ultra cycling

In this episode I caught up with Jack Keogh, an Australian Film Maker who has a strong  passion for the outdoors and bikepacking. Recently he combined the two when he filmed his experience of racing in the 2023 Tour Divide Race.

The Tour Divide is an annual bikepacking race which follows the 2,745-mile (4,418 km) Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Canada to the Mexican Border.  Jack's story is particularly unique in that he turned up to the event with the view of filming his experience along the way.  The output of that was an amazing documentary  - The Hardest Race on Earth: A Tour Divide Film released on YouTube.

His film beautifully captures the highs and lows of ultra cycling events. From the excitement of being in jaw dropping landscapes, to the grim reality of sheltering from huge thunderstorms and having to trudge through kilometres of peanut butter mud.  I really got the feel for his passion for both documenting his experience as a filmmaker, but also just how energised he gets from being in the outdoors.

Jack's first foray into the sport of BikePacking was an event called the Hunt 1000 and I couldn't help but thinking as we spoke, how cycling through that terrain in the Australian High Country was great preparation for the Tour Divide itself.

Jack is also an accomplished thru-hiker, having completed the Pacific Crest Trail previously.   

You can keep up with Jack's future adventures by checking out the following:
Instagram - @jackscottkeogh
Website - https://jackscottkeogh.com
YouTube - @jackscottkeogh
Film - The Hardest Race on Earth: A Tour Divide Film 

Enjoying Seek Travel Ride? Then you can help this Independant Podcaster out by clicking the the link to Buy me a coffee and help support the show!

NEW! - Leave a Voice Message!

Have something you'd like to tell me? Want to chat about this episode more or tell me about your own bicycle adventures? Well now You can now get in touch and leave a voice message! Just click here and record a voicemail message - I may even include it in future episodes!

Join the Seek Travel Ride Facebook group - a place where you can discuss episodes in more detail, learn more about our guests and also where you can share more about your own adventures on a bike!

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist - an eclectic mix with each song selected by a guest of the show. The playlist is available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Enjoying listening to Seek Travel Ride? Then please give the show some love and leave a rating and review on your podcast player.

...

This episode features the amazing story of April Drage - an ultra endurance cyclist who this year took on her dream race of the 2023 Tour Divide - an event that is often seen as  the premier off-road bikepacking race.  But to April this was more than just a race - it was what she termed her 'cycling holiday' and she had a goal to ride this event for years.

This wasn't April's first off-road bikepacking event - indeed, she has quite an impressive palmarès, and we spoke about her experiences of riding the Race to the Rock as well as the Rhino Run.  What was so clear to me as I spoke with April is that riding her bike in this style over long distances is a pure joy.  She is fully immersed in her surroundings and truly enjoys every moment.  Having spent two decades working as a social worker it was clear to her that she needed a change - and as April put it - bikepacking has allowed her to feel again - something she wasn't sure was still  possible for her.

Now April is fully immersed in the bikepacking world - and a career change now sees her working at Curve in Melbourne, where she also leads weekly social rides and helps others to get into the sport. 

You can follow April via instagram at - @AprilAWOL and if you are in Melbourne check out those social rides by Curve. 

Enjoying Seek Travel Ride? Then you can help this Independant Podcaster out by clicking the the link to Buy me a coffee and help support the show!

NEW! - Leave a Voice Message!

Have something you'd like to tell me? Want to chat about this episode more or tell me about your own bicycle adventures? Well now You can now get in touch and leave a voice message! Just click here and record a voicemail message - I may even include it in future episodes!

Join the Seek Travel Ride Facebook group - a place where you can discuss episodes in more detail, learn more about our guests and also where you can share more about your own adventures on a bike!

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist - an eclectic mix with each song selected by a guest of the show. The playlist is available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Enjoying listening to Seek Travel Ride? Then please give the show some love and leave a rating and review on your podcast player.

...

I had the pleasure of interviewing Stefan Barth an ultra cycling athlete and Medical Fitness and Endurance Coach who has a passion for the sport of bike packing and  also enjoys testing himself in ultra cycling events.  Stefan has competed in 24hour cycling races, and has tested his limits in the gruelling 9 day ultra cycling  event - Race Around Germany,  where he was chasing the fastest known time record.

Stefan's passion for the sport has also led him to take longer bike packing tours as well - most recently the European Divide Trail.  he likes to mix up the sport and uses off road bike packing routes in particular as a way to keep things fresh and give him a break from only focusing on being competitive.

Something unique to Stefan is that he also works within the sector of the sport - coaching other cycling athletes.  In fact it was when Stefan was training for his own events that he realised this section of the sport was lacking in training guides and resources to help other people prepare.  So what did Stefan do? He compiled research, interviewed many other athletes and wrote a book titled Ultra Cycling and Bike Packing. Everything You Need to Know!  Through the power of crowd funding the book was recently translated and made available in English. 

You can find out more about Stefan via the following links:

Coaching Business - SBU Coaching
Book - Ultra Cycling and Bike Packing - Everything You Need to Know!
Instagram - @Barthsman
LinkedIn - Stefan Barth
YouTube - @StefanBarth-SBUCoaching

Enjoying Seek Travel Ride? Then you can help this Independant Podcaster out by clicking the the link to Buy me a coffee and help support the show!

NEW! - Leave a Voice Message!

Have something you'd like to tell me? Want to chat about this episode more or tell me about your own bicycle adventures? Well now You can now get in touch and leave a voice message! Just click here and record a voicemail message - I may even include it in future episodes!

Join the Seek Travel Ride Facebook group - a place where you can discuss episodes in more detail, learn more about our guests and also where you can share more about your own adventures on a bike!

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist - an eclectic mix with each song selected by a guest of the show. The playlist is available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Enjoying listening to Seek Travel Ride? Then please give the show some love and leave a rating and review on your podcast player.

...

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Lesa Ashford who recently set the female World Record as the fastest woman  to circumnavigate Australia.  Lesa set off on March 08 2023, from the Wheel in Brisbane, then connected 19 waypoints around mainland Australia with a total distance exceeding 14,000kms.  92 days, 6 hours and 33 mins later she arrived back in Brisbane, setting the official record as first female.

Lesa discusses her motivaions to set off on this challenge, and the obstacles which she had to overcome.  Flooding and cyclones which damaged infrastructure and roads threatened to derail her attempt, but with a display of grit and determination, Lesa didn't give up.

It was evident that setting an official record not only takes a lot of training and dedication but also the assistance from an amazing support team and we talk about this in detail.

Check out the details of the  official record Lesa set.
You can also read Lesa's account of her record breaking ride in more detail.

A special shout out to Lesa's Support Crew:
Officials: Wayne Smith, Noel Ashford, Desrae Cameron, Julie Waldron,
Michael Burns, Alexandra Beasley, Ian D'Arcy, Steven Felix, Ann Johnston,
Michelle Meredith-Herlaar, Jessie Heideman, Bruce Frazer, Jenny Frazer,
Marianne Sutherland, Cathryn McDonald, Eric McDonald, Keith Froggatt

Crew: Wayne Smith, Noel Ashford, Alexandra Beasley, Desrae Cameron,
Julie Waldron, Michael Burns, Peter Barnette, Bruce Frazer, Jenny Frazer,
Mark Pink, Cathryn McDonald, Eric McDonald, Ian D’Arcy, Steven Felix,
Ann Johnston, Michelle Meredith-Herlaar, Keith Froggatt, Dave Sutherland,
Marianne Sutherland, Jessie Heideman, Robert Heideman, Stephen
Dovey, Christopher Beasley, Samantha Parr

You can find Lesa on the following social channels:
Instagram - @NewHorizons4Lesa
Facebook Group - New Horizons 4 Lesa
Strava - Lesa Ashford

Follo

Enjoying Seek Travel Ride? Then you can help this Independant Podcaster out by clicking the the link to Buy me a coffee and help support the show!

NEW! - Leave a Voice Message!

Have something you'd like to tell me? Want to chat about this episode more or tell me about your own bicycle adventures? Well now You can now get in touch and leave a voice message! Just click here and record a voicemail message - I may even include it in future episodes!

Join the Seek Travel Ride Facebook group - a place where you can discuss episodes in more detail, learn more about our guests and also where you can share more about your own adventures on a bike!

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist - an eclectic mix with each song selected by a guest of the show. The playlist is available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Enjoying listening to Seek Travel Ride? Then please give the show some love and leave a rating and review on your podcast player.

...

This past summer, Luke Sweet completed his first double iron-distance triathlon (known as a Double Anvil) in just over 30 hours. For those unfamiliar with triathlon, the double anvil consists of a 4.8 mile swim, a 224 mile bike, and a 52 mile run; all in 36 hours or less. Luke possesses a humble tenacity like nobody I've ever met before. This was truly an inspiring conversation and I'm excited to share it with you. Enjoy!


Click here to learn more about our charity endurance team: team a.i.

This past summer, Luke Sweet completed his first double iron-distance triathlon (known as a Double Anvil) in just over 30 hours. For those unfamiliar with triathlon, the double anvil consists of a 4.8 mile swim, a 224 mile bike, and a 52 mile run; all in 36 hours or less. Luke possesses a humble tenacity like nobody I've ever met before. This was truly an inspiring conversation and I'm excited to share it with you. Enjoy!


Click here to learn more about our charity endurance team: team a.i.

Ramsey Hanna is an ultra-cyclist on a journey to discover what he's capable of.  In 2021, he came in 6th place at the Dirty Water 500km (a single stage 310 mile race across the state of Ohio) and he also completed the TransVA 560 ride in 75 hours (typically a 9 day event). Ramsey holds a PhD in organic chemistry and bakes his own bread from scratch. Enjoy!

Check out teamai.org for more info on our charity endurance  team.