Ep. 219 ~ Remembering Kerry Snow-Alley

A memorial ride and Celebration of Life are planned for Saturday, Sept. 19th.  More information can be found here: https://kimtopp.com/honoring-kerry-snow-alley/

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: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honor-kerry-snows-memory

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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 I did my second century, she was there. The second time I ever went bikepacking was with her. And the first time I raced, she was in the field.

Behind the scenes, she was helping me in tangible ways as I navigated new ways to ride my bike and explore the world. Less tangible were the ways she inspired me on a personal level.

After my first divorce, she and her husband, Christopher, took in my 6 year old daughter and me while we got back on our feet. During that time, I got to see where the results were really being made: at home, in quiet, and without fanfare. She was dedicated to this life and to putting her best foot forward in everything she did, always with a cheery disposition.

On the bike, she was a beast.

In 2017, she entered the GranGravel 500 as her first bikepacking race and came in 2nd place in the women’s category with a time of 2d 6h 18m.

Learning a lot from that experience, she came back the next year and finished 2nd overall, only two hours behind the infamous Indiana Schulz. She finished in 1d 19h 45m — almost 11 hours faster than her 2017 time.

Side note: That was also the year I entered the GranGravel 500 — inspired by Kerry. I was a tad bit slower and literally limped into the finish with a time of 3d 10h 8m.

Fast forward many years, and the spark and inspiration she instilled in me had turned into a full-blown obsession. Later that year, I’d go on to create Bikes or Death, and a couple of years later, the Texas Showdown Series.

In 2024, she signed up for the East Texas Showdown 400 and crossed the finish line 2nd in the women’s category and 10th overall, with a time of 1d 13h 46m.

Two days after the race, she learned she had Stage 2 breast cancer.

For some people, a diagnosis like that might resign them to the couch, but not Kerry. She never let cancer or treatment stop her from living a full life. She continued to work, do CrossFit, and ride her damn bike.

In 2025, she again signed up for the ETS 400, this time while undergoing chemo — what she playfully referred to as “Chemo Doping.”

She wasn’t just there to ride. She was there to compete.

Two hundred and fifty miles into the race, sitting on the steps of a convenience store in Trinity, she recorded a video saying, “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done on a bike, but I came to ride 400 miles and that’s what I’m going to do.”

She and her good friend and training partner, Maegan Fitzgerald, rode straight through two nights, stopping only once for a brief five-minute power nap.

When they reached the Bullet Grill, before setting out on the final 68 mile Death Star Loop, Kerry looked like she was in the midst of the hardest ride she’d ever done. I stayed back, gave her space to recuperate, and quietly rooted for her to continue.

She did.

Kerry and Maegan broke the Death Star into three manageable 23-mile sections. They crossed the finish line together around 3 a.m. Sunday morning, sharing 2nd place in the women’s category and finishing 10th overall.

After that performance, I took the opportunity to meet Kerry at one of our local mountain bike trails and record a podcast.

The original episode, Ep. 200, aired in May of 2025. Over the past couple of days, I re-listened to that conversation and edited it in a way that allows Kerry to shine through even more.

I did not edit Kerry.

I didn’t take out any of her umms or pauses. I just let her shine through. I did take out some of my commentary so that Kerry’s story, her spirit, and her voice could be more present.

I’m so grateful to have this conversation with her, and I hope it will also be a comfort to those who knew her.

If you didn’t know Kerry, I hope you’ll find inspiration in her story, her accomplishments, and her never-ending optimism — even while fighting for her life.

Kerry did not want to be defined by cancer.

She was not defined by cancer.

It was a part of her journey, but it was not the whole story.

So let’s remember Kerry for who she was and for the way she inspired us, pushed us, and showed us the way forward.

Please join me on today’s episode as we take a moment to remember and honor my dear friend, Kerry Snow-Alley.

Ride in peace, Kerry.

With love,

Patrick