This weeks guest, Kurt Refsnider, is one of the greats when it comes to super long, difficult, mountainous and often cold and snowy bikepacking adventures. He’s been to Nome Alaska on the Iditarod Trail, finished the Tour Divide in 15 days and has reached Master of the Universe status on the Arizona Trail! We also talk about his podium finish at the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships!

In his years of bike packing, he figured out a way to combine his passion for teaching geology with cycling, leading students on a Geology Through Bikepacking course at Prescott College in Arizona. Since then he’s been busy with, not only his coaching at UltraMTB but has now chosen to direct his energy toward co-founding the Bikepacking Roots organization to help grow and advocate for the bikepacking community. A recent success of Bikepacking Roots was helping develop and pass a new national law: the BOLT Act - which is part of the larger, very outdoor recreationally friendly EXPLORE Act, passed in early January of 2025. And if he hasn’t been busy enough with all of that - he’s also an athlete ambassador of POW - or the Protect Our Winters organization.

Bikepacking Roots: https://bikepackingroots.org/

UltraMTB Coaching: https://www.ultramtb.net/

Protect Our Winters: https://protectourwinters.org/

This episode is brought to you by Pogie Lites. Keep your hands warm and dry when riding this winter and spring! Available now at www.pogielites.com or on the online store at www.bikeiowa.com

BIKEIOWA is your home for all things bike related: News, Events, Trails, Gear and more! Make it your homepage at www.bikeiowa.com.

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable.

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

Fitz Cahall, host of the 17-year-running podcast Dirtbag Diaries and Climbing Gold with Alex Honold, is now author of the recently published States of Adventure. Released in 2024, States of Adventure brings to print, in both words and photography, 30 stories from the 17-years of Dirtbag Diaries. As an adventurer himself, Cahall spends his free time rock climbing, back country snowboarding and bike packing through his local Cascade Mountains and other areas of the West.

You can find the book at https://www.ducttapethenbeer.com/wear-dttb

Follow the Dirtbag Diaries on instagram or at https://dirtbagdiaries.com/

Climbing Gold with Alex Honold is found at https://www.climbinggold.com/

This episode is brought to you by Pogie Lites, invented by Scott Sumpter and available now at www.pogielites.com or on the online store at www.bikeiowa.com

BIKEIOWA is your home for all things bike related: News, Events, Trails, Gear and more! Make it your homepage at www.bikeiowa.com.

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable.

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

John Howard was a pioneer in American cycling, representing the U.S. in the 1968, 72 and 76 Olympic Games. As a four-time U.S. Road Racing National Champion, he was one of the first Americans to race in Europe. He also stood atop the podium at the 1971 PanAmerican Games. After his days road racing, he turned to triathlon, winning the fourth edition of the Ironman World Championships in 1981 and followed that in 1982 by taking second in the first edition of RAAM, The Race Across America, And in 1985, on a very specially built bicycle, tucked in behind a rocket car on the Bonneville salt flats he set a cycling speed record of 152.2 miles per hour!

Still riding, coaching and writing, he has recently released his latest book about an early American Hero: Marshall, Major, Taylor, the first American cycling superstar! His book: The Black Cyclone; A Hero the World Forgot, details the trials and challenges faced by a black athletic super star in post Civil War America, and how he overcame those obstacles to become the fastest cyclist in the world at the time.

You can find Howard's book, and much more information, by ordering directly at https://majortaylorstory.com/ or find it on Amazon.

Connect with Howard directly at https://www.johnhowardsports.com/

This episode is brought to you by Pogie Lites, invented by Scott Sumpter and available now at www.pogielites.com or on the online store at www.bikeiowa.com

BIKEIOWA is your home for all things bike related: News, Events, Trails, Gear and more! Make it your homepage at www.bikeiowa.com.

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

Scott Sumpter, originator of BIKEIOWA.com, is a prolific winter fat biker yet still enjoys being warm and not loosing his digits to frostbite! As such, he has put much thought and research into the science of keeping your hands and feet warm - and discovered that the material your handlebars are made of matters to your hands! In his recently published article; "Convection Convection, what's your Function" he explores the heat conductivity of four types of handlebars: Aluminum, Titanium, Steel and Carbon Fibre. In this episode, we discuss this, as well as other ways to stay comfortable while riding all winter.

This episode is brought to you by Pogie Lites, invented by Scott Sumpter and available now at www.pogielites.com or on the online store at www.bikeiowa.com

BIKEIOWA is your home for all things bike related: News, Events, Trails, Gear and more! Make it your homepage at www.bikeiowa.com.

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

Kallie Stewart, of the Boone Factory Racing Team, is one of the top downhillers in the country. At age 14 she won the U.S. National Enduro Championship and at 15, she won the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series for her age group. As one of the fastest downhillers in the country, in 2025 she'll be lining up with the pro women in the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Race Series! She's a wonderful human who travels the country with her mom and dad, chasing races and training all year long. Follow her on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kalliemtb/ or follow her progress at https://www.instagram.com/boone_factory_racing/. You can watch the Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@prodownhillseries

For winter riding and racing, we recommend Pogie Lites to help keep your hands warm. Find them in the online store on BIKEIOWA. https://bikeiowa.store/products/pogielites

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

The Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships, SSCXWC, brings together the greatest well-rounded riders in the world to test their mettle through Feats of Strength and the most demanding cyclocross the host town can find to dish out. In the words of Sarah Sturm from 2022 in Durango:

"Single Speed Cyclocross World Champs is the not-so-underground, fringe, party event that calls itself a World Champs and, in many ways, it is. But instead of (doing drugs) (marginal gains) that make you faster, you do things that make you slower like keg stands, whiskey shots, and hot dog hand-ups."

