Bikes or Death (Patrick Farnsworth)

This week we are taking a peak over the preverbial cycling fence to see what's going on in the world of gravel racing. We've seen Ted King, Payson McElveen, Lachlan Morton, and many other gravel racers dip their toes into the bikepacking waters. Now it's our turn to take a peak into their world.

After coming on the podcast to tell us all about Wisconsin Bikepacking & Gravel, Shane Hitz invited me out to experience the Red Granite Grinder for myself. The RGG is a mixed terrain gravel race that starts/finishes in Wausau, WI. One very unique feature about this route is the 20+ special land access options that are available only during this race. Shane has been busy chasing down land owners and managers to make this route a reality and by all accounts his efforts have paid off.

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup and a gallery of images from my trip to the RGG.  

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Ten years ago Phillip Crosby and Jedidiah Jenkins set out on a bike trip that started in Oregon and traversed Central and South America and ended in Patagonia. Jedidiah, was an aspiring author at the time and was on the trip to have an experience worth writing about as he grappled with his sexuality and Christian faith. He wrote that book, and it's titled, "To Shake the Sleeping Self".

For a full write up and and photo gallery from their trip, please visit www.BikesorDeath.com

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I got to meet up with Bailey Newbrey in his new-ish shop, Sincere Cycles, on a recent trip to Santa Fe, NM. Bailey made a some noise in 2018 when he finished the Tour Divide in second place overall on a Singlespeed! We chat a lot about his 2016 and 2018 Tour Divide runs and his reasoning behind running SS. He also makes some bold predictions towards the end of the podcast that is worth sticking around for.

Sincere Cycles calls an old bar home which gives it a cool vibe right off the bat. His workstation is behind the bar where he serves up some of the finest bike knowledge and experience that money CAN'T buy. We talk about how is business fits into the Santa Fe scene and what some of this plans are for the shop. Of course, we talk covid-craziness as well.

It was a true pleasure getting to meet up with Bailey in his shop. It gave me a chance to see him interact with customers and use his experiences to inform suggestions. He clearly has a passion for what he is doing which is made easier by creating a bike shop that is tailored to his interest and expertise. I love it when people take their passions and figure out a way to make them a "job" too. I wish him all the success both in his new shop and in upcoming races.

In this episode we find out what happens when you mix a good-ol-boy from Arkansas, $100,000, and a passion for cycling and the outdoors.

Chuck on Facebook
Adventure Cycling Association Route
Bikepacking.com Article/Route
AR High Country Race

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ig: @bikesordeath
fb: https://www.facebook.com/bikesordeath/
patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

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intro/outro music Eric B. is President by Eric B. & Rakim

In 2018 I took on the biggest challenge in my life, a 500 miles bikepacking race. To prepare mentally I relied heavily on the book "How Bad do You Want it" by Matt Fitzgerald. Matt is an endurance athlete himself and has made a career out of the study of endurance. He's written over 20 books on the subject, coaches endurance athletes, host his own podcast, and is a wealth of knowledge on the topic of endurance sports and athletes.

In this episode we focus on his book "How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle" which as you can infer by the title is all about how our mind is the thing that limits us, not our physical ability. Matt uses real examples of athletes overcoming obstacles to showcase the scientific principles outlined in his book. I found this format to way more digestible and relatable than a scholarly paper. Thankfully, Matt has done the hard work of reviewing and collecting the science and stories of athletes to add context to the science while making more relatable.

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full write up and pictures of Matt.

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This weeks episode is brought to us by the Sponsors of The East Texas Showdown

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At this point Justinas needs no introduction. In 2024 he completed a total of 10 ultra cycling races, winning most of them. Among them was a win, and new FKT, at the Tour divide, where he bested the long standing record Mike Hall set 8 years ago. He then went on to finish first, but not win*, at the Colorado Trail Race. Followed by a first place finish at the Arizona Trail Race, a time that would have been an FKT if it weren't for a re-route due to fires. His total time for the Triple Crown was 25d 5h 30m, which was 2d 13h 3m faster than the previous record time set by Jay Petervary 9 years ago.

What Justinas accomplished this year has left me speechless and fumbling to find the words to fully emphasize the magnitude of his accomplishments. Luckily for me, I was able to chat with the man himself and we can hear from him on his own reflections from an incredible year of bikepack racing.

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This week's episode tackles the important topic of mental health and the outdoors told by this years Adventure Media Course. Long time listeners will be very familiar with Adventure Media by now, but for the uninitiated it is a course at Texas Tech University. Each year as part of their class project the professors scheme up a bikepacking trip and a media objective for the students to complete. This year the students did the Billy the Kid and Smokey Bear Route and their assignment was to vlog about their personal experience, with a focus on mental health and the outdoors.

Read the full article and check out a gallery of images from the trip at www.BikesorDeath.com

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Eric House joined our community during the pandemic, like many others. However, two and a half years later, I don't think this pandemic-born-bike-baby is going anywhere, but up!

His first bikepacking race was the 2022 East Texas Showdown. He packed light, read "nothing", went fast, placed 9th, and learned a lot, but most importantly, he got hooked. This year he leveled up. He completed the MidSouth 50k run and the 100 mile gravel race. The next weekend he lined up at ETS and took 10th place, then a couple weeks later he went to Arkansas for the DOOM race and placed 9th there. For Eric, the year will culminate with an attempt at the infamous Leadville 100 in August.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on today's episode and photo gallery.

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From Wikipedia, "The lanterne rouge is the competitor in last place in a cycling race, the phrase comes from the French for "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the rear vehicle of a passenger railway train or the brake van of a freight train, which signalmen would look for in order to make sure none of the couplings had become disconnected."

I first met Katy at a 6 hour MTB race in 2016, she had just moved to town and we became fast friends. Since then we've both found our way into the bikepacking world. She spent the past 5 months riding 5 routes and accumulating over 4,000 miles of bikepacking, most of it solo. Somewhere in there I announced the East Texas Showdown and I sent her a personal invitation to participate. She accepted and lined up with high expectations for the race. She had just spent 5 months riding some impressive routes and she was ready to put it to the test. Also seeing old friends again after months of solo riding was a big draw for her as well.

Unfortunately, illness prevented her from achieving her race goals, which turned to more survival than bike race. That is what makes the Lantern Rouge a honored position, it usually indicates some that had a tough go of it, wanted to quit, but didn't. That is worth celebrating, as is ever single person who lined up and started regardless of how far they made it. Many people are too scared or are unable to even try something like that, so I applauded them all.

Katy and I met up at a park in Austin, TX four days after the race. We had a enjoyable chat thanks to her open and honest approach to live and bikepacking. We wish her luck on her job hunt, and if an interviewer is seeing this....you should definitely hire her!!

Here are the routes Katy did that we mentioned in the episode. Has anyone else ridden any of these? The comment section is open at www.bikesordeath.com. 

C&O Canal
Great Allegheny Passage
Western wildlands Route
Baldy Bruiser, CA
SoCal Desert Ramble

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Mulberry Gap - Is a new advertising partner, but Kate Gates and Mulberry Gap are no stranger to the podcast. I conducted 5 podcast interviews at the 2019 Bikepacking Summit which was hosted at Mulberry Gap. Of the 5 guest, Kate was one of them. The story about how Mulberry Gap came to be and how it is run is quite fascinating. If you'd like to learn more about Mulberry Gap, check out my episode with Kate Gates and a write up I did on my experience riding and eating there!

Huge thanks to our newest Patrons:
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On this episode I meet up with Vince Colvin, co-owner of Chumba USA, at his home in Austin, TX.  Before recording the podcast he built up a couple of his bikes SS and we went out to shred some trails and eat tacos.  We had a great convo and it was cool to ride bikes and talk bikes with the owner of this rad company.

www.chumbausa.com

Hours ago Alexandera finished the Tour Divide as the first place female finisher. In doing so she became the first woman to win the TD in back to back years and she did it on a SINGLE SPEED! She also beat the previous SS record by over a day! Beyond her athletic achievements she is a superb human with a remarkable story.

I got to chat with her at CHUMBA headquarters days after she finished the DKXL and right before she embarked on this years Tour Divide. We talk about her 2018 win, the DKXL, and we shed light on her personal struggle with an eating disorder and how she overcame those obstacles to become one of the best endurance cyclist and a two time Tour Divide winner!

Alexandera is not on social media...like AT ALL, but she has a wonderful blog that I encourage you to check out: Alexandera's Blog

A big thanks to Vince Colvin at CHUMBA for making this happen!

Dylan's name has come up on the podcast many times and many of you have sent in request to have him on the show. Is it because he is heir to a salt empire? Maybe it's his epic mustache? Or his high level mechanic skills? Seeking answers to some of these tough questions I pointed my van in the direction of Arkansas to meet up with this international man of mystery at the Meteor Cafe in Bentonville, AR.

When I interviewed Lael in Bentonville for Episode 10 she talked about a local that made a route from Colorado to the start of Unbound XL in Emporia, KS. That "local" was Dylan Morton who would go on to ride to Emporia with Lael and compete as well, completing the course in 25h 16m. During the pandemic he found himself living with Lael and Rue in Alaska and working with Pepper Cook at the Anchorage bike shop. Dylan is a guy who says "yes" and this podcast is a reflection of that.

He is also no stranger to big efforts on the bike. Most recently he won the Utah Mixed Epic with a time of 7d, 16h, 38m which is well known to be a challenging course. He has also done an ITT of Arkansas High Country, completed the Atlas Mtn Race, among others! He is no slouch on the bike and he's a pretty darn good mechanic too.

On this episode Dylan shares his passion for cycling, the bikepacking community, and a well dialed bike to adventure on.

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He didn't invent the Great Divide Route or the Tour Divide Race, but Mike Dion quite literally brought awareness to both with his 2010 film Ride the Divide. Many bikepackers I've met, including myself, credit it with their own journey into this new way of exploration. 10 years later, his film is still relevant as people are finding it for the first time and getting inspired with their own sense of wanderlust.

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary Mike is throwing a party and we are all invited. Most of the cast, crew, and athletes from the film will be online and taking your questions. There will be a live screening of the film with the option to listen in to the behind the scenes chatter amongst the cast and crew. If that wasn't enough, I will be hosting the live Q&A and moderating the conversation. To find out more and buy tickets click here (if you're seeing this on social media go to bikesordeath.com and click the RTD10 Party hyperlink at the top of the page).

Tune in to the podcast, get stoked, and join us online on August 2nd!

In her first year as a bikepack racer Jen Kelly has already racked up an impressive resume. She entered into 3 bikepacking races this summer and won them all! She's also a professional poker player who picked up cycling 4 years ago when she moved into a condo next to a rails to trails. She quickly fell in love with it and just wanted to ride further and further. Last year she put her career, as a professional poker player, on hold to focus on riding her bike.

Her first bikepacking race was the inaugural Great American Wheel Race, a 3,600 mixed surface race across America which she placed 4th overall and 1st Female. Just 6 weeks later she entered the 900 mile Big Sky Spactacularie in Montana where she took 1st overall. Then only 5 days after finishing Big Sky she entered the 1,750 mile Montana Bike Odyssey and took the overall win again! Needless to say her gamble to focus on bikepacking is paying off!

We had a great chat and it was great to talk to someone who is new to the sport and already having so much success.

