Bikes or Death

Yesterday Ulrich Bartholmoes aka "Uba" finished the 2023 Tour Divide in first place with a time of 14d 2h 23m. For much of the race he was head of the record setting pace of Mike Hall. In the end he would finish only 4.5 hours behind that record setting run. Considering the rain, mud, and wind on this years Divide his time is beyond impressive.

I sat down with him the morning after his win at the Bike Ranch in Hachita, NM to capture this interview.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com to view a full gallery of images I captured of him during his ride and at the finish line.

Old Man Mountain ~ Bikes are tools to help facilitate your next adventure. OMM wants you to get creative and they have the gear to help. Use code "racksordeath" at checkout to recieve 15% off your order and use this fancy afiliate link and they will send BoD a little something as a thank you :)

Jefe.bike ~ Your source for reliable and hard to find gear for bikepackers and adventure cyclist. Including a full line of kLite dynamo products!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Therros Western

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

This week we are talking with Jesse Turner who is the custom bike maker and artist behind Slow Southern Steel based out of Fayetteville, AR.

Jesse started this new company less than a year ago and I've been following with interest since the beginning. I love to showcase and support people who are following their passion and doing things to make the cycling world a better place. I'd certainly include Jesse in this category. His first job was in a bike shop as a mechanic, he would go on to get an Art degree, and then become a welder. If you mix all that with a person who is passionate about bikes and an Arkansas native you get Slow Southern Steel.

For a full writeup and photo gallery of Jesse's original shop, plus lots of bike photos, check out www.BikesorDeath.com

Ombraz ~ Use code "BOD20" at checkout to get $20 off any pair of Ombraz armless sunglasses and Ombraz will send BoD a $20 as a thank you :)

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Jesper Thunstedt

The following Patrons increased their pledge 🙏

Robert Rupp Manuel Busse

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In less than 2 years Hannah has established herself as a real contender in endurance bike racing. Somewhere along the way she decided it was time to take it to the next level, or maybe the next next next level! This year she will be taking on the biggest challenge that Bikepacking has to offer, The Triple Crown.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on today's episode and photo grallery from Hannah's three East Texas Showdowns.

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AG1 - If a comprehensive solution is what you need from your supplement routine, then try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase. Go to www.drinkAG1.com/BIKESORDEATH

GRUSK - Join me in West Virgina this July 6-9th for the 7th edition of Gravel Ride Up Spruce Knob! Check out the details here and come hang out with me in West Virginia!

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, but you can change that!

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

At the end of last year I was encouraged and inspired to get my passport by my girlfriend, Natalie. It's something I always thought I would do one day, but had never made it a priority. I've been so enamored and satiated by the wild and natural beauty of North America that I hadn't even really started to think seriously about international travel. Natalie is a very well seasoned and experienced traveler with many international stamps in her passport. Her passion for international travel is only equalled by her love for Latin America. It wasn't long before she had sufficiently wet my appetite to experience it for myself and we were booking tickets to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on todays episode and how that trip to Oaxaca lead to a trip to Jaco, Costa Rica!

Wren Sports - They've been hard at work on their new Perseverance Bars, which now come in Flat bar, Drop bar, AND aero pads are available as well. Check them out at Wren Sports and save 15% when you use the code "BOD15".

Stans No Tubes - Stans has been protecting tires for 20+ years. For the past 15 years they've been perfecting their Race Sealant and it's now available to the public! Top of your tires with their Race Formula if you want extra protection on a bike trip or a race.

School of the World - Located in Jaco, Costa Rica they offer Surf, Spanish, Photography, and Yoga classes. The owner is a bikepacker and he'd be happy to put a route or two together for you as well. Just tell'em Bikes or Death sent you :)

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 None this week, but you can change that!

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I don't know about you, but dealing with injury and being sidelined while I watch all my friends go play bikes is not my idea of a good time. As I've started to get a little older I'm starting to notice that injuries are happening with greater frequency and staying longer than I'm used to. The real motivation for me is to have a healthy body and prevent injuries when possible and deal with them appropriately when they do occur.

Enter Maria Osowski, PT, DPT, who is a licensed Physical Therapist and lifelong Athlete. She has been on the podcast before on Ep. 133 ~ Red Granite Grinder Recap when she won the 144 mile version of that race. This time she's back to help keep us injury free so we can enjoy the sport we love and the bodies that move us!

Today's episode is also available in Video Format at www.BikesorDeath.com.

To contact Maria directly with questions regards physical therapy you can email her at [email protected]

Today's Episode is brought to you by the Patrons that support this work!

