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.  H ..read more

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 rac ..read more

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 b ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 1 ..read more

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 ..read more

Payson McElveen probably needs no introduction. Among many of his achievements he is a Red Bull Athlete, 2x Marathon National Champion, 2x MidSouth Campion, and he is the host of the popular Adventure Stache Podcast. He’s also a wizard at production and social media which has added to his visibility. Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup, show links, and photo galley from todays episode! EPISODE SPONSORS Ombraz ~ Get $20 off any pair of Ombraz, just use code “bikesordeath20” at checkout. As a bonus, Ombraz will send $20 to BoD as a thank you ? OZARK Randonneur - A new event ..read more

Last month McKenzie Barney peddled her bike into Columbia, the last state in her Cycle the World project that started years before. In total McKenzie cycled 18,000 miles, through 28 countries and 5 continents, and most of it was solo. Her travels would take her through Africa, South America, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and South East Asia. For a full writeup on McKenzie's episode and for photos of her journey, please visit BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS Ombraz ~ Get $20 off any pair of Ombraz, just use code "bikesordeath20" at checkout. As a bonus, Ombraz will send $20 to BoD as a thank ..read more

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 ..read more