Ep. 194 ~ Annabelle Bitterman, Central Texas Showdown 3rd Overall
Bikes or Death
Annabelle Bitterman was our 2024 Central Texas Showdown (472 miles) 1st place female, which was also good enough to secure 3rd overall. This was her third time participating in a event. Her first bikepacking race was the 2023 Central Texas Slowdown (297 miles) and was our 1st place female finisher. Next she signed up for the 2024 East Texas Slowdown (280 miles) where she was our 3rd place female finisher. She only started riding bikes seriously a few years ago and was quickly bit by the cycling bug and was further hooked by the cycling community. Hailing out of Austin, TX she's found a robust...
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Ep. 193 ~ Tim Krueger, Esker Cycles CEO
Bikes or Death
Tim Krueger has been in the cycling industry for almost three decades. He got his start at a local bike shop breaking down boxes as a teenager. After college he landed a job at Salsa Cycles as the Product Manager during the birth of the "Adventure by Bike" category. A pivotal time in the bike industry that ultimately led to an entirely new market and category of Adventure Bikes. After his time at Salsa he went on to start his own company, Advocate Cycles. Advocate featured a rad lineup of steel adventure bikes with a unique business model that donated all of its profits to philanthropic...
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Ep. 192 ~ Hannah Simon, Answers Listener Questions
Bikes or Death
Hannah Simon is quickly becoming a dominant force on the ultra bikepack racing stage. She recently added another feather in her cap of accomplishments with a win at this year's Silk Road Mountain Race, with a time of 8d 20h 16m. At this point, Hannah probably needs little introduction, especially to the Bikes or Death audience. This is her 7th appearance on the show and this time we turned to you, the listener, to come up with the questions for Hannah! It's been so inspiring to watch Hannah's progression in the sport of bikepack racing. I had the privilege of being at the finish line when she...
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Ep. 191 ~ Jen Kelly, professional poker player and winner of 3 bikepacking races this summer
Bikes or Death
In her first year as a bikepack racer Jen Kelly has already racked up an impressive resume. She entered into 3 bikepacking races this summer and won them all! She's also a professional poker player who picked up cycling 4 years ago when she moved into a condo next to a rails to trails. She quickly fell in love with it and just wanted to ride further and further. Last year she put her career, as a professional poker player, on hold to focus on riding her bike. Her first bikepacking race was the inaugural , a 3,600 mixed surface race across America which she placed 4th overall and 1st Female....
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Ep. 190 ~ Nicolette Jones, 2024 Colorado Trail Race Female Winner
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 with it than most people. In 2023 she toured the trail in 11 days...
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Ep. 189 ~ Justinas Leveika, Colorado Trail Race 2024
Bikes or Death
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 hiked to a trailhead, hitched a ride into town, replaced the rear wheel, and hitched a...
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Ep. 188 ~ Chris Smith, Racing the Tour Divide Legally Blind
Bikes or Death
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. For his 15th anniversary of being declared legally blind he set his...
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Ep. 187 ~ Edyn Teitge, Youngest Tour Divide Solo Finisher at 15
Bikes or Death
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 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 Petervary. At that time he was only 13! Since then he's been busy entering,...
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Ep. 186 ~ Spencer McCullough, First to visit all 51 National Parks by Bike
Bikes or Death
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 . 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 cycling safety and infrastructure and compiled invaluable data on dedicated...
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Ep. 185 ~ Justinas Leveika, New Tour Divide FKT!
Bikes or Death
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 place finish at Transpyrenees. Since then, he's racked up too many podium finishes to list,...
info_outlineIt's Midsouth Week! At least here at Bikes or Death headquarters ;). This week, we are going back in time and reliving Midsouth through the lens of Patrick and Natalie's experience. Whether you’re Midsouth curious or you got hit with those post-race blues and are feeling like a little Midsouth 2024 nostalgia, this episode is for you! So charge your headlights and grab your chamois butter because you’re invited along for the journey as Natalie and I experience our first ever Midsouth. From the Midsouth beer release party at The Iron Monk, to the expo show, and all the way through 100 miles of Oklahoma dirt roads, we're mic'd up and taking you along for the ride!
For me, Midsouth has been a bucket list item for many years. Unfortunately, I'm usually busy preparing for the East Texas Showdown as it traditionally takes place the week after Midsouth. However, this year, I made sure to get my ETS prep done early so I could enjoy a weekend on the famed red dirt gravel roads that have catapulted Midsouth into the upper echelon of the gravel racing circuit. As an event director myself, I was both personally and professionally interested in taking part in this event. Not only was I excited to spend the day riding bikes, but I was also counting port-a-potties, taking notes at the pre-race meeting, and marveling at the well-orchestrated machine that is Midsouth. In their 14th consecutive year, Midsouth puts on one hell of an event, and I was eager to learn from their expertise.
Natalie had her own goals. This would be her first proper century, but it wasn't her first time riding 100 miles. In September of last year she and I participated in the Ozark Rando, a 120 mile randonneur in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas. We recorded that experience as well and you can go back and listen if you haven't already. We spent 22 hours making our way through the Arkansas backcountry, rolled in DFL a solid 7 hours after the official cutoff time, and learned so much from that experience. One thing we learned is that it may have been a little ambitious for Natalie’s first century +20 miles. The Midsouth was an opportunity for her to take on her second ever 100 mile ride on a more approachable course. Midsouth still boasts a lot of climbing, but it's only half the elevation gain of the Ozark Rando. So for Natalie, this was a chance to reclaim some of the confidence that was lost in the hills of Arkansas and find the joy in long distance cycling efforts. Her goal for Midsouth was just to finish it, and ideally not as DFL this time. For Midsouth our plan was to prioritize time on the bike and focus on maintaining momentum throughout the day.
Listen to today's episode for a peek into the Midsouth experience and follow along with us as we race to not be DFL. For the record, there is absolutely nothing wrong with DFL. We are very proud to hold that title in the 2023 Ozark Rando but for Midsouth, we wanted to let someone else enjoy the honor.
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