Tyler “Freakin” Reynolds and the First Texas Triple Star
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.
Tyler’s Triple Star Stats
- 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.
A New Rider with a Point to Prove
Tyler is relatively new to ultra cycling.
After a quick DNF at the Golden Bear back in 2019, he stepped away from ultra racing for a while. When he returned, he didn’t tiptoe back in — he jumped straight into the deep end.
In 2024 he lined up for the Arizona Trail Race 800. After 300 miles he ended his ride at Picketpost.
But Tyler isn’t a quitter.
Those early experiences only fueled a deeper commitment to the craft. He set his sights on a new goal: complete the entire Texas Showdown Series in the Slowdown Singlespeed category.
The distance felt manageable.
The lack of gears made it anything but easy.
East Texas Showdown
Tyler rolled into ETS with a relaxed approach.
At first he was simply riding his bike through the pine forests and quiet backroads of the Davy Crockett and Sam Houston National Forests. But somewhere along the way he realized something:
He was actually moving pretty damn fast.
That realization flipped a switch.
He put his head down, leaned into the effort, and rode his way to 2nd place.
Central Texas Showdown
After ETS, Tyler doubled down.
He hired a coach, sharpened his focus, and fortified his mind around the goal of finishing the entire series. Then came CTS.
In the early hours of Saturday morning a violent storm ripped across the course. Lightning lit up the sky. Hail fell. Winds whipped across the fields.
Dots across the tracker started going dark.
One by one they stopped moving.
All except one.
Tyler “Freakin” Reynolds.
While lightning cracked around him and the storm raged overhead, Tyler kept pedaling.
Eventually exhaustion caught up with him and he started nodding off. One sleepy moment turned into an almost wreck that unseated his tire.
His solution?
Stuff the tire with mud, grass, and cow manure and keep riding.
He rode it like that for nearly 10 miles before another rider loaned him a tube so he could finish the job.
The grit — and maybe a little madness — paid off.
Tyler rolled into the finish with 1st place overall in the Slowdown Singlespeed category.
West Texas Showdown
One month later Tyler was back on the start line.
This time the backdrop was the vast and unforgiving landscape of Big Bend Ranch State Park for the WTS.
The race has a reputation for brutality, and in 2025 it lived up to the hype.
With a 32% finish rate, most riders were chewed up by the terrain, remoteness, and relentless desert conditions.
Tyler wasn’t one of them.
He pushed through the miles and rolled into the finish with another 1st place podium, completing the series and becoming the first rider in history to earn the Texas Triple Star belt buckle.
The First Triple Star
Tyler “Freakin” Reynolds didn’t just finish the series.
He set the standard.
4 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes.
The time to beat.
Congratulations Tyler — and thank you for choosing the Texas Showdown Series as your proving ground in 2025.
We can’t wait to see what happens when you take another swing at the Arizona Trail Race this year.
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