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It's always an extreme pleasure to sit down and chat with Lael Wilcox. Her positivity and honesty is infections as is her drive to push herself to extremes all in the name of bike racing. She's an inspiration to so many of us in this community and I am no exception. She has been a huge source of inspiration for me as I dipped my toe into the bikepacking waters. There is something about her fearless approach to bikepacking that lulls you into a false sense of achievability, but make no mistake she works hard and has been at this a long time.  This sport has come a long way in a short time and Lael has been at or near the tip of the spear for the entire time.

This was the third time Lael has been on the podcast and each time I have to reign in my personal tendencies to be star struck. Luckily, Lael is a total pro and is so easy to talk to. This time we met on Mount Lemmon outside of Tucson, AZ at the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground. Interesting side note, the road up Mt. Lemmon was built by prisoners in the 1930's and to house the criminals they built prisons as they went. The campground we recorded at was a former site of a Prison Camp.

They say you should "never meet your idols". I've met one of mine three times now and have never been disappointed. Lael is Lael, what you see is what you get. The person I watched in the 2016 film from REI is the same person I met on a park bench on the side of Mt. Lemmon. Success, fame, racing results, through it all she has been able to stay humble, gracias, and kind. Maybe the saying should be, "get better idols". Personally, I'm grateful to Lael for just being her and pursuing what she wants in a way that is authentic to herself. We talk about this a little in the episode, but sometimes knowing yourself and staying true can be easier said than done, especially with some of the controversy she has faced, but in even in success she continues to navigate it all in a way that seems authentic to herself.

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Katie Visco is fresh off a 2,200 mile, 119 day run across the Australian outback, but she didn't do it alone. Her support vehicle was a Surly Troll loaded down with all the food, water, and provisions they would need to make the traverse. This "Monster Bike" was powered by her husband, Henley Philips, making this the first anyone has ever ran across Australia complete supported by 100% human power.

You can find out more here:

Www.katievisco.com
@katievisco
@henley.phillips

This weeks episode features four first time bikepackers and students of Jerod Fosters Adventure Media class at Texas Tech University. Many of you will probably be familiar with this course from past interviews, but for the uninitiated it is a college course that teaches students how to capture more adventurous type media. As an example of the type of media they produce check out a couple of videos that students produced from last years trip to Big Bend Ranch SP: Video 1 | Video 2 (if you're reading this on social media visit bikesordeath.com).

Unfortunately for this years class their BBRSP trip was cancelled 3 days before due to Covid-19. However, they did get to train for, prepare for, and participate in a bikepacking trip to Caprock Canyon SP. So on this episode we talk to four "First Timers" on preparations, fears, experiences, and lessons learned. I'm excited to release this episode because as this sport continues to grow more and more people are being inspired to get out there. Hopefully hearing experiences from other beginners will help to inspire and encourage others that I read to go out and explore the world on a bike.

My guest today are Taylor Plate, Nejahla Hopkins, Colton Rohrbach, and Kolby Donnell. Their experience going into this course ranged from None to Some and their stories range from inspirational to humorous. I've seen first hand the transformation bikepacking can have on someone when they are introduced to it for the first time. I hope this episode will inspires others to go outside and get a little lost on their bike.

When we did our Bikepacking Basics episode earlier this year we got a lot of questions, but the most asked questions where about route building. So I reached out to Kevin Prentice with RideWithGPS to see if they would be interested coming to do a episode on route building and (spoiler alert) they said yes!

On this episode we get to know Kevin and some history on RWGPS and then we get into the maps! And we go deep. But, we also cover very basic topics. This episode was designed with the hope that it will be a resource for you to build your own routes, modify existing ones, or fly by the seat of your pants using heatmaps. Even if you think you're a RWGPS expert I can guarantee you'll learn something on this show, I sure did!

For me Route Building is one of my favorite parts about bikepacking. With the tools and information available to us now it's truly remarkable what you're able to do from your laptop in the comfort of your home. This is where you can hone in and find the perfect camp spot or best gravel roads. Regardless of how well you plan, we all know that even the best plan can go wrong. So it's also important to know how to navigate when things don't go according to plan. After listening to (or watching) this episode you will be able to know more about doing both!

This episode is available where ever you get your podcast and also in video format with timestamps so you can comeback to it as often as needed.

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Jerod Foster is a Travel and Conservation Photographer, Professor of practice at TTU, and he takes his students bikepacking!  He is also developing two bikepacking routes that we discuss and you'll want to hear more about!

www.jerodfoster.com

ig: @jerodfoster

YT video his students made of their trip to Big Bend Ranch State Park - https://youtu.be/I2astb4hr1Y 

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ig: @bikesordeath

blog: www.bikesordeath.com

patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

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intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President

Jenny Tough is one of the most impressive adventure athletes I've had the pleasure of chatting with. Her accomplishments in sports and writing are truly inspirational and mesmerizing. She is an ultra runner and bikepacker with numerous accomplishments to her name. Among her accomplishments, in the running world she was the first person to run across Kyrgyzstan solo and unsupported. Following that trip she set out to run across 5 other equally challenging terrains in different parts of the world. In total she complete 6 runs in 6 continents over a 6 year period which she chronicled in her latest book SOLO.

If that isn't impressive enough, during that time she was also introducing herself to the bikepacking world by entering, and winning, some of the most challenging bikepacking races in the world. In 2018 she won the Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) and followed that up with a win at the Atlas Mountain race in 2020, before going back to SRMR in 2021 and winning again. By any measure Jenny lives up to the name "Tough" and in doing so she is finding was to inspire and motivate others. She has made it her mission to not only do tough things, but to encourage others, especially women, along the way through her writing and creative outlets.

It was an honor to have her on the show and I hope your enjoy this chat as much as I did!

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Friends, we can no longer be silent. Being a non-racist is not enough, we need to be anti-racist and create the change that is so desperately needed. Please listen to this message about what Bikes or Death, and I, are doing and how you can help.

Recently, I was scrolling instagram and came across a post by Cheech, co-owner of Crust Bikes, that really struck a cord for me. I immediately reached out to see if she'd be down to chat!

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on todays episode!

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For the past 8 years Indiana aka "Drive by Dildo" has been focused on bikepack racing. He's got a laundry list of accomplishments to his name. Including being a Triple Crown Challenge finisher. He's one of only 23 people in the world to have accomplished this feat. I met him in 2018 when we were both participating in the GranGravel 500 and he was the first (and only to-date) to Yo-Yo the East Texas Showdown in 2022.

Since the age of 6 he's dreamed of traveling the world. Once he discovered bikepacking he soon decided he wanted to fulfill the dreams of his 6 y/o self by cycling around the world.

Over the past 8 years he's been dreaming, scheming, planning, and selling everything he wouldn't need to take on his bike. In May of 2024 Indy's planning and preparing was done, now it was time to ride his damn bike around the world.

He set out on this adventure starting in Deadhorse, Alaska on the Dalton Highway. Now, almost a year later I catch up with him in La Paz, Mexico on a rest day. Indy is living a dream of mine, to one day live on my bike and see the world.

It was so great to see my old friend again and get to hear more about the journey that I've been living vicariously through him online. Tune in to today's episode to hear about how and why Indy choose to live on his bike and travel the world and how his trip has been going so far!

EPISODE SPONSORS 

Old Man Mountain - This week we are highlighting their Tour Divide rack. Use code "mountainsordeath" at checkout to receive 10% off your order!

New Patrons 
None this week, but we'd like to thank the 356 patrons that support this show monthly 🫡

Join them won’t you at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I’m excited to have Jerod Foster back on the podcast, he was first on as my 3rd guest.  On that episode we discuss his career as a Professor at Texas Tech University, where he teaches a class called Adventure Media.  In this class he takes 16 student bikepacking and gives this real world experience capturing content in wild places.  I was fortunate to go on one of these trips and see first hand the impact that this course has on the students who chose to tackle it.  If you’d like to hear more about that I suggest you go back and listen to episode 3 where we discuss this and much more.  

As I got to know Jerod better I started to admire him for another reason, his ability to have an adventurous life and career, while still playing an active role in his family.  As a father I know the challenges of taking young kids outside and immersing them in nature, I also know the benefit.  I believe it is an important role as a parent, but it’s not always easy.   I hope you’ll enjoy this episode on being an adventurous spouse and parent as much as I did.  Jerod shares some real heartwarming stories and already has me planning my first bikepacking adventure with my girls.

In mid December Miles Arbour, with Bikepacking.com, and I headed to Phoenix Arizona to check out the Queen's Ransom Route developed by John Schilling. Miles flew down from Canada and I drove up from Texas, each of us coming from completely different riding environments and levels of fitness. To be honest, this trip was planned last minute and neither of us did much homework before setting out on the 230 miles Queen's Ransom Route that features a lot of singletrack, some of which is rated Black.

Miles was there to ride the route with the goal of publishing it on Bikepacking.com. I was there because he invited me, and I invited my recording equipment. So, what happens when a Canadian and Texan ride off into the Arizona Desert? Only one way to find out! Check out this episode and then go ride your damn bike, maybe even on the Queen's Ransom.

Episode Sponsors

Mulberry Gap - This week Kate comes on to talk to us about the Trans North Georgia Route that is almost right outside their from door and how it's become known as "Mulberry Trap".

Wren Sports ~ The new Perseverance Bars from Wren Sports are shipping soon and Cameron came on to give us the deetz. Use code “BOD10” for 10% off your entire order

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This episode is the first one to come from my recent road trip to New Mexico and Arizona to interview guest for the podcast. My first stop was in Las Cruces, NM to meet up with Matt Mason to ride a portion of the Monumental Loop. We rode up to the base of the Organ Mountains and camped in perfect weather. In the morning we recorded this episode under little outcropping before descending 10 miles back to town on some epic singletrack.

You may have noticed that the route was revised and released as the Monumental Loop 2.0. These changes were made for several reason, but all in an effort to make the route more enjoyable and attractive to a wider range of riders. We get into all the specifics on this episode and it left me wanting to spend more time than I had available on this trip. I will be back!

*Outdoor Adventures The place to go for route information, gear, advice, and community 
https://www.bikelc.com

*Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Friends are on the frontlines of protecting and providing access to the public lands around Las Cruces. 
https://organmountainsdesertpeaks.org

*Southern New Mexico Trail AllianceSNMTA works tirelessly on advocating for new trails, maintaining current trails, and hosting the Sierra Vista Trail Runs. 
https://snmta.org

*Doña Ana SheWolves A group of FTW riders providing support and community.  Several of their crew are certified bike instructors and their skills clinics are highly recommended.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthernNMDirtGirls/?ref=share

*MTB New Mexico Jose Solis has a YouTube channel and rides centered on a welcoming environment for beginner mountain bikers.  MTB NM’s videos are equally informative and entertaining. 
https://youtube.com/c/MTBNewMexico

These episodes aren’t possible without your support. This episode is the result of my recently podcasting trip covering 2,500 miles, 2 states, and 3 interviews in 4.5 days. If you’ve been on the fence about becoming a Patron this would be a great time to sign up and help get BoD back on the road! You can Sign Up here or leave a one time Donation on Paypal.

Thank you to our newest supporting Patrons!
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Jeff Bloodworthy
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Dave Ortiz
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Joe Cruz is a powerful and incredibly insightful person, which surely stems from his background as a professor of philosophy at Williams College and his decades of bikepacking and bike traveling all over the world. Additionally, he is an editor at large for Bikepacking.com.

