Bikes or Death

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 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