Bikes or Death

For the final episode in this series, we catch up with Hannah Simon after finishing 3rd at the Arizona Trail Race last month. The AZT was the last race in a three race series dubbed the Bikepacking Triple Crown. Prior to that she tied for 3rd at Tour Divide in June, followed by a 6th place finish at the Colorado Trail Race in August. The Triple Crown is the hardest and most prestigious accomplishment that our sport has to offer. By completing the Triple Crown, Hannah became one of only 6 women to have ever completed this challenge. Not only that, but her time was good enough to have the record for the 3rd fastest female, and she beat the previous FKT by 28 minutes, a record that stood since 2015. Hannah's Triple Crown, by the numbers: Tour Divide 3rd Place (tied) 2,745 miles 18d 11h Colorado Trail Race 6th Place 530 miles 6d 8h Arizona Trail Race 3rd Place 800 miles 11d 11h In total Hannah would ride 4,075 miles in 36d 6h, making her the 3rd fastest female to every complete the Bikepacking Triple Crown. ️EPISODE SPONSORS️ Lectric eBikes – Get hundreds of dollars in free accessories with any Lectric eBike purchase this holiday, including America’s best-selling eBike, the XP 3.0 AG1 – Go to www.drinkag1.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. New Patrons Ed Pinskey Bryan Thelen Preston Williams Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Kurt Refsnider just became one of only a handful of people to have ever successfully traversed the Continental Divide Trail by bike.  The trail is 3,300 miles long and spans the length of the United States along the Continental Divide.  In many ways it's similar to the popular Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.  However, there is one big distinction, the CTS is primarily singletrack.  And much of it is unmaintained, overgrown, and sometimes nonexistent trails.   It's not surprising that Kurt would be included in the elite group to have completed this trail.  He's been a cyclist and athlete from a very young age.  In fact, we hear about his first century on today's episode.  He's gone on to set so many records in cycling it's easier to point you to his website for a full list.   Kurt also holds many hats in the cycling industry.  He is a profissional adventure cyclist, the co-founder and Route Developer for Bikepack Roots, and he is an endurance coach, among other things.  Today's episode touches on all of these topics and more. ⚡️️EPISODE SPONSORS⚡️️ Old Man Mountain - Use our affiliate link to get 15% off your order! BoD Affiliate Links - We've made it easier to find the links that support this show and provide deals for our listeners.  You can find them on our website!  When you use our links you support this show and the partners who support us.   🎉New Patrons🎉 Andrew Dordal Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

My guest today is the winner of this years Arizona Trail Race 800, Alex Schultz. Alex is no stranger to bikepack racing or the AZT. In 2019 he entered his first bikepacking race, the Colorado Trail Race, and was hooked! In 2022 he entered the AZT 300 and won it. This year he came back to take on the 800 with only the goal to finish and do his best. It turns out his best was good enough to win and set a new FKT (Fastest Known Time). His time of 9d 5h 43m was five hours faster than the previous FKT set by Nate Ginzton in 2022. By the sound of it Alex is just getting started with his bikepack racing career. With a lot of adventure sports experience and some good results under his belt, I have a feeling we'll be seeing his name at the top of other big races soon! EPISODE SPONSORS Lectric eBikes - Get hundreds of dollars in free accessories with any Lectric eBike purchase this holiday, including America’s best-selling eBike, the XP 3.0 AG1 - Go to www.drinkag1.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None, this week, but thank you to the 316 patrons that support this show! Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Last month Natalie and I took on the Ozark Rando 120. This is a new event by Ozark Gravel Cyclist and hosted by Experience Fayetteville.  As the name suggests, the format of this ride is a Randonneur -a non-competitive long-distance unsupported endurance cycling event.  I used this ride as part of my training for an attempt at the 475 mile Central Texas Showdown Route.  I’ve also been really interested in doing a Randonneur ever since Cheech with Crust Bikes came on the podcast.  And, I never turn down an opportunity to ride my damn bike in Arkansas!   Natalie on the other hand would be taking on her biggest ride, by a long shot!  Previously, her longest ride was 60 miles in Texas with only 1,200’ of climbing.  The Ozark Rando boasts over 12,000’ of climbing over 122 miles. For her, this would be a huge physical and mental undertaking. By signing up, she committed to the unknown, and that’s scary. Spoiler alert: We finished Dead Fucking Last, and I couldn't be more proud of her and us. As the day unfolded, the miles passed slower and slower, and the finish time goal post kept moving, but we kept riding our damn bikes. On today’s episode, join Natalie and I as we embark on an epic day (and night) in the Ozarks on our bikes. EPISODE SPONSORS Experience Fayetteville ~ To start planning your next cycling vacation just visit experiencefayetteville.com where you’ll find a large selection of curated routes for every riding style including road, gravel, mountain bike, and urban adventures. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Buck Crockett Borden Mann Blake Marquis James Brodhurst Katherine Helbig Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