Joe was the opening presenter on Friday morning at the Bikepacking Summit this year. What we as the audience experienced was a powerful lesson in fear, our understanding of it, and our relationship to it. Joe's understanding and relationship with fear is probably deeper than most of our own. It's the kind of relationship you have after spending three decades traveling the world via bicycle. He would tell you, any moments of fear he experienced are greatly outnumbered by the good, positive, and wonderful experiences. So how do we look at fear in contrast to these amazing experiences? I'll let Joe tell you in his own words.

This interview was very impromptu. I had just finished recording with Greg Hardy and had a small window before my next interview. Joe's stellar presentation had put him on my radar for a possible interview. So when I looked around and saw him chatting with some fellow attendees I took the opportunity to have him share some of this presentation with you.

I wish you could have been there on Friday morning to hear his presentation, to see the emotion in his eyes, and to feel that emotion reverberate through the room. If you weren't able to be there I hope you will get a taste of what we all experienced through this podcast.

Todays episode features stories and tributes from the bikepacking community and clips from my first interview with Hal back in June of 2019 right before he completed the Tour Divide for the 6th time.

On this episode we hear stories about Hal from:

Sofiane Sehili
Marty Johnson
Bonnie Gagnon
Josh Kato
Shelia Reiter
Billy Rice

Followed by some of my favorte segments from my interview with Hal back in June 2019.

Visit Bikesordeath.com for funeral and visitation information and for information about how to buy Hal's book, "Touch Both Lines".

The Arkansas Graveler is a supported bike tour across the state of Arkansas. It boast 366 miles and 26,700 feet of climbing over 6 days. The route takes you into parts unknown, showcasing some of the most remote rural roads that I’ve had the pleasure of riding. This inaugural year attracted 300+ riders from 35 states. It’s clear that the word about Arkansas is spreading and cyclists are traveling far and wide to get a taste of the seemingly unlimited gravel roads that showcase why Arkansas is called “The Natural State”.

The Arkansas Graveler, not content to offer riders a beautiful route and scenery, offered a host of off bike activities each afternoon, like archery, zip-lining, fly fishing, skeet shooting, cave tours, and the list goes on. Riders were well fed each morning and evening by Chef Biju Thomas and his team. Our bikes were maintained by Phat Tire bike shop. There were medics on site each day to attend to boo-boos and heat related illness. And we were treated to local musicians each evening with curated music that highlighted the region we were in. In other words, this isn’t your average bike tour. The Arkansas Graveler created a traveling bike festival that followed, supported, healed, and entertained, 300+ riders as we traversed the great state.

After riding across the state I assembled a small panel of participants to share their experience on the Arkansas Graveler. Our esteemed panel features: Philip Alderfer, Bobby Finster, Hilary Lex, and Scotti Moody (race director). Please join us on this weeks episode as we relive the highs and lows of this inaugural event.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Today’s episode is provided ad-free thanks to support from Arkansas, The Natural State.

 New Patrons 
Jordan Quon
Dave Weil – increased pledge

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

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As the East Texas Showdown heads into it’s third year the excitement is growing and so are the questions. To help answer the questions we brought in a few past participants who are also competing again this year. Our guest are Kuya Takami who won the Showdown last year, Emily Miller who is hoping to ride the Slowdown without sleeping, and Brendan Hare who was our Pro Slow winner last year and is stepping up to the Showdown this year.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Gravel Ride up Spruce Knob aka GRUSK - Join me in West Virginia on July 6-9th for one of 6 gravel rides they have to choose from. Find out more at www.MountainRides.net or Register Here

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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The following Patrons increased their pledges!

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Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Since my youth I've had a passion and love for the outdoors.  While all wilderness landscapes appeal to me in their own unique way, desert landscapes have always been my favorite.  So it's no surprise that when I got into bikepacking and found out about the AZT it quickly ascended to the top of my bucket list.  After 5 years of hoping, dreaming, and planning, I finally made the leap and signed up for a Spring ITT.  On April 11th at 7:12am myself and 3 others (Gregg Dunham, Alan Jacoby, and Ian Quigley) set out on the AZT, each of us doing ITT's.

The AZT (Arizona Trail) is a hiking trail that runs North/South across the length of Arizona.  It is one of the routes that make up the Bikepacking Triple Crown and considered to be the most difficult route by many who have done all three.  There are two route options, the 300, which ends at the Picket Post Trailhead, and the 800 that ends at the Utah border and requires riders to disassemble their bike and carry through the Grand Canyon.   

My AZT challenges started months before the start and just getting to the start line would prove to be one of the biggest challenges. Life was throwing everything at me all at once and, at times, I seriously considered postponing my AZT attempt. Ultimately, I put my head down and worked my way through, over, and around, all of the barriers that threatened to end my attempt before it even started. I lined up on the morning of April 11th feeling unprepared, undertrained, and down right afraid of what I was about to do. In moments like that all you can do is push aside any lingering doubts and just ride your damn bike, so that's what I did.

Ultimately, my ride was cut short in Tucson due to heat related illnesses. But my time on the trail was everything I could have hoped for and a lot more. The trail lives up to its reputation as being difficult, but it also exceeded my expectations of beauty. No amount of hike a bike, heat, or ruggedness diminished my enjoyment during my time out there. I truly had the time of my life and am only left with overwhelming sense of love for this world that we live in and a body that took me as far as it could. The trail isn't going anywhere and I'm already looking forward to attempting it again one day.

On this episode I mic myself up during my attempt and share my experience on the Arizona Trail. I hope this episode helps other people who are wanting to ride their damn bike on the ATZ.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Old Man Mountain ~ I used their Axle Pack and Elkhorn rack on the AZT, both of which performed flawlessly and allowed me to take full advantage of the full suspension bike I rode. Use discount code “mountainsordeath” for 10% off site-wide and use this affiliate link so BoD gets a Thank You check in the mail 

New Patrons 
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Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

A day after Indiana Schulz (1st place) and Tom Hughes (3rd place) finished the GranGravel 500 I got to sit down with them and talk about the race, their equipment, and endurance bike racing.  Both of these guys are incredible athletes and humans and we had a great conversation chalk full of bikepacking goodness. 

Indiana Shulz doesn't do social media

Tom Hughes is on ig as @onetontom and fb as Tom Hughes

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ig: @bikesordeath

fb: www.facebook.com/bikesordeath/

patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath 

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intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B is President

Shane Hitz has been busy building routes and putting on gravel races in Wisconsin for many years. This week he's here to tell us all about his routes, the Red Granite Grinder, and Wisconsin gravel riding and bikepacking. After this conversation I'm even more excited about at the Red Granite Grinder on Oct. 15th!

The Red Granite Grinder is quickly making a name for itself in the gravel world. What makes this route really special is the hard work that Shane and his counter parters at Ironbull to get access to private land that you can only ride if you enter this race! Listen to today's episodes for all the details and when you're ready to sign up head over to Ironbull.org. I'll be there this year covering the event from a media perspective and riding the 25 mile group ride on Friday. So make sure to ride over and say hi!

Ready to sign up for the Red Granite Grinder - Sign up here and I'll see you there in Oct!

This weeks quote ~ "Pay attention! This is your life. You're going to want to know what it feels like."

EPISODE SPONSORS

BoD Takeover – Join us for the first ever Takeover happening at Mulberry Gap in Ellija, GA from Nov. 10th – 13th. Visit MulberryGap.com for all the details and to register! Have questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!

Passchier ~ These handcrafted, bamboo laminated beauties give the rider a comfortable experience never felt before. With a slight amount of flex the rider has reduced jarring and a more relaxed ride, allowing you to ride on and on… Use Code "passchierordeath" at checkout for 10% off your order!

Kuat ~ Best racks on earth with the best No Worries Warranty. Kuat has your Rack and your Back!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Veiko Vettik
Kevin Shaffer

Join them won’t you? Now is a great time to sign up on patreon. For a limited time Jefe Velo will be matching all new pledges made at Patreon.com/bikesordeath.com

In this episode I sit down with bikepacker Jan Bennett in the dining room of my home. Among other achievements, Jan recently finished scouting and developing the Pony Express Trail, an epic 2200+ mile bikepacking route from Missouri to California. Jan has a vast a wealth of knowledge and experience in regards to bikepacking and she is always happy to share!

Find her on instagram @wunderlustbybike

Ever since I learned that the Southern Tier route passed through a small town in Texas only 18 miles from my house I've had my eyes open for an opportunity to host a tourer at my home.  That opportunity came about a month ago when I noticed someone on Instagram was on the route and headed my way.  That someone is Chris Stevenson.  I picked him up in Navasota, TX, we ate bbq, told stories, fixed his bike, recorded a podcast, and sent him on his way with the best of intentions.  

You can follow Chris on instagram @chriss1974

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ig - @bikesordeath
fb - facebook.com/bikesordeath
patreon - patreon.com/bikesordeath

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intro/outro music - Eric B. Is President by Eric B. & Rakim

Kate Gates is one of the owners of Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway in Ellijay, GA, the venue for this year's Bikepacking Summit. Their property is located in the southern Appalachian Mountains of northwest Georgia and is surrounded by National Forest, gravel roads, and cycling friendly trails. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that their facility is an oasis for cyclists and outdoors people.

The proprietors of this family owned and operated business are a large part of what makes Mulberry Gap so special. This is very much a family business. Grandmas are LITERALLY in the kitchen whipping up some of the best homemade southern comfort food your hungry little heart desires. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the coffee and cold beer as both are a necessity to most.

Their hospitality neither starts nor ends with the food, but it's a good place to get your attention. The true magic of the place comes from the top down. Everyone who runs this facility loves what they do, the community they do it for, and the people involved on an individual level. Just add awesome cyclists and hot damn you've got yourself a party!

Thank you Kate and Andrew Gates (and their families) for hosting such a great event and making each of us feel welcome in your home.

In todays episode we catch up with Hannah Simon two weeks after finishing tied for 3rd on the Tour Divide Race. If you've been following along you'll know that Hannah has committed to attempting the bikepacking Triple Crown, which is the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Arizona Trail, all in a calendar year. With only four weeks left to prepare for the Colorado Trail I caught up with her on a park bench in Austin, TX to hear about her Tour Divide experience and how she is preparing for the next leg of the Triple Crown.

If you didn't listen to my first episode in this series, I recommend you listen to that one first. This conversation will pick up where we left off before Hannah left for the Tour Divide.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Jefe.bike ~ Your source for reliable and hard to find gear for bikepackers and adventure cyclist.  Including a full line of kLite dynamo products!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Jacob T. Rex
Robert Watson - Increased pledge!

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Nicolette Jones just won the 2024 Colorado Trail Race on her first attempt. Not only was this her first time racing the Colorado Trail, it was her first bikepacking race ever! Which makes her finish time of 5d 12h 21m even more impressive.

Although this was her first bikepacking race, she is no stranger to adventurous pursuits or the Colorado Trail. She is the only person in the world to have thru-hiked, skied, and biked the Colorado Trail. So she is no stranger to this trail and, in fact, probably has a higher familiarity with it than most people. In 2023 she toured the trail in 11 days with thoughts of racing it one day on her mind. This year, those thoughts turned to reality and she rolled out at 4am with about 75 other racer at this years CTR. She was able to get a lead on her competitors early on and then maintain it for the entirety of the race.

