Bikes or Death

On Friday the 13th of May, 25 racers gathered at the Oark General Store early on a foggy morning to take on the first ever DOOM race. By the end there would be only 10 finishers and Jacob Loos would take 2nd place overall and set a new Single Speed FKT (fastest known time) with a time of 2d 11h 18m. Read the full writeup at bikesordeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Ruby Coffee - Today we want to focus on their certified organic year-round coffee options. You can check out Organic August Seasonal Blend, which is designed to be a bright, easy-drinking all-day coffee blend, or Organic Tomorrow Seasonal Project, which highlights coffee from a single farm that's transitioning to quality focused coffee farming. Athletic 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. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Ashely Manuel Busse Joel Freudenberg Nic Fox Join them won't you? This episode includes 30 minutes of bonus audio available only to Patrons!

We all have our own path to cycling and bikepacking and each is special and unique. However, Jerri's introduction to bikepacking was much different than any I have heard before. Her story is tragic, sad, romantic, inspiring, and real, and it all started when she fell in love with a cyclist named Kyle. When she met Kyle she wasn't a cyclist, when she married Kyle she wasn't a cyclist, and when Kyle passed away, she wasn't a cyclist. So what lead her to take on the Tour Divide only seven months after laying her late husband to rest? The answer to that question can only be told in Jerri's words, and they are powerful and inspiring. EPISODE SPONSORS Quad Lock ~ The best system for keeping your phone safe and c in almost any environment or situation. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Tatiana Rogowsky Scott Walker Kyle VanPelt Morgan Bogdanski Alison Carrizales Drew Carlson Join them won't you? This episode includes 15 minutes of bonus audio available only to Patrons!

Just last week Hailey Moore became the fourth person to ever complete the Doom Route, created by Andrew Onermaa. She didn't just finish though, she set a new FKT (fastest known time) with a time of 2d 15h 30m, setting a new benchmark for racers this weekend. Hailey drove herself from Boulder, CO to Oark, AR so she could do an ITT (individual time trial) on a seriously tough route. This is bikepack racing in one of its most pure forms, just you, your bike, and territory unknown, finishing only to an empty parking lot late at night. EPISODE SPONSORS Athletic 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. Kuat ~ The Sherpa 2.0 is the lightest, sexiest bike rack available suitable for carrying most bikes out there. When I say light, let me break it down for you. You have a beer, you drink it Boom. Empty aluminum can. It's light. Right? Because it's aluminum. The Sherpa 2.0 is 98% aluminum! That means IT'S light! I'll drink to that! Beer sold separately. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Rocky Robert H Logan Mumma Bob Vaile Chris V Join them won't you?

Recently Sofiane sent me an DM that said, "Hey Patrick, what's your take on Lael's Arizona fkt? I'd be happy to discuss it on the Podcast". Instead of answering his question, I just scheduled an interview and answered his question on the podcast. Going into this conversation I had no idea what his thoughts were, but he was already on my list of people I wanted to talk to and I know him to be a thoughtful person who cares deeply for this sport and community. Not surprisingly Sofiane had an important message and some valuable insights as a top athlete in our sport who has dealt personally with media as well. There are very few people who have been doing this long enough to be exposed to every manor of race environment as Sofiane, because of that he is in a unique position to share thoughts from a personal perspective. Maybe most important is the love and passion he has for this sport as evidenced by his thoughtful and honest approach to our conversation. I'm a big fan of listening to as many perspectives as possible on issues like this. There is a lot to consider as we evolve as a sport and it's important to be able to have these discussions. I appreciate Sofiane for taking the time to chat and I hope it adds value to the larger conversation surrounding self supported events. EPISODE SPONSORS Athletic 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. If you'd like to support these episodes our Tip Jar is open!

On Thursday Lael Wilcox set a new FKT (Fastest Known Time) on the famous Arizona Trail Route. Now the AZT boast 827 miles thanks to new sections that race director John Schilling added. Lael completed her ITT of the route in 9 days, 8 hours, and 23 minutes, besting the previous FKT set by Nate Ginzton who came in at 9d, 10h, 23m. But almost immediately after drama insued online. Read the full story at www.bikesordeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Mulberry Gap ~ Looking for something to do this summer? Mulberry Gap has you covered, check out their events page on their website for a full list! Use code "BOD10" at checkout for 10% off! Wren Sports ~ Has a sale going on for some of their forks, check them out here and use "BOD10" for 10% off your purchase! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Stevan Beer Zach Allen Caleb Eichelberger Matt Dixon Benjamin Wainhouse Matt Seehusen Join them won't you? Gas prices are high, inflation and cost of living is high, and we are feeling the pinch. Please pitch in if you can!

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! EPISODE SPONSORS Athletic 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. Kuat Racks ~ Kuat has a wide range of bike racks to suit every need and budget. The Transfer v2 is their price point rack, but as light as the price can be, it's heavy on features. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Daniel Searson Corey Eichelberger Broken Spoke, Santa Fe Join them won't you? Gas prices are high, inflation and cost of living is high, and we are feeling the pinch. Please pitch in if you can!

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 Join them won't you?

Almost two years ago to the day Emma Flukes came on the podcast for the first time. You may remember that we were at the very beginning of a global pandemic that you change our lives more than we could have imagined at the time. She is a Tasmanian native and the founder of Tassie's Gift. When she's not pedaling her bikes or petting wombats she's busy monitoring the decline of our habitable world as a Marine Scientist. I took this opportunity to ask her "How fucked are we?". After detailing the decline of our species we cheerfully switch gears to bikes, bikepacking, murder shanties, and wombats. Visit www.bikesordeath.com for a gallery of images from Emma's rides in Tasmania! Episode Sponsors Kuat – On today's episode Patrick shares why you should always use the integrated cable lock included in your Kuat rack! Mulberry Gap – Not only a great Adventure Base Camp, they can also host your Wedding, Birthday, Reunion, Corporate Retreat, or just about any gathering! Learn more at MulberryGap.com 👰 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Eric Weninger Justin Keene Korey Deese Join them won't you?