After I scouted the Central Texas Showdown route by car it was time to ride the damn thing.  Last time I did an ITT of the ETS route my editor, Ben Crannel, joined me, but aside from the start and finish, we never saw each other.  That experience taught me how much different an ITT is vs a group start. I still wanted to do an ITT of the CTS, but this time I wanted to invite some people.  Invitations went out, but my friend Ariel was the only person to accept.  I’m not surprised, texas, like much of the country, has been under a heat wave, with much of the state experiencing 100 x 100º days of heat.   For a full writeup on todays episode, and a gallery of images from the ride, please visit www.BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Lectric eBikes ~ Fun, Functional, and Affordable eBikes! AG1 ~ Go to www.drinkag1.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Rose Shivers Anonymous Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Ultra-endurance and bikepacking legend, Jay Petervary set out on his solo and unsupported FKT attempt of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route which he called “Great Divide Ride Unearthed”. Over 2,000 miles into his ride he was struck by a motorist. Suffering multiple series injuries, Jay’s resilience is unwavering. He may be battered, but he is not broken. He continues to inspire with his mantra “ride forward” and reminds us that he’s not done with this ride yet. Watch or listen to this episode, link in bio! ️⚡️Episode Sponsors ⚡️ ️ Fred Bars  - Used on the inaugural run of the Tour Divide in 2008, read the article here.   🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, but you can change that! Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath 

By now I'm sure you are familiar with Hannah and her quest to take on the Bikepacking Triple Crown. She's agreed to share her journey with us at each stage along the way. So far she's been able to complete the first two races, the Tour Divide and Colorado Trail Race. In this episode we follow up with her after finishing 6th on the CTR and only a month before taking on the 800 miles of the Arizona Trail Race. It's been amazing to follow along as she takes on the biggest challenge our sport has to offer. EPISODE SPONSORS Lectric eBikes ~ Fun, Functional, and Affordable eBikes! AG1 ~ Go to www.drinkag1.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Andy Fields Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Ten years ago Phillip Crosby and Jedidiah Jenkins set out on a bike trip that started in Oregon and traversed Central and South America and ended in Patagonia. Jedidiah, was an aspiring author at the time and was on the trip to have an experience worth writing about as he grappled with his sexuality and Christian faith. He wrote that book, and it's titled, "To Shake the Sleeping Self". For a full write up and and photo gallery from their trip, please visit www.BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Old Man Mountain ~ Check out their new line of bikepacking bags and panniers. Use this link and get 15% off your order! **Must use https://oldmanmountain.com/bikesordeath to get 15% off order. It's the only way to beat the robots! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Paul Mendricks Matthew Trinneer Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Katya Rakhmatulina just won the 2023 Colorado Trail Race and set a new FKT in the process. With a time of 5d 1h 53m she beat the previous time of 6d 1h 34m set by Alexandera Houchin in 2019. Prior to this she placed Second at this years Tour Divide behind Lael Wilcox. For a full writeup please visit BikesorDeath.com, this episode is available to watch on our website as well.  New Patrons Spencer Snider Dan Perez Alexander Getty Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In 2022 Miron Golfman set a new FKT on the Baja Divide. Then he set his sites on an even bigger challenge in 2023 by attempting to race the Iditarod Invitational, the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and the Arizona Trail Race, all in a calendar year. A feat that I've never heard of anyone attempting before. For a full write up on todays episode along with photos and links from todays episode please visit www.BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS None this week, but you can help sponsor next weeks episode! Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath