The Road to respair.
ASCND is my platform documenting my journey towards well-being through cycling and travel. Sharing personal experiences and others' stories, I aim to break stigma around mental health and raise money for charity. ASCND, meaning "to rise above," showcases progress via a journal, podcast interviews, and galleries. Solo bike packing trips offer vital mental resets, while community rides foster connection. I’ll highlight personal reviews of essential gear alongside inspiring travel trips and stories.
The Podcast.
The Road to Respair is a space for honest conversations, about purpose, creativity, resilience, and the human need to keep moving forward. We’ll explore what drives people. Why someone chooses to ride across continents, why someone starts a brand, builds a community, or pours their energy into design. Why we keep chasing that next horizon, even when the road gets hard.
I’ve spent over 30 years in the cycling industry, from fitting bikes and working in retail to supporting pro teams. Along the way, I’ve built a little black book full of friends, colleagues, and people whose stories deserve to be told.
And now, instead of just being a guest on someone else’s show, I finally feel ready to have those conversations myself — to dig deeper into what connects us all.
My Cycling Travel:
Solo bikepacking adventures are crucial for my mental resets, fostering solitude and mindfulness during extended travel. I share routes and personal insights, including mini reviews of gear tested on these journeys. Group cycling trips provide valuable connections, documented in the journal and gallery.
Gear Reviews:
Based on my cycling and bikepacking travel, I occasionally share practical reviews of reliable gear, focusing on personal experiences with essential equipment from brands I may work with.
Brand Collaborations:
I'm open to authentic collaborations with brands aligned with well-being and adventure in the cycling and travel space, potentially including sponsored content and ambassadorships featuring product reviews. Transparency is key. I currently work for VAN RYSEL and my affiliate link can be followed HERE. A commission is paid if any purchases are made through the link. This helps maintain the site and hopefully produce ASCND content and merchandise.
Follow the journal and gallery for updates on my cycling travel, gear reviews, and brand partnerships.
I started ASCND to help raise money for charity and share stories and experiences from others. ASCND to me describes a journey, wanting to grow and rise above. If you take the time to read the journal, listen to some of the podcasts or visit the gallery you’ll see the changes and hopefully progress I’ve made. Some of the acceptance, periods of total despair and hopefully a return to form. ASCND is my Road to Respair.
RESPAIR. The OED has “respair”, both as a noun and verb, meaning the return of hope after a period of despair.
