Well, folks, this one is a long one - by far the longest to date - but it is also one of my favorite conversations . Trust me, this one is worth your time. For this episode of “The Cross Section” we have a little story time with someone whom I love talking to and someone whom I admire a great deal - three-time U.S. Cyclocross National champion and two-time Pan-American champion, Stephen Hyde. If you weren’t a fan of this man before, spend a couple of hours with him and you will walk away as one.

We discussed his growing up on the panhandle in rural Florida and how those experiences were so vital in his journey and his life is defined by the road and discovery of self. His life is one of reflection and self-examination. He is a human who is unafraid to undo and redo self, worldview, and belief. As we all should be, he is in constant revision mode - as a cyclist and more importantly as a human being.

His journey has taken him from coast to coast and back again and in the flow of conversation I also discovered that the first 'cross race he had ever seen was at a Cyclocross Crusade at Alpenrose Diary here in Portland and that it changed the trajectory of his life. We also talked about his transformation as a humanist and as a social justice advocate as well as his love of birds and nature. In short, we covered a LOT of ground.

I say this about every episode, I think, but if you think you’re only going to listen to just one, this is a great place to begin. Today it’s story time with Stephen Hyde … I think you’ll like it.

Thanks so much for taking some time out of your life today and I hope you had as good of a time as I did with this one. Follow me on Instagram @dcmediahaus and also Sign up and download, rate and review and subscribe wherever you source your podcasts so you’ll always know when a new show drops - it means the world. Stay Safe. And just keep pedaling.

Content Warning: A small handful of curse words by both host and guest (but mostly by the host).