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 Episode Sponsors Kuat – We all know that Kuat makes bomb-ass bike racks, but they've got a lot more options for other sports like snow, ski, and water! Check out their whole lineup of awesome adventure products at www.kuat.com Ruby Coffee - Now offering certified Organic coffee with 4 options to choose from! Use code BIKESORDEATH during checkout for 15% off any one time purchase or 20% off the first shipment of any subscription. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Kurt Pitts Eddie O'Dea Martin Saur David Lieble Join them won't you?

For our birthdays the past couple of years Connor Thomas and I have gone to Big Bend to celebrate the only way we know how. This year Connor put together a bikerafting trip that would be the inverse to the Big Bend ~ Rio Revival that we did the year before. Last year we did a bikepacking trip that included a 6 mile hike up to the top of Mariscal Canyon with views of the Rio Grande 1800' below. This year we brought our new packrafts and floated through Mariscal Canyon with our bikes in tow. A lot more information is available at www.BikesorDeath.com. You'll find this years bikerafting route, last years bikepacking route, tons of pictures, and a historical companion that Connor produced to compliment these trips. Episode Sponsors Rockgeist – This week Greg Hardy joins me to talk about my new favorite piece of gear, the Mr. Fusion seat pack. *Patrons of this podcast get free shipping and a free patch with their order! Quad Lock ~ Bikepacking and exploring on your bike isn't new, but smartphones are and it's important to protect these expensive devices. The Quad Lock Bike Kit is the best way to secure your phone and keep it safe on your rides! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 David Valle Andrew Pledger Alfred Lau Harrison Shotzbarger Join them won't you?

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

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?

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 [email protected] to start a conversation! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Bradley Cordaro Nick Marzano Gavin Bailey Nemo Sandoval Join them won't you?

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 🎉 Tobias Wessendorf Daniel Young Join them won't you?

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 New Patrons 🎉 Jessica Alexander Chris Hodgkins Andrew Drury Dennis Feeney James Collins Mark Norford Marty Johnson Jorge Callado Tim Colebrooke Scott Grossman David Gaus

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Hal Russell. The bikepacking community and the world lost a true legend on January the 19th when he passed away in his home surrounded by family. Hal lived a full and adventurous life that touched almost everyone that he met, you could say he Touched Both Lines. Today we pay tribute and celebrate the life of Hal so that his story and example can continue to have a meaningful impact. 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".

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. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Kuat ~ Besides making great bike racks, Kuat is also making a difference with the Future Forest Initiative. Every time you buy a rack from them, they plant a tree for your future. Ruby Coffee ~ With so many options to choose from Jesse comes on the show to give us some guidance on which coffees to try! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Keith E Smith 🗝 Brian K Davidson 🗝 Jocelyn De La Rosa 🗝 Terry Woods 🗝 Diane Prekup Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

Four days ago Brett Stepanik became the first person to complete the Doom Loop with a time of 3d 12h 9m. Doom is the brainchild of Andrew Onermaa, it's located in the Ozark National Forest it's 376 miles with 41,375 ft of climbing and almost all gravel. Andrew joins us at the top of this episode to share his thoughts on Doom before Brett hops on the mic. Brett is no stranger to bikepacking and ultra endurance efforts. He first got into bikepacking in 2012 and his most notable accomplishment is becoming the Single Speed Triple Crown Champion (TDR, CTR, AZT). At this past Arkansas High Country he set a new SS FKT and finished 4th overall. Something about Arkansas got under his skin and Ozark Gravel Doom was a perfect excuse to come back to Arkansas. It's by happenstance that Brett and I were able to meet up. I had coincidentally reached out to him about being a guest on the podcast at the same time he was scheming up this FKT, the stars aligned and we were able to meet up after he finished his race. Brett faced challenging conditions, namely freezing cold temps and lots of water crossings, making his effort even more impressive. Brett wanted to start the year off right and I'd say he accomplished that! Now what will he do the rest of the year? I'll be watching. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Quad Lock ~ Professional downhill mountain biker Ben Moore has been riding with QL for 4 years and he came on to share some of his experiences! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Drew Raney 🗝 Jim Sevaly 🗝 Eric Warren 🗝 Jessica Swanson 🗝 Kyle Gilbert 🗝 Ryan Bozzell 🗝 Andrew Young 🗝 Howard Chapman 🗝 John Gibson 🗝 Kayce Peters 🗝 john campbell Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

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. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Kuat ~ Check out the new Piston Pro X coming March 2022! Did you know they salt spray tested this racks coating for 750 hours and had NO corrosion? Competitive Cyclist ~ This time of year got you feeling like doing some shopping? Check out the offerings over at CompetitiveCyclist.com/BikesorDeath and use code "BIKESORDEATH" to get 15% OFF & FREE SHIPPING! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Stew Sowers 🗝 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 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! https://youtu.be/QX9lQKzDKvc Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 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!

Y'all probably know by now that I love Arkansas. Last Tuesday evening I was sitting on my couch getting caught up on all the instagram-goings-ons when I came across a post i had forgotten about. Natural State Rock & Republic was going to be hosting "Tales of the High Country" the very next evening, and I knew I had to be there. The next morning I woke up early, threw some stuff in the van and pointed it in a northeastern direction for a 9 hour drive. When I got there I found out that they wanted me to co-moderate the evenings events. I had a solid 30 minutes to prepare questions for a live audience, so of course I agreed. Just two weeks ago I leant Lilly my bullhorn at Truffle Shuffle and now she leant me her microphone. I'd like to thank her personally for not only moderating one helluva event, but for allowing me to share in the experience. For a full write up and picture gallery from the event please visit www.BikesorDeath.com _____________________________________ Episode Sponsors I always say that these episodes aren't possible without support and this trip was the perfect example. Being able to take 24 hours out of my "normal" life to drive to Arkansas and capture this event is only possible with support. As I creep closer to making this my full time job I hope to make more impromptu trips just like this! Ruby Coffee ~ Ruby is currently offering a promotion through the 28th that any orders over $150 will get a $10 gift certificate sent to the purchaser as thank you, and as always, you can use the code BIKESORDEATH during checkout for 15% off any one time purchase or 20% off the first shipment of any subscription. Mulberry Gap ~ Visit Mulberry Gap during Winter Weekends and SAVE! Use codes: WINTER20 - Stay 2 night and save 20% WINTER30 - Stay 3 nights and save 30% WINTER40 - Stay 4 night and save 40% Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Tom Surly 🗝 Aaron McLuckie 🗝 Andreas Löfgren 🗝 Maggie Ross 🗝 Brian Young 🗝 Melissa Patrick 🗝 Jacob Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

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 _________________________ EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Competitive Cyclist – Use this link with promo code BIKESORDEATH at checkout to receive 15% off your first full priced order and FREE Shipping on orders $50 or more. Some exclusions apply. Kuat – Did you know the new Piston Pro X is 99% metal, just like Bikes or Death! This thing is built to last and look good doing it. Visit your LBS or favorite online retailer to order yours now for Spring 2022 delivery. Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Charles Matthew Hudson 🗝 Kyle Day 🗝 Kevin Spicher 🗝 Jill Holloway 🗝 Ranse Stanley 🗝 Cynthia Sayre 🗝 Kyle Beckel 🗝 Noah Baker 🗝 David Beattie 🗝 Taryn Davis 🗝 Nate Branch Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

For day 3 of Monumental Loop Week, we are featuring a podcast with Cjell Mone', owner of Mone' Bikes based out of Silver City, NM. He is know for producing functional steel bikes with an aesthetic flare out of the back of a 1990 Wonderbread Truck (Seriously!). Words won't do his bikes justice, so let's take a look at a few of my favorites at www.bikesordeath.com. Link to Monumental Loop Fund that I mentioned on the podcast. _______________________ EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Ruby Coffee - Cjell Mone' approved ✔️ Quad Lock - The best damn smartphone holder for bikes. Patrick Farnsworth approved ✔️ Huge thanks to our newest Patrons: 🗝 Brendan Haren 🗝 Michael Reardon Buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey as a thank you for this episode on Patreon

This is the third episode to come out of a podcasting trip I made two Austin right after the East Texas Showdown. I interviewed five participants of the ETS in less than 20 hours just days after the their ride ended. It was really cool as a first time event director to get all of their feedback shortly after finishing the event. Alicia Danze and Hannah Simmons shared first place this year on the East Texas Showdown route with a time of 2d, 1h, 21m. It was both of their first times to do a bikepacking race, but they each came in with experiences that gave them confidence. Alicia is a well rounded cyclist with bikepacking experience and as a member of Ultra Violet Racing. Hannah is the shop manager at CycleEast in Austin and the first bike tour she did was the Texas 4000 that starts in Austin, TX and ends in Anchorage, AK, she did it almost on a whim because a friend asked. This time she was sucked into the ETS by her Austin friends, Alicia included, but I don't think she needed much convincing. Full writeup along with a nice gallery of images of Alicia and Hannah from the race on www.bikesordeath.com. EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Rockgiest is a cottage gear company specializing in custom framebags and welded, waterproof gear. If you're looking to improve your bikepacking set up, looking for tailored gear, or searching for waterproof solutions definitely reach out to them by visiting rockgeist.com. In addition to their custom work, they have a wide selection of universal gear that prioritizes stability for singletrack use. Most recently they have re-release their super stable Barjam harness, which now uses locally machined brackets made in Asheville, NC. Visit rockgeist.com or email [email protected] to see all their gear options and to get in touch with their team. East Texas Showdown - April 1-3rd, save the dates! Huge thanks to our newest Patrons: 🖤 Hank Doupe 🖤 Dave Brink 🖤 Matt Heckler Buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey as a thank you for this episode on Patreon

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 Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! 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: 🖤 Drew Pittman 🖤 Mark Smith 🖤 Matt Christensen 🖤 Caleb Schnatz Buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey as a thank you for this episode on Patreon 🙏

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 Andy Simmons Anderson Simmons 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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. _____________________________ This weeks episode is brought to us by the Sponsors of The East Texas Showdown Rockgeist Wren Sports Kuat Ruby Coffee Quad Lock Avani Salon Big thanks also to our newest Patrons! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Thomas Buttery Shane Hitz 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

On this episode my buddy Miles Arbour is back on the podcast for a 3rd time to talk about his newly published route called the Tree to Sea Loop. This was a great excuse to catch up with Miles and also hear all about this epic new 1,000 km route in British Columbia. Because Miles works at Bikepacking.com he is exposed to a lot of different facets of the industry. I took this opportunity to ask him about his favorite bikepacking tire, favorite cycling shorts "that don't look like cycling shorts", we also talk poop stories, and much more. We always have a great time, and I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. You can find our episode link below and find all the route info over at Bikepacking.com _________________________________________ Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible! Wren Sports: Cameron is back on to talk about the new bikepacking specific gravel fork they call the Beefcake. Use code "BOD10" for 10% off your entire order. Ruby Coffee: Jesse comes on to tell us about coffee from different regions and what makes them different. Use code "BIKESORDEATH" for 15% off your first order or 20% off your first order of a subscription. This week's newest sustaining Patrons! Welcome to The After Party 🎉 David George – Newest patron Paul Drees – 2nd longest patron Miles Arbour – 3rd longest patron

This year the Tour Divide produced a new record, but one that wasn't set to be beaten. Quinn Brett just became the first person to complete the Tour Divide on an adaptive handcycle, with a time of 25 days. For her, this was more about showing the world what is possible for disabled people and that adventures like this are not only for the abled bodied. Thanks to advancements in bike technology, there are now some very capable options available, and Quinn's accomplishment are proof of what these machines are capable of. For a full write up with lots of pretty pictures visit BikesorDeath.com. ___________________________________________________ Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible! Quad Lock: Professional downhill mountain biker Ben Moore has been riding with QL for 4 years and he came on to share some of his experiences! This week's newest sustaining Patrons! Welcome to The After Party 🎉 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Joshua Perry Dewitt Lunsford Kyle Koch Daniel Osman Ryan Mcnabb - Longest Patron 🥇 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Join me in the van as I scout a re-reoute for this years East Texas Showdown and Slowdown. Back in July on a scouting mission we discovered a 25 mile section of road that looked good on the maps, but once we saw it in person it was an obvious "no go" for safety reasons. This left a huge hole in the route and with only 4 months until race day I had to scramble for a solution. On this episode I take you along the journey as I scout a new section for the route. Along the way I share what to expect for people who are signed up for the race or may want to ride it at some point in the future. I speak directly to folks from all over the world who have never been to Texas and have know idea what to expect, but I hope locals will find it helpful as well. As we go along I share updates on the progress and also important details about surface type, tire choice, weather, a little Texas history, and anything else that pops in my head. If you are considering creating a route/race like this you may also find this episode helpful as I share some of my reasons for this event, what I hope to accomplish, challenges I faced, and how I am tackling things that come up. At the end of this episode I answer questions that have come up since releasing the route and I also announce the live Facebook event for race participants. This will be part route overview and part Q&A to tie up any loose ends that may still be dangling in the wind. Showdown Route Stats 373 miles 15,800 ft. elevation 60% gravel The hardest part of this route may be the last 40 miles. At mile 329 you will pass the Bullet Grill and you may be tempted to stop for a burger and beer, but will you get back out on route?? Time will tell! If it helps, the last 20 miles on the route are some of my personal favorites. Slowdown Route Stats 273 miles 11,300 ft. elevation 64% gravel There are 2 days left to register and 3 spots left. Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible! Ruby Coffee: This week Jesse shares some tips on brewing the perfect cup of coffee at home. Use code "BIKESORDEATH" for 15% off your first order or 20% off your first order of a subscription NM Bikepacking Summit: Matt Mason tells us a little about what they've got brewing for the first ever NM bikepacking summit on Oct. 22nd in Las Cruces, NM. Thanks to this week's newest sustaining Patrons and welcome to The After Party 🎉 Jonas Schaller Christy & Ross Jones Jim Barrow Brandon Masters

