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 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!

 

New Patrons 🫡

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