Ep. 187 ~ Edyn Teitge, Youngest Tour Divide Solo Finisher at 15
Release Date: 07/31/2024
Ep. 203 ~ Arkansas Graveler with Ariel & Patrick
Bikes or Death
Last year I participated in the inaugural where we traversed the State from Fayetteville to Russellville through the Ozarks into the Delta. This year the Ozark Foundation invited Ariel Marlowe and I to check out their new course for year two. This year the route would take us from Mena to Russellville mostly in and through the Ouachita Mountain range. The Arkansas Graveler can best be described as a 5 day bike festival + bike tour on some of the best backroads Arkansas has to offer. Put on by the Ozark Foundation and led by race director Scotti Moody, no stone is left unturned as it relates...
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Ep. 202 ~ Stephen Fitzgerald, Pinyons & Pines Winner
Bikes or Death
Stephen Fitzgerald is a husband, father, owner of Rodeo Labs, and accomplished cyclist. When time allows he's been known to dabble in gravel and ultra cycling races. In 2020 he placed a respectable 19th in the Atlas Mountain Race. Building on that experience he signed up for Pinyon & Pines this year. It was a stacked field of experienced riders and Stephen found himself in the lead group for most of the ride. His goal was to be efficient and maintain forward progress. When the dust settled, Stephen's strategy paid off with his first win in an ultra cycling event. Since this was Stephen's...
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Ep. 201 ~ Cjell Moné, AZT 800 World Record!
Bikes or Death
Cjell Moné just did the unthinkable by riding his custom with coaster brakes on the . The AZT 800, which is actually 840 miles, traverses the length of Arizona from the USA/Mexico border to the border of Utah. It's infamous for being one of the most challenging bikepacking routes in the world. Riders will face extreme temperatures, brutal desert terrain, long stretches without resupply, all on a trail that was designed for hikers, not cyclists. While the route is riddled with challenges it is equally beautiful and awe-inspiring, which only adds to it's mystique and it's growing popularity...
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Ep. 200 ~ Kerry Snow, 2nd place at ETS while undergoing chemo
Bikes or Death
On today's episode I'm joined by a long time friend and cycling buddy of mine, Kerry Snow. Kerry was our 2nd place East Texas Showdown in the women's category and was 10th overall. While an impressive accomplishment on its own, Kerry's effort was even more incredible considering that she is undergoing chemotherapy for stage 2 breast cancer. Determined to not let cancer dictate her life, she has continued to maintain an active lifestyle by working out, riding her bike, and even competing in the 400 mile East Texas Showdown this last March. Along her way she raised money for a local non-profit,...
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Ep. 199 ~ Dr. Eliza Sampey, Athlete + Coach + Physical Therapist
Bikes or Death
My guest today is the one and only Dr. Eliza Sampey who brings her wealth of experience to the podcast. Eliza was a professional adventure athlete for 13 years. Her adventures and expeditions have taken her all over the world by way of all modalities of human powered travel. She is also a doctor of physical therapy, a concussion specialist, and a coach. Needless to say, we had a lot to chat about! Several years ago she sustained a concussion on a bike ride that ultimately ended her career as a professional athlete, but it spawned a new passion for helping other athletes who are managing...
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Ep. 198 ~ Eric House, Atlas Mountain Race on Singlespeed
Bikes or Death
I'm stoked to bring you my latest chat with Eric House fresh off his finish at the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco. After being laid off from his job in September he decided to go full send on bikepacking and has an epic 2025 planned. Probably most notably, he'll be doing all three of the Nelson Tree's Mountain Race series on a singlespeed. Something no ones ever done before! He's got a lot more on his plate for 2025 as he tries to pack in as many adventures on his bike as he can during this time of unemployment. We go over all his plans for this year on today's episode. We also have a...
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Ep. 197 ~ Indiana Schulz, Cycling the World
Bikes or Death
For the past 8 years Indiana aka "Drive by Dildo" has been focused on bikepack racing. He's got a laundry list of accomplishments to his name. Including being a Triple Crown Challenge finisher. He's one of only 23 people in the world to have accomplished this feat. I met him in 2018 when we were both participating in the GranGravel 500 and he was the first (and only to-date) to Yo-Yo the East Texas Showdown in 2022. Since the age of 6 he's dreamed of traveling the world. Once he discovered bikepacking he soon decided he wanted to fulfill the dreams of his 6 y/o self by cycling around the...
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Ep. 196 ~ Matt Annabel, AZT 300 Yo-Yo on a Singlespeed
Bikes or Death
While you were sipping egg nog and opening the presents that Santa Claus brought you, Matt Annabel was starting his AZT 300 Yo-Yo attempt. And while you were watching the ball drop or lighting fireworks to ring in the New Year, Matt was still out riding the AZT 300 Yo-Yo. I can’t think of a more epic way to close out one year and ring in a new one than riding your damn bike on one of the most beautiful and challenging routes in bikepacking, the Arizona Trail 300. In true legend fashion, and in true Matt Annabel fashion, he did it on a singlespeed! Matt’s...
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Ep. 195 ~ Justinas Leveika, New Bikepacking Triple Crown FKT
Bikes or Death
At this point Justinas needs no introduction. In 2024 he completed a total of 10 ultra cycling races, winning most of them. Among them was a win, and new FKT, at the Tour divide, where he bested the long standing record Mike Hall set 8 years ago. He then went on to finish first, but not win*, at the Colorado Trail Race. Followed by a first place finish at the Arizona Trail Race, a time that would have been an FKT if it weren't for a re-route due to fires. His total time for the Triple Crown was 25d 5h 30m, which was 2d 13h 3m faster than the previous record time set by Jay Petervary 9 years...
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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...
info_outlineEdyn 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 Petervary. At that time he was only 13! Since then he's been busy entering, and gaining experience, in many other ultra events, including, Fat Pursuit, Stagecoach 400, and Drift 100. All of which gave him the confidence and experience to tackle the Tour Divide.
When we recorded today's episode Edyn showed up on Zoom with his hands completely covered in car grease. He had been working on replacing the radiator on a Ford Astro Van that someone gave him as his first car. So while he may be doing things that are very uncommon for a 15 year old boy, he's also a kid who's excited about cars, going to school, and riding bikes with his friends.
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