Bikes or Death

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!

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.

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.

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

Meet the man behind, and in front of, the lense of his new film Admissions of an Amateur Bikepacker. First watch his film (link below) then take a listen as we talk about his trip, his why, and what he hopes people will take away from this film. ig: @outsideandseek website: www.johnsonstudios.cofilm: https://vimeo.com/groups/outdooradventures/videos/322932114 ******* ig: @bikesordeath fb: facebook.com/bikesordeath patreon: patreon.com/bikesordeath email: [email protected] ******* intro/outro music Eric B. Is President by Eric B. & Rakim

This is the story of a man who dedicated himself to one thing and put everything he had into it. His story is not without trials, nor is it without victories. Without giving anything away, I'll leave it there and Let Thomas tell his story. Some of the things we talked about were Singlespeed gravel racing, Fixed gear gravel racing, LandRun100, and Dirty Kanza, and his new woodworking business, Maker and Racer. ig: @thechacobandit and @makerandracer website: www.makerandracer.com ******* ig: @bikesordeath fb: www.facebook.com/bikesordeath patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath email: [email protected] ******* intro/outro music "Eric B. is President" by Eric B. & Rakim

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. ******* ig: @bikesordeath fb: facebook.com/bikesordeath patreon: patreon.com/bikesordeath ******* intro/outro music - Eric B Featuring Rakim - Eric B For President

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 FacebookAdventure Cycling Association RouteBikepacking.com Article/RouteAR High Country Race ------- ig: @bikesordeath fb: https://www.facebook.com/bikesordeath/ patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bikesordeath ------- intro/outro music Eric B. is President by Eric B. & Rakim

In this episode the tables are turned as my friend Ryan interviews me for my own show. ig: @bikesordeath fb: facebook.com/bikesordeath patreon: patreon.com/bikesordeath ---------- music: by Eric B. & Rakim, Eric B. is President

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 ------- ig - @bikesordeath fb - facebook.com/bikesordeath patreon - patreon.com/bikesordeath ------- intro/outro music - Eric B. Is President by Eric B. & Rakim

Anna Claire, or AC as she may be more well known by, is a one of a kind human with wisdom and experience beyond her years. She is a bikepacker, traveler, adventurer, wilderness first aid certified, community activist, and photographer. Her latest endeavor is a women specific mountain bike festival in Fayetteville, AR. email: [email protected] ig: annaclairebeasley ------- ig: @bikesordeath fb: www.facebook.com/bikesordeath/ patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath email: [email protected] ------- intro/outro music Eric B. is President by Eric B. & Rakim

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 ---------- ig: @bikesordeath fb: www.facebook.com/bikesordeath/ patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath ---------- intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B is President

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 ------------- ig: @bikesordeath blog: www.bikesordeath.com patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath --------------- intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President

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 ------------- ig: @bikesordeath blog: www.bikesordeath.com patreon: www.patreon.com/bikesordeath --------------- intro/outro music: Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President

In this episode we talk about everything from bikepacking the Tour Divide to health and wellness. Billy pulls back the curtains and tells us about his person journey in bikepacking and some insights into his coaching methods. www.invictuscycling.com [email protected] -------------------- ig: @bikesordeath blog: www.bikesordeath.com patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

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/ --------------------- ig: @bikesordeath blog: www.bikesordeath.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bikesordeath