The 2024 edition was hosted in Madison, Wisconsin and an old friend of mine, now living in Missoula, Montana, made the 24+ hour drive to go for the gold! (or tattoo!). Brian West has been chasing the tattoo for several years, and finally found himself at the front at the right time - the end of the race. This is his story!

For winter riding and racing, we recommend Pogie Lites to help keep your hands warm. Find them in the online store on BIKEIOWA. https://bikeiowa.store/products/pogielites

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

Erik Schlimmer is no stranger to long, difficult days either on foot or on the bike. As a mountain biker, he raced at the top level in the early 1990's, then turned to long distance bike packing adventures, but not just his love of long distance hiking got in the way of his cycling - so did life and some time served in the military. He found himself going years and years without riding. Until recently, that is. In 2023 he took a tragic event in his life and turned it into a reason to embrace life - and hopped back on the bike again. Just over a year since that event, he's now doubled down on his focus and decided to pin a number on again and give racing a try. His is a compelling story of triumph, tragedy and triumph again! And while he has carved out time for his newfound joy, he also took his passion for hiking and history in the Adirondacks and has authored nine books about the area, it's trails and history. You can find them all at www.erikschlimmer.com as well as follow his current adventures and mountain bike training on instagram at @schlimmer_goes

If you want to demo a mountain bike from Pivot Cycles head to their website and book a time slot at a demo near you! https://www.pivotcycles.com/en/demos-us/

For winter riding and racing, we recommend Pogie Lites to help keep your hands warm. Find them in the online store on BIKEIOWA. https://bikeiowa.store/products/pogielites

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

In an era that is becoming increasingly friendly to online ordering for bikes and bike parts, and increasingly hostile to brick and mortar retail stores, Clint Mongan has carved out a niche, selling high end full suspension mountain bikes to an ever growing list of clients out of a small, remote shop in an unassuming little town in south-central Iowa. He's also the owner and manager of Boone Factory Racing, supporting some of the top junior downhill racers in the country - if not world - including Kallie Stewart, winner of the 2024 Monster Downhill Race Series. You can connect with Clint at www.boonecycles.net or on Instagram and Facebook at Boone Factory Racing.

For winter riding and racing, we recommend Pogie Lites to help keep your hands warm. Find them in the online store on BIKEIOWA. https://bikeiowa.store/products/pogielites

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

Jenna Rinehart, a Midwest mountain biking icon, a competitor in the Lifetime Grand Prix (get to know her in Episode 141!) just returned from racing in Belgium at the UCI Gravel World Championships and was kind enough to stay up late (past 7 pm #jetlag) and download her European Vacation and what it was like racing in the third ever UCI Gravel World Championships.

Jenna and her husband, Justin, own and operate Nicolette Bike and Ski, a shop in downtown Mankato, Minnesota. Jenna races on a Specialized Crux on gravel and an Epic on dirt, fills her tires with Orange Seal sealant and rides for the Mazda Orange Seal Off Road team.

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!

"Pay Nothing. Give Everything" is the moto of the Limestone 77.7 State of Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship Race held on Oct. 5 of 2024. The race is promoted by CK (Chris Kyle) and is almost as grass roots as you get - except for the details - CK and friends cover the cost of the event - numbers, insurance, food and water at the aid stops and prizes- and as such, he charges zero to enter. Two courses are offered - a 37.5-mile fun ride (no scoring) and the championship 77.7-mile distance. At a moment of weakness I signed up for the championship event, and spent the summer training for it (a very hilly, long gravel race on a singlespeed bike) on my light, snappy, quick road bike on mostly 35- to 50-mile spirited group rides. If all this sounds like a recipe for success, tune in to find out! In my nervousness, I decided to bring my portable microphone along and record the day as it went along - and this is the result. A note on music - Mt. Joy's Jesus Drives an Astrovan played me into the event and stuck in my head throughout the day - so it was only proper to send you out of this episode with their 2021 version recorded live at Red Rocks - I hope you enjoy and subscribe to all their stuff on Spotify and Apple etc. then go see em in concert.

Thanks to Wrap-it Storage Systems for helping us keep our sh*t together and organized! Get everything you need to organize your van, garage or basement workshop at https://wrapitstorage.com

We would love it if you would consider supporting Bike Talk with Dave by rating, reviewing and sharing on your favorite podcast platform. We'd invite you to support the show financially at www.buymeacoffee.com or on Venmo @David-Mable. You'll receive a Bike Talk with Dave sticker!

Follow Bike Talk with Dave on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/biketalkwithdave/ and Facebook so you don't miss any of the fun, and you can now find every episode on your computer at www.biketalk.bike. And now available on YouTube on the Bike Talk with Dave YouTube channel!

And if you need any digital media work: photography, videography and editing, podcast production and editing, look no further than Mable Media. Connect at www.mablemedia.net to help grow your brand and connect with your audience!