PAYSON MCELVEEN PROFESSIONAL BIKE RACER, DEDICATED ADVENTURER

Professional Red Bull mountain biker Payson McElveen considers Durango, Colorado his home. But because he competes in races all around the country, and sometimes overseas, he’s comfortable living a fairly nomadic life. In addition to racing bikes, he also runs a podcast, The Adventure Stache, named in honor of his trademark mustache. When he’s not training in Durango, Payson is likely on the road, racing or adventuring. And if he’s on the road, he’s in his van.

Micah: How did you decide to give van life a go? Why did it appeal to you?

I grew up driving to races throughout Texas with my mom and dad in our 1987 Volkswagen Westfalia. It was beloved, almost like a pet, until the day it burned to the ground in a grocery store parking lot thanks to a fuel line leak. After a handful of years flying to all of my events, I started to reminisce about those good old days in the VW. On one flight specifically, to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, we went over the Mojave Desert. I marveled at how barren it was, and wondered what it looked like on the ground, instead