Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, with Pros – Ep. 16 Indian Wells w/ Matteo Jorgenson

There are bad ideas, and then there are bad ideas done intentionally, filmed beautifully, and served to the internet with a straight face. This is the latter.

After a long break, Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros returns with its most chaotic installment yet. We linked up with Matteo Jorgenson, America’s top professional cyclist, and took on a 4,000-foot climb over 12 unforgiving miles. The twist? He’s riding a fixed-gear Cervélo with a front brake and a gear ratio better suited for regret than relief.

The conditions were ideal. The decisions were not.

The Setup

Indian Wells, California. Quiet desert roads, clear skies, and a climb that kicks early and doesn’t let up. The bike came from a sketchy Reddit listing that led to a scam and a lost $800. Eventually, a youth cycling team (El Groupo) in Tucson came through and helped us find the real deal. We added a front brake, because while the format encourages suffering, we’re not trying to end careers.

Matteo rolled with it all, calmly explaining power zones while our host Scott talked about TikTok memes and descended in full JNCO denim like a suburban Evel Knievel.

Matteo: The Steady Voice in the Madness

This is a guy who has led stages in the Tour de France and held his own against the best riders on the planet. Here, he talks about riding with Jonas Vingegaard, racing in the Olympics, and how professional cyclists aren’t doing secret midnight training sessions. They’re just consistent, focused, and yes, sometimes sleep-deprived.

He shares how surreal it was to debut a massive, wind-tunnel-tested time trial helmet in front of a swarm of reporters. Then, moments later, he’s analyzing a TikTok conspiracy about French street crepes being cooled in open sewer grates. Somehow, it all fits.

The Helmet Pitch

At the top of the climb, Scott presents a legitimate PowerPoint on the future of helmet technology. The concept? Inspired by dolphins, magnetic propulsion, and something called the Camel’s Back Reservoir.

There’s talk of mercury-filled bowls inside the helmet to create aerodynamic lift. Charts. Dolphin trivia. Even a graph where going slower somehow results in higher speeds.

Matteo listens to all of it. With a straight face.

Somewhere Between Stupid and Profound

That’s what makes this episode so compelling. Beneath the humor, there are real moments of introspection. When asked about his greatest insecurity, Matteo quietly says, “Not being loved.” No performance. No irony. Just honesty at 10 percent grade and a heart rate climbing fast.

And just like that, we’re back to chaos. Rollerblades. Sewer crepes. Wild hypotheticals about descending brakeless into pools of razor blades. It’s ridiculous, and somehow it still makes sense.

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Watch Episode 16

📺 Matteo Jorgenson – Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros

🎞️ Binge past episodes featuring Phil Gaimon, Lachlan Morton, Justin Willaims, and more
▶️ Watch the full playlist here

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Final Thoughts

Cycling media is full of FTP charts, carbon comparisons, and marginal gains. This is something else.

This is about willingly suffering on the wrong bike, in the wrong gear, with the right people. It’s about laughing through the lactic acid, talking philosophy while your legs scream, and pitching dolphin-powered helmets to someone who raced the Tour.

It’s dumb. It’s brilliant. It’s real.

So go ride fixed. Trust your brake. Avoid sewer crepes. And if someone offers you a business plan involving magnets and marine mammals, at least hear them out.