Bikes or Death

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.

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

This weeks episode features four first time bikepackers and students of Jerod Fosters Adventure Media class at Texas Tech University. Many of you will probably be familiar with this course from past interviews, but for the uninitiated it is a college course that teaches students how to capture more adventurous type media. As an example of the type of media they produce check out a couple of videos that students produced from last years trip to Big Bend Ranch SP: Video 1 | Video 2 (if you're reading this on social media visit bikesordeath.com). Unfortunately for this years class their BBRSP trip was cancelled 3 days before due to Covid-19. However, they did get to train for, prepare for, and participate in a bikepacking trip to Caprock Canyon SP. So on this episode we talk to four "First Timers" on preparations, fears, experiences, and lessons learned. I'm excited to release this episode because as this sport continues to grow more and more people are being inspired to get out there. Hopefully hearing experiences from other beginners will help to inspire and encourage others that I read to go out and explore the world on a bike. My guest today are Taylor Plate, Nejahla Hopkins, Colton Rohrbach, and Kolby Donnell. Their experience going into this course ranged from None to Some and their stories range from inspirational to humorous. I've seen first hand the transformation bikepacking can have on someone when they are introduced to it for the first time. I hope this episode will inspires others to go outside and get a little lost on their bike.

Pepper Cook is a legend in the bikepacking and touring community. She's known for her witty puns, quirky humour, and almost a decade of epic solo bike trips. I got to meet her at last years Bikepacking Summit where she was a presenter. I've been a fan of her for a long time and listening to her masterfully tell stories around a campfire goes down as a highlight of my life. She is as engaging and funny in person as you may imagine. The day before we recorded this episode she made a heartfelt post on instagram about some of her personal struggles with happiness and mental health. On this episode we unpack some of what precipitated that post and really shed light on the dichotomy between social media and what's going on in a person's real life. We also discuss the value bike travel has had on personal journey with mental health. These are important topics and I appreciate Peppers willingness to openly discuss some hard topics. We also discuss her recent sponsorship with Salsa Cycles, her nomadic lifestyle and recent move to alaska, as well as her most recent solo trip on the Baja Divide. Enjoy!

I'm excited to have Jerod Foster back on the podcast, he was first on as my 3rd guest. On that episode we discuss his career as a Professor at Texas Tech University, where he teaches a class called Adventure Media. In this class he takes 16 student bikepacking and gives this real world experience capturing content in wild places. I was fortunate to go on one of these trips and see first hand the impact that this course has on the students who chose to tackle it. If you'd like to hear more about that I suggest you go back and listen to episode 3 where we discuss this and much more. As I got to know Jerod better I started to admire him for another reason, his ability to have an adventurous life and career, while still playing an active role in his family. As a father I know the challenges of taking young kids outside and immersing them in nature, I also know the benefit. I believe it is an important role as a parent, but it's not always easy. I hope you'll enjoy this episode on being an adventurous spouse and parent as much as I did. Jerod shares some real heartwarming stories and already has me planning my first bikepacking adventure with my girls.

On March 19th at 5:00am Mark McGraw lined up at the start line of the "unofficial" GranGravel 500 Race along with two others. The official race was cancelled due to COVID-19, but that didn't stop these guys from lining up to take on the course, the elements, and potential resupply closures at key points. The forecast called for lots of rain that would make many of the roads unrideable. Despite that Mark still was able to finish in 66 hours (2 days, 18 hours). When he was only 80 miles from the finish I drove out to snap some pictures and cheer him on, by this time he was the last man standing and it was raining. However, I was happy to see that his spirits were high and his legs still pushing strong. I'm bummed that I wasn't able to participate this year, but it was a joy to get to chat with Mark about his race. I learned some things that I hope I get to put into action next year. The GranGravel 500 was created by Billy Rice. It starts and finishes in Bryan, TX (my hometown) and takes you through 500 miles of East Texas gravel, through two National Forest, and by countless country churches and cemeteries. Maybe next year I'll see you at the start line?!

Emma Flukes doesn't shy away from a challenge. In fact, she seeks them out and seems to thrive there. She is the brainchild behind the twisted, grueling, unsanctioned, unsupported, route described as "a scenic trip to Hell", and known as Tassie Gift. In Nov. of 2019 she and a handful of other lunatics set out to test themselves in some truly unprecedented weather making the 1,100 miles and 125,000 ft. of climbing even more challenging. As I followed along as a dot watcher and instagram stalker I was surprised and impressed by Emma's attitude, she seemed completely unphased by any of it, and at some times seemed to thrive. After the race we started chatting about recording a podcast, but it took several months (my fault) before I was able to peel back what was really going on behind the veil of instagram. A month ago she participated in and took second at the Vic Divide. She chatted with the creator of the race Lewis Cidor on his new podcast Overland Archive. Her telling of the race was much less dramatic that one may expect, but I won't ruin the surprise here. You gotta listen. I'd recommend that you check out her instagram profile @oneflukeshot before you listen to this one. It's actually pretty insane and will add context as you listen.