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 🎉 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 Anders Hedegaard Annie Bilotta Angela Kremers Reese Stanley Reid mikalsen Bill Dietrich Adam Murphy Hans Noodleman Indiana Schulz Minnie Irizarri 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Chris and Marni Plesko, aka The Parent Trap, just became the first couple to complete the Colorado Trail Race on a Tandem. And I had a lot of questions. How is there relationship doing? How did they train while working and being parents of two boys? Who's idea was it and how did it go? We talked about the bike and their attention to detail with the build, and about their transition back to the real world after 10 days on the CT. My partner Sarah and I just purchased our first tandem, which will be introduced to the world soon, and so I've had an increased interest in all things tandem. Which is how I found Chris on instagram. It just so happens he and his wife Marni were preparing to tackle the CTR on their tandem. During the race, I was glued to their dot, I would try to image what they were going through, and I couldn't to chat after their record setting race! While researching this podcast I learned that Chris holds the current Single Speed Record on the Tour Divide. He set the record in 2009 and then he broke his record again in 2016 while chasing Mike Hall on his record setting run. His record still stands, so I took this opportunity to dig into his personal history. I equally enjoyed Marni's introduction to bikepacking and ultra endurance cycling, first as an observer and supporter of Chris, and then as his tandem partner in crime. I walked away from this conversation with a smile on my face, my heart, and wishing we lived closer so we could trade babysitting and go on tandem rides. I hope you take away something from this conversation as well. I sure did! Episode Sponsors: tell them thanks for making this episode possible! Wren Sports: This week Cameron comes on the show for a quick chat about their Inverted Fork Tech. Check out their website, if you see something you like, put it in your cart, use code BOD10 for 10% off your order. To learn more about their Inverted Tech check out Cameron's chat with Ryan Duzer on Youtube. Thanks also to this week's newest sustaining Patrons and welcome to The After Party 🎉 🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 Iain Truesdale Amir Hill Nicholas Erdos-Thayer 🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤

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 🎉 🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤 Terence Bonsey Joseph Knight Keaton Haney James Turner Bob Brill Chris Clodfelter Vincent Schumaker 🖤 🖤🖤 🖤🖤

Cameron Sanders is a man of many hats. He's worn a spelunking helmet, a bicycle helmet, a race directors cap, and a work hat as the VP of Product Development and Marketing for Wren Sports. On this episode we focus on the Stetson hat he donned as a Park Ranger shortly after a armed group of far-right extremists seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon. Cameron went into a very difficult situation where tensions were high and a community was divide and, as a good outdoorsman, he left it better than he found it. Cameron used his love for public lands, the people who use them, and his love for exploring the world on his bike to help a community heal. That healing came by way of a gravel bike race that showcases the this region of Eastern Oregon in a whole new light. This armed takeover of a government building is complicated with a history that goes deep. To have a better understanding of the issues in this episode, that we only touch, we recommend that you check out the Bundyville Podcast. They do an excellent job of detailing this event, it's well done, and I binge-listened to the whole thing! Or you can read the cliff notes on Wikipedia. For a full write-up on this episode with pictures please visit www.BikesorDeath.com. Support for this episode is thanks to... Ruby Coffee - Use code "BIKESORDEATH" for 15% off your first order or 20% off your first order of a subscription ☕️ 🎉 Wren Sports - Use code "BOD10" for 10% off your entire order 🚲 🎉 Patreon - Sign up to help support future episodes. This weeks NEW Patrons 🖤 🖤 🖤🖤🖤 Thomas Sutton, Derek Atkins, Mike Wallace, Joe Vunchetich, John Hickman, Kyle Forshaw, Randy Windle, Kyle Anstine, Butt Cheeks 😂 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Jefe Branham's just completed the Colorado Trail Race for the 9th time, and he's won 4 of them! He lives in Gunnison, CO which puts the Colorado Trail in his "backyard", his relationship with the trails goes back almost 30 years. He is also the race director, so you can see why he's earned the title Mr. Colorado Trail. This year he completed the race in 4 days, 16 hours, and 8 minutes on his Why Cycles El Jefe, setup single speed. After setting a new AZT 300 ss record earlier this year some were looking at Jefe to potentially take down the Colorado Trail Race ss record this year as well, but weather wasn't on his side. And as we learn in this episode, the record time of 4d, 6h, 39m held by Timon's Fish, may be a tough one to beat. Jefe's accomplishments are greater than my knowledge of them. Mostly because he isn't one to tout them. Instead he focuses his time and attention on the doing, and he's damn good at it. To follow Jefe you can find him on Instagram or his Blog. * * * * * * * * Today's episode was made possible with support from Kuat and Quadlock Thanks also to this week's newest sustaining Patrons. This show is made possible by the community. If you're enjoying the show please consider signing to help keep the lights on and the podcast flowing. Mike Munroe Lee Johnson Matt Winsor Mark Bryson Pierre-Mi Jauvin Steve Capps Bas Bertrand Brieann O'Neill Eric Elbert

