Bikes or Death

This week I'm in the hot seat as my friend Ryan ask me YOUR questions! He interviewed me once before on Ep. 8, but a lot has changed in 48 episodes and thanks to your questions we had plenty to talk about. If you've been listening for a while you've probably heard me talk about my lack of expectations for the podcast. Not in a self-deprecating way, but in the way that you do something that you're passionate about for a community you love without expectations. I didn't tell anyone about the podcast or promote it outside of an obscure post on a small instagram account, but that didn't stop me from quickly realizing not only the popularity of Bikepacking, but the desire for these types of interviews and stories. Admittedly, there is a part of me that wanted this podcast to remain small and obscure. That part of me is insecure, self-conscious, and it can be riddled with anxiety and doubt, but I've tried my best to produce the show authentically and to the best of my abilities with the time and talent I have. In the process I've grown considerably as a person, and while I'm still not 100% comfortable in this roll and feel like I have so much to learn, I am ready to fully embrace this opportunity and take it to the next level. In the past few months I have been working in the background to shift my focus on Bikes or Death from a hobby to a career. I will be announcing many new and exciting changes in the coming months, but for now I'm excited to share that for the first time ever I'm partnering with companies that believe in BoD and are equally committed to its success. I'm only partnering with brands that I dig and believe my listeners will benefit from, and most importantly aren't going to silence or censor the show in any way shape or form. We discuss this topic more in-depth on this week's episode, so give it a listen won't ya?! This week's episode was supported by Rockgeist, who wants you to know about their monthly raffle benefiting organizations committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in bikepacking and the outdoors. Learn more, and enter for your chance to win a CUSTOM Mudlust Framebag, at Rockgeist.com. I'm also stoked to share with you my new favorite sunglasses from Goodr. When I lost my expensive ass sunglasses a month ago I sought out to find an affordable alternative that didn't sacrifice on quality or style, blah blah blah....sunglasses. Check out some of my favs at Goodr.com/BikesorDeath.

This weeks episode I chat with Dave Nice who is known on the interwebs as @fixiedave. His username gives away the fact that he rides fixie, but it says nothing about his completion of the Tour Divide in 2012 after attempting it 5 times before. I have to assume it takes a determined person to ride a fixie, but what adjective should I use to describe the determination of someone who takes on such massive route, fails 5 times, before ultimately accomplishing said goal? Dave was originally inspired by John Stamstads 1999 ITT run on The Tour Divide. By the time that Ride the Divide was being filmed in 2008 Dave was there lining up for his 3rd attempt as many of us were just hearing about this race/route for the first time. He's been at this far longer than most of us. He went on to attempt the divide 5 times before finally completing the entire route in 2012 in 33d, 14h, 4m. Since then he attempted Route 66 fixed, but had to scratch after 1,863. These days you'll find Dave working at Kids on Bikes in Colorado Springs where he is passionately working with kids to inspire the next generation of cyclist. Dave doesn't own a car, he uses a flip phone, and rides fixed. Simple. I can dig it.

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

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

Cinthia Pedraza calls Austin, Texas home. Some recent experiences in her hometown led her to write an article titled "Bike Racing, White Privilege, and the Coronavirus" that was published on The Radavist. As you can imagine she was praised by some and targeted by others. Personally, I'm grateful for her willingness to share her perspective on a touchy subject when the world feels poised to cancel anyone who expresses opinions that don't align with their own. My platform seeks to be an antidote to this and instead wants to be a safe place for people to share their stories and perspectives. It is through these conversations that we can learn, grow, and help to inform our own opinions. I applaud Cinthia for taking the initiative to share a hard thing, on a sensitive topic, that is directed to HER cycling community. A nod to John Watson, of The Radavist, is in order as well. As you'll hear, when Cinthia wasn't able to get her article published, she put it on her instagram account. John got wind of it and asked if he could publish it on his site, and the rest is history....

In this week's episode I do my first "colab" podcast with Lewis Ciddor who not only won Tour Divide in 2017, but is also the host of the Overland Archive Podcast. We come to the podcasting world with different experiences and perspectives which I think are both valuable. I was excited to chat with him about his personal history with cycling and of course his 2018 TD win. It was made particularly interesting because I had just interviewed Bailey Newbrey who was the 2018 TD Second Place finisher and he was on a SingleSpeed. Admittedly when you get two people who are relatively new to the podcasting world, and still trying to figure it out, there will be a fare amount of nerdery being discuss. Honestly, Lewis offered to edit this episode, so I haven't even heard it yet. Coupled with a bad memory, I don't remember everything we discuss. I do remember having a great time and felt like it was one of the more conversational podcast that I've recorded. That's probably due to the nature of us both being host and taking turns asking questions. Thank you Lewis for the chat, and I hope everyone enjoys listening as much as we enjoyed recording!

Episode 50 is coming in hot! Today's episode is with the charismatic, inspirational, and rowdy Leo Rodgers! He's made a splash in the cycling world recently with features in Bicycle Magazine, a Lucas Brunelle Film, and most recently signed with Crust/Ronsbikes/Ultradynamico factory PRO recreation TEAM. The attention is well deserved. When a motorcycle accident left him without a leg he reconnected with his childhood passion, bikes. The missing limb hasn't slowed him down and if you go ride with him he'll tell ya "don't worry I'll wait for you". As the Para Track 200m TT world record holder he can back it up! But he's not just at home on the track, he transcends all cycling cultural boundaries. Is he a roadie, track racer, gravel racer, tall bike FIXIE enthusiast, commuter? He's all of that, but mostly he's a man with a passion for the bike lifestyle that he promulgates with enthusiasm at every opportunity. His story is a reminder that there are people who do more with less and they don't make excuses. Everyone will face challenges in life, no one is exempt, and those challenges will define the person that we become. This was a really fun interview and I was stoked to get a little bit of Leo's time and bring a bit of his story to you. Happy listening, now go ride your damn bike!

He didn't invent the Great Divide Route or the Tour Divide Race, but Mike Dion quite literally brought awareness to both with his 2010 film Ride the Divide. Many bikepackers I've met, including myself, credit it with their own journey into this new way of exploration. 10 years later, his film is still relevant as people are finding it for the first time and getting inspired with their own sense of wanderlust. To celebrate the 10 year anniversary Mike is throwing a party and we are all invited. Most of the cast, crew, and athletes from the film will be online and taking your questions. There will be a live screening of the film with the option to listen in to the behind the scenes chatter amongst the cast and crew. If that wasn't enough, I will be hosting the live Q&A and moderating the conversation. To find out more and buy tickets click here (if you're seeing this on social media go to bikesordeath.com and click the RTD10 Party hyperlink at the top of the page). Tune in to the podcast, get stoked, and join us online on August 2nd!

I got to meet up with Bailey Newbrey in his new-ish shop, Sincere Cycles, on a recent trip to Santa Fe, NM. Bailey made a some noise in 2018 when he finished the Tour Divide in second place overall on a Singlespeed! We chat a lot about his 2016 and 2018 Tour Divide runs and his reasoning behind running SS. He also makes some bold predictions towards the end of the podcast that is worth sticking around for. Sincere Cycles calls an old bar home which gives it a cool vibe right off the bat. His workstation is behind the bar where he serves up some of the finest bike knowledge and experience that money CAN'T buy. We talk about how is business fits into the Santa Fe scene and what some of this plans are for the shop. Of course, we talk covid-craziness as well. It was a true pleasure getting to meet up with Bailey in his shop. It gave me a chance to see him interact with customers and use his experiences to inform suggestions. He clearly has a passion for what he is doing which is made easier by creating a bike shop that is tailored to his interest and expertise. I love it when people take their passions and figure out a way to make them a "job" too. I wish him all the success both in his new shop and in upcoming races.

James Mark Hayden came on the ultra endurance bike racing scene in 2015. Since then he's been putting down some incredible performances, winning the Transcontinental Race twice, shared 1st place at the Italy divide, getting 4th at Silk Road even though he was robbed by men on horses during the race, and most recently he finished 2nd at Atlas Mountain Race to Sofiane who came in only 4 hours earlier. All of this he accomplished while finishing up his degree at university. Guess what? School is over, no more distractions, and James is on a mission to be a professional ultra endurance bike racer. What does that look like? We talk about it on the show. When racing starts again James is going to be one of the guys to watch. Check out his instagram @jamesmarkhayden where he post tons of great knowledge about his training and related topics.