On today's episode we talk about a host of interesting topics. From her jobs as an adventure guide and coach, to making your own bikepacking bags, her love for tandems, and a 7.5 month bike tour she did with her Husband, Mark, from Arizona to Argentina. And, of course, we talk about her impressive win at the Colorado Trail Race. At only 25 Nicolette has a huge adventure resume and it was a lot of fun getting to know her and hear about some of her adventures. If you'd like to learn more about Nicolette after you listen to today's episode you can take a deeper dive on her blog, WalkSkiCycle.com.

EPISODE SPONSORS

LIVSN – Use code “BOD10” at checkout to receive 10% off your order for being a loyal listener!

Red Granite Grinder - Epic gravel race in Wisconsin on Oct. 12th, 2024. Smash the link for more information and registration.

New Patrons 
None this week, this is a great time to sign up to support the show :)

Join them won’t you? Now is a great time to sign up at Patreon.com/bikesordeath!

By now I'm sure you are familiar with Hannah and her quest to take on the Bikepacking Triple Crown. She's agreed to share her journey with us at each stage along the way. So far she's been able to complete the first two races, the Tour Divide and Colorado Trail Race. In this episode we follow up with her after finishing 6th on the CTR and only a month before taking on the 800 miles of the Arizona Trail Race. It's been amazing to follow along as she takes on the biggest challenge our sport has to offer.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Lectric eBikes ~ Fun, Functional, and Affordable eBikes!

AG1 ~ Go to www.drinkag1.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Andy Fields

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

On this episode Ryan Van Duzer joins me for the first time and Matt Mason is back on the podcast for a chat about the New Mexico Bikepacking Summit and Dangerbird that took place in Las Cruces in Nov. Ryan did the whole course and filmed a four part series for his YouTube Channel, which is worth subscribing to, if you don't already.

Full write up with picture and video gallery available on www.bikesordeath.com.  

Episode Sponsors

These episodes aren’t possible without support!

Wren ~ Use code “BOD10” for 10% off your entire order. This week Ryan Van Duzer shares his thoughts on the Wren Inverted Fork. Check out his interview about the fork with Cameron!

🗝 Cory Ostertag
🗝 Chris Stewart
🗝 Kyle Russell
🗝 Ethan Croft

Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

On Oct. 27th 2018 I sat down with Greg Hardy of Rockgeist in his shop in Asheville, NC to record the first ever Bikes or Death podcast. What has transpired since that day can only be described as a whirlwind. On that day I started a journey that has taken me further than I realized possible or likely. However, here we are a year later and I'm sitting down with my friend Greg again.

On this new episode we share some thoughts about the Bikepacking Summit, catch up, I ask some follow up questions to our first episode, and of course we talk shop! And he's got some juicy stuff to share!!

Greg is offering a 10% DISCOUNT CODE to all BoD listeners. Use the promo code BIKESORDEATH at check out on Rockgeist.com and watch those dollars just fade away.

On this episode I sit down with Lael Wilcox in Bentonville, AR.  Lael is one of the most accomplished ultra endurance bikepackers on the planet today.  Her accomplishments are beyond impressive as is her humble and down to earth personality.  She is currently riding her bike to Emporia, KS for the start of the DKXL.  You can keep up with her @laelwilcox on instagram.

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ig: @bikesordeath
fb: facebook.com/bikesordeath
patreon: patreon.com/bikesordeath

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intro/outro music - Eric B Featuring Rakim - Eric B For President

It was a true honor to sit down with Hal Russell on the back porch of his Missouri home. At the age of 70 Hal is continuing to push the limits of what we believe humans are capable of. As I type this he is on the Great Divide route for the 6th time! Equally impressive is that he didn't even start cycling until he was 57. His athletic accomplishments are accompanied by a big smile and humility that he has become well known for. 

Nick Marzano is back! And this time he has joined the ranks as an official Tour Divide Finisher with a time of 20d, 9h, 1m, which was good enough to secure 22nd place. Nick first appeared on the podcast while he was still racing the Tour Divide. We chatted when he was at mile 1,250 in Pinedale, WY at about the halfway point for the race. If you haven't already, you may want to give that episode a listen first.

Read the full writeup at BikesorDeath.com

Local Nation Podcast - Nick's passion podcast from 2018

EPISODE SPONSORS

Athletic Greens ~ Good for bikepackers on the go! Visit www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to get a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Abe Kaufman
Darryl Carpenter

Join them won’t you? These episodes aren't possible without support from our listeners.

A couple weeks ago Nickel Potter and a 100 or so other cyclists were participating in the Rule of Three in NW Arkansas. They had just turned onto a remote gravel road in the Ozarks when a lady in a Dodge Ram came up behind them and when the cyclist got over to the side of the road she gunned it around them, losing control, and ultimately rolling her truck. After checking to make sure she was okay Nickel did the next logical thing which was to take a picture and post it on instagram.

When I saw the image originally I laughed and shared it to my stories and spent the next couple of days seeing it re-shared within the cycling community. Then I was on Reddit and his image was posted on several different subs with thousands of likes and comments and there were link to news articles as well. Thats when I realized the true impact of this picture. It broke out of the cycling community and found itself floating all over the internet which stirred up a long of conversations, most that I read were mostly positive towards the cyclist which was a nice surprise.

So today, we talk to the guy who took that iconic picture, hear his side, and chat about our rolls as cyclist when we are out on the roads and representing the community as a whole.

Visit www.bikesordeath.com for a full writeup and links to Reddit and News articles related to this event.  

Episode Sponsors

Rockgiest – This week Greg Hardy comes on to tell me all about their new 52Hz Welded Waterproof Framebags available now! Remember Patrons of this show get a code for Free Shipping and a Patch with your order.

Quad Lock ~ Everyone knows that Quad Lock make the best bike mount + phone case system, but did you know they make all kinds of mounts? Patrick shares some of his experiences with Quad Lock over his 10 years of use.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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Daniel Young

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Scotti and Ernie Lechuga in Little Rock, AR on my way to ride a portion of the AR High Country Route. Brannon Pack who works for Fayetteville recommended them as a great interview to get a feel for what I had to look forward to. I went into this interview completely blind to their background as professional road cyclist. I was planning to talk to them about their FKT they set on the High Country Route and get some pointers, but as their story unfolded I found myself with an endless list of questions and an increasing interest in knowing all about what lead them to bikepacking. What unfolds is one of my personal favorite episodes. They are equally impressive on and off the bikes and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know them better. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

You can learn more about them and their coaching business at LeborneCoaching.com. Also, check out the video documenting their ARHCR FKT.

This years Arkansas High Country Race takes place in Fayetteville on June 6th. Registration opened on Feb. 15th and there are only 24 spots left (at the time this was published). I hope to see you there! Bikes or Death will be there for a couple of days before the start conducting interviews, hanging out with you fine folks, and rolling out on the start with you. If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast and are competing in the race please send me an email at bikes@bikesordeath.com.

To register CLICK ME

On today's episode John Schilling, AZT Race Director, is here to talk all things AZT. He became the race director in 2019 when Scott Morris passed the torch after 14 years of creating and overseeing the race. John is no stranger to the AZT. He first attempted it in 2012 and completed it in 2013. He's a local to the Pheniox area  and is well known for his hard work developing routes, leading rides, and for his great work on the AZT.

Quickly after becoming the AZT race director he made changes to both the 300 and 800 routes. In fact, the long version used to be 750, but thanks to John there are an extra 50 miles of AZT goodness for you to enjoy. On today's episode we are going to be learning more about those changes and what prompted them.

We're also going to be getting to know John a little better and learning about his personal history with the AZT. Among other things we touch on the history of the AZT for bikepacking, the Arizona Trail Association, and discuss tips and insights to help prepare you to take on either of these epic routes.

The AZT is one of the jewels that make up the Bikepacking Triple Crown and has been an important part in the history of our sport. It was a true pleasure to take a deeper dive into this iconic trail and get to know the man currently at the helm a little better.

⚡️EPISODE SPONSOR⚡️
Campfire Cycling - Is your premier destination for AZT preparation. Whether you needs gear, supplies, or a pat on the back, they've got you covered. The also host 7 rides for riders at all levels that are great for AZT training. If you can't make it into their amazing shop they have you covered with an e-commerce store featuring their new Make-It-Mine Bicycle Configurator!

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Seth Gerring
Rob Lorenz
Derek Bowers

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

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In this episode I sit down with Greg Hardy, owner of Rockgeist.  I interviewed Greg in his shop and we had a great conversation ranging from owning a business to finding time to get away and ride.  

Rockgiest - https://rockgeist.com/

Coupon Code "bikesordeath" at checkout for a 10% discount on your order!

s24o Route we discussed on the show - https://rockgeist.com/roll-call/

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ig: @bikesordeath

blog: www.bikesordeath.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

Recently the Bikes or Death instagram account hit 10k followers. I figured that's as good of a reason as any to do my first AMA (Ask Me Anything). We put out the call to listeners, instagram followers, and Patrons to submit your questions and we got a Bunch!

Today's episode is hosted by Bronco Tryhard (previously known as Matt Mason). He did a great job hosting the episode, asking your questions, and throwing in a few of his own. This episode is a nice mix of serious and silly, which we hope is a nice balance.

Episode Sponsors

Ruby Coffee – We know Ruby makes great coffee, but what makes Ruby a great company? Jesse comes on to share his thoughts. Use Code BIKESORDEATH during checkout for 15% off any one time purchase or 20% off the first shipment of any subscription.

Kuat ~ There is a lot of hype around the new Piston Pro X, with good reason, but Kuat makes a bunch of great bike racks and Tom comes on to tells about some of them.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Harry Mahler

Join them him won’t you?

RJ Sauer is no stranger to big trips, big challenges, and big adventures. I've been following him and his work for years with great interest and a tinge of jealousy. Last year he set out to take on a new challenge, this time with his 3 year old son, Ollie, in tow. They settled on the Rexy Gravel Race, a 200 mile mixed terrain race starting in Fruita, CO and ending in Moab, UT. The catch? You've got 24 hours to complete it! Before you dive into today's episode you may want to watch his film first.

Along For The Ride - Film

For a full writeup and gallery of images from today's episode please visit www.BikesorDeath.com

EPISODE SPONSORS

Kuat - Have you seen Kuat's Piston SR? It's essentially the single rail version of the Piston Pro X.Same great features like all metal construction, Tiger Drylac (dry-lack) automotive powder coat, Genuine Kashima (kash-ee-ma) Coat, hydro-pneumatic ratchet arms that hug the tires and don't touch your bike frame. Kuat took the Piston Pro X and elevated it, literally.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Alsksandar Radan

Join them won’t you? Now is a great time to sign up on Patreon. For a limited time Jefe Velo will be matching all new pledges made at Patreon.com/bikesordeath.com

What were you doing at 17? Whatever it was, it's probably not as cool as my guest today. PJ Terry just shared first place at TNGA with a time of 2d 12h 30m. He crossed the finish line with Andrew Weidrich who shared the win with PJ.

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup!

This weeks quote ~ "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." ~Albert Einstein

EPISODE SPONSORS

BoD Takeover – Join us for the first ever Takeover happening at Mulberry Gap in Ellija, GA from Nov. 10th – 13th. Visit MulberryGap.com for all the details and to register! Have questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!

Ruby Coffee ~ The best damn coffee can be yours at a 15% discount, just use code "BIKESORDEATH" at checkout!

