Another year of Bikes or Death in the books and man, what a year it was! Three-hundred and sixty five days of going new places, meeting incredible people and riding our damn bikes. We sincerely hope you enjoyed the ride as we got to chat with some truly inspirational guests and hopefully you learned a little more about us, yourselves and bikepacking. We also want to note that all of the guests we’ve had on the show are truly fantastic and these awards are merely a way to reflect on this past year! It is with the sincerest of gratitude that we want to thank every guest, every supporter and every sponsor who helped make 2021 the best year yet! So, without further ado…you voted, we tallied…the official Bikes or Death 2021 awards!
We asked you, the trusted BoD listeners, to give us your favorite episodes in several categories. It was an extremely tight race, with every single episode receiving votes. Tallying all the results, counting and recounting and carefully reading all the notes and comments was no easy feat for the official BoD council. There was a total of 38 episodes equaling 65 hours (or 3,898 minutes) of content for you to choose from, which made your job more difficult, too. The following are the top favorites in the four categories:
~ Listeners Choice ~
First Place – Episode 73 with Seth Wood
I wanted to hear Seth’s story about his journey from almost losing his life in Feb. of 2013 after being run over by a car while commuting on his bike. To then go on to set a Singlespeed FKT on the Arkansas High Country Race. The collision nearly cost him his life, but a year later he competed in the 2nd ever LandRun 100 (Now Midsouth) and he finished! Click on the image above to give the full episode a listen.
Second Place– Episode 77 with Bobby Wintle
I found myself back in Stillwater, OK across a picnic table at Lake McMurtry from Bobby Wintle with a bottle of fine bourbon for us to share. And share we did! After fours hours, and almost a full bottle of bourbon later, we pushed stop on the recorder. What we captured that evening is a side of Bobby that I think few get to see because he is so busy and has so much demand on his time. It’s a rare thing these days to be locked into a conversation with someone in this manner. If you haven’t already, give the episode a listen by clicking on the image above.
Third Place – Episode 74 with Andrew Onermaa
I was able to meet Andrew in person and hear his story from the banks of the Mulberry River, there in the Ozark National forest where the race took place. His story is truly incredible, but it became a little more so for me when I learned that he didn’t even get his first gravel bike until May of 2020, which means he only had 5 months of experience before signing up for the ARHCR!! Think about that for a second. Think about how hard he must have pushed himself leading up to and then during the race. Need to hear more? Click on the image above to hear the full story.
~ Most Entertaining Episode ~
First Place – Episode 77 with Bobby Wintle
I appreciate Bobby so much for his willingness to honestly and authentically share so much of himself on this episode. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know him and I’m so stoked he’s on Team Bike. For this episode I recommended you schedule a long bike ride, or pull up a chair and pour a glass of your favorite drink, and join Bobby and I for our conversation at Lake McMurtry…. and it seems like a lot of you did and enjoyed it! Most notably, listeners enjoyed how many topics we were able to cover during the course of the episode. It’s also worth mentioning that this episode has set a new BoD time record. Clocking in at 3h 56m 49s, it has become Bikes or Death’s longest episode to date! Listen again!
Second Place – Episode 94 with Cjell Monē
For day 3 of Monumental Loop Week, we featured a podcast with Cjell Monē, owner of Monē Bikes based out of Silver City, NM. He is known for producing functional steel bikes with an aesthetic flare out of the back of a 1990 Wonderbread Truck (Seriously!). Words won’t do his bikes justice. Click on the image above to listen!
Third Place – Episode 96Tales of the High Country
A last minute trip to Arkansas turned into me co-moderating this once in a lifetime event. We had a panel of some extraordinary cyclists who had no shortage of inspiring stories. This is an episode that you won’t want to miss. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, here’s a friendly reminder. Click on the image above!
~ MOST INSPIRATIONAL EPISODE ~
First Place – Episode 88 with Quinn Brett
This year the Tour Divide produced a new record, but one that wasn’t set to be beaten. Quinn Brett just became the first person to complete the Tour Divide on an adaptive handcycle, with a time of 25 days. For her, this was more about showing the world what is possible for disabled people and that adventures like this are not only for the abled bodied. Click the image above to listen.
Second Place – Episode 73 with Seth Wood
I learned from our discussion that this is a story much larger than himself. It’s one about this community and how much impact it can have on the lives of those it touches. I learned that the cycling community in Stillwater, OK, that is spearheaded by Bobby Wintle and the District Bicycle crew, is a special one. You aren’t going to want to overlook this incredible story.
Third Place – Episode 74 with Andrew Onermaa
If you’re still unfamiliar with Andrew Onermaa and his incredible journey into cycling, now’s a great chance to catch up and listen to his story.It shows that anybody can do this, anybody who is willing to train hard, ride hard, push hard, and dig deeper than ever before can do this if they choose. It’s not easy, in fact it is very hard, but it is possible and I love that about this sport.
~ MOST INFORMATIVE EPISODE ~
First Place – Episode 72, Route Building with Kevin from RWGPS
When we did our Bikepacking Basics episode earlier this year we got a lot of questions, and most of them where about route building. So I reached out to Kevin Prentice with RideWithGPS to see if they would like to do an episode on Route Building and (spoiler alert) they said yes! Everyone seemed to have a resounding love for this episode. Click the image above to listen for yourself!
Second Place – Episode 67 with Matt Mason
Las Cruces is now on the map for bikepackers and many locals have discovered new routes and the joys of riding from home to camp on the surrounding public lands. Our goal of achieving permanent protection and route signage remains unfulfilled, but the community has embraced the Loop as a valuable asset. Click the image to listen!
Third Place – Episode 98 with Ally Johnson
Ally fell in love with Bikepacking in 2019 when she took on the Tour Divide Route as her first ever bikepacking trip, finishing in 50 days. She came into bikepacking with experience as a thru hiker and from bike-touring, but taking on the TD for your first bikepacking trip is a true challenge and says a lot about Ally. Click the image to listen!
~ Most Popular ~
Top 3 episodes in ’21 that received the most downloads in the first 30 days.
First Place – Episode 69 with John Watson
6,174 downloads in the first 30 days
My guest on today’s episode with John Watson is one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. We had plans to record this one a while ago, but covid put it on pause. On my recent trip to AZ and NM I was able to meet John at his Santa Fe office where he runs The RADAVIST. I felt a kinship immediately as I pictured him editing photos, writing articles, fulfilling orders, etc etc. Despite his obvious success, what you may not see immediately is the 15 years he’s been doing, the passion that started it, and the long hours that took to fuel it. Listen to the full episode here.
Second Place – Episode 64, Bikepacking Basics
5,577 downloads in the first 30 days
In this episode we use a recent trip to Big Bend National Park as the backdrop to answer your questions. Ultimately, we received 41 questions, that boiled down to 18 questions and we tackle them all! The most requested topic was on Route Building, which was really perfect because our trip to BB was a route finding mission. We saved that one for last and answer your other questions as we build up to it. You can revisit this episode here.
Third Place – Episode 77 with Bobby Wintle
5,104 downloads in the first 30 days
Many of you will know Bobby Wintle as the larger than life figurehead of District Bikes and MidSouth Gravel (formerly Land Run 100). That’s how I knew him too until my interview with Dr. Seth Wood, when I learned how he had donated a portion of the proceeds from the very first Land Run to help with Seth’s medical bills, and then continued to foster than relationship to this day. Hearing that story told me there was a lot more to Bobby than just great hair, a perfect smile, a great hugger, and I was eager to hear his side of the story.
~ Noteworthy ~
We asked a few questions about future guests and topics you’d like to hear on the show in 2022. Here are the most popular recommendations:
~ First timers and/or ordinary people and their stories
~ Family and youth oriented events and rides
~ Stories from cyclists around the globe
~ Routes and route building
~ Gear discussions (both camping and cycling)
~ Mental health and cycling
~ Food tips and tricks
~ Riding with kids
Again, our sincerest thank you for everything you’ve done to support Bikes or Death this year. It’s been another interesting year but we hope you found some solace in what we’re trying to do within the bikepacking community. We know one thing for damn sure and it’s that we couldn’t have done it without you listening and supporting us along the way. So, thank you and buckle up for 2022, because we’re sure it’s going to be one hell of a ride.