At the beginning of 2020 Tyler Wacker quit his engineering job to cycle the circumference of USA on his Surly Long Haul Trucker. His plans were derailed when COVID shut down reliable camping and provisions along the way. When he did continue his tour, it wasn't to complete his tour around USA, instead he pointed his bike NE towards Boston. Where he would hop on a plane to Iceland where he is now a grad student in Isafjordur, Iceland, studying Coastal Communities and Regional Development. His bike exploits don't stop in Iceland! Listen to this episode and learn about what motivates Tyler to pursue a life a little different than the norm. I got to meet Tyler in Austin, TX while he was home during a break from school. I really appreciated the way he meaningfully approaches life by making choices that enhance his own life as well as the ones around him. He is also a wealth of information when it comes to Active Transportation, which is a subject we both enjoyed. Tyler is heading back to Iceland, follow him on instagram @tyler_vision Today's episode was supported by the new Wishbone from Rockgeist! It's a U shaped metal bracket that bolts to one of the seat tube bottle bolts and supports the side of the framebag from the outside. So basically an exoskeleton for the framebag, positioned low where the crank arm rotates around. It prevents the bag from ballooning out and getting a hole where it rubs the crank arm. Thanks also to this week's newest sustaining Patrons. This show is made possible by the community. If you're enjoying the show please consider signing to help keep the lights on and the podcast flowing. Angela Freeman Christopher Grady Brad Lankford David Boswell Derek Bowers Jerod Foster Sally Turner Bryan Anderson Larin Davis Erin Wood Joshua SpiersKyle JohnsonPat SmithBrian ArfmannPeter StewartLuke GallowayNic DoyleBobby EllisKasey Hochmuht (Hawk-moot)

Sarah Swallow was introduced to bicycles, and the cycling community, at the young age of 12 when she started working for a bike rental company in Ohio. She wasn't a cyclist at the time and had no idea that one day she'd be a sponsored Adventure Cyclist. Today Sarah has carved out a cool career for herself that allows her to pursue the things in life that brings her joy and share them in a way that is authentic to herself. She's worn many hats over the years. From bike rental to, bike shop owner, route creator, race director, and spreader of stoke and adventure on 2 wheels. Her most recent exploit was on this years Tour Divide Classic where she earned a 2nd place finish. Her Tour Divide attempt almost didn't happen. As she was driving to the start her bike flew off the back of their truck and the impact cracked the carbon frame. With only days before the race she scrambled to piece her bike and gear back together and thanks to efforts from many members of this community she made it to the start! The stoke she received from the outpouring of the community set her up for a successful ride. Today's episode was supported by Ruby Coffee. Listeners of this show receive 15% off their first order or 20% off the first order of a subscription, just use "BIKESORDEATH" at checkout! Thank you also to this week's newest sustaining Patrons. This show is made possible by you. If you're enjoying the show please consider signing to help keep the lights on and the podcast flowing. Christopher Buratta Carrier Denis Miles Camp Brian Farren Mike Zande Timothy Dufault Ryan Gilmore Ryan Zimmer Katy MaGuire Bradley Ortego Lars SmithMartin HoldregeJohnny De MartinBrent YoungGenevieve BirchKevin EmeryBlake KingfischerKristen WileyAndrew CullenKevin Keilitz

When Brendan Heinig lined up to the start of this years Tour Divide "Classic" he didn't have any idea he'd be at the pointy end of the race with TD veteran Jay Petervary. If you didn't watch the dots as this race unfolded you missed a 1,500 mile "nail-biter"!!! That's because Brendan and Jay were able to put a lot of distance between them and their competitors, but not each other. In fact for the last 1,500 miles of the race they were rarely more than just a few miles apart and they often yo-yo'd back and forth for first place. They were so close towards in end that they both found themselves in Pietown, NM at the same time and shared a pie for Jay's birthday. After that.....well, you'll just have to listen and find it! I love an "underdog" story and this one hit all the right cords for me. I learned that Brendan began his Tour Divide journey in 2015 and only managed to break his bike and body. This is a story about his 6 year journey to get back on the Tour Divide and this time finishing was the only option. Being in contention for the lead, that's just a bonus. This episode was made possible by support from these amazing Companies and Patrons. Rockgeist - A cottage gear company specializing in custom framebags, accessory bags, and welded, waterproof gear from their Porcelain Rocket acquisition. Ruby Coffee - A small coffee roasting company that sources their coffee from local farms and all of their coffee is roasted to order so it's always fresh. Thanks to this week's newest supporting Patrons. Jim Dunne Gil Mireles Jessica Auell Matt Burris Chris Ross Gil Montague isaac ramos Dave Milam Bryan Couchman LL Rae Falon Fontenot Andrew Schneider Leo Ronan David Graham Bradley Craig Kyle Aldridge Bobby Wintle Matt hickey Rick glenn Simon Bradley Benavides Timm Kennedy David Tuttle Elysa Naranjo Kyle Peterson Cody RichrathCarrie Bax Christopher Moore Chris Wallner Seth Newsome Hailey Reeves Abby ShalekBriski Matt Hopkins Ryan Pliley Casey Bredeson Kemal Hadimli Brian Haugh Brady Carman Alex Trimble Thomas Lane Anthony J Patterson Lewis Clark Jonathan Robert Amos Mayberry Brad Cook Aaron Chamberlain Robert Vanderbloemen Ryan Williams Barry Spies Paul V Ress

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 Tom Boss Dave Lewis Valerie Ruiz Dave Easley Bill Gercken Matthew Wells David Criswell Stephen Outten Neal Sivula Jesse Orman Charley Lingerfelt Katy Cummings Ashley Nicole Ferris