Ombraz ~ Get the shades all the cool kids are wearing! Ombraz is offering a special deal to BoD listeners, use the code "BOD20" to get $20 off your order, PLUS Ombraz will send BoD $20 too!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Schwan Hardi
Travis Krzyminski

Join them won’t you? Now is a great time to sign up on patreon. For a limited time Jefe Velo will be matching all new pledges made at Patreon.com/bikesordeath.com

This week I'm in the hot seat as my friend Ryan ask me YOUR questions! He interviewed me once before on Ep. 8, but a lot has changed in 48 episodes and thanks to your questions we had plenty to talk about.

If you've been listening for a while you've probably heard me talk about my lack of expectations for the podcast. Not in a self-deprecating way, but in the way that you do something that you're passionate about for a community you love without expectations. I didn't tell anyone about the podcast or promote it outside of an obscure post on a small instagram account, but that didn't stop me from quickly realizing not only the popularity of Bikepacking, but the desire for these types of interviews and stories. Admittedly, there is a part of me that wanted this podcast to remain small and obscure. That part of me is insecure, self-conscious, and it can be riddled with anxiety and doubt, but I've tried my best to produce the show authentically and to the best of my abilities with the time and talent I have. In the process I've grown considerably as a person, and while I'm still not 100% comfortable in this roll and feel like I have so much to learn, I am ready to fully embrace this opportunity and take it to the next level.

In the past few months I have been working in the background to shift my focus on Bikes or Death from a hobby to a career. I will be announcing many new and exciting changes in the coming months, but for now I'm excited to share that for the first time ever I'm partnering with companies that believe in BoD and are equally committed to its success. I'm only partnering with brands that I dig and believe my listeners will benefit from, and most importantly aren't going to silence or censor the show in any way shape or form. We discuss this topic more in-depth on this week's episode, so give it a listen won't ya?!

This week's episode was supported by Rockgeist, who wants you to know about their monthly raffle benefiting organizations committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in bikepacking and the outdoors. Learn more, and enter for your chance to win a CUSTOM Mudlust Framebag, at Rockgeist.com.

I'm also stoked to share with you my new favorite sunglasses from Goodr. When I lost my expensive ass sunglasses a month ago I sought out to find an affordable alternative that didn't sacrifice on quality or style, blah blah blah....sunglasses. Check out some of my favs at Goodr.com/BikesorDeath.

At the end of the year Sofiane made a post on social media that caught my eye. The first line read, “So where do I go from here?”. Sofiane is arguably the best ultra bikepack racer in the world. A position that he earned by winning some of the most grueling races in bikepacking, in some cases multiple times. Having accomplished so much, he now finds himself in a unique position and wondering what’s next.

Today we dig a little deeper into Sofiane’s thoughts about his career, his accomplishments, and what, in fact, is next for him.

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New Patrons
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Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

From 2006 to 2016 Ted King was a professional road cycling before switching to gravel where he took 1st at the DK200 in 2016 and 2017. Earlier this month he completed the 1,000+ mile Arkansas High Country Race in first with a time of 4 days, 20 hours, which was good enough to snag the FKT set by Jay Petervary in June of this year.

The ARHCR is no walk in the park either. It may be easy to have your guard down when you see that the highest point on the route is only 2,745 ft. elevation, but in the words of friend and route creator Chuck Campbell "The valleys are low and the grade is steep". I got to preview a portion of the route in February and I got a first hand taste of the steepness. The route is littered with sharp grades going both up or down. There is very little flat sections, in most cases you're either going up or down.

On Oct. 31st 2020 twenty ultra-endurance cyclist started from Fayetteville, AR. Racers can choose to go either CW or CCW, but regardless of which direction you go there is still 1,037 miles and over 80,000 ft of climbing through the Ozarks and Ouachitas in NW Arkansas. Of the 20 that started only 7 finished, which in itself is a testament to the toughness of this route.

This was Ted's first attempt at an ultra endurance bikepacking event. He didn't have much experience bikepacking either, but that didn't stop him from signing up to tackle a very challenging course. Like many of you, I followed his dot closely to see if his wealth of experience in other disciplines of the sport would transfer over, or if the local Andrew Onermaa would be able to keep the crown away from King. In the end Ted would ultimately grit it out to win by beating out all previous FKT's, but for much of the race Andrew was on his heels never taking the pressure off. He recorded a video shortly after scratching that's worth watching. If you want to know how hard it is, this video scratches the surface of what it takes to compete at a high level against one of hell of a professional cyclist.

Ted, congrats on your FKT, welcome to bikepacking! I can't wait to see what you set your sites on in the future.

Spencer McCullough just did something that's never been done before! He visited all 51 National Parks in the lower 48 by bicycle. This epic trip around the U.S. involved 411 days of riding, 18,000 miles covered by bike, and a total of 28 flat tires.

Spencer was inspired to do this trip after reading an article in the New York Times, titled "What to Save? Climate Change Forces Brutal Choices at National Parks". His goal? To visit all the National Parks in the lower 48 to experience them before climate change impacts them even further.  Along the way, he educated himself about cycling safety and infrastructure and compiled invaluable data on dedicated hiker-biker campsites in our National Parks. Through his ride, he's been able to bring awareness to some of the issues facing cyclists who dream of visiting our National Parks by bike.

One of his initiatives to promote bike touring in America is a website that lists all the hiker/biker campsites in one place. This site is a combination of his own research and efforts, but community members are encouraged to submit campsites to the map as well. This is an ongoing project, but he's already mapped 508 campsites (at the time of this writing) and more are being added by the day. To check out this resource and/or to add more campsites, please visit GoBikecamping.com.

On today's episode, Spencer and I dive into his motivations and goals for this trip, what it's like to live off your bike for 411 days, some of the best (and worst) Parks and places to ride in America, and what to do if you find a gun on the side of the road! Those topics, and more, can be found in today's chat with Spencer McCullough.  

EPISODE SPONSORS 

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I chatted with Sofiane Sehili via skype 4 days after he scratched from the Tour Divide after being in the lead. I give him an opportunity to tell his story and address some of the comments and accusations that were made about him. I enjoyed chatting with him as much as I enjoyed watching him race.

This week I'm joined by Ana Jager who just became the 2022 Tour Divide winner on her Rookie attempt! Most of the questions for todays episode came from women who answered the call on social media! Hillary, Laura, Tatiana, and Katheryn all called in with their questions and many more women sent me questions to ask!

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on todays episode!

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Even before the Tour Divide started this year there was drama on social media. On this episode Billy Rice and I discuss some of the topics. Billy was actually at the Brush Mountain Lodge during some of the speculation, he is also a 6 time vet of the Tour Divide, and has been filmed for Inspired to Ride. Who better to add some dialogue to what I'm calling The Drama Divide.

The inaugural East Texas Showdown is over and now comes the podcasts! Hearing everyones stories after their rides as we shared food and beverages was a true pleasure, enjoyed by all. It was really probably the magic sauce that made this event special. I went to Austin shortly after the race and recorded 3 episodes with five guests and I look forward to sharing some of that post race fodder with you over the next couple of weeks. First up are Nick Ybarra (Showdown, 4th) and Kyle Gilbert (Showdown,. 6th). We meet the Wednesday after the race at Kyles workshop in Austin, which made for a cool backdrop to our conversation.

On this episode Nick and Kyle share their experience on this years ETS. It was both of their first bikepacking race and they had different approaches. For example, Nick wore sandals for, had rim brakes, carried very minimal gear, and no aero bars. Whereas, Kyle was clipless, with disc brakes, ran aerobars, and lived on crackers. It created some good conversation about different approaches to the same course.

It was a lot of fun for me to get to hear about my event from their perspectives. I had all kinds of concerns as a first time racer director with a brand new route, but as I heard more and more stories like these all of my concerns have been squashed. The feedback I got from participants was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, a Spring date was highly requested and we are happy to make that happen. Dates coming soon!

These episodes aren't possible without support. Thanks to this weeks supporting partners:

Kuat - They just released the Piston Pro X, and it's badass. How do you tell your bike you love it without saying I love you? Answer, you get it a Piston Pro X.

NM Bikepacking Summit - Part Summit, Part Bikepacking Party, 100% good times, good rides, and good tacos.

Schedule
Oct. 21st at 6:00pm - 12-15 mile mellow gravel ride
Oct. 22nd 8:20-11:00am & 2-5pm - Bikepacking Summit
- @7:30pm I'll be interview Cjell Mone' with a live audience
Oct. 23rd at 9:00am - Dangerbird Group Start
Contact Matt Mason for more info!

Huge thanks to our newest Patrons:
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Ryan Can
Mikaela Koch
Paul Lichtenauer
Edward Anderson
Nicholas Campbell
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Anderson Simmons
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Rebecca Rusch is an accomplished endurance athlete with 40 years of experience. Her list of accomplishments over that time period has been impressive. Among other things, she is a 7x World Champion Adventure Athelete, 2x Iditarod Trail Invitational winner, MTB hall of fame inductee, and a Red Bull Athlete.

On today’s episode we tackle the topic of Winter Riding. Some of the topics discussed are layering, eating, keeping water from freezing, managing electronics, and going potty. The information is this episode is invaluable and it’s a result of Rebecca’s extensive personal experiences.

We are honored to have Rebecca back on the podcast and grateful for her willingness to share some tips she’s learned over the years.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Red Granite Grinder – It’s time to register for the RGG that takes place on October 14th in Wausau, Wi. I did an episode about last years event that you can check out here.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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This year the East Texas Showdown welcomed 100 riders from all over the US, but it was two road cyclist from nearby Austin that would push the pointy end of the race. Kuya Takami was our 2022 East Texas Showdown winner with a time of 23h 56m, setting a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) and Dennis Lastochkin was the second person to cross the finish line, but his time did not officially count after he accepted assistance on course.

Read the full report with a full gallery of pictures at www.bikesordeath.com

Community Spotlight

Velo Cruces, ‘Every Body Rides with Grace’ is hosting adaptive cycle parade in Las Cruces, NM on Saturday June 4th. Please click the link for more info on how you can attend and be part of the important work Grace and her family are doing.

Episode Sponsor

Kuat doesn't also make great racks, they give back too. One way that do this is through their Future Forest Initiative through which they have planted 592,875 trees today. Visit Kuat.com today to learn more about what they are doing for our forrest and check out their racks while you're there...wink...wink...

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You don't schedule an interview with Ultraromance. The universe must align in such a way that your paths cross and you may find yourself sitting down with the most mythical personality our sport has ever seen. In this exclusive interview I ask the questions you've been dying to know like, "What's your name?" and "Do you take showers?". Find out his answer to these and many more in this ultra episode of the Bikes or Death Podcast.

Follow him on Instagram (ummm just in case you don't already)

You can find the products we discussed on the show on his website www.ronsbikes.com and his new tire corporation www.ultradynamico.com

Last week I put a call out to anyone currently racing the Tour Divide to come on the podcast. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge, but I thought it would be really neat to hear from someone who is currently racing to give us a live account of this years Tour Divide. Nick Marzano answered the call via instagram and after a few days trying to make our schedules align we were able to chat while he was posted up in a hotel room in Pinedale, WY.

Nick Marzano - Trackleaders / Instagram

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Embark Maple - Maple Energy Adventure Packs for the Modern Explorer. Use code "bikesordeath" to receive 3 free samples!

