Can you imagine packing up everything you own on a bicycle, riding away from your home with plans to cycle the world over the next four years? Now imagine it's your first bike tour.

That's exactly what Jacob Ashton did in 2016 when he rolled away from his home in Idaho.

Over the next four years, he would cover roughly 77,000 miles, visit 100 countries, and ride across six continents. His travels were not without challenges. He was confronted by machete-wielding villagers in Mozambique, lost a finger to frostbite while climbing Ojos del Salado in Chile, and experienced a bowel obstruction in Khorog, Tajikistan that required major surgery and temporarily paused his tour.

To date, he's accumulated over 120,000 miles, visited 108 countries, and ridden on six continents—and he's not done.

Recently, Jacob has been trading touring miles for racing miles, testing his skills in events like the Tour Divide, the AZT, and most recently, DOOM and the East Texas Showdown.

Jacob and I both competed at this year's DOOM, which is where we first met. He rode the long course and came in a respectable 7th place, following up a 2nd place finish the previous year.

After a 32-hour "nap," he loaded up his full-suspension Starling Murmur and rode 400 miles to Point Blank, Texas, to compete in the 400-mile East Texas Showdown.

ETS is a solidly a gravel ultra, and he was the only rider on a full-suspension bike—but he rode that thing like it was on fire, averaging 15 mph moving speed and finishing in an impressive 6th place.

Coincidentally, after ETS he had plans to ride over to my hometown to visit an old friend, so I took the opportunity to meet up with him and dive deeper into his story.

You can learn more and follow along with Jacob here:

Instagram - @occasional_bikepacker
Tour Reports - Read it here
His book, "Until the Road Ends" - Buy it here

OMM x Sea Otter Campout – Going to Sea Otter? Make sure to swing by the OMM Bikepacking Campout & After Party. Find all the deets here. I'll be there too, come find me :)

RYDB Fest Community Overnighter - May 22nd - 24th in Fayettville, AR. Use code bikesordeath_rydb_26 for 20% off reg.

New Patrons
David Lieble
Tomas Perez
Andrew Humes
Robert Keller

Join us won't you at www.Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

In 2025 the Texas Triple Star was born.

Complete all three events in the Texas Showdown Series, in the same category, within a calendar year, and you'll earn a handmade belt buckle crafted by Texas builder Kyle Gilbert.

Last year the series became official with the addition of West Texas Showdown, and seven riders stepped up to attempt the full trilogy.

By the end of the year only one rider was left standing.

Tyler "Freakin" Reynolds.

Racing in the Slowdown Singlespeed category, Tyler completed the entire series and etched his name into Showdown history.

• ETS – 1d 9h 37m — 2nd place
• CTS – 1d 4h 37m — 1st overall
• WTS – 1d 15h 45m — 1st place

Total Time: 4d 5h 59m
The time to beat for the Slowdown SS category.

For a full writeup and photo gallery of this episode visit BikesorDeath.com

SHOW NOTES

East Texas Showdown
March 27th – 29th
Use code getoffthecouch at checkout for 15% off

Sea Otter Bikepacking Campout & After Party presented by Old Man Mountain
April 16th – 19th

RYDB Fest
May 22nd – 24th
Use code bikesordeath for 20% off the Community Overnighter registration

My guest today is someone who is no stranger to the front of the field. A perennial podium finisher as a professional mountain biker, and over the past decade-plus one of the most accomplished ultra-endurance cyclists on the planet, he has first-place finishes at the Tour Divide, AZT, CTR, and many many more. The truth is, I'd need to create an entirely new podcast series to fully unpack the range, depth, and longevity of his career as a lifelong cyclist. For that reason, he's a man who truly needs no introduction: Kurt Refsnider.

Most recently, Kurt became the first person to ride the 5,000-plus-mile Orogenesis Route -- a project more than a decade in the making, shaped by many contributors over the years. Like the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, the Orogenesis Route traverses North America from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, but it instead features as much singletrack as they can pack in - 50% of the route is singletrack. And when it reaches the border, the route doesn't stop. It intercepts and continues down the Baja Divide, one of the most iconic bikepacking routes in the world.

This was no small undertaking. Not only was this Kurt's biggest bikepacking trip to date, but he was also the first person to put bike tires on large portions of the route—sections that had only been scouted digitally and pieced together through community knowledge. Inevitably, that meant running into real roadblocks. This wasn't just a bikepacking trip; it was a true bike adventure. I can think of no one more qualified to take on a project of this scale, both physically and mentally, than Kurt.

It was an absolute pleasure to have him back on the podcast. He's a true OG and a legend in the sport for very good reason. And beyond all the accolades, he's simply a genuinely kind and thoughtful human being.

The Bikes or Death Podcast is Presented by Old Man Mountain

To support this work: www.Patreon.com/bikesordeath

Kurt's website: https://www.ultramtb.net/

Orogenesis Collective: https://orogenesiscollective.org/