Girls Gone Gravel podcast

This week Kathryn catches up with cycling coach Serena Bishop Gordon. Serena has been coaching for many years, and this year she is the head coach for the Feisty Winter Cycling program. She first dives into explaining the difference between training vs exercising, and the importance of building progressive load into a training program, and reminds us that rest and recovery are key parts of the training process. With all of the options for training plans out there, it can be hard to determine which plan is right for you. Serena gives us some tips on how to determine if a plan is the right fit for your training needs. She also describes how to measure progress both within one workout, and over time. Serena and Kathryn also tackle some other common questions, like what does FTP stand for, and how do you test it? Serena’s reminder to us is that if you are thinking about getting into a cycling training plan, today is the best day to start!
Follow Serena on Instagram @specialblendgravel and learn more about her coaching and camps at www.specialblendgravelcamp.com/

On this week’s show, Kathryn caught up with Paige Onweller and Cécile Lejeune from Cécile’s home in Tucson. The pair are teammates on the Trek Driftless team this year. Paige has been with the team for a few years, but this is a new setup for Cécile, so they chat about how this came about, what pro contracts on a team typically look like, and the benefits of being part of a team. Paige is in Tucson to train with her teammate, and test herself out on some fast group rides as she is coming back from a concussion after being hit by a car in August of 2025. She and Cécile fill us in on how their winter training has been going, and what they are looking forward to this year. Both women have struggled with RED-S in the past, and they talk with Kathryn about how this shapes their view on fuelling now, as well as the importance of fuelling for both performance and health.
Follow Cécile on Instagram @cecilejeune
Follow Paige on Instagram @paigepowered

On this episode, Kathryn and Kristi catch up with Melisa Rollins and Kate Courtney from Kate’s house in California where they were based for a training camp. This cycling power duo has teamed up to race Cape Epic this year, an eight-day stage race in South Africa. Kate and Melisa battled it out last year in Leadville at both the three day stage race, which Melisa won by less than 30 seconds over Kate, and the Leadville Trail 100 where Kate took the win and Melisa was second, both finishing in record-breaking time. They discuss how the respect they gained for each other as competitors helped bring them together to create a team for Cape Epic. The team will race under the banner of the She Sends Foundation, Kate’s not-for-profit organization that works to get more girls on bikes. They discuss why it is important as women to be visible on bikes to help inspire the next generation, and how the changes to the women’s race this year may help bring better visibility to the elite women's field.
Learn more about the She Sends Foundation at shesendsfoundation.org
Follow Kate on Instagram @kateplusfate
Follow Melisa on Instagram @melisa_rollins
Follow us on Instagram:
@feistycycling
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Support our Partners:
Get $25 off registration on Desert Gravel with the code GGGDESERT25 at www.desertgravel.com and $50 off registration on Rough Rider Gravel with the code GGGROUGH50 at www.roughridergravel.com
Wahoo: Learn about the KICKR CORE 2 at https://bit.ly/45PZgp4
Visit PillarPerformance.shop, or for North American customers, head to TheFeed.com and use the code FEISTY for 15% off your first purchase.
Use the code FeistyGravel15 for 15% off at feedbacksports.com

On our live episode this week, Kathryn and Kristi get to talk with USA Cycling’s Lauren Hall, and Kate Veronneau who is the Director of Women’s Strategy at Zwift. Lauren and Kate give their take on the state of women’s road cycling leading into the 2026 season and also looking ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games in LA. In this temperature check they chat about the landscape of women’s cycling in the US, how we can grow numbers at start lines, and also how gravel can play a role in that growth. In the last few years we have seen a shift in how women at all levels of cycling are supporting each other, and this starts from the top with the pro women bringing others up with them as well as from the bottom with grass roots support and events. We also get everyone’s take on what and who they are keeping their eye on in women’s cycling this year.
Follow Lauren & Kate on Instagram @laurentuckerhall and @kateveronneau
Follow us on Instagram:
@feistycycling
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Support our Partners:
Get $25 off registration on Desert Gravel with the code GGGDESERT25 at www.desertgravel.com and $50 off registration on Rough Rider Gravel with the code GGGROUGH50 at www.roughridergravel.com
Wahoo: Learn about the KICKR CORE 2 at https://bit.ly/45PZgp4
Visit PillarPerformance.shop, or for North American customers, head to TheFeed.com and use the code FEISTY for 15% off your first purchase.
Use the code FeistyGravel15 for 15% off at feedbacksports.com

On this episode, Kathryn and Kristi get to chat with the “most famous memer in gravel” who is known widely for her Instagram account Holy Spirit of Gravel. They chat about her perspective of cycling as an “online space” and how she is helping to remind cyclists that the spirit of gravel is still very much alive. We hear how she decided to start up the Instagram account, and also how it has helped her build connections with other women in the gravel space and find a common language to communicate with like-minded people.
Follow the account on Instagram and YouTube @holyspiritofgravel
Follow us on Instagram:
@feistycycling
@feisty_media
Girls Gone Gravel Website:
https://www.girlsgonegravel.com/
Support our Partners:
Get $25 off registration on Desert Gravel with the code GGGDESERT25 at www.desertgravel.com and $50 off registration on Rough Rider Gravel with the code GGGROUGH50 at www.roughridergravel.com
Wahoo: Learn about the KICKR CORE 2 at https://bit.ly/45PZgp4
Visit PillarPerformance.shop, or for North American customers, head to TheFeed.com and use the code FEISTY for 15% off your first purchase.
Use the code FeistyGravel15 for 15% off at feedbacksports.com