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In this episode I meet up with Jenny Schmidt at Rocky Hill Ranch to ride bikes and record a podcast. She had just completed a solo bikepacking trip along the US/Mexico border from California to Texas. For her this trip was about grappling with her own mental health and an opportunity to learn first hand about the issues surrounding the border and the wall.

When we recorded this episode on Feb. 25th we had no idea that when she flew back to her home state of Washington that she would soon find herself in the epicenter of America's battle with the Coronavirus. As I listened to this episode it was eye opening to realize what a different world we were living in only a month ago. It was actually refreshing to remember back to that day and relive the simplicity of going for a mountain bike ride with new friends, recording an episode in @vanordeath, and then going out to a restaurant for tacos. All of those things are on hold now as we hunker down and wait.

I've been reflecting on how connected we ALL are. This virus has shown that the actions of one man in Wuhan, China can have a huge impact on the entire planet. In this case, it is a negative impact, but it's opened my eyes to the realization that we really are in this together, that our actions do matter, that one person can make a difference. There is so much we can't do right now you may feel helpless, but I'm encouraging everyone to realize how impactful their actions are and to be mindful of what you do and how you treat people and our environment.

I am going to take advantage of this "down-time" by recording and releasing as many episodes as I can. The Bikes or Death Podcast: NOT CANCELLED.

I'm honored to have this years Arkansas High Country Winner, and new Women's FKT holder, back on the podcast. Scotti Lechuga completed this years race in 5d, 10h, 49m, besting everyone in the field. For the uninitiated, the Arkansas High Country Race is quickly earning a reputation for being extremely challenging 1,000+ miles course that covers much of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The conditions this year were challenging due thanks most to heavy rainfall that reached havoc on gear and racers. Scotti overcame a lot on her journey to this years big win.

Visit www.bikesordeath.com for a full writeup with pictures!

Here is a link to my episode with Scotti and Ernie Lechuga

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These episodes aren’t possible without support!

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Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons:
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When Indy showed up at the East Texas Showdown he told me that he's doing a Yo-Yo and if he doesn't complete it to DNF him. Fortunately, I didn't have to because after 760 miles he became the first person to attempt and complete the Showdown Yo-Yo with an offical time of 3d 12h 20m!

Check out BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup with pictures and links to the first 2 episodes I did with Indy.

Episode Sponsors

Atheletic Greens ~ Visit www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to get a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

Ruby Coffee ~ Use code "BIKESORDEATH" at checkout to get 15% of any coffee purchase or 20% off your first shipment of any subscription."

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Larry Wagner

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This past weekend Sofiane Sehili became the 2022 Tour Divide winner with a time of 14d 16h 36. This concluded a journey that started 8 years ago when Sofiane toured the Tour Divide for the first time. He would return in 2016 to race it for the first time and claim a very respectable 3rd place, while Mike Hall would go on to win and set a new course record in the process. A record that stands to this day. In 2019 Sofiane came back to try again. Everything was looking promising as he was leading the race and contending with Mike Hall's record until a massive snow storm stopped him in his track, forcing his return to Brush Mountain Lodge and taking him out of the race. 

Please visit BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup and gallery of images from patricks time at the end of the Tour Divide.  

Episode Sponsors 

Quad Lock ~ The best phone case and bike mount combo in the known universe!

Athletic Greens ~ Good for bikepackers on the go! Visit www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to get a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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Huckansawyer (Kevin)

Join him won’t you? This weeks episode includes over an hour of raw conversations between Sofiane and I, available only to Patrons!

Ultra-endurance and bikepacking legend, Jay Petervary set out on his solo and unsupported FKT attempt of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route which he called “Great Divide Ride Unearthed”. Over 2,000 miles into his ride he was struck by a motorist. Suffering multiple series injuries, Jay’s resilience is unwavering. He may be battered, but he is not broken. He continues to inspire with his mantra “ride forward” and reminds us that he’s not done with this ride yet. Watch or listen to this episode, link in bio!

️⚡️Episode Sponsors ⚡️

️ Fred Bars  - Used on the inaugural run of the Tour Divide in 2008, read the article here.  

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

None this week, but you can change that!

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath 

Ben Playter and Ezra Ward-Packard are currently on their bikes riding across American. Today is actually the final day of their trip which ends in Florida. I caught up with them in Austin thanks to Stephanie Hall who turned me onto them and gave us a spot to record. So today's episode is kind of a two for one.

First I chat with Ben and Ezra about their trip which was highly entertaining. These two friends have much different approaches and it resulted in an interesting dynamic they had to work through. Hint, one of them is touring and the other is training for a run at Tour Divide this year.

Then Stephanie joins Ezra to discuss riding with Type 1 Diabetes. Both of them have accomplished some cool things on the bike and learning to manage their diabetes is a critical part. They share some of their experiences and tips to help other people with diabetes get out on their damn bikes. Ezra was actually on Team Nova Nordisk, a professional road cycling team made up entirely of racers with Type 1 diabetes. How cool is that?

Episode Sponsors

Mulberry Gap – This week we chat about the Cohutta Cat bikepacking route that is right out the front door of Mulberry Gap!

Wren Sports ~ Cameron shares about a new pilot program they are rolling out to help support women owned bike shops, email cameron@wrensports.com to start a conversation!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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On this episode I get a private tour of the new Texas Hill Country Overnighter with it's creator Maxwell Johnston. This is one of only four routes listed on Bikepacking.com in Texas and two of those are in Big Bend, which is beautiful, but also very remote, requiring a 10+ hour drive from Central Texas.

When I got into bikepacking I quickly learned that the lack of Public Lands in Texas creates a barrier to accessing the outdoors via bike, because 97% of Texas is privately held land. The genius of Maxwell's route is that he used Private Campgrounds as a way to string together some of the best gravel roads in the Hill Country.

This route was originally submitted to Bikepacking.com and you can find all the route info with gps file by searching in their route library.  

I can't tell you how many messages I've received over the years asking if I knew of a bikepacking route in the Hill Country, and I'm happy to have an excellent route I can share next time I get a message! This route quickly became my favorite route in Texas. The roads are idyllic and lightly travelled that will treat you to a wide diversity of flora and fauna. We road it in the late spring and the wildflowers made for an extra special trip, but Maxwell is quick to point out that this route is also beautiful in the winter; and a little cooler!

Today's episode takes a deeper look into this new route. What really sells this route is the pictures!

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Last month Natalie and I took on the Ozark Rando 120. This is a new event by Ozark Gravel Cyclist and hosted by Experience Fayetteville.  As the name suggests, the format of this ride is a Randonneur -a non-competitive long-distance unsupported endurance cycling event. 

I used this ride as part of my training for an attempt at the 475 mile Central Texas Showdown Route.  I’ve also been really interested in doing a Randonneur ever since Cheech with Crust Bikes came on the podcast.  And, I never turn down an opportunity to ride my damn bike in Arkansas!  

Natalie on the other hand would be taking on her biggest ride, by a long shot!  Previously, her longest ride was 60 miles in Texas with only 1,200’ of climbing.  The Ozark Rando boasts over 12,000’ of climbing over 122 miles. For her, this would be a huge physical and mental undertaking. By signing up, she committed to the unknown, and that’s scary.

Spoiler alert: We finished Dead Fucking Last, and I couldn't be more proud of her and us. As the day unfolded, the miles passed slower and slower, and the finish time goal post kept moving, but we kept riding our damn bikes.

On today’s episode, join Natalie and I as we embark on an epic day (and night) in the Ozarks on our bikes.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Experience Fayetteville ~ To start planning your next cycling vacation just visit experiencefayetteville.com where you’ll find a large selection of curated routes for every riding style including road, gravel, mountain bike, and urban adventures.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉
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In this week's episode I do my first "colab" podcast with Lewis Ciddor who not only won Tour Divide in 2017, but is also the host of the Overland Archive Podcast. We come to the podcasting world with different experiences and perspectives which I think are both valuable. I was excited to chat with him about his personal history with cycling and of course his 2018 TD win. It was made particularly interesting because I had just interviewed Bailey Newbrey who was the 2018 TD Second Place finisher and he was on a SingleSpeed.

Admittedly when you get two people who are relatively new to the podcasting world, and still trying to figure it out, there will be a fare amount of nerdery being discuss.

Honestly, Lewis offered to edit this episode, so I haven't even heard it yet. Coupled with a bad memory, I don't remember everything we discuss. I do remember having a great time and felt like it was one of the more conversational podcast that I've recorded. That's probably due to the nature of us both being host and taking turns asking questions.

Thank you Lewis for the chat, and I hope everyone enjoys listening as much as we enjoyed recording!

On the morning of Christmas Eve 2018 Kait Boyle was at the height of her ultra endurance racing career, having won the 24 hour World Championship in 2018 and set a new record on the AZT 300. Her life would take an unexpected turn later that day when she was involved in a horrific vehicular accident that left her with a long list of injuries and a long path to recovery. Like many of you, I watch her social media feed for months as she dedicated herself to rehabilitation and ultimately back to fitness.

Almost a 2 years, and a pandemic later, she finally found herself at the top podium again. This time in the form of an FKT on the Kokopelli Trail. On Nov. 6th, 2020 Lael Wilcox, Kurt Refsnider, and Kait all met in Moab at the start line of the Kokopelli, each of them on ITT's with FKT's on the mind. Kait was able to finish with a time of 13 hrs, 7 mins, which was good enough to beat the long standing time set by Rebecca Rush by 25 minutes. In doing so, she answered 2 years of questions and uncertainty. She was equally rewarded for her hard work, perseverance, and PATIENCE. As a personal fan, I remember cringing seeing the gruesome pics from her crash and injuries. It was hard to watch, I can't imagine how hard it was to live.

In addition to her accomplishments on the bike she is also the Co-Founder of Bikepacking Roots, which supports and advances bikepacking, the growth of a diverse bikepacking community, and access to and the conservation of the landscapes and public lands through which we ride.

Her contributions on and off the bike are both impressive and valuable to this community that we all love. It was great to share in this milestone with her and hear about her journey over the past couple of years. Kait, congrats on the FKT, and we look forward to rooting for you in future races.

You can learn more about Kait on her website or follow her on social media.

Episode Sponsors (check them out as a way to thank them for supporting this podcast)
~ GOODR Sunglasses
~ KUAT Racks

Did you know?
1% of all store sales go to the Bikepacking Roots BIPOC Adventure Grant Program

Katya Rakhmatulina just won the 2023 Colorado Trail Race and set a new FKT in the process. With a time of 5d 1h 53m she beat the previous time of 6d 1h 34m set by Alexandera Houchin in 2019. Prior to this she placed Second at this years Tour Divide behind Lael Wilcox.

For a full writeup please visit BikesorDeath.com, this episode is available to watch on our website as well. 

New Patrons

Spencer Snider
Dan Perez
Alexander Getty

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Jerry Kopack followed the “laminated playbook” that many Americans are familiar with; go to college, get a job, buy the house, save for retirement, have the family, etc. etc. While he was on the path to a traditional standard of success, he wasn’t fulfilled. In 2016 he set out on a 4 week bike tour in Zimbabwe with the goal of resetting himself in search of what’s next. That 4 week trip turned into 2 years through a chance encounter with a mindset of “alway saying yes”.

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup and gallery of images from Jerry's travels.

Jerry's Book: The World Spins By

EPISODE SPONSORS

Ombraz – Use code “BOD20” for $20 off your order AND BoD will get $20 from Ombraz as a thank you!

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Kevin Lee ~ Spinistry
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The following Patrons increased their pledges!

Mathew Wells

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

At the Bikepacking Summit I had the honor of sitting down with Lael Wilcox and Rugile Kaladyte (Rue) in their first interview together. After they found themselves in the middle of drama on the Tour Divide this year it was nice to chat with both of them to hear their thoughts on riding and documents bikepacking events. Personally, I'm grateful for what they are trying to do through documenting this great sport that we love. Inspired to Ride spurred a new generation of bikepackers and Tour Divide participants, myself included. I am grateful for the efforts they have been making to tell the stories of events like the Tour Divide or the Navidad 1000. Those stories inspire and inspiration leads to more people on bikes and that's something we should all be rallied around.

Having been fortunate enough to spend time riding, socializing, and interviewing both Lael and Rue I have seen first hand their love for this sport, the community, and their desire to share these stories in the most respectful way possible.

Yesterday Pearl Izumi launch Rue's new film I Just Want to Ride documenting Tour Divide 2019. It is worth a watch and then a rewatch. How cool is it to be able to watch the dots, see some social media post from time to time, and then watch a film about the event and see first hand some of the conditions and challenges that the riders were facing only five months ago!? Thank you Lael and Rue for keeping the course in the face of adversary. As you will hear on this episode there is nothing easy about documenting an event like this and to do it under such scrutiny from the community you love added a whole new level of difficulty. The new film is a beautiful look into the lives of the ultra endurance riders we love and the routes we aspire to ride. I look forward to future projects and more content like this. Maybe in the future people will put down their keyboards and go ride their damn bikes!

Erik and I met at a Bikes or Death group bikepacking trip right before the world shut down thanks to a coronavirus. Since then he's been wholed up in his Austin apartment in lockdown. With some extra time stuck indoors he's been finding ways to stay active and engaged with the cycling community. Early on he rode 1,000 miles on his training in a month, then he gave himself a stick and poke tattoo, but his latest project really caught my attention, along with many of you I'm sure. You may have seen his animated film "Studio Ghibli Campout" featuring a bearded wizardy looking character riding through a Studio Ghibli Film. Erik is the creator and stars in the film that was made with the assistance of Alison Mae Bonham. It is a uniquely beautiful film that fills you with emotion. For me I watched with a tinge of somberness as it felt like Erik was reaching out to the cycling community and saying "I really wish I could be out riding with my friends, but here's a beautiful gift that I made from my apartment instead". I found myself longing for simpler times and looking forward to group rides again.

Like his film, Erik is a beautifully unique person and our conversation is a reflection of that. We talk robots, hacking, pokemon go, bikes, padded vs non-padded, riding with diabetes, and lots more good stuff.

Erik, it was great to catch up again, stay well my friend, and we'll ride again some day soon!

On today’s episode I get to meet Ally Johnson who is taking the reins over at Bikepacking Roots. She was hired in October, but we wanted to give her a little time to get acquainted with her new role before having her on. Ally brings with her an impressive academic resume. From Bikepacking Roots, “Ally has a master’s degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership from Stanford University, undergraduate work in nonprofit leadership, and last taught US history and civics at the high school level. Ally was chosen from a large candidate pool of highly qualified individuals, a testament to the passion and diversity of experiences in the bikepacking community.”

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for the full article along with how you can support and get involved with Bikepacking Roots.

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These episodes aren’t possible without support!

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In October my friend Connor (Natalie joined us on day one) and I were the first ones to ride a new route I created as part of the East Texas Showdown. This one is called the Lowdown and is for participants who want to ride (not race) and enjoy the East Texas Piney Woods with a group of other riders. It's 160 miles with a little over 5,000 ft of elevation, with four camping options, and plenty of resupply points. Of course, you don't have to wait to ride it, the route has been vetted and you can find it on BikesorDeath.com.

For a full writeup on today's episode, a gallery of images from this trip, and the finialized Lowdown Route, please visit www.BikesorDeath.com

EPISODE SPONSORS

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and welness routine and a great way to provide the nutriens your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

Ombraz – Use code “BOD20” for $20 off your order AND BoD will get $20 from Ombraz as a thank you!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

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Patrons who increased their pledges!

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Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I started following Lindsay Shepard's journey when I saw on social media that she had built her own bike frame and was planning to race on it. To my surprise the first race she signed up for was my East Texas Showdown! Right after that, she turned her van North East and did the Gravel Doom race, in Arkansas. When she finished that race, she wasn't done. She turned her bike around to ride the course in reverse. Thus becoming the first person to complete the DOOM Yo-Yo! For style points, she did it on a SS bike, that she built!!

For a full writeup and photo gallery please visit www.BikesorDeath.com

EPISODE SPONSORS

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Lance Putnam

Patron's that increased their pledge...

Kevin Lee

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Indiana started his Ultra Distance Cycling "career" in 2017 and he quickly started making waves.  

2017 American Trail Race (ATR) - 2nd place
2018 GranGravel 500 - 1st place *Course Record
2018 Trans Am - 2nd place 
2019 GranGravel 500 - 1st place

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ig: @bikesordeath

blog: www.bikesordeath.com

patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

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intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President

Over the last couple of years I’ve received a lot of request for episodes that address some of the “how-to’s” and “what’s what” of bikepacking. I’ve delayed for a couple of reason. One, a personal belief (or lack thereof) that I should leave that to more experienced and knowledgeable people in the community. The other problem, was figuring out a way to deliver the information in a podcast format. I kind of always thought it needed to be a YT video and maybe I would get into that one day. 

I believe now, through my conversations with a variety of guest, that everyone has something to contribute, and that includes myself. I pulled in my friend Connor Thomas to shoulder some of the weight too! Connor and I met at my LBS and as we got to know each other we learned that we shared a similar interest in the outdoors and adventuring. We’ve been able to go on a number of great trips and I know him to be an a person whose passion for the outdoors is equalled by his knowledge of it. When he agreed to record a podcast on some Bikepacking Basics I was stoked, because I think a conversation about these topics is far more interesting that a monolog, and he brings his own unique experiences to the table as well. 

In this episode we use a recent trip to Big Bend National Park as the backdrop to answer your questions. Ultimately, we received 41 questions, that boiled down to 18 questions and we tackle them all! The most requested topic was on Route Building, which was really perfect because our trip to BB was a route finding mission. We saved that one for last and answer your other questions as we build up to it, but you won’t want to miss “How to make cake while bikepacking” (video coming soon) or our thoughts on e-bikes!

