sea otter classic interview series 2026

Welcome to our interview signup page. Where you get to choose your interview style. These interviews are casual and not like any other interview you've done (most likely) as most of the questions will come from our kids. If you have questions or comments for us please let us know via our contact page.

Contact Page

With Sea Otter Classic right around the corner, we’re wrapping up the schedule for our Play Date with the Pros series and would love for you to pick a date, day and time that works best for you during the event. All interviews and filming will take place on-site at Sea Otter. The only times we won’t be able to schedule are during the Gravel Race which we plan to watch and the Fuego XL, when we’ll be out cheering on Kevin ( feel free to join us as we do his feed, yell and ring bells) , but otherwise we’re very flexible and happy to work around your race schedule and commitments.

Just as a reminder, this interview really comes from our family to you. Our goal is simple. We want our kids, and other families watching, to meet the real humans behind the race numbers. We’re always curious about things like how much you rode as a kid, what got you into bikes, and the moments that shaped your path. Along with what your favorite snacks are and what info you can share with us about riding. Anything that helps show young riders that you don't need to stop riding when you grow up. A life filled with exercise, health, family, happiness, and adventure is possible on two wheels. The hope is that by sharing these conversations, more kids get excited about riding bikes, more parents ride with them, and more people spend time outside exploring.

For the series we’ve selected five riders and are excited to spend time with each of you. We’d also love to capture a few clips with you around the expo, especially at sponsor booths or with brands you support. It’s a great way to highlight the companies that help keep the cycling community thriving while also expanding the reach of your partnerships. When confirming your time, feel free to send over any collaboration details, including sponsors you’d like tagged or accounts you’d like us to collaborate with.

Looking beyond Sea Otter, we’d love to connect with riders throughout the season at events like Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Little Sugar MTB, Big Sugar Gravel, Downieville Classic, or Grinduro. If you’ll be at any of those races we’d love to catch up again, and if there’s another rider you think would be a great fit for this series we’d really appreciate the introduction. Feel free to pass along their contact info our ours to them if someone comes to mind. We would also love to connect with your sponsors if you think they have something relevant to share, like new kids gear or events that fit our brand!

Take a quick look at the interview style and sample questions and let us know your comfort level, along with the day and time that works best for you . You can email us at thewakehouse@gmail.com or text/call 619-919-9971 to confirm your spot!

We are so grateful you are taking the time to meet with us. The cycling community is so great and we're stoked to share it with more people!

Play dates with the pros

Lesson: Nutrition & Fueling

Pro: TBD

Location: Kodiak Cakes

Format:

Relaxed Breakfast vibes & Bikes & Coffee. While being interviewed by the boys.

Q&A:

What’s your favorite breakfast before a race?

Pancakes or waffles?

What’s your favorite non race day breakfast?

What’s the best breakfast you’ve ever had before a race?

If you could invent a new pancake flavor for riders, what would it be?
Lesson: Race teamwork

Pro:TBD

Location: Laguna Seca Track by arch

Format:

Bikes & Bottle

Training the boys how to do an efficient handoff while being asked questions by the kiddos

Q&A:

What’s the most important thing when handing off a bottle during a race?

Have you ever missed a hand-off before?

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened in a feed zone?

If kids were your race crew, what would you ask them to hand you?

What snack do you wish they had at aid stations?
Lesson: Fans + encouragement

Pro that is a parent

Location: Media Tent

Format:

Tables set up with art supplies

Rad sign making for upcoming races

Would love to do this Wednesday before racing starts

Q&A:

• Do you remember the first time you saw someone cheering for you in a race?
• What’s the funniest race sign you’ve ever seen?
• Do signs from fans actually help when you're tired?
• If someone made you the perfect sign, what would it say?
Lesson: Bike curiosity

Pro or Parktool staff

Location: Parktool ( i already emailed them requesting time to do this)

Format:

Tour the tool shop they bring

Check out the individual stations

Q&A:

Did you ever work on your bike when you were a kid?

What’s the most important tool every rider should have?

Have you ever had a race where your bike broke and you fixed it?

What does this tool do?

If your bike had a superpower, what would it be?
Lesson: Bike Parts

Pro: TBD

Location: Pro’s Choice Bike Vendor Booth

Description: Ever looked at a bike and wondered what everything does? Pros break down the parts of a race bike in a simple, kid-friendly way. From derailleurs to dropper posts, kids learn how each component helps riders go faster.

Format:

Bike walk-through

Kid questions encouraged

Quick “guess the part” game

Q&A

Lot’s of what’s this questions

What parts make you the fastest?

What parts break the most?

If you could invent a new bike part, what would it do?

What’s the coolest bike upgrade you’ve ever tried?
Lesson: Pros are regular humans

Pro: TBD

Location: Pro’s Choice Bike Vendor Booth

Description: Were going to let the kids ask you any 20 questions they can come up with. Obviously we will have to reel these in a bit as we don't know what the boys will ask but they should be fun.

Format:

20 questions at location of your choice

Q&A ( something similar to these questions)

If your bike could talk, what would it say about you?

If you could design the world's coolest race for kids, what would it include?

Would you rather ride in the mud, sand, or snow?

What would your jersey bike look like?

If you weren't a pro rider, what job would you want?

What is your favorite place in the world to ride your bike?

If you could take all these kids riding somewhere amazing, where would you take them?

Do you like riding alone or with friends more?

What makes a trail or race really fun for you?

What is the hardest race you’ve ever done?

What snack do you eat while riding your bike?

What snack do you eat when you're home and not racing?

If you could only eat one race snack forever, what would it be?

What’s the weirdest snack you've ever eaten during a race?

Do you like sweet snacks or salty snacks better?

Do you remember your very first bike? What did it look like?

How old were you when you raced your first race?

Did your parents take you to races when you were little?

What’s one thing you wish someone told you when you were a kid learning to ride?

If you could tell every kid here one thing about riding bikes, what would it be?

Ride With The Wakes is all about families riding together. Did your family ride bikes together growing up?

On a scale of 1–10 (10 being super family friendly), how family friendly do you think this race is?

Are there any races you think are the awesome races for kids and families?

What race have you never done but really want to try someday?
Lesson: Pros are regular humans

Pro: TBD

Location: Pro’s Choice Bike Vendor Booth

Description: Were going to let the kids ask you any 20 questions they can come up with. Obviously we will have to reel these in a bit as we don't know what the boys will ask but they should be fun.

Format:

20 questions at location of your choice

Q&A ( something similar to these questions)

If your bike could talk, what would it say about you?

If you could design the world's coolest race for kids, what would it include?

Would you rather ride in the mud, sand, or snow?

What would your jersey bike look like?

If you weren't a pro rider, what job would you want?

What is your favorite place in the world to ride your bike?

If you could take all these kids riding somewhere amazing, where would you take them?

Do you like riding alone or with friends more?

What makes a trail or race really fun for you?

What is the hardest race you’ve ever done?

What snack do you eat while riding your bike?

What snack do you eat when you're home and not racing?

If you could only eat one race snack forever, what would it be?

What’s the weirdest snack you've ever eaten during a race?

Do you like sweet snacks or salty snacks better?

Do you remember your very first bike? What did it look like?

How old were you when you raced your first race?

Did your parents take you to races when you were little?

What’s one thing you wish someone told you when you were a kid learning to ride?

If you could tell every kid here one thing about riding bikes, what would it be?

Ride With The Wakes is all about families riding together. Did your family ride bikes together growing up?

On a scale of 1–10 (10 being super family friendly), how family friendly do you think this race is?

Are there any races you think are the awesome races for kids and families?

What race have you never done but really want to try someday?