In this episode of the My Back 40 Podcast, I chat with Marc SInclair. Marc is passionate about building the bikepacking scene in Ontario and has done so by creating a couple of great events.

Cannon Ball 300 - The Cannon Ball 300 route was created as an introductory 300Km bikepacking route that allows riders to gain experience bikepacking without having to choose between weeks away from life's responsibilities and a multi-day adventure.

The route connects some of Ontario's most under-utilized rail trail, waterfront trail and greenbelt routes for all skills and adventuring cycling disciplines. 

8 Hours of Hurtin’ in Haliburton. The Haliburton Forrest and Wildlife Reserve is home to hundreds of kilometres of private back country logging roads and trails creating the perfect recipe for epic Ontario back country gravel racing!

Complete as many laps in 8 hours of the 27km course as a Solo rider or invite your friends and join a team of two (Duo) or three (Trio) and participate in the popular relay race format.

I had a blast speaking with Marc about building the gravel community in Ontario.

What better way to round out the trifecta of Atlas Mountain Race podcasts than to bring you the top women’s finisher, Jenny Tough.

Jenny @jennytough is an explorer, an endurance athlete and finds meaning by pushing her limits in the mountains. Jenny is no stranger to endurance events and is on a mission to run a mountain range on every populated continent.

Jenny has completed runs in Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania and still plans on adventures in Europe and North America. She has also raced her bike in the Silk Road Mountain Race, the Transatlantic Way Race, the Transcontinental Race and of course, the catalyst for this conversation, the Atlas Mountain Race.

We chat about Jenny’s AMR experience but also touch on topics like self esteem, gender issues in sport and self identity. This was an inspiring conversation and I hope you enjoy it.

One of the most interesting things about bikepack endurance racing is how different the experiences can be from one athlete to the next. This week on the My Back 40 Podcast, I speak with RJ Sauer. RJ finished the Atlas Mountain Race, but not without him walking over 150km with an angry drivetrain. To say that this man possesses perseverance is an understatement. While many would have scratched and called it a day, RJ pushed on living up to his intentions of finishing what he started.

RJ is a director, writer, producer for Brüdder, the production company he started over 15 years ago. He balances this with his life as a husband, father and his goals as an endurance athlete.

It is always a pleasure speaking with RJ and this time was no exception.

Welcome to the first episode of the My Back 40 Podcast. What better way to begin then to have a conversation with Sofiane Sehili, the winner of the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race, which took place in Morocco on February 15 2020. The race, which starts in Marrakech, would take riders 1148km through the Atlas Mountains to the finish in Agadir. Sofiane finished this arduous track in 3 days, 21 hours and 50 minutes adding to his other two wins on the Italy Divide and Inca Divide in 2019. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Sofiane before and this round of conversation did not disappoint. Enjoy.