so this year I'll be my third year going Whitefish is beautiful
39:09
town the locals are super friendly they're always super happy to have us just
39:15
as a lot of kids need to do her scholarship and the location you're like 30
39:20
minutes in Glacier National Park which is also like my favorite national park I've been in the U.S.
39:25
And then from there I'd like to the Canadian border because that's
39:29
20-ish miles from Glacier i want to say
39:32
so like wow it's a huge great way
39:35
to spend a week and then just two hours off like
39:38
yellowstone and grand teton so like i'm in
39:41
love the northwest wow it is beautiful it's gorgeous yeah i've been to montana
39:48
once i drove cross country from new york to san francisco and then did a tour
39:52
yeah went a little bit more north and yeah gorgeous how about culinary adventures
39:59
you are a Chicago native,
40:01
do you have a favorite local dish?
40:03
Oh, that's so hard.
40:06
I like soups a lot. Really? Which isn't like a Chicago special. Chicago's not a hot dog.
40:13
The dip dish. Yeah, pizza. Both are good at time, but I love soups in general.
40:21
If I'm going somewhere, a noodle soup or chicken and rice or something soupy, french onion soup.
40:28
A good soup Usually if it's salty, there's always protein in there.
40:32
It's usually you can get carbs in there.
40:35
And the soup itself brings the hydration.
40:38
But I love eating soup the night before a race. There's no right or wrong answer. So it's all good.
40:44
Soup is so good. Easily. Yeah.
40:48
Really? Yeah. Yeah, I like it too. It's nice. Yeah. Not my favorite, but I do love soup. Yeah.
40:53
How about, are there any books or authors that have influenced your perspective
40:57
on sports or law since you're an attorney or in life in general?
41:02
I don't think just in life in general. I'm a huge fan of Malcolm Gladwell.
41:07
So he's a former journalist. He's published a lot of books. He has a podcast on revision history.
41:15
He also, you know, through a
41:16
production industry, he runs a lot of other podcasts and stuff like that.
41:19
I really like the way he tells stories. So I've read all of his books.
41:23
And the book, like, the way he tells stories, he goes to, like,
41:27
I think I would describe his type of writing, his genre, like,
41:30
social technology. I find that fascinating.
41:34
Describing like how humans behave and why they behave in a different way.
41:38
Yeah. So yeah, I would say, yeah, my favorite author of all of these is like
41:41
an author of that as well.
41:42
Yeah, I like him too. I haven't read all his book, but I'm really into human,
41:47
behavior and psychology, so yeah, I'm a fan.
41:51
Well, we talked already about future aspirations, but is there anything else,
41:55
any personal or professional goals you're excited to pursue in the coming years?
41:59
Yeah. Anything I missed?
42:01
This year, you know, I have fun at triathlons, see where that takes me.
42:06
I'm going to Belgium end of the month. So, you know, enjoy my first international race.
42:11
Also, it's my first time on mainland Europe. I've never been to,
42:13
like, I've been to Ireland.
42:15
I haven't been to, like, Europe, like continental Europe. I'm super looking forward to that.
42:20
My first ultra race, it's actually really fun. So I think this is the year of,
42:25
like, trying out new things and, like, giving my shot at everything.
42:30
Yeah. And then, you know, after building Mike's Rhea as an attorney, so much to do there.
42:37
My firm has been very generous and very supportive of Mike's Rhea.
42:41
That's great. So it's hard to get that up. And also, Parker and other places.
42:49
Awesome. Well, you have a lot to look up to.
42:53
And so much positive things happening.
42:56
I will certainly be following your journey and once you get here to Europe if
43:03
you make it to Spain let me know I mean Spain is a huge country but I mean Girona
43:08
which is a big cycling destination so you should get here It's on my bucket
43:12
list Girona is on my cycling bucket list,
43:16
Well, just take a train from Belgium and get here Yes Kai,
43:23
it's been wonderful get to know you and thank you so much for sharing all your
43:26
insights and your experience.
43:28
Thank you so much. Yeah, thanks for having me. It's been super fun chatting.
43:35
And that's all for today's episode. I want to thank the listeners for tuning
43:39
in. Your support means everything.
43:42
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider following, leaving a review,
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43:49
Music.