Many of you will know Bobby Wintle as the larger than life figurehead of District Bikes and MidSouth Gravel (formerly Land Run 100). That's how I knew him too until my interview with Dr. Seth Wood, when I learned how he had donated a portion of the proceeds from the very first Land Run to help with Seth's medical bills, and then continued to foster than relationship to this day. Hearing that story told me there was a lot more to Bobby than just great hair, a perfect smile, a great hugger, and I was eager to hear his side of the story. Just a month after my interview with Seth I found myself back in Stillwater, OK across a picnic table at Lake McMurtry from Bobby Wintle with a bottle of fine bourbon for us to share. And share we did! After fours hours, and almost a full bottle of bourbon later, we pushed stop on the recorder. What we captured that evening is a side of Bobby that I think few get to see because he is so busy and has so much demand on his time. It's a rare thing these days to be locked into a conversation with someone in this manner. It's why I love long form conversations, you can't fake it for 4 hours (especially not when borbon is involved), so what you get is a truly authentic window into who a person is. I appreciate Bobby so much for his willingness to honestly and authentically share so much of himself on this episode. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know him and I'm so stoked he's on Team Bike. For this episode I recommend you schedule a long bike ride, or pull up a chair and pour a glass of your favorite drink, and join Bobby and I for our conversation at Lake McMurtry.... I'll see you there! These shows aren't possible without your support! This episode was captured on a recent podcasting trip to Oklahoma. Thank you to our newest sustaining Patrons! 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 Bryce Webster David Bell Chris Lankford Allen Boardman Russell Harris Johnny Brazil 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

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! ~~~~~~~~ These shows aren't possible without your support! Thank you to our newest sustaining Patrons! 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 Jon Fernandes Adam Kowis Claire Richard Arturo Lopez Austin Shaw Tõnu Tunnel David Nichols Clare Paniccia The Eggman Cometh!! Daniel Linck Avinash Ignatius Steven Rickards Rachel Clayton Nate Layman Anthony Roach Jeff Sapp Eric Brunn Adam Z Corey Cullen 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

On May 22nd Liam Glen lined up at the start of the Highland Trail 550 on his fully rigid single speed Stooge Cycles Scrambler against the likes of James Hayden, Josh Isbett, and others. He would go on to win with a time of 3d, 10h, 55m which was good enough to get the SS Course Record and almost enough to best the Course Record set by Neil Beltchenko in 2017 (3d, 10h, 20m). Liam is no stranger to this event, he also won it in 2016 with a time of 4d, 2h, 48m. After a 2019 DNF on this route he switched up his bike and his mindset which proved to be the winning receipt. No doubt about it, this was an impressive run at this course, but when you factor in that he was riding a steel, rigid, ss (34x20) it's kinda mind blowing. The Highland Trail 550 is a route created by Alan Goldsmith in the northern region of Scotland, covering 550 miles with 52,500 ft of climbing through Scotland's rugged terrain and unpredictable weather. It was great to catch up with Liam for a chat. I wasn't familiar with him prior to this event, but that's what's exciting about being a podcaster in this space right now. It's so much fun to talk to someone who accomplished something absolutely remarkable, but yet we know so little about them. I hope you'll enjoy hearing about this amazing accomplishment, but also what it took, and his path to get there. These shows aren't possible without your support! Thank you to our newest sustaining Patrons! 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 Jim Phillips Zachary McCool Aaron Dibben Andrew Kepler Ronald Alisch Jukka-Pekka Ronkainen Dan Green Mike Christensen Russell Nethercott michael battjes Huw Williams Jeremiah Shepherd Brad Jaide Doug Carroll Bobby Finster Jake Thornton Selene Schumacher Stephen Fuller Warwick Poole Geoff Akins Joel Meddings L.B. Morse Kevin L Fath Garrett Fardon Ben Jackson Andrei Turró jay murphy Travis Bell Steve Apostal 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Like many of you I didn't know who Andrew Onermaa was before he signed up for the 2020 Arkansas High Country Race. And if you still don't recognize his name, maybe you'll know him as the guy who was going toe to toe with Ted King before he ultimately went on to set an FKT. Andrew withdrew from the race around mile 700 after pushing himself further than ever before. Literally pushing his mind and body to it's limit. Sitting there on the side of the road, eating McDonalds pancakes, Andrew turned on his cell phone and captured those raw emotions he was feeling in that moment. After watching that video I knew I had to talk to this guy, he is all heart and I wanted to hear his story. Six months later I was able to meet Andrew in person and hear his story from the banks of the Mulberry River, there in the Ozark National forest where the race took place. His story is truly incredible, but it became a little more so for me when I learned that he didn't even get his first gravel bike until May of 2020, which means he only had 5 months of experience before signing up for the ARHCR!! Think about that for a second. Think about how hard he must have pushed himself leading up to and then during the race. He lined up at the start line on an entry level Salsa Warbird with 5 months of experience against a former world tour pro who has transitioned over to gravel earning the title King of Gravel. At some points of the race he was leading, but it was always close, as Andrew pushed his limits and probably pushed Ted King to dig a little deeper. This story typifies one of the best aspects of this sport, it is an equalizer. It shows that anybody can do this, anybody who is willing to train hard, ride hard, push hard, and dig deeper than ever before can do this if they choose. It's not easy, in fact it is very hard, but it is possible and I love that about this sport. For this event Ted King's decades of experience paid off earning him a well deserved FKT and I couldn't be more happy for him. I'm equally happy for Andrew Onermaa for the courage it took to push himself that hard, to find his limit, and for his willingness to share so openly his story. I think it can be easy as a dot watcher to be numb to how hard these efforts really are and how hard the athletes dig to find the courage to keep pushing when their mind and body are rebelling. As I've interviewed many of the top athletes in endurance cycling I am guilty of this myself, which is why I'm grateful to Andrew. His story really resonated with me as a reminder of how personal these efforts are and the heart it takes to push yourself to the limit. Easy words to type, but they come to life through Andrews telling. GPS Coordinates to where this episode was recorded: 35°39'32.2"N 93°51'28.9"W When he's not working or training Andrew is busy developing routes and the gravel community in NWA through the Ozark Gravel Cyclist. They are doing great things in that area, so definitely check them out if you are in or visiting that area. These shows aren't possible without your support! This episode was from my recent trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas to capture interviews for the podcast. Thank you to our newest sustaining Patrons! 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 Michele Aguilera Mat Long Joseph Harrington Shanelle Hayes Ben Holbrook Randy S Braley Jeff Caroll Joanne Maurice (June 2019) 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🚨 ADnouncement 🚨 This episode is supported by Experience Fayetteville and the Fayetteville, Arkansas community. Fayetteville is excited to once again be the host community for the 2021 Arkansaw High Country Race. Quickly becoming known as one of the most challenging bikepacking races in the country, the 1000+ mile Arkansaw High Country Race departs from Downtown Fayetteville on Saturday morning, October 9! The race follows the perimeter of the Arkansas High Country Route – a series of three mixed surface loops that connect several of the state's stunning natural regions including the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains and the Arkansas River Valley. New for 2021, race officials have announced the creation of the Short Circuit Race – an opportunity to experience just the Northwest Loop of the route. The shorter 240-mile distance is perfect for the weekend warrior looking for a limit-pushing course. Registration for the 2021 Arkansaw High Country Race and the Short Circuit Race opens June 1, 2021. Each race distance is limited to a field of 50 competitors and expected to fill up fast. Additional race information including links to register can easily be found by searching High Country at ExperienceFayetteville.com

