Bikes or Death

In mid December Miles Arbour, with Bikepacking.com, and I headed to Phoenix Arizona to check out the Queen's Ransom Route developed by John Schilling. Miles flew down from Canada and I drove up from Texas, each of us coming from completely different riding environments and levels of fitness. To be honest, this trip was planned last minute and neither of us did much homework before setting out on the 230 miles Queen's Ransom Route that features a lot of singletrack, some of which is rated Black. Miles was there to ride the route with the goal of publishing it on Bikepacking.com. I was there because he invited me, and I invited my recording equipment. So, what happens when a Canadian and Texan ride off into the Arizona Desert? Only one way to find out! Check out this episode and then go ride your damn bike, maybe even on the Queen's Ransom. Episode Sponsors Mulberry Gap - This week Kate comes on to talk to us about the Trans North Georgia Route that is almost right outside their from door and how it's become known as "Mulberry Trap". Wren Sports ~ The new Perseverance Bars from Wren Sports are shipping soon and Cameron came on to give us the deetz. Use code "BOD10" for 10% off your entire order New Patrons 🎉 Jessica Alexander Chris Hodgkins Andrew Drury Dennis Feeney James Collins Mark Norford Marty Johnson Jorge Callado Tim Colebrooke Scott Grossman David Gaus

Today we celebrate the life and legacy of Hal Russell. The bikepacking community and the world lost a true legend on January the 19th when he passed away in his home surrounded by family. Hal lived a full and adventurous life that touched almost everyone that he met, you could say he Touched Both Lines. Today we pay tribute and celebrate the life of Hal so that his story and example can continue to have a meaningful impact. Todays episode features stories and tributes from the bikepacking community and clips from my first interview with Hal back in June of 2019 right before he completed the Tour Divide for the 6th time. On this episode we hear stories about Hal from: Sofiane Sehili Marty Johnson Bonnie Gagnon Josh Kato Shelia Reiter Billy Rice Followed by some of my favorte segments from my interview with Hal back in June 2019. Visit Bikesordeath.com for funeral and visitation information and for information about how to buy Hal's book, "Touch Both Lines".

Dylan's name has come up on the podcast many times and many of you have sent in request to have him on the show. Is it because he is heir to a salt empire? Maybe it's his epic mustache? Or his high level mechanic skills? Seeking answers to some of these tough questions I pointed my van in the direction of Arkansas to meet up with this international man of mystery at the Meteor Cafe in Bentonville, AR. When I interviewed Lael in Bentonville for Episode 10 she talked about a local that made a route from Colorado to the start of Unbound XL in Emporia, KS. That "local" was Dylan Morton who would go on to ride to Emporia with Lael and compete as well, completing the course in 25h 16m. During the pandemic he found himself living with Lael and Rue in Alaska and working with Pepper Cook at the Anchorage bike shop. Dylan is a guy who says "yes" and this podcast is a reflection of that. He is also no stranger to big efforts on the bike. Most recently he won the Utah Mixed Epic with a time of 7d, 16h, 38m which is well known to be a challenging course. He has also done an ITT of Arkansas High Country, completed the Atlas Mtn Race, among others! He is no slouch on the bike and he's a pretty darn good mechanic too. On this episode Dylan shares his passion for cycling, the bikepacking community, and a well dialed bike to adventure on. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Kuat ~ Besides making great bike racks, Kuat is also making a difference with the Future Forest Initiative. Every time you buy a rack from them, they plant a tree for your future. Ruby Coffee ~ With so many options to choose from Jesse comes on the show to give us some guidance on which coffees to try! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Keith E Smith 🗝 Brian K Davidson 🗝 Jocelyn De La Rosa 🗝 Terry Woods 🗝 Diane Prekup Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

Four days ago Brett Stepanik became the first person to complete the Doom Loop with a time of 3d 12h 9m. Doom is the brainchild of Andrew Onermaa, it's located in the Ozark National Forest it's 376 miles with 41,375 ft of climbing and almost all gravel. Andrew joins us at the top of this episode to share his thoughts on Doom before Brett hops on the mic. Brett is no stranger to bikepacking and ultra endurance efforts. He first got into bikepacking in 2012 and his most notable accomplishment is becoming the Single Speed Triple Crown Champion (TDR, CTR, AZT). At this past Arkansas High Country he set a new SS FKT and finished 4th overall. Something about Arkansas got under his skin and Ozark Gravel Doom was a perfect excuse to come back to Arkansas. It's by happenstance that Brett and I were able to meet up. I had coincidentally reached out to him about being a guest on the podcast at the same time he was scheming up this FKT, the stars aligned and we were able to meet up after he finished his race. Brett faced challenging conditions, namely freezing cold temps and lots of water crossings, making his effort even more impressive. Brett wanted to start the year off right and I'd say he accomplished that! Now what will he do the rest of the year? I'll be watching. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Quad Lock ~ Professional downhill mountain biker Ben Moore has been riding with QL for 4 years and he came on to share some of his experiences! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Drew Raney 🗝 Jim Sevaly 🗝 Eric Warren 🗝 Jessica Swanson 🗝 Kyle Gilbert 🗝 Ryan Bozzell 🗝 Andrew Young 🗝 Howard Chapman 🗝 John Gibson 🗝 Kayce Peters 🗝 john campbell Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

On today's episode I get to meet Ally Johnson who is taking the reins over at Bikepacking Roots. She was hired in October, but we wanted to give her a little time to get acquainted with her new role before having her on. Ally brings with her an impressive academic resume. From Bikepacking Roots, "Ally has a master's degree in Policy, Organization, and Leadership from Stanford University, undergraduate work in nonprofit leadership, and last taught US history and civics at the high school level. Ally was chosen from a large candidate pool of highly qualified individuals, a testament to the passion and diversity of experiences in the bikepacking community." Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for the full article along with how you can support and get involved with Bikepacking Roots. Episode Sponsors These episodes aren't possible without support! Kuat ~ Check out the new Piston Pro X coming March 2022! Did you know they salt spray tested this racks coating for 750 hours and had NO corrosion? Competitive Cyclist ~ This time of year got you feeling like doing some shopping? Check out the offerings over at CompetitiveCyclist.com/BikesorDeath and use code "BIKESORDEATH" to get 15% OFF & FREE SHIPPING! Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Stew Sowers 🗝 Ethan Croft Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

Matt Mason, route builder from Las Cruces who created the Monumental Loop and Danger Bird. Ryan Van Duzer, adventure cyclist and YouTuber who tells human stories from the road. They chat about filming the Monumental Loop, the grit of desert bikepacking, route difficulty and conditions, summit goals to grow local access, and planning future Danger Bird events.

Y'all probably know by now that I love Arkansas. Last Tuesday evening I was sitting on my couch getting caught up on all the instagram-goings-ons when I came across a post i had forgotten about. Natural State Rock & Republic was going to be hosting "Tales of the High Country" the very next evening, and I knew I had to be there. The next morning I woke up early, threw some stuff in the van and pointed it in a northeastern direction for a 9 hour drive. When I got there I found out that they wanted me to co-moderate the evenings events. I had a solid 30 minutes to prepare questions for a live audience, so of course I agreed. Just two weeks ago I leant Lilly my bullhorn at Truffle Shuffle and now she leant me her microphone. I'd like to thank her personally for not only moderating one helluva event, but for allowing me to share in the experience. For a full write up and picture gallery from the event please visit www.BikesorDeath.com _____________________________________ Episode Sponsors I always say that these episodes aren't possible without support and this trip was the perfect example. Being able to take 24 hours out of my "normal" life to drive to Arkansas and capture this event is only possible with support. As I creep closer to making this my full time job I hope to make more impromptu trips just like this! Ruby Coffee ~ Ruby is currently offering a promotion through the 28th that any orders over $150 will get a $10 gift certificate sent to the purchaser as thank you, and as always, you can use the code BIKESORDEATH during checkout for 15% off any one time purchase or 20% off the first shipment of any subscription. Mulberry Gap ~ Visit Mulberry Gap during Winter Weekends and SAVE! Use codes: WINTER20 - Stay 2 night and save 20% WINTER30 - Stay 3 nights and save 30% WINTER40 - Stay 4 night and save 40% Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Tom Surly 🗝 Aaron McLuckie 🗝 Andreas Löfgren 🗝 Maggie Ross 🗝 Brian Young 🗝 Melissa Patrick 🗝 Jacob Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

I'm honored to have this years Arkansas High Country Winner, and new Women's FKT holder, back on the podcast. Scotti Lechuga completed this years race in 5d, 10h, 49m, besting everyone in the field. For the uninitiated, the Arkansas High Country Race is quickly earning a reputation for being extremely challenging 1,000+ miles course that covers much of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. The conditions this year were challenging due thanks most to heavy rainfall that reached havoc on gear and racers. Scotti overcame a lot on her journey to this years big win. Visit www.bikesordeath.com for a full writeup with pictures! Here is a link to my episode with Scotti and Ernie Lechuga _________________________ EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Competitive Cyclist – Use this link with promo code BIKESORDEATH at checkout to receive 15% off your first full priced order and FREE Shipping on orders $50 or more. Some exclusions apply. Kuat – Did you know the new Piston Pro X is 99% metal, just like Bikes or Death! This thing is built to last and look good doing it. Visit your LBS or favorite online retailer to order yours now for Spring 2022 delivery. Huge Thanks to our Newest Patrons: 🗝 Charles Matthew Hudson 🗝 Kyle Day 🗝 Kevin Spicher 🗝 Jill Holloway 🗝 Ranse Stanley 🗝 Cynthia Sayre 🗝 Kyle Beckel 🗝 Noah Baker 🗝 David Beattie 🗝 Taryn Davis 🗝 Nate Branch Join them on Patreon to support your favorite podcast, plus get access to bonus content, the BoD After Party, Patron Perks, and more!

For day 3 of Monumental Loop Week, we are featuring a podcast with Cjell Mone', owner of Mone' Bikes based out of Silver City, NM. He is know for producing functional steel bikes with an aesthetic flare out of the back of a 1990 Wonderbread Truck (Seriously!). Words won't do his bikes justice, so let's take a look at a few of my favorites at www.bikesordeath.com. Link to Monumental Loop Fund that I mentioned on the podcast. _______________________ EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Ruby Coffee - Cjell Mone' approved ✔️ Quad Lock - The best damn smartphone holder for bikes. Patrick Farnsworth approved ✔️ Huge thanks to our newest Patrons: 🗝 Brendan Haren 🗝 Michael Reardon Buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey as a thank you for this episode on Patreon

This is the third episode to come out of a podcasting trip I made two Austin right after the East Texas Showdown. I interviewed five participants of the ETS in less than 20 hours just days after the their ride ended. It was really cool as a first time event director to get all of their feedback shortly after finishing the event. Alicia Danze and Hannah Simmons shared first place this year on the East Texas Showdown route with a time of 2d, 1h, 21m. It was both of their first times to do a bikepacking race, but they each came in with experiences that gave them confidence. Alicia is a well rounded cyclist with bikepacking experience and as a member of Ultra Violet Racing. Hannah is the shop manager at CycleEast in Austin and the first bike tour she did was the Texas 4000 that starts in Austin, TX and ends in Anchorage, AK, she did it almost on a whim because a friend asked. This time she was sucked into the ETS by her Austin friends, Alicia included, but I don't think she needed much convincing. Full writeup along with a nice gallery of images of Alicia and Hannah from the race on www.bikesordeath.com. EPISODE SPONSORS These episodes aren't possible without support! Rockgiest is a cottage gear company specializing in custom framebags and welded, waterproof gear. If you're looking to improve your bikepacking set up, looking for tailored gear, or searching for waterproof solutions definitely reach out to them by visiting rockgeist.com. In addition to their custom work, they have a wide selection of universal gear that prioritizes stability for singletrack use. Most recently they have re-release their super stable Barjam harness, which now uses locally machined brackets made in Asheville, NC. Visit rockgeist.com or email bikepack@rockgeist.com to see all their gear options and to get in touch with their team. East Texas Showdown - April 1-3rd, save the dates! Huge thanks to our newest Patrons: 🖤 Hank Doupe 🖤 Dave Brink 🖤 Matt Heckler Buy me a cup of coffee or a glass of whiskey as a thank you for this episode on Patreon