Bikes or Death

This June James Collins became the first person to attempt the new Central Texas Showdown route as an ITT. James is a 3 time veteran of the East Texas Showdown and will be leaving Texas before the CTS group start this October. Not wanting to miss out on this new route in his backyard, he decided to tackle it as an ITT (individual time trial). This episode is a great introduction to that route and to James, who's been such a large part of the Texas Showdown Series. After you listen to this episode if you want to take a deeper dive, I recommend you check out Jame's Ride Report about his ITT. He goes into great detail and is an excellent resource for anyone looking to ride or race that route! ⚡️EPISODE SPONSORS⚡️ AG1 ~ Go to www.athleticgreens.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. Wren Sports ~ A special offer ONLY for BoD listeners... get their Beefcake Carbon Plus Gravel Fork at a MASSIVE 50% off just use code "HaveCakeEatItToo" at checkout! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Scott Folland Andreas Hagbarth Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In todays episode we catch up with Hannah Simon two weeks after finishing tied for 3rd on the Tour Divide Race. If you've been following along you'll know that Hannah has committed to attempting the bikepacking Triple Crown, which is the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail, and Arizona Trail, all in a calendar year. With only four weeks left to prepare for the Colorado Trail I caught up with her on a park bench in Austin, TX to hear about her Tour Divide experience and how she is preparing for the next leg of the Triple Crown. If you didn't listen to my first episode in this series, I recommend you listen to that one first. This conversation will pick up where we left off before Hannah left for the Tour Divide. EPISODE SPONSORS Jefe.bike ~ Your source for reliable and hard to find gear for bikepackers and adventure cyclist.  Including a full line of kLite dynamo products! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Jacob T. Rex Robert Watson - Increased pledge! Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

GRUSK or Grave Ride up Spruce Knob is a bike race that has been taking place in West Virgina since 2016.  It’s evolved over the years and now offers distances from 25 miles up to 260 miles.  Each route features a long out and back up Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virgina at 4,863’.   Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full write and a large gallery of images from my weekend in West Virginia! EPISODE SPONSORS Ombraz ~ Use code BOD20 for $20 off ANY pair of sunglasses, plus Ombraz will send BoD $20 as a thank you! Stans No Tubes ~ On todays episode I unbox a new MK4 wheelset from Stans. Spoiler alert, I'm in love 😍 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, help change that, won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Chris Burkard is a well known photographer and storyteller who has brought his passion for life and his dedication to be successful to the endurance cycling world.  The results are hard to argue with.  In 2019 he set a world record of the WOW Cyclothon in Iceland traveling 844 miles in 52h 36m 19s.  He then put together a team and did the first ever interior travers of Iceland on the bike.  This time Chris entered arguably the hardest cycling race in the world, the Tour Divide.   For a full write up and a Gallery of images Patrick took of Chris' Tour Divide finish please visit www.BikesorDeath.com. If you've enjoy this episode I've recorded two others with Chris that you may enjoy. Ep. 17 - Chris sets a new WOW Cyclothon world record Ep. 58 - Chris assembles a team to do the first ever interior traverse of Iceland by bike  EPISODE SPONSORS Jefe.bike ~ Your source for reliable and hard to find gear for bikepackers and adventure cyclist.  Including a full line of kLite dynamo products! AG1 ~ Go to www.athleticgreens.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 🎉 Jason Willis Patric Brown Kevin Lang Amanda Shih Quig Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Yesterday Ulrich Bartholmoes aka "Uba" finished the 2023 Tour Divide in first place with a time of 14d 2h 23m.  For much of the race he was head of the record setting pace of Mike Hall.  In the end he would finish only 4.5 hours behind that record setting run.  Considering the rain, mud, and wind on this years Divide his time is beyond impressive.   I sat down with him the morning after his win at the Bike Ranch in Hachita, NM to capture this interview. Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com to view a full gallery of images I captured of him during his ride and at the finish line.   EPISODE SPONSORS Old Man Mountain ~ Bikes are tools to help facilitate your next adventure.  OMM wants you to get creative and they have the gear to help.  Use code "racksordeath" at checkout to recieve 15% off your order and use this fancy afiliate link and they will send BoD a little something as a thank you :) Jefe.bike ~ Your source for reliable and hard to find gear for bikepackers and adventure cyclist.  Including a full line of kLite dynamo products! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Therros Western Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

This week we are talking with Jesse Turner who is the custom bike maker and artist behind Slow Southern Steel based out of Fayetteville, AR. Jesse started this new company less than a year ago and I've been following with interest since the beginning. I love to showcase and support people who are following their passion and doing things to make the cycling world a better place. I'd certainly include Jesse in this category. His first job was in a bike shop as a mechanic, he would go on to get an Art degree, and then become a welder. If you mix all that with a person who is passionate about bikes and an Arkansas native you get Slow Southern Steel. For a full writeup and photo gallery of Jesse's original shop, plus lots of bike photos, check out www.BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Ombraz ~ Use code "BOD20" at checkout to get $20 off any pair of Ombraz armless sunglasses and Ombraz will send BoD a $20 as a thank you :) 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Jesper Thunstedt The following Patrons increased their pledge 🙏 Robert Rupp Manuel Busse Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In less than 2 years Hannah has established herself as a real contender in endurance bike racing. Somewhere along the way she decided it was time to take it to the next level, or maybe the next next next level! This year she will be taking on the biggest challenge that Bikepacking has to offer, The Triple Crown. Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on today's episode and photo grallery from Hannah's three East Texas Showdowns.       *****     ****** EPISODE SPONSORS AG1 - If a comprehensive solution is what you need from your supplement routine, then try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase. Go to www.drinkAG1.com/BIKESORDEATH GRUSK - Join me in West Virgina this July 6-9th for the 7th edition of Gravel Ride Up Spruce Knob! Check out the details here and come hang out with me in West Virginia! 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, but you can change that! Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

At the end of last year I was encouraged and inspired to get my passport by my girlfriend, Natalie. It's something I always thought I would do one day, but had never made it a priority. I've been so enamored and satiated by the wild and natural beauty of North America that I hadn't even really started to think seriously about international travel. Natalie is a very well seasoned and experienced traveler with many international stamps in her passport. Her passion for international travel is only equalled by her love for Latin America. It wasn't long before she had sufficiently wet my appetite to experience it for myself and we were booking tickets to Oaxaca, Mexico. Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on todays episode and how that trip to Oaxaca lead to a trip to Jaco, Costa Rica! EPISODE SPONSORS Wren Sports - They've been hard at work on their new Perseverance Bars, which now come in Flat bar, Drop bar, AND aero pads are available as well. Check them out at Wren Sports and save 15% when you use the code "BOD15". Stans No Tubes - Stans has been protecting tires for 20+ years. For the past 15 years they've been perfecting their Race Sealant and it's now available to the public! Top of your tires with their Race Formula if you want extra protection on a bike trip or a race. School of the World - Located in Jaco, Costa Rica they offer Surf, Spanish, Photography, and Yoga classes. The owner is a bikepacker and he'd be happy to put a route or two together for you as well. Just tell'em Bikes or Death sent you :) 🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, but you can change that! Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I don't know about you, but dealing with injury and being sidelined while I watch all my friends go play bikes is not my idea of a good time. As I've started to get a little older I'm starting to notice that injuries are happening with greater frequency and staying longer than I'm used to. The real motivation for me is to have a healthy body and prevent injuries when possible and deal with them appropriately when they do occur. Enter Maria Osowski, PT, DPT, who is a licensed Physical Therapist and lifelong Athlete. She has been on the podcast before on Ep. 133 ~ Red Granite Grinder Recap when she won the 144 mile version of that race. This time she's back to help keep us injury free so we can enjoy the sport we love and the bodies that move us! Today's episode is also available in Video Format at www.BikesorDeath.com.   To contact Maria directly with questions regards physical therapy you can email her at mosowski@wroinstitute.com EPISODE SPONSORS Today's Episode is brought to you by the Patrons that support this work! Jon Rice Christopher Throop Ryan Odell Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I started following Lindsay Shepard's journey when I saw on social media that she had built her own bike frame and was planning to race on it. To my surprise the first race she signed up for was my East Texas Showdown! Right after that, she turned her van North East and did the Gravel Doom race, in Arkansas. When she finished that race, she wasn't done. She turned her bike around to ride the course in reverse. Thus becoming the first person to complete the DOOM Yo-Yo! For style points, she did it on a SS bike, that she built!! For a full writeup and photo gallery please visit www.BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.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 🎉 Lance Putnam Patron's that increased their pledge... Kevin Lee Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath