Ep. 194 ~ Annabelle Bitterman, Central Texas Showdown 3rd Overall
Release Date: 11/14/2024
Ep. 219 ~ Remembering Kerry Snow-Alley
Bikes or Death
A memorial ride and Celebration of Life are planned for Saturday, Sept. 19th. More information can be found here: Kerry's fight has left significant medical expenses behind. Funds are being raised to help cover those expenses and care for the person who spent these last years caring so deeply for her. Learn more here: It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my dear friend Kerry Snow-Alley. She is the person whom I credit most with not only introducing me to bikepacking, but also inspiring me to enter my first race in 2018. When I did my first century, she was there. When...
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Ep. 218 ~ Justinas Leveika, King of Chaos Conquers Silk Road
Bikes or Death
When Justinas Leveika last joined Bikes or Death, he had just set a new Fastest Known Time for the Bikepacking Triple Crown. He wasn’t done. In the 21 months since, Justinas has lined up for nine ultra-endurance races across an astonishing range of formats and conditions: The Accursed Race, Trans Balkan Race, Transcontinental Race, Arkansas High Country Race, GranGuanche Audax Trail, Tour Te Waipounamu, Iditarod Trail Invitational 350, Highland Trail 550 and Silk Road Mountain Race. That résumé stretches from road racing and free-route navigation at the Transcontinental to technical...
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Ep. 217 ~ Cruz Blue, Youngest Ever Triple Crown Finisher at 17
Bikes or Death
What had you accomplished by 17? Not what dreams did you have, but what dreams had you already made come true? One thing I know for sure: You weren’t the youngest person ever to complete the Bikepacking Triple Crown…unless your name is Cruz Blue. When I was 17, I spent most of my time skateboarding, avoiding homework, and chasing girls. Not exactly my finest years, but I’d argue my experience was probably more closely aligned with that of the average teenage boy than Cruz’s was. Over the past year, Cruz has quietly been making a lot of noise in the bikepacking world. He has no social...
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Ep. 216 ~ Anna Claire Beasley, No Big Bend Wall
Bikes or Death
In 2019, I joined a group of students from Texas Tech on a five-day bikepacking trip through Big Bend Ranch State Park. That trip is where I met Anna Claire. On the morning of day two, she and I sat down to record Episode 6 of the Bikes or Death Podcast. That conversation provides important context for today’s episode, as it showcases AC’s longstanding love for Big Bend. We play a clip from it in today’s show, but the is worth a listen if you want to join us on a journey through Big Bend in a pre-COVID world. Fast-forward seven years. Anna Claire is now a resident of Terlingua, Texas,...
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Ep. 215 ~ Meaghan Hackinen, New Tour Divide FKT
Bikes or Death
Meaghan Hackinen just made history on the Tour Divide, completing the 2026 Grand Depart in 14 days, 10 hours, and 2 minutes. In the process, she lowered the previous fastest women’s time, set by Austin Killips during a 2024 ITT, by more than 13 hours. She also improved her own Grand Depart record by nearly 37 hours, one of the largest leaps we’ve ever seen at the front of the sport. For a full write-up and photo galley of today's episode, please visit BikesorDeath.com EPISODE SPONSORS – Today we highlight the new . Use code OMMORDEATH at checkout for 15%...
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Ep. 214 ~ Daniel "Dirty Dan" Connell, Pacific Coast FKT
Bikes or Death
Daniel Connell, aka “Dirty Dan” is fresh off setting a new FKT on the Pacific Coast route from Alaska to the Mexican border. Dan ripped down the coast on his new, yet-to-be-released Trek Domane, setting a new time to beat: 6 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes. What some people may not know is that Dan is also preparing for a Guinness Book of World Records attempt on the Pan-American Route from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina this July. He initially approached the Pacific Coast ride as part of his training for Pan-Am, but it became much more than a tune-up. For Dan, this was a...
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Ep. 213 ~ Maddy Nutt, Traka 560 FKT
Bikes or Death
Maddy Nutt just made her mark on ultra-cycling in her very first attempt at this year’s Traka 560. She is no stranger to big efforts on the bike — or The Traka itself. Over the previous three years she competed in the 360km event, notably finishing 7th last year despite tearing her AC ligament only 100km into the race. She’s also raced some of the biggest gravel events in the world including Unbound Gravel, Migration Gravel Race, and The Rift (among others). Coming into this year’s Traka, Maddy believed the previous women’s record of 28h 52m was within reach, but respected the field...
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BONUS: RYDB Fest Preview
Bikes or Death
We’re gearing up for the second edition of RYDB Fest in Fayetteville, AR. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down everything you can expect this year. So what is RYDB Fest? A bike festival? An ultra-cycling race? A friendly bikepacking overnighter? The answer is: yes. RYDB Fest is an open invitation to ride your damn bike, any damn way you want. Built by the bikepacking community, for bikepackers of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Everyone is welcome to play bikes with us in NW Arkansas! In today’s episode, you’ll hear from the team and supporters behind RYDB Fest as we get...
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Ep. 212 ~ Live From the Bikepacking Campout at Sea Otter
Bikes or Death
Something new came to Sea Otter this year, and I went to get the scoop. Sea Otter is widely regarded as the largest bike expo in the world, but calling it a “bike expo” doesn’t quite cover it. With over 70,000 attendees, 1,000+ brands and exhibitors, and 10,000+ athletes competing across a huge variety of races, it’s… a lot. And with all of that, it’s hard to imagine anything was missing. Enter Old Man Mountain. Five years ago, Erik Fenner, OMM’s Marketing Manager, attended Sea Otter for the first time. That night, he organically invited a few folks to join his campsite...
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Ep. 211 ~ Jacob Ashton, World Tour | DOOM | ETS
Bikes or Death
Can you imagine packing up everything you own on a bicycle, riding away from your home with plans to cycle the world over the next four years? Now imagine it’s your first bike tour. That’s exactly what Jacob Ashton did in 2016 when he rolled away from his home in Idaho. Over the next four years, he would cover roughly 77,000 miles, visit 100 countries, and ride across six continents. His travels were not without challenges. He was confronted by machete-wielding villagers in Mozambique, lost a finger to frostbite while climbing Ojos del Salado in Chile, and experienced a bowel...
info_outlineAnnabelle 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 Texas Showdown Series 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 community of other rad cyclists that continue to ignite her passion for throwing a leg over the top tube and go for long rides.
Those long rides led her to find ways to continually challenge herself which is when she discovered the Texas Showdown Series. Since then, she's become a staple at the events and a staple on our podiums. On today's episode we take a deep dive into CTS, ETS, and Annabelle's experience as a relatively new cyclist who's looking to challenge herself on her bike.
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