Jon Rice Christopher Throop Ryan Odell

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

I started following Lindsay Shepard's journey when I saw on social media that she had built her own bike frame and was planning to race on it. To my surprise the first race she signed up for was my East Texas Showdown! Right after that, she turned her van North East and did the Gravel Doom race, in Arkansas. When she finished that race, she wasn't done. She turned her bike around to ride the course in reverse. Thus becoming the first person to complete the DOOM Yo-Yo! For style points, she did it on a SS bike, that she built!!

For a full writeup and photo gallery please visit www.BikesorDeath.com

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Lance Putnam

Patron's that increased their pledge...

Kevin Lee

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Eric House joined our community during the pandemic, like many others. However, two and a half years later, I don't think this pandemic-born-bike-baby is going anywhere, but up!

His first bikepacking race was the 2022 East Texas Showdown. He packed light, read "nothing", went fast, placed 9th, and learned a lot, but most importantly, he got hooked. This year he leveled up. He completed the MidSouth 50k run and the 100 mile gravel race. The next weekend he lined up at ETS and took 10th place, then a couple weeks later he went to Arkansas for the DOOM race and placed 9th there. For Eric, the year will culminate with an attempt at the infamous Leadville 100 in August.

Please visit www.BikesorDeath.com for a full writeup on today's episode and photo gallery.

Stan's NoTubes - Stan's has been keeping my tires inflated since 2001. Now they are keeping the podcast inflated by becoming a sponsor! Do yourself a favor and trust your tire sealing needs to the sealant I use, Stan's!

Athletic Greens – An important part of my health and wellness routine and a great way to provide the nutrients your body needs on the go and on bikepacking trips. Go to www.athleticgreens.com/bikesordeath to take advantage of a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Skyler Martyn

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Ever since I started the podcast I dreamed of one day recording an episode in front of a live audience. Fear kept me from pursuing it. Fear that no one would show up. Fear of having an audience that amplifies the pressure and anxiety. At one point that dream progressed into a goal. And a goal needs a plan. And a live event needs a venue. Austin, TX seems like the obvious choose as a Texan. It's two hours east of me and has a rich cycling culture and community. Nestled on the east side of Austin is Cycleast, a bike shop that I've been a friend/fan of. They do so many great community events, including bikepacking group trips. A couple months ago a met with Russell Pickavance, the owner of Cycleast, and told him my idea about BoD Live. He was immediately receptive to the idea and offered to allow me to host them at his facility after store hours!

The timing worked out to make doing an East Texas Showdown episode a no-brainer. Three of our guest this week are employees of Cycleast and One is a friend of the shop. My guest this week are Hannah Simon and Stephanie Hall who are veterans to the ETS and this year shared a first place finish. Also joining me are Russell Pickavance and Ariel Marlowe who both completed the LOWdown, which is a new 160 mile bikepacking group ride and not a race.

We had about 30 people join us for the first BoD Live and it really made for a great atmosphere. I want to thank the Austin community for showing up and supporting the guest and this event. Its so great to see bikepacking thriving here in Texas.

Old Man Mountain ~ Use discount code "bikesordeath" for 15% off site-wide and use this affiliate link so BoD gets a Thank You check in the mail :)

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 CycleNuts USA

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

During the pre-race meeting for the 2022 East Texas Showdown Hannah Simon asked me, "have you ridden the entire course?". Even though I'd ridden many of the roads over the years and was very familiar with the area and the route, I had to say "no". I hadn't ridden this particular route. The fact that I couldn't answer that question in the affirmative stuck with me. It ate at me. So I decided to do something about it.

Two weeks before 200 riders descended upon East Texas, I set out to pre-ride the course as an ITT. For me, ITT stands for Individual Timed Tour. While I wanted to push my own personal limits, I knew that it wouldn't be anywhere near what most people would consider "race pace".

On this episode I take you along for my journey.

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Support our work at www.patreon.com/bikesordeath

Rebecca Rusch is an accomplished endurance athlete with 40 years of experience. Her list of accomplishments over that time period has been impressive. Among other things, she is a 7x World Champion Adventure Athelete, 2x Iditarod Trail Invitational winner, MTB hall of fame inductee, and a Red Bull Athlete.

On today's episode we tackle the topic of Winter Riding. Some of the topics discussed are layering, eating, keeping water from freezing, managing electronics, and going potty. The information is this episode is invaluable and it's a result of Rebecca's extensive personal experiences.

We are honored to have Rebecca back on the podcast and grateful for her willingness to share some tips she's learned over the years.

Red Granite Grinder – It's time to register for the RGG that takes place on October 14th in Wausau, Wi. I did an episode about last years event that you can check out here.

🎉 New Patrons 🎉 Johnny Napoli Ales Zavoral

Join them won't you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath