Bikes or Death

Nicolette Jones just won the 2024 Colorado Trail Race on her first attempt. Not only was this her first time racing the Colorado Trail, it was her first bikepacking race ever! Which makes her finish time of 5d 12h 21m even more impressive.

Although this was her first bikepacking race, she is no stranger to adventurous pursuits or the Colorado Trail. She is the only person in the world to have thru-hiked, skied, and biked the Colorado Trail. So she is no stranger to this trail and, in fact, probably has a higher familiarity...

Justinas Leveika is fresh off an impressive Colorado Trail Race finish. This was his first time at CTR and he finished in 4d 7h 17m, which was over 8 hours faster than the next rider. However, due to a rule violation, which was unknown to him at the time, he was not the official first place finisher. That honor goes to Xavier Chiriboga with a time of 4d 15h 55m.

Going into Leadville Justinas destroyed his rear wheel on a gnarly decent which shattered the wheel, rendering it unrideable. To get it fixed he...

In 2000 Chris Smith was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, by 2009 he was declared legally blind. No longer able to drive he turned to the bike as a way to get to work 3 miles from his house. At the time he tipped the scales at over 300 lbs and the 3 mile ride to work was a real challenge, but Chris wasn't discouraged. He kept at it, joined friends for group rides, and eventually went on to earn a buckle at Leadville in 2019, to mark his 10th year of blindness. He went back the following 3 years, each time earning a buckle.

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Edyn Teitge, at 15 years old, just became the youngest person to complete the Tour Divide solo. He set out with a goal of finishing in 20 days and was able to complete the race in 19d 13h 14m. An accomplishment that may be shocking to outsiders, but for Edyn, this just feels like the next step in his progression as a cyclist.

Edyn first joined me on the podcast in September of 2022 after he finished his first ultra bikepacking race, the Smoke and Fire 400. He didn't just finish, though, he came in 6th place, 8 hours after legendary Jay Pe...

Spencer McCullough just did something that's never been done before! He visited all 51 National Parks in the lower 48 by bicycle. This epic trip around the U.S. involved 411 days of riding, 18,000 miles covered by bike, and a total of 28 flat tires.

Spencer was inspired to do this trip after reading an article in the New York Times, titled "What to Save? Climate Change Forces Brutal Choices at National Parks". His goal? To visit all the National Parks in the lower 48 to experience them before climate change impacts them even further.  Along the way, he educated himself about cy...

Eight years ago Mike Hall made history and etched his name in the record books, and in the hearts of an entire community, with his record setting Tour Divide time of 13d 22h 51m. Since then, hundreds of others have lined up for the Tour Divide grand depart to chase his dot to the US/Mexico border. This year, on his second attempt, Jusinas Leveika became the first person to best Mike Hall's record with an official time of 13d 2h 16.

Justinas entered the world of ultra bikepack racing in 2021with a 4th...

Last year Ulrich Bartholmoes, aka Uba, won the Tour Divide on his first attempt. This year he came back to do it again, but with a larger goal of completing the Bikepacking Triple Crown. We will be following Uba's Triple Crown attempt at each stage along the way. This is the second episode in the series, you can listen to our first chat we recorded just days before the Tour Divide Grand Depart on episode 182 of this podcast.

This was a record setting year on the Tour Divide and one that will go...

The Arkansas Graveler is a supported bike tour across the state of Arkansas. It boast 366 miles and 26,700 feet of climbing over 6 days. The route takes you into parts unknown, showcasing some of the most remote rural roads that I’ve had the pleasure of riding. This inaugural year attracted 300+ riders from 35 states. It’s clear that the word about Arkansas is spreading and cyclists are traveling far and wide to get a taste of the seemingly unlimited gravel roads that showcase why Arkansas is called “The Natural State”.

The Arkansas Graveler, not content to offer riders a beautifu...

Last year Ulrich Bartholmoes, who goes by Uba, won the Tour Divide in his first attempt with a time of 14d 2h 23m. This year he's back to defend his title at the Tour Divide, but he's got bigger goals than that. This year he will be attempting to complete the Triple Crown of Bikepacking (Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, and Arizona Trail race) and he's gunning to beat the current record time of 27d 18h 33m set by Jay Petervary in 2015.

Uba's approach to ultra bikepack racing is different from most. He's...

Daniel Connell has become a regular on the bikepacking race scene and in the cycling community. You will often see him on Trackleaders under his trail name, Dirty Dan. It was under this pseudonym that he recently set a new FKT on the Race Across Arizona and will be lining up in a couple of weeks to race the Tour Divide for the 4th consecutive year. Each year he's done it he's been able to shave a day off his finish time. This year he's on a new bike and gunning for a 15 day finish.

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