This is the third episode to come out of a podcasting trip I made two Austin right after the East Texas Showdown. I interviewed five participants of the ETS in less than 20 hours just days after the their ride ended. It was really cool as a first time event director to get all of their feedback shortly after finishing the event.

Alicia Danze and Hannah Simmons shared first place this year on the East Texas Showdown route with a time of 2d, 1h, 21m. It was both of their first times to do a bikepacking race, but they each came in with experiences that gave them confidence. Alicia is a well rounded cyclist with bikepacking experience and as a member of Ultra Violet Racing. Hannah is the shop manager at CycleEast in Austin and the first bike tour she did was the Texas 4000 that starts in Austin, TX and ends in Anchorage, AK, she did it almost on a whim because a friend asked. This time she was sucked into the ETS by her Austin friends, Alicia included, but I don't think she needed much convincing.

Full writeup along with a nice gallery of images of Alicia and Hannah from the race on www.bikesordeath.com.

EPISODE SPONSORS

These episodes aren't possible without support! Rockgiest is a cottage gear company specializing in custom framebags and welded, waterproof gear. If you're looking to improve your bikepacking set up, looking for tailored gear, or searching for waterproof solutions definitely reach out to them by visiting rockgeist.com. In addition to their custom work, they have a wide selection of universal gear that prioritizes stability for singletrack use. Most recently they have re-release their super stable Barjam harness, which now uses locally machined brackets made in Asheville, NC. Visit rockgeist.com or email [email protected] to see all their gear options and to get in touch with their team.

East Texas Showdown - April 1-3rd, save the dates!

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