I met Dr. Seth Wood at a wedding in Oklahoma back in 2019. I was early in my podcasting journey and I was shocked when I learned that he was using the Bikes or Death Podcast as part of his circulam at OSU, where he still teaches today. So shocked, that I completely blanked when he told me about it! I took this opportunity to indulge myself and find out what he could possibly be using my podcast for in a college course?! More importantly, I wanted to hear Seth's story about his journey from almost losing his life in Feb. of 2013 after being ran over by a car while commuting on his bike. To then go on to set a Singlespeed FKT on the Arkansas High Country Race. The collision nearly cost him his life, but a year later he competed in the 2nd ever LandRun 100 (Now Midsouth) and he finished! All while wearing an eye patch as a visible reminder that he was still recovering from the injuries he sustained. He would go on to race the Tour Divide in 2016 and 2018 completing it both times and taking home 8th place in 2018. Then in 2020 he set the ARHCR FKT on a Singlespeed. I learned from our discussion that this is a story much larger than himself. It's one about this community and how much impact it can have on the lives of those it touches. I learned that the cycling community in Stillwater, OK, that is spearheaded by Bobby Wintle and the District Bicycle crew, is a special one. When a local cyclist, who they didn't know, was hit and nearly killed by a college man driving a car they stepped up and not only provided financial support, but they also poured out love and gave Dr. Seth Wood a new family and community. This probably the most moving episode I've had the privilege to be part of. I hope that it will serve as a reminder of how special this community is, the power that it has, and that we should remember to embrace ALL cyclist, regardless if you know them or not. Thank you Seth for sharing your challenging journey with us. Thank you to Bobby Wintle and the District Bike Family for being examples in our community. I truly believe this community is made up of some of the best humans on earth and you are all examples of that. These shows aren't possible without your support! This episode was from my recent trip to Oklahoma and Arkansas to capture interviews for the podcast. Thank you to our newest sustaining Patrons! 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 Kelly Woolverton Seth Wood Hyacinthe Gauthier Antti Leskinen Andrew Onermaa 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🚨 ADnouncement 🚨 This episode is supported by Experience Fayetteville and the Fayetteville, Arkansas community. Fayetteville is excited to once again be the host community for the 2021 Arkansaw High Country Race. Quickly becoming known as one of the most challenging bikepacking races in the country, the 1000+ mile Arkansaw High Country Race departs from Downtown Fayetteville on Saturday morning, October 9! The race follows the perimeter of the Arkansas High Country Route – a series of three mixed surface loops that connect several of the state's stunning natural regions including the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains and the Arkansas River Valley. New for 2021, race officials have announced the creation of the Short Circuit Race - an opportunity to experience just the Northwest Loop of the route. The shorter 240-mile distance is perfect for the weekend warrior looking for a limit-pushing course. Registration for the 2021 Arkansaw High Country Race and the Short Circuit Race opens June 1, 2021. Each race distance is limited to a field of 50 competitors and expected to fill up fast. Additional race information including links to register can easily be found by searching High Country at ExperienceFayetteville.com

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. These episodes aren't possible without your support. Thank you to our newest supporting Patrons! 🖤 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Courtney Naquin Travis Vliem Scott McDonald Brian Benavente 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🚨 Patron Perk 🚨 - 20% off RWGPS Subscription

When I contacted Ryan Stoyer about coming on the podcast it was with the idea that we would talk about his unique lifestyle and how it allows for him to life a more fulfilled life. I still like that topic, but Ryan had other ideas. After the official BoD instagram invite was sent, his reply was an enthusiastic yes, followed by a suggestion, "how about we go bikerafting?". My response was equally enthusiastic and I gave no thought to the fact that I'd never been bikerafting, or had a raft, or new how to build a route, etc etc. But we had 5 weeks and that turned out to be the just enough to assemble the necessary gear and courage to tackle new adventure territory. The plan was to create a bikerafting route and share our experiences through a podcast. As I learned more about Bikerafting, I learned that there is a lot of interest in this re-emerging sport. The first recorded bikeraft trip was in 1987 by Roman Dial, but it seems to be growing in popularity in recent years. So the focus of the podcast shifted from being about Ryan and our trip, we also tried to provide some information that may help you prepare for your own bikerafting or packrafting trip! We discuss where to get packrafts, what to look for, how they handle, how to pack, how to plan a route, etc. It was a huge learning experience for me and I'm excited to share what I learned. I'm a complete newb and my tips reflect that, which is why it was good to have Ryan who brings more experience. It came in handy on the river and on the podcast. The route my friend Connor Thomas created in NW Arkansas is a real beauty. I will be publishing that route soon!! Unfortunately, you can't plan the weather and we got Cold and Wet every day we were there. So our trip had an extra element of Type 2 fun sprinkled in to keep it interesting. I will let the podcast speak for itself, but I can tell you that every person on that trip had a great time and the ones that didn't have packrafts are all now wanting some. Bikerafting was a little scary to me at first. It doesn't make sense that a 195 lb guy + 55 lbs of gear can float safely down a river on a 5 lb inflatable raft. Call me crazy! Any initial fears I first had were quickly squashed and I found bikerafting quite to my liking, and as Ryan says, "It's a great rest day after a long day on the bike". Not only that, but it opens up so many possibilities both with routes and with scenery. I'm glad that Ryan challenged me to do this. It was barely on my radar, but I'm not one to shy away from a new adventure. I equally enjoyed getting to meet and learn from Ryan. He is a wealth of information on a variety of topics that I find fascinating and meaningful. We cover a lot on this episode! To make it easier for you to enjoy and refer back to this episode at a later time I've included timestamps in the show notes so you can quickly find the topic/s you're interested in. Timestamp: 13:45 - Talking Tiny Home 22:15 - Maker Space - Elijah, GA 26:10 - Ryans First Bikepacking Trip 33:25 - Ryans First Bikerafting Trip38:30 - What is Bikerafting 44:15 - Rockgeist fanboy talk 47:20 - Resources for renting, buying, or building a packraft 48:33 - Renting backraftings from https://backcountrypackrafts.com/ 51:00 - What is it called? Bikepack Rafting or Bikerafting? 52:15 - What kind of features to look for in a packraft that will work for bikerafting 57:45 - Creating a Bikerafting route 62:40 - Our Bikerafting Trip 65:00 - Packing a packraft on a bike 83:00 - Continuing our Bikerafting trip Day 2 85:00 - How to pack your gear and bike on your packraft94:15 - Description of the water on route98:10 - Trip Continues - Day 3106:20 - Random tangent about Psychotropics 120:00 - Beginning of the End

