Bikes or Death Patrick Farnsworth

Since my youth I've had a passion and love for the outdoors.  While all wilderness landscapes appeal to me in their own unique way, desert landscapes have always been my favorite.  So it's no surprise that when I got into bikepacking and found out about the AZT it quickly ascended to the top of my bucket list.  After 5 years of hoping, dreaming, and planning, I finally made the leap and signed up for a Spring ITT.  On April 11th at 7:12am myself and 3 others (Gregg Dunham, Alan Jacoby, and Ian Quigley) set out on the AZT, each of us doing ITT's.
The AZT (Arizona Trail) is a hiking trail that runs North/South across the length of Arizona.  It is one of the routes that make up the Bikepacking Triple Crown and considered to be the most difficult route by many who have done all three.  There are two route options, the 300, which ends at the Picket Post Trailhead, and the 800 that ends at the Utah border and requires riders to disassemble their bike and carry through the Grand Canyon.   

My AZT challenges started months before the start and just getting to the start line would prove to be one of the biggest challenges. Life was throwing everything at me all at once and, at times, I seriously considered postponing my AZT attempt. Ultimately, I put my head down and worked my way through, over, and around, all of the barriers that threatened to end my attempt before it even started. I lined up on the morning of April 11th feeling unprepared, undertrained, and down right afraid of what I was about to do. In moments like that all you can do is push aside any lingering doubts and just ride your damn bike, so that's what I did.

Ultimately, my ride was cut short in Tucson due to heat related illnesses. But my time on the trail was everything I could have hoped for and a lot more. The trail lives up to its reputation as being difficult, but it also exceeded my expectations of beauty. No amount of hike a bike, heat, or ruggedness diminished my enjoyment during my time out there. I truly had the time of my life and am only left with overwhelming sense of love for this world that we live in and a body that took me as far as it could. The trail isn't going anywhere and I'm already looking forward to attempting it again one day.

On this episode I mic myself up during my attempt and share my experience on the Arizona Trail. I hope this episode helps other people who are wanting to ride their damn bike on the ATZ.

EPISODE SPONSORS
Old Man Mountain ~ I used their Axle Pack and Elkhorn rack on the AZT, both of which performed flawlessly and allowed me to take full advantage of the full suspension bike I rode. Use discount code “mountainsordeath” for 10% off site-wide and use this affiliate link so BoD gets a Thank You check in the mail 

New Patrons 
Cary Holt
Fabian Schwaerzler

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Meaghan Hackinen is your 2024 DOOM female winner and 3rd place overall. On day one she skipped a critical resupply point and found herself leading the field for a good part of the day. Dexter Kopas would eventually catch her and go on to take the win. Overall, it made for some exciting dot watching and resulted in an impressive finish for Meaghan.

Meaghan got into competitive ultra cycling events back in 2016 and she has a long list of good results that include wins and FKT on several courses. Notably, she was the overall winner at the BC Epic 1000 in 2021 and she is the 24 hour World Time Trial Champion where she set a new course record.

Next up, Meaghan is taking on the Tour Divide. She's on my dot-watching list, she should probably be on yours too!

EPISODE SPONSORS
Old Man Mountain ~ Use discount code “mountainsordeath” for 10% off site-wide and use this affiliate link so BoD gets a Thank You check in the mail 

New Patrons 
None this week. Nows a great time to support the show :)

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

On today's episode John Schilling, AZT Race Director, is here to talk all things AZT. He became the race director in 2019 when Scott Morris passed the torch after 14 years of creating and overseeing the race. John is no stranger to the AZT. He first attempted it in 2012 and completed it in 2013. He's a local to the Pheniox area  and is well known for his hard work developing routes, leading rides, and for his great work on the AZT.

Quickly after becoming the AZT race director he made changes to both the 300 and 800 routes. In fact, the long version used to be 750, but thanks to John there are an extra 50 miles of AZT goodness for you to enjoy. On today's episode we are going to be learning more about those changes and what prompted them.

We're also going to be getting to know John a little better and learning about his personal history with the AZT. Among other things we touch on the history of the AZT for bikepacking, the Arizona Trail Association, and discuss tips and insights to help prepare you to take on either of these epic routes.

The AZT is one of the jewels that make up the Bikepacking Triple Crown and has been an important part in the history of our sport. It was a true pleasure to take a deeper dive into this iconic trail and get to know the man currently at the helm a little better.

