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.

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 

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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

⚡️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.

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John and Mira are a bikepacking duo who were the first to complete the Tour Divide Race as a human and dog team in 2023. They also emBARKed on a world tour in 2023 with the goal of dogpacking all 7 continents of the world. A feat that is so big that if you think about it too much it seems almost unattainable. But, John and Mira have over six years experience traveling the world together by bike and that experience, I believe, will lead to their success.

Today's episode starts with an introduction to John and Mira and how they got started dogpacking. We also go into some of the how-tos of dogpacking and John shares with us some of the tips, tricks, equipment, and best practices to help you get out on epic adventures with your furry friends. Then we learn all about their world tour, what their plan is, how they approach route building, and their overall approach to dogpacking and cycling the world. And, of course, we discuss their record setting run at the Tour Divide Race and their plans to go back and try again, this time using everything they learned in an attempt to set an even faster time.

John and Mira have an excellent YouTube channel with tons of adorable and inspirational videos. So when you're done listening to this episode, make sure to go watch some of those. It's worth it just to see Mira comfortably sitting in her basket with her goggles on as they bomb down hills.

⚡️EPISODE SPONSOR⚡️

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On today's episode, I sit down with Angus Morton to chat about his latest film: The Divide. This masterpiece follows Angus's brother, Lachlan Morton, on his 2023 ITT of the Tour Divide. 

The Divide masterfully captures Lochlan's Journey, the landscape, and the beauty and challenges along the way. Lochlan traversed 2,700 miles, 2 countries, and 5 states over a period of 12.5 days. Showcasing a route that covers so much distance, so many different terrains, and carries with it so many unknowns is a daunting endeavor, but Angus pulled it off brilliantly. As a content creator and storyteller myself, I was eager to talk to him about it. 

In today's episode, we discuss the power of media to inspire as well as its controversial nature in today's bikepack racing climate. We also get a peak behind the scenes into what it's like to film an elite athlete's tremendous effort on the Tour Divide, including some of the technical, logistical, and emotional challenges for Angus as he bears witness to his brother's trials, triumphs, and occasionally questionable decisions. 

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New Patrons Mathew Crouch Whitney Houck Katherine M. Grosz

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At the end of the year Sofiane made a post on social media that caught my eye. The first line read, “So where do I go from here?”. Sofiane is arguably the best ultra bikepack racer in the world. A position that he earned by winning some of the most grueling races in bikepacking, in some cases multiple times. Having accomplished so much, he now finds himself in a unique position and wondering what’s next.

Today we dig a little deeper into Sofiane’s thoughts about his career, his accomplishments, and what, in fact, is next for him.

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In the final installment Patrick answers listener questions and he gets his girlfriend, Natalie, to ask your questions. We got a ton of questions, so this episode will be sure to make the "long live long-form" listeners very happy.

Thanks for riding bikes with us in 2023. After five years of podcasting I'm never not grateful to the listeners who support our work. As always, I've got big plans for next year and I look forward to riding with y'all again in 2024.

Bikes or Death is growing and I’ve hired some people to help. In this episode I sit down with Mckensie Barney, Ariel Marlowe, and Ben Crannell, to introduce you to the people that help make what Bikes or Death does a reality.