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...
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Ep. 210 ~ Tyler "Freakin" Reynolds, Texas Slowdown SS Triple Star
Bikes or Death
Tyler “Freakin” Reynolds and the First Texas Triple Star In 2025 the Texas Triple Star was born. Complete all three events in the Texas Showdown Series, in the same category, within a calendar year, and you’ll earn a handmade belt buckle crafted by Texas builder Kyle Gilbert. Last year the series became official with the addition of West Texas Showdown, and seven riders stepped up to attempt the full trilogy. By the end of the year only one rider was left standing. Tyler “Freakin” Reynolds. Racing in the Slowdown Singlespeed category, Tyler...
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Ep. 209 ~ Kurt Refsnider, First to ride the 5,000 mile Orogenesis Route
Bikes or Death
My guest today is someone who is no stranger to the front of the field. A perennial podium finisher as a professional mountain biker, and over the past decade-plus one of the most accomplished ultra-endurance cyclists on the planet, he has first-place finishes at the Tour Divide, AZT, CTR, and many many more. The truth is, I’d need to create an entirely new podcast series to fully unpack the range, depth, and longevity of his career as a lifelong cyclist. For that reason, he’s a man who truly needs no introduction: Kurt Refsnider. Most recently, Kurt became the first person to ride the...
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Ep. 208 ~ Turning the Mic Around: Eric House Interviews Me
Bikes or Death
We’re kicking off the year with a special guest—Eric House! We met up in the Sam Houston National Forest for a bit of a role reversal; this time, Eric took the mic to interview me. I gave him free rein to ask anything, resulting in a wide-ranging conversation that covered everything from the silly to the serious. The heart of our chat focused on the last six years of work that culminated in 2025 with the launch of the WTS Showdown and the completion of the Texas Showdown Series. We also looked ahead to 2026, discussing my goals for Doom High Watch and my current training mindset. Eric is a...
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Ep. 207 ~ Kyle & Hannah - West Texas Showdown, 1st & 2nd Overall
Bikes or Death
For the past five years, the Texas Showdown Series has been slowly, inevitably, drifting west. We started in the dense, pine-soaked forests of East Texas, moved through the rugged limestone of the Hill Country, but the destination was always clear: Big Bend. Few landscapes in the world capture the heart and soul the way West Texas does. For those willing to push themselves to the edge, something different waits out there—something ancient, indifferent, and extraordinary. In the world of ultra-cycling, that “something” takes the shape of the West Texas Showdown. The WTS doesn’t just...
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Ep. 206 ~ Central Texas Showdown w/ Andrea Roelofs & Javian Quinones
Bikes or Death
We’re 60 days out from the 3rd annual Central Texas Showdown grand depart, so let’s talk about it! To talk about CTS I brought in a couple experts. Andrea Roelofs has participated in the Central Texas Lowdown the first 2 years. And Javian Quinones has participated in the East Texas Slowdown and came in 5th place this last year at the Central Texas Showdown. I’m stoked to have both of them in the studio to share their experiences and expertise. It was great to get both perspectives from the competitive and non-competitive fields as both are an important component to the...
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Ep. 205 ~ Rockstar Women, hosted by Kayla Hall
Bikes or Death
Today on the Bikes or Death podcast it's all about the ladies! For the first time ever I turned the microphone, and podcast, over to the talented Kayla Hall who guest hosted today's episode! Her guests for today's podcast are Abi Snyder, Jenny Klecak, and Leila Husain, who among other things, participated in this year's Rockstar Challenge. A 270ish mile, singletrack focused, backcountry bikepacking race in Virginia that boasts about 40k feet of elevation. Each of these Rockstar Women put on an impressive performance, all beating the previous Fastest Known...
info_outlineToday on the Bikes or Death podcast it's all about the ladies! For the first time ever I turned the microphone, and podcast, over to the talented Kayla Hall who guest hosted today's episode!
Her guests for today's podcast are Abi Snyder, Jenny Klecak, and Leila Husain, who among other things, participated in this year's Rockstar Challenge. A 270ish mile, singletrack focused, backcountry bikepacking race in Virginia that boasts about 40k feet of elevation.
Each of these Rockstar Women put on an impressive performance, all beating the previous Fastest Known Time. Abi took the overall Grand Depart win and set a new FKT. Leila was 3rd overall and 2nd place female. And, Jenny, who had to scratch from the Grand Depart came back just 2 weeks later and set a new FKT, besting Abi’s time by 2 hours.
Another story from today’s episode that caught my ear was when Leila got a stick lodge into her leg on a descent. I’ll let Leila tell that story, but trust me, you’re gonna wanna hear it (or maybe not 😬).
I want to send a special shout out to Kayla for doing such a fantastic job facilitating a fun and engaging conversation! She emailed me this idea a couple of months ago and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to turn the platform over to the ladies for this conversation. And she killed it! Kayla is lining up for the Silk Road Mountain Race in a couple of days, so make sure to send her some good vibes.
Housekeeping: my computer is on the fritz and I can’t post this to the Bikes or Death website yet, so in the meantime just find it wherever you pod (or in my bio links).
Episode Sponsors:
RYDB Fest: Three days of riding bikes in the Arkansas Ozarks. We’ve got a little something for everyone: a Beginner Friendly Community Overnighter, the Fayetteville Ultra Circuit, and Gravel Crit, and we’ll have workshops and an expo for you to enjoy on Friday. Come ride your damn bike with us in Arkansas!
Central Texas Showdown: The second in the Texas Showdown Series we visit the iconic Hill Country. With distances from 88 to 500 miles, competitive and non-competative options, we’ve got a little something for everyone who loves to ride bikes in beautiful places with rad humans. Whether you’re a seasoned racer or a first timer, this is the perfect event for you to ride your damn bike in the Texas Hill Country!
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