Ep. 211: Jason Vance: Single Speed And Dirt Naps
This week Clint and Dawson sit down with Jason Vance. Jason has been riding bicycles for 40 years. He began racing in the late 90’s while at Oregon, focusing on track cycling. After moving to Nevada to pursue graduate studies, He was introduced to MTB’ing by a colleague and would eventually abandon all skinny-tired aspirations. An academic position would bring him to Charleston SC; after navigating the hurdles of tenure (and addressing his neglected health), He fell in love with the rugged trails in Pisgah Forest. Through chance encounters, he stumbled upon the southeast ultra-endurance community in 2018, via Eric Wever’s Pisgah 36, Kim Jordan Murrell’s Dirty 130, and Karlos Rodriguez Bernart’s Cross Florida ITT. He soon found himself craving long miles across the beautiful forest roads and trails of western NC, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia -and any chance he is forced to take a 30 minute nap in the dirt. Currently, he is first to ride all of the ITT's in the Cherokee forest in 3 days. First to do all three on an single speed. First to do the Mountain 430 in the opposite direction. And the first to do the Dirty 130 in the opposite direction.