The inaugural East Texas Showdown and East Texas Slowdown is mere days away. The race winds it way through east Texas forests on a route created especially for this event. We’re especially excited to share some of the rigs you might see kickin’ up dust this year! Read about twenty bikes, the riders and what they expect from the race.
Oh, and then go ride your own damn bike!
DAVID RICHEY
AGE 36 / CLEAR LAKE SHORES, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: 43c Panaracer Gravelking SS
Aerobars?: Yes, profile design
Favorite piece of gear: Outer Shell Bags!
Goal for your Ride/Race: Race and explore beautiful gravel roads! And become more familiar with ultra racing in general
ALICIA DANZE
AGE 32 / AUSTIN, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Panaracer Gravel Kings, 42s
Geared or SS: geared!
Aerobars?: Nah
Favorite piece of gear: Dakine Fanny with 2 liter water bladder. Easy hydration
Goal for your Ride/Race: push it as hard and as long and as far as possible
richard beaird
AGE 40 / TERRELL, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Vittoria Mezcal XC Trail 29×2.25
Geared/SS: Geared-FC(xt36/26)Cassette(Xt11-42)Rear Dre.(grx rd-8000)
Aerobars?: yes /profile design
Favorite Gear: My stubbornness
Goal for your Ride/Race: spend the day with my weaknesses, go to bed with my strengths.
DEREK BLACKSHER
AGE 36 / SUGARLAND, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Will be running Maxis Icon
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: No
Favorite piece of gear: Drop down bar attachments
Goal for your Ride/Race: Finish and stay healthy
KURT JOSEPH
AGE 27 / AUSTIN, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Going with the Teravail cannonballs in 700×47
Geared or SS: Rocking an ultra range 46/30 with 11 – 42 in the rear
Aerobars?: Oh hell yeah
Favorite piece of gear: Certainly my titanium camp mug
Goal for your Ride/Race: to push myself and do the hardest ride I’ve ever attempted
JACOB LOOS
AGE 23 / ROCKFORD, IL / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Teravail Rutland 47mm
Geared or SS: Single Speed
Aerobars?: Nope
Favorite piece of gear: Onyx SS Hub
Showdown or Slowdown: Showdown
Goal for your Ride/Race: To have fun!
MICHAEL TROXELL
AGE 26 / SEALY, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Teravail Washburn (700 x 42c)
Geared or SS: Single Speed
Aerobars?: Yes
Favorite piece of gear: Rogue Panda bags
Goal for your Ride/Race: Finish
JOSH HARE
AGE 40 / ABILENE, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Pathfinder Pro 38cm
Geared or SS: 1×12 Eagle AXS, 44 tooth front chainring and 10×50 rear cassette
Aerobars?: Not since I gave up triathlon in 2007
Favorite Piece of Gear: Helmet, protect the dome
Goal for your Ride/Race: Finish as fast as possible. Also, eat a fried burrito at a midnight convenience store stop.
ROY SIMMONS
AGE 51 / LEAGUE CITY, TX / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Schwalbe Mondial DD 26×2.0
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: Yes
Favorite piece of gear: Granny Gear or my legs.. that’s tough
Goal for your ride/race: I’ve never done a bikepacking race and never ridden
more than 90 miles in one day on this bike so I’m just hoping to finish in time for the party on Sunday.
MARK OWENS
AGE 60 / BACLIFF, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Favorite Piece of Gear: Bags by revelate, shown w/o seatbag.
Aerobars?: Yes, Profile
THOMAS LANE
AGE 62 / EAST TEXAS SHOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Vittoria Mezcal 2.25
Geared or SS: 2×10
Aerobars?: Yes
Favorite Piece of Gear: Rockgeist Top Tube Bag with BOD patch
Goal for your Ride/Race: Finish
MIKE LESENSKI
AGE 37 / HOUSTON, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Teravail Washburn 700 x38 Durable
Geared or SS: Shimano 105
Aerobars?:No, Spank Vibracore 44cm
Favorite Piece of Gear: Wolf Tooth B-RAD mounting base
Goal for your Race/Ride:To finish
KYLE SHEEHAN
AGE 37 / NEW ORLEANS, LS / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Terravail Rutland 2.2’s
Geared or SS: Gears
Aerobars?: Who am I, Ted King?
Favorite piece of Gear: Probably my Brooks B17 purchased ca. 2005, even though it’s started causing numbness in my pants yabbies so might need to make a change… it’s still my fav.
Goal for your Ride/Race: Good times!
CALVIN BERGSTAHLER
AGE 35 / HOUSTON, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: candy bars
Favorite Piece of Gear: Camp chair
Goal for your Ride/Race: Have fun
MICHAEL YOUNG
AGE 50 / THE WOODLANDS, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tires: Schwalbe G-One Speed (29 x 2.35)
Geared or SS: Yes (Shimano GRX 600)
Aerobars?: Profile Design Neosonic Egro 45AR
Favorite Gear: Exposure Joystick helmet light
Goal for your Ride/Race: Ride as long as I can without stopping for the night.
CJ RHODES
AGE 30 / SPRINGFIELD, OH / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Teravail Canonball 700×42
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: No
Favorite piece of gear: My Safety Pizza.
Goal for your Ride/Race: Learn something, have some fun, finish.
CHARLIE HOWELL
AGE 60 / DALLAS, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Schwalbe G-One 40 (F), WTB Resolute 42 (R)
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: Profile Design T2+ DL
Favorite piece of gear: Redshift Stem
Goal for your Ride/Race: 2-days
ALLEN GREEN
AGE 59 / LA VERNIA, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tires: Vitoria Mezcal XC Race 29×2.25, wheels built by Sean at Crossroads Bike shop -Spank 350 32h alloy rims, DT Swiss 350 rear hub, SP PD-8 dynamo front hub
Geared or SS: Sram NX-11 speed drive train, 38Tx10-42 rear cassette
Aerobars?: Yes, Profile
Favorite piece of gear: Infinity Seat
Goals for your Ride/Race: This is my first Bikepacking race! I’m representing the “Salty Bearded Randonneurs Club- South Texas Chapter” Pro SLOW, baby. I want to be back by the Sunday festivities. Special thanks to my sponsor- My wife Carla.
DAVIS SIMMS
AGE 34 / BELLA VISTA, AR / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Teravail Sparwood 2.2
Geared or SS: Geared Shimano XTR
Aerobars?: Yup, Profile designs
Favorite piece of gear: My wanderlust frame bag, it stays on 24/7 no matter if I have the bike setup in mountain bike or gravel mode.
Goal for your Ride/Race: I want to see how far I can push it in one go.
JON DANKLEFS
AGE 46 / SAN ANTONIO, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Vittoria Mezcal 29×2.25s front & rear
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: Nah
Favorite piece of gear: Wanderlust Rattlesnake stem bag
Goal for your Ride/Race: Finish by 8 pm Sunday night
ERIC COLQUETTE
AGE 52 / AUSTIN, TX / EAST TEXAS SLOWDOWN
Tire Choice: Vittoria Mezcal 2.35
Geared or SS: Geared
Aerobars?: No aero yet
Favorite piece of Gear: whatever gets me to completion of ride
Goal for your Ride/Race: Goal is just to finish. This will be my longest ride to date and super excited.
If you want to learn more about the East Texas Showdown we recorded a whole podcast all about it, Ep. 87 – East Texas Showdown.
Thank to our Sponors for helping to make this possible!