Thanks to everyone for their questions, we hope you find this information helpful, and if you enjoyed this episode please let me know. I bet I can get Conor to do another one if we ask nice.

~~~~~~~~

BoD Theme Song by Miles Arbour

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Two things that intimidate me are the Colorado Trail and YoYo'ing the CT, but nothing kept Katie and Andrew Strempke from being the first people to Yo-Yo it. By the numbers they did a total of 1,080 miles, 140,000 ft of elevation gain, with maybe 200 miles or more of hike-a-bike, and one slumber party in a vaulted camp toilet. They completed it in 16d, 14h, 20m which is made more epic by the fact that they were both on Singlespeed!! Katie wrote an article for her blog that was published on Bikepacking.com that is well worth the read. In this episode we dive into important topics like "what is it with bikepackers and sleeping in toilets?". Have a listen for this inspiring story and many more.

One of my favorite takeaways was Katie's mantra "Growth>Comfort". Stay uncomfortable my friends, nothing great was ever accomplished in an abundance of comfort.

This week we are talking all things East Texas Showdown & Slowdown.  We asked this years participants to send in their questions and we brought in 5 previous racers to answer them!  

Even if you aren't doing the race this year, this episode is chalk full of bikepack racing goodness!

Our panelist are:

Alex Maldonado
Katya Morzhueva
Davis Sims
Lisa Cervantes
Dave Easley 

Thanks to support from our race sponsors:

Wren Sports
Ruby Coffee
Kuat
Quad Lock
Bullet Grill
Rockgeist

I've been familiar with Jessica peripherally as a member of the Austin cycling scene and also from her published work in Bikepacking.com. She's penned two works for them, Discovering Aloneness on the Arkansas High Country can be found online. Her other piece, River Road Rendezvous, is featured the in the 2021 edition of the Bikepacking Journal. So when I received my July '22 issue of TPWD Magazine I was surprised, but not shocked, to see an article she wrote for them about bikepacking during the pandemic.

It's about a 700 mile trip that her and a riding companion created and road during the later stages of the pandemic. The began their journey in Little Rock, AR and used a train to get them to their starting point. From there it was 700 miles of mixed terrain riding back to their hometown of Austin, TX. Like any trip they have their highs and lows, but they are always jam packed with lessons and knowledge you didn't have before.

Jessica is an accomplished bikepacker and photojournalist and her two passions intersect to inspire people to get out and ride their damn bike, and that's something we can dig over here at BoD. On this episode we learn a little about Jessica and then we learn from her about bikepacking, route planning, and how to share them to inspire others!

After we parted ways she was off to teach a women's clinic on crit racing. Jessica's desire to grow the bike community is seemingly endless and I appreciate her coming on the show to share some of that with us.

There is a special message to the listeners at the beginning of this episode. I hope you will take the time to listen. These episodes aren't possible without your support, literally. To find out how you can help keep the lights on please visit Patreon.

A big thanks to this week's newest Patrons!!
Jeremy Gleason
Michael Gerwig
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Ashley Nicole Ferris

On today's episode Holden and I chat about a little bit of everything. His day job is at a hot rod shop in Ft. Worth and he's owned a few pretty rad cars over the years. He put his mechanical abilities to use and built hims a rad Tall Bike, which is the fodder for many of my questions on this episode. When he's not tooling around on his tall bike you may see him on his fixie cruising the streets of Ft. Worth with a cycling syndicate that goes by the name of "Smash Bros Plus One".

Visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup, plus pictures of Holden's Tall Bike, Cars, and more.  

EPISODE SPONSORS

Panorama Cycles - Patrick is stoked to be riding and representing this forward thinking Canada based company. They build Backcountry Bicycles for the adventure cyclist and they are the only Certified Climate Neutral Bike Company on the market. Patrick is the new U.S. Sales Rep, so if you're interest in learning more please reach out at bikes@bikesordeath.com

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and welness routine and a great way to provide the nutriens your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

Christopher Rahilly
Michelle Jensen

The following Patrons increased their pledges!

Ash Werner

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In this episode I interview Roger Gilles, author of Women on the Move: The Forgotten Era of Women's Bicycle Racing. I originally became interested in this book when a documentary I was watching (called Bicycle) mentioned a bike racer by the name of Dottie Farnsworth. As a Farnsworth myself, and knowing that it is an uncommon name, I knew there was a good chance I was related to her.

My mom happens to be a genealogist, so I put her to work on the lineage while I started my search to track down everything I could find out about Dottie Farnsworth. As it turns out there was very little out there, but I did find some pictures and other bits of information floating around on the internet.

Dottie Farnsworth

Shortly after I started my search, Roger released his new book Women on the Move featuring Dottie as one of the main characters, along with many other equally fascinating women. What started as a search to find out more about a distant relative turned into a eye opening journey that paints a picture of a time period in our sport that I was completely unaware of.

The book covers a 7 year period from 1985-1902 when women's endurance cycling races were at an all time high in America. The women who dared to race were truly pioneers, pushing the boundaries of not only what everyone thought was physically possible, but also the clothing and social norms of the time. They truly had to fight on and off the track to pursue their goals, and what they accomplished is truly astonishing.

We all owe these women so much, but I hope women in particular will find inspiration in these stories of courage and athletic accomplishments that took place only 120 years ago.

At the end of last year I was encouraged and inspired to get my passport by my girlfriend, Natalie. It's something I always thought I would do one day, but had never made it a priority. I've been so enamored and satiated by the wild and natural beauty of North America that I hadn't even really started to think seriously about international travel. Natalie is a very well seasoned and experienced traveler with many international stamps in her passport. Her passion for international travel is only equalled by her love for Latin America. It wasn't long before she had sufficiently wet my appetite to experience it for myself and we were booking tickets to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on todays episode and how that trip to Oaxaca lead to a trip to Jaco, Costa Rica!

EPISODE SPONSORS

Wren Sports - They've been hard at work on their new Perseverance Bars, which now come in Flat bar, Drop bar, AND aero pads are available as well. Check them out at Wren Sports and save 15% when you use the code "BOD15".

Stans No Tubes - Stans has been protecting tires for 20+ years. For the past 15 years they've been perfecting their Race Sealant and it's now available to the public! Top of your tires with their Race Formula if you want extra protection on a bike trip or a race.

School of the World - Located in Jaco, Costa Rica they offer Surf, Spanish, Photography, and Yoga classes. The owner is a bikepacker and he'd be happy to put a route or two together for you as well. Just tell'em Bikes or Death sent you :)

🎉 New Patrons 🎉

None this week, but you can change that!

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

This week I had an opportunity to catch up with Neil Beltchenko, who raced the 2021 CTR under the pseudonym Ned Bachanko. Neil is no stranger to ultra endurance racing, he's been pushing his limits on the most demanding routes since 2013. In 2014 he and his wife Lindsay started Bikepacker Mag which was an online publication about bikepacking, routes, and gear. In 2017 Bikepacking.com absorbed Bikepacker Mag and Neil. You will now find Neil creating some amazing content for Bikepacking.com's YouTube channel, which I highly recommend. Whether on the bike or behind the camera Neil is always moving the sport of bikepacking forward and we are lucky to have him in our community.

Neil and Lindsay, also put on the Bikepacking Summit, which is where I met them in 2019. I can tell you, they know how to throw one helluva bikepacking party. We talked about the future of the Summit on the podcast, but you'll have to listen to find out 😊

We were able to cover a lot on this episode, we chatted about content creation, his introduction to bikepacking and ultra endurance racing, his 2015 Tour Divide race, pre-race anxiety and pressure, his soon to be fatherhood, his bike setup, this years CTR 1st place finish, and of course we talk White Sox.

After almost 10 years we had a lot to talk about and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I mostly enjoy Neil's seemingly unlimited positivity, it's contagious and I like it.

Follow Neil on Bikepacking.com's YouTube Channel or on his instagram @neil_beltchenko, he takes a nice picture, check'em out!

Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible!

Rockgeist - This week we had Jessica on to tell us about some new fabric offerings! If you haven't checked out their Fabric Page, you should! They have collected an impressive about of data and information about fabric types, how they wear, and suggestions on what may be best for you.

Quad Lock - Personally, I dumped my bike computer years ago and have been using Quad Lock on all my bikes ever since. For me it was about simplicity. One less thing to charge, upload, download, update, etc. It's been a great solution for me whether I'm going on a mtb ride or a 5 day bikepacking trip.

Thanks also to this week’s newest sustaining Patrons and welcome to The After Party 🎉
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On March 6th, 2021 twelve college students in the Adventure Media class at Texas Tech University set off on a bikepacking trip as part of their course curriculum. This year the classes challenge was the Caprock Canyon State Park and Trailway, which in total was 66 miles with very little climbing, but the wind made up for what the elevation profile lacked! This course is the brainchild of Dr. Jerod Foster who somehow convinced a University to allow him to take students bikepacking in remote places as part of a college course he created and teaches called Adventure Media.

To be honest, when you read the words, or hear someone tell you about this Adventure Media course it doesn't click immediately. At least, it didn't for me. When Jerod originally laid out the course in Episode 3 I kinda got it, but I didn't really get it until I went on their class trip in 2019 to Big Bend Ranch State Park. The Terrior film was produced from that 2019 trip and it's a visual introduction into what this class is all about.

When you show up in a remote destination with rugged terrain, hours away from any medical assistance, and you look around at the 16 college students assembled ready to tackle whatever comes. And their gear is a mess, and they are wrecking, and bags are falling off, but I can promise you none of that is what defines this or any of the other trips like this.

This episode is different from anything we have ever done before. It takes place in an Arroyo in the Caprock Canyon State Park at dusk. It was a beautiful setting to have a discussion about the experiences and feelings that were had and shared throughout the day.

This will be part one in a two part series from this trip. In the next one I will be following Elysa and Tom on their personal journeys during this trip, with narration and commentary by Jerod Foster and I.

Justinas Leveika is fresh off an impressive Colorado Trail Race finish. This was his first time at CTR and he finished in 4d 7h 17m, which was over 8 hours faster than the next rider. However, due to a rule violation, which was unknown to him at the time, he was not the official first place finisher. That honor goes to Xavier Chiriboga with a time of 4d 15h 55m.

Going into Leadville Justinas destroyed his rear wheel on a gnarly decent which shattered the wheel, rendering it unrideable. To get it fixed he hiked to a trailhead, hitched a ride into town, replaced the rear wheel, and hitched a ride back to where we left the trail and continued on. Unlike other solo self supported bikepacking races like the Tour Divide, you are not allowed to get in a vehicle at anytime during the Colorado Trail Race. Justinas was unaware of this rule at the time, but it didn't stop him from putting on an impressive performance.

After returning to the trail with his shiny new wheel he quickly started packmaning his way through the field and finished ahead all the other riders. The broken wheel wasn't the only challenge he had to overcome on the race this year, but you'll have to listen to the episode to hear the whole story.

Regardless of an unfortunate rules oversight, what Justinas did was undeniably impressive. Even more so considering that he broke the long standing FKT on Tour Divide less than 2 months ago. Now, he sets his sights on the Arizona Trail Race in an attempt to complete the Bikepacking Triple Crown.

EPISODE SPONSORS

LIVSN - Use code “BOD10” at checkout to receive 10% off your order for being a loyal listener!

New Patrons 
Alliy G
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Tim Krueger has been in the cycling industry for almost three decades. He got his start at a local bike shop breaking down boxes as a teenager. After college he landed a job at Salsa Cycles as the Product Manager during the birth of the "Adventure by Bike" category. A pivotal time in the bike industry that ultimately led to an entirely new market and category of Adventure Bikes. After his time at Salsa he went on to start his own company, Advocate Cycles. Advocate featured a rad lineup of steel adventure bikes with a unique business model that donated all of its profits to philanthropic institutions.

After attempting that business model for a couple of years it became clear to Tim that businesses needed their profits to sustain their employees and grow their company. It was at that time that the decision was made to transition the brand into Esker Cycles that we know today.

Tim's contributions and commitment to the cycling community and influence in the cycling market at large has been nothing short of impressive. I've been following his career, and awing over the cool bikes he's helped bring to market, for years. It was a true honor to get to pick his brain about longstanding questions and curiosities I've had about him and some of the bikes he's brought to market.

EPISODE SPONSORS

LIVSN – Use code “BOD10” at checkout to receive 10% off your order!

Bikepacking Roots - Check out their new Fayetteville Bikepacking Route Network

New Patrons 
Daz
Richard Hart
Christopher T - Increased their pledge

Join them won’t you? Now is a great time to sign up at Patreon.com/bikesordeath!

Meaghan Hackinen is your 2024 DOOM female winner and 3rd place overall. On day one she skipped a critical resupply point and found herself leading the field for a good part of the day. Dexter Kopas would eventually catch her and go on to take the win. Overall, it made for some exciting dot watching and resulted in an impressive finish for Meaghan.

Meaghan got into competitive ultra cycling events back in 2016 and she has a long list of good results that include wins and FKT on several courses. Notably, she was the overall winner at the BC Epic 1000 in 2021 and she is the 24 hour World Time Trial Champion where she set a new course record.

Next up, Meaghan is taking on the Tour Divide. She's on my dot-watching list, she should probably be on yours too!

EPISODE SPONSORS

Old Man Mountain ~ Use discount code “mountainsordeath” for 10% off site-wide and use this affiliate link so BoD gets a Thank You check in the mail 

New Patrons 
None this week. Nows a great time to support the show :)

Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In the final installment Patrick answers listener questions and he gets his girlfriend, Natalie, to ask your questions. We got a ton of questions, so this episode will be sure to make the "long live long-form" listeners very happy.

Thanks for riding bikes with us in 2023. After five years of podcasting I'm never not grateful to the listeners who support our work. As always, I've got big plans for next year and I look forward to riding with y'all again in 2024.

This episode is all about determination and perseverance. In 2007 Jeff Kerkove took on the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) as his first bikepacking race. He came into the bikepacking world with an accomplished racing career in 12 and 24 hour events. That year he DNF'd due to trench foot, a mistake he never made again. He would go on to attempt the CTR 5 more times, each with the same result, a DNF on the CTR. This year would be different for Jeff. He lined up to the start line for his seventh time, armed with all the knowledge of his previous attempts, and just as determined to finish. This year his perseverance and determination paid off with his first finish on the CTR. He finished in a very respectable 7th place with a time of 5 day, 1 hour. I love this story and I'm so glad Jeff got that "monkey off his back" and he came on the show to share it with us.

Jeff is also one of the main folks behind Ergon USA, so I took the opportunity to talk about their grips and saddles particularly as they relate to bikepackers and ultra endurance cyclist. Hand pain, wrist pressure, saddle sores, are common issues that come up and they make some good products that help address these issues. *This is not an advertisement for Ergon, he happens to work there, and I was curious.

Visit www.bikesordeath.com for the full writeup, pictures of Jeff's CTR, and picture from a 2018 bikepacking trip Jeff helped me plan in Colorado.

Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible!

Kuat: This week Tom Lampe came on to tells us a little about the Piston Pro X

Quad Lock: Ben Moore has been riding with QL for 4 years and he came on to share some of his experiences!

Thanks to this week’s newest sustaining Patrons and welcome to The After Party 🎉
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Anders Hedegaard
Annie Bilotta
Angela Kremers
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Indiana Schulz
Minnie Irizarri
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At this point Sofiane Sehili needs no introduction. Three days ago Sofiane finished the French Divide in 1st place and with a New Course Record to boot. After his impressive 1st place at the Atlas Mtn Race earlier this year he was looking forward to a busy and successful race year, but then Covid happened. When some restrictions were lifted he wasted no time signing up. In June he raced the Hope 1,000 and took 2nd, the following month he lined up at the Three Peaks Race and was able to take 2nd again. He went into the French Divide 10 days after coming off Three Peaks. In case you aren't counting, that's THREE ultra events in the same number of months. The fact the he even completed all three events is impressive enough alone. When you take into account his results, it is truly a remarkable achievement. I think it's worth noting that he is also just a damn nice guy who (as you will hear) isn't shy to bring attention to his competitors and highlight their achievements as well. Class act all the way around and I'm so stoked he's on team bike.