Today's episode is with a true living legend. Rebecca Rusch has had a long and successful career spanning many different sports, but in the past 15 years has dominated the mountain bike scene, which as spilled over into bikepacking and gravel racing as well. She's been referred to as the Queen of Pain since at least 2004 and she was inducted into the MTB Hall of Fame in 2019. Here list of accolades and victories is as long as her storied career. On this episode we get insight into some of the wisdom that she has gained through her career. Her perspectives are deep and well thought out. You can tell they've been forged in her mind over the years and countless endurance endeavor that have pushed her to grow and challenge who she is as a person. For the uninitiated, here is a very brief history of Rebecca Rusch. She began her career as a professional athlete in Adventure Racing, which was popularized by the Eco Challenge and the subsequent TV show produced by Mark Burnett. She competed at a high level, often on the winning team or threatening the lead, from 1997-2006. She faced a pivotal point in her life and career when one of her teammates, Nigel Aylott, died in an adventure race in front of her and her team, the same year they lost their major team sponsor. With some time left on her Red Bull contract she decided to give MTB a shot. In 2006 she signed up for, and won, the USA Cycling 24-Hours MTB National Champion in the Women's Solo category. But she didn't just win her field, she had the fastest time out of all participants, women and men! And this was in a discipline that she said in her own words was her worst sport. This win catapulted her fully into the MTB world where she continues to be a real threat any time she signs up for a race. Her accomplishments are not limited to the mountain bike. She also won the ITI 350 in 2019 and 2021, She is the Smoke n' Fire women's record holder, Unbound Gravel XL 350 winner in 2018, and she held the FKT on the Kokopelli Trail until just recently when Kait Boyle took it away by a meer 13 minutes. Her list of accomplishments is much longer, but I hope this paints the picture that Rebecca is a lifelong endurance athlete who has been competing at a very high level for a long time. In those years she has gained a rich understanding of human powered movement in the outdoors. For me it's daunting to put keys to pad and conjure up words to describe someone who has been a personal source of inspiration for me. Luckily, we recorded a podcast so you can hear directly from the Queen of Pain herself! These episodes aren't possible without your support. Thank you to our newest supporting Patrons! 🖤 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Denise Brodigan James Vineyard Charles Gurrey Rick Stinson Joseph Lowhorn Damián García Crispin Hoult Mikey Hanrahan 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🚨 ADnouncements 🚨 Jefe.bike – Patrons receive 10% off Arkansaw High Country Race - Registration Opens June 1st East Texas Showdown – Presented by Bikes or Death

Happy 420 everyone! My guest on today's episode with John Watson is one that I've been looking forward to for a while. We had plans to record this one a while ago, but covid put it on pause. On my recent trip to AZ and NM I was able to meet John at his Santa Fe office where he runs The RADAVIST. His office is quaint and simple with merchandise bins tidily lining the walls and stacked to the ceiling. I felt a kinship immediately as I pictured him editing photos, writing articles, fulfilling orders, etc etc. Despite his obvious success, what you may not see immediately is the 15 years he's been doing, the passion that started it, and the long hours that took to fuel it. In 2006 he began capturing urban bike culture for his blog that was at that time called "Prolly is not Probably". He was debating 650b v. 700c before you even had your first bike. He's been called a "Bike Snob", "Respected Tastemaker", a "Prolific Photographer" and more over his years in the industry. John made his mark by following his passion and using his camera and keyboard to share and shape the bicycle culture. If you are high af and want to go down the rabbit hole, google (or use DuckDuckGo) "Prolly is not Probably". You can find his original blogger page and hundreds of articles he's written or than have been written about him. Now The RADAVIST is a staple in the bike industry for its tasteful photography, wide range of articles and resources, and thoughtful articles that cover a large swath of the bike industry and culture. And from my perspective we are all the benefactors of his 15 years of hard work. It was an honor to meet John in person. Behind the scenes over emails he has always been very supportive of me and Bikes or Death. He has been a person that I look up to professionally for his work and personally because he's just a damn nice guy. So if for any reason you haven't been visiting The Radavist on a daily basis it's time for you to get your life together and start! Both his instagram accounts are equally worth a follow @johnprolly and @theradavist. After the interview the light was getting good and John asked if he could photograph my bike, which was a dream come true for me. Find those pictures and a write up by John on The Radavist and you can read my blog reply on Bikes or Death. Shred Lightly my friends. 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! 🖤 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Bryan Seef Thomas Elliot Katya Morzhueva Mark Debano Ken Wallace Alex Cahill Chris Weiss Andrew Green Christopher Earnst Matt Knight Tim Nakoneczny Mike Morris Ian Goldinger 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🚨 ADnouncements 🚨 Jefe.bike – Patrons receive 10% off 6AM WorkShirts – Patrons receive 20% off East Texas Showdown – Presented by Bikes or Death

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. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 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! 🖤 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Alex G. Tanya Rios Chris Schow Tim Fitzpatrick 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🚨 ADnouncements 🚨 6AM WorkShirts – Patrons receive 20% off East Texas Showdown - Presented by Bikes or Death

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! 🖤 🖤🖤🖤🖤 Jeff Bloodworthy Barry Turner Dave Ortiz 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