⚡️EPISODE SPONSOR⚡️
Campfire Cycling - Is your premier destination for AZT preparation. Whether you needs gear, supplies, or a pat on the back, they've got you covered. The also host 7 rides for riders at all levels that are great for AZT training. If you can't make it into their amazing shop they have you covered with an e-commerce store featuring their new Make-It-Mine Bicycle Configurator!

🎉New Patrons🎉
Seth Gerring
Rob Lorenz
Derek Bowers

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Jenny Tough is one of the most impressive adventure athletes I've had the pleasure of chatting with. Her accomplishments in sports and writing are truly inspirational and mesmerizing. She is an ultra runner and bikepacker with numerous accomplishments to her name. Among her accomplishments, in the running world she was the first person to run across Kyrgyzstan solo and unsupported. Following that trip she set out to run across 5 other equally challenging terrains in different parts of the world. In total she complete 6 runs in 6 continents over a 6 year period which she chronicled in her latest book SOLO.

If that isn't impressive enough, during that time she was also introducing herself to the bikepacking world by entering, and winning, some of the most challenging bikepacking races in the world. In 2018 she won the Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) and followed that up with a win at the Atlas Mountain race in 2020, before going back to SRMR in 2021 and winning again. By any measure Jenny lives up to the name "Tough" and in doing so she is finding was to inspire and motivate others. She has made it her mission to not only do tough things, but to encourage others, especially women, along the way through her writing and creative outlets.

It was an honor to have her on the show and I hope your enjoy this chat as much as I did!

⚡️EPISODE SPONSOR⚡️
Old Man Mountain - The Axle Pack is here to solve your fork mounting needs. Gone are the days of ducktaping water bottle cages to your forks. Check out the Axle Pack here and use code "mountainsordeath" at check for 10% off your order!

Bikepacking Roots - BPR is a non-profit organization built on the three pillars of Ride, Connect, and Protect. Please visit their page and find ways to help support the important work they do for the bikepacking community.

Shop our affiliate links to help support the show!

🎉New Patrons🎉
Rob Mccarty
Esker Cycles

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The East Texas Showdown is in its fourth year and it's our biggest one yet.  With 250+ riders from all over the world decending on East Texas we wanted to produce an episode to help you have a successful weekend in the woods.  
We surveyed all the riders participating in ETS 2024 and I brought in a panel to help me answer your questions.  The panel consist of one person from each of the three categories from last year.  
From the Showdown we have Harrison Kroos, the Slowdown is represented by Vince Colvin, and our Lowdown representatvie is Aja Roberts.  
I appreciate each of them for helping me answer your questions and producing a fun and informative episode to help other riders have a successful weekend!  
Even if you aren't participaiting in the offical ETS, the route files are available for free at TexasShowdownSeries.com and anyone is welcome to ride the routes anytime.
We'd like to thank our ETS sponsors for this year:
Chumba
Handup Gloves
Kuat Racks
Mulberry Gap
Ombraz
Old Man Mountain
The Radavist
Ruby Coffee
Stans
Thomson Bikes
Woom Bikes
The Bullet Grill

Today we are catching up with Lewis Ciddor after his impressive 3rd place finish at Tour Te Waipounamu. Many of you will be familiar with Lewis. He won the Tour Divide in 2018 and was the host of the Overland Archive Podcast for many years. Lewis was on the show in Aug. of 2020 for Ep. 51. Since then I've noticed he's been keeping a lower profile. Not entering races, not releasing episodes of his own podcast, not posting on social media as much, so when I saw him back in the race lineup I was eager to catch up with him.  
 
I was also eager to hear more about the Tour Te Waipounamu. It takes place on the south island of New Zealand and looks to be equal parts challenging and beautiful. The route is known for a variety of terrain, river crossings, hike a bikes, and off trail navigating. In other words, it’s a real challenge. In the world of ultra endurance mountain biking, this race stands out as being particularly hard, and that’s saying something.
 
It had been four years since Lewis had raced before lining up at TTW. Any doubts he had going into that race about being the racer he once was were going to be faced on the beautifully rugged terrain that is Tour Te Waipounamu. Not all victories come in the form of winning. For Lewis, his victory came by facing and overcoming challenges during the race that at one point had him in 12th place with only 300 miles to the finish. On today’s episode Lewis takes us through his journey as he made his way through the field and onto the podium in his first race in 4 years. 
⚡️EPISODE SPONSOR⚡️
Panorama - Today we highlighted the Katahdin which is Panoramas carbon gravel bike and the bike that Patrick has been personally riding for over a year.
Shop our affiliate links to help support the show!
🎉New Patrons🎉
Noelle Battle
Join them won’t you? Find out more at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath