Velo Podcast

This week we are doing something a bit different. Often this podcast is a space for a deep dive into an article that you can read about on the Velo website. This week we are instead going to learn more about contributor Lisa Charlebois.

Mike Levy and I sat down to chat with Charlebois about a ride she once did. This wasn’t an ordinary ride, though. Charlebois does a lot of big rides, but this one was even bigger. It is called the Midnight Sun Randonneur, and it is a 1,215-kilometer (755-mile) loop that starts six hours north of Stockholm in Umeå, Sweden, pushes north into the Arctic Circle to the Norwegian Sea, and then loops back.

Because the event takes place during the Scandinavian midsummer, there is no real sunset, just a constant daylight that messes with your sense of time. The mass start kicks off at 11:00 PM, and riders navigate to checkpoints roughly every 100 kilometers where they refuel on local items like deep-fried dumplings and moose meat sandwiches. Beyond that framework, it is an unsupported ride with a 90-hour time limit. You carry your own gear and sleep when you can.

To put her pacing into perspective, Lisa's first day on the bike covered 470 kilometers (292 miles) with over 15,500 feet of climbing. That initial push took 19 hours of moving time through rolling hills and endless Swedish forests before the landscape drastically shifted. Just in case you thought things weren’t hard enough, the third day is where the weather broke. Lisa and the remaining riders faced roughly 200 kilometers of driving, freezing rain.

Of course, like any ultra-endurance event, crossing the finish line was met with no fanfare. Does that sound like your idea of a good time? Maybe not, but that’s the kind of thing Charlebois brings to the table when she shares her perspective about a bike. Listen to the full discussion to hear all the twists and turns and find out if Charlebois would ever consider doing it again.

For more information about the event visit the Midnight Sun Randonneur website.

This week on the Velo Podcast, the crew discusses a 13-pound Everesting rig, women's specific bike shoes vs unisex options, and why your next road bike might actually be a gravel setup.

I’m back, but Mike Levy is still playing in the woods on a bike. We’ll talk to him about that soon, but for now, Logan Jones-Wilkins, Lisa Charlebois, and I get into women's cycling shoes, 13-pound climbing bikes, and the death of the endurance road bike.

Episode Breakdown:

Women's Shoe Buyer's Guide: We look at the women’s shoe buyer's guide that Charlebois recently published. We bypass debating the actual shoe choices and focus on why it’s critical to carve out dedicated space for that guide. Charlebois shares her thoughts on the current market mix of women-specific and unisex shoes and whether a unisex approach takes away from the quality of the selection.

Everesting Roam on a 13lb Bike: The discussion transitions to the shoes Charlebois chose and the 13-pound bike she used for her recent Everesting Roam adventure—a format with no sleep allowed and no hill repeats, ending only when you hit 29,000 feet of elevation. As someone who prioritizes comfort and normally rides a metal frame, what was the experience actually like on a stiff, ultra-light carbon bike?

The Endurance Bike is Dead: Wouldn’t she have been more comfortable on an endurance bike? It’s possible, but maybe no one should be riding a dedicated endurance bike in 2026. Jones-Wilkins reports on a rider who won a stage of Tulsa Tough on a gravel bike. He argues that while some insist the gravel bike is an industry marketing scam, that label really only applies to pure road bikes. We debate if the endurance bike genre should be put to pasture.

wash lines, and why the UCI is suddenly policing your jersey pockets and screen size.

This week on the Velo Podcast, it's lonely! I was away doing an interview, and Mike Levy is out in the wilderness doing a big ride. That left just Logan Jones-Wilkins and Lisa Charlebois to cover the week's topics.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 - Unbound Aftermath & Press Camp Prep: The pair starts off discussing Charlebois getting ready for her first press camp. She has questions about how to handle it, but she also asks Jones-Wilkins if he has recovered from Unbound and what happens after the finish line when the cameras stop. He details the reality of the endless queues for the Muc-Off bike wash, the decompression in the pro tent, and the sheer volume of mud that riders had to scrape off just to feel human again.

05:27 - Shimano GRX Long-Term Review: Gravel continues to be the focal point of the episode. If you’ve been following the drivetrain wars, you know SRAM has seemingly cornered the gravel market. Jones-Wilkins decides to zig when others zag, breaking down his custom mashup—pairing an XTR rear mech with GRX levers—and explaining why Shimano is actually winning the gravel race when it comes to raw shifting speed, cassette range, and the long-term cost of consumable parts. It is a deep dive into why 12 speeds might just beat 13, and why a brand doesn't always need to reinvent the wheel to stay on top.

40:34 - The UCI's New Tech Regulations: The gravel wars are free from the UCI, but once again, the team had to talk about another head-shaking UCI decision. The UCI recently rolled out new tech regulations, including a cap on computer screen sizes, conveniently set exactly 1mm larger than the massive Wahoo Ace. They also introduced a ban on carrying nutrition in front jersey pockets. Logan and Lisa debate whether this is a genuine safety measure to reduce cognitive load or just another instance of the UCI over-regulating tech while ignoring course safety.

51:30 - Ultra-Racing Updates: Finally, the duo wraps up with a nod to the ultra-endurance world, dot-watching Lael Wilcox as she sets off on her Around the World Record attempt, and tracking Dr. Sarah Ruggins on her massive push across the European divide.

Logan Jones-Wilkins is back from the mud in Kansas to break down a wild 26-mph crash, the dominant Specialized Crux 5 debut, and why gravel racing might never be the same.

As we mentioned last week, Logan was in Emporia, Kansas covering Unbound 2026. Now he’s back in the studio and Mike Levy and I get to talk about what he saw. Part of that is the new Specialized Crux, but before we get there, we start with a discussion of how Logan did in his own Unbound 100 race. It wasn't exactly a quiet day out. Logan details a wild situation that unfolded right in front of him, going from 26 mph to on the ground in an instant. Despite the crash, he still managed a 5-hour and 50-minute finish on the new Crux 5, and he finally shares the real details on what the bike is like to ride.

From there, we get into the rest of the racing in Kansas, and that means the mud. This year, the Flint Hills delivered thick, sticky mud that forced massive sections of walking and led multiple pros to pee on their drivetrains just to keep moving.

We also tackle the arrival of true team tactics. Specialized exerted absolute control over the front of the pack in the Men's 200, prompting the question: is this the natural evolution of the sport, or does it completely change the fabric of gravel racing? The Women's 200 was a slow build with constant anticipation, blowing up early and culminating with riders Sophia Gomez Villafañe and Geerike Schreurs texting mid-race to orchestrate attacks for the final sprint.

Finally, we look at the giant prototype Scott 32-inch wheeled bikes that made their debut. What does that mean for the technology, and will you see it roll out on production models soon?

Timestamps


00:00 – Intro & Logan's Unbound 100


10:03 – The Specialized Crux Deep Dive


21:55 – The Mud & Drivetrain Drama


27:00 – The Men’s 200 & Team Tactics


42:05 – The Women's 200


46:38 – The 32-Inch Wheel Debate

Resources Check out the Unbound Gravel hub for all the articles covered this week: https://velo.outsideonline.com/tag/unbound-gravel

We dive into the controversial Scott prototype at Unbound, argue over what makes the perfect gravel bike, and reveal the top picks from our new Road Bike Buyer's Guide.

Last week Josh missed the pod, but this week it's Logan Jones-Wilkins’ turn. He is currently on the ground in Emporia, Kansas for Unbound 2026, but his Starlink connection failed. That leaves host Mike Levy, Lisa Charlebois, and Josh Ross to hold down the fort.

Without Logan to set the record straight, the crew dives into the newly released Specialized Crux. Things quickly get heated as Charlebois and Ross defend nimble gravel bikes with 40mm tires, while Levy argues we all need slacker front ends and suspension.

Plus, Levy shares his newfound love for the Garmin 1040 Solar, which leads to a shocking confession from Lisa about how she listens to music on ultra-rides. We also analyze the massive 32-inch wheels Cam Jones and Robin Gemperle are racing on their Scott prototypes at Unbound, and finally, Josh breaks down his testing methodology and top picks for the 2026 Road Bike Buyer's Guide.

In This Episode:

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:13 a mini review of the Garmin 1040 Solar  

00:09:53 Music and headphones on the ride

00:14:20 Unbound and Cam Jones riding a 32-inch bike

00:22:34 Reader questions 

00:29:14 Road bike buyers guide

00:45:26 Specialized Crux initial discussion