My 2022 Bikepacking Triple Crown Challenge cumulative stats: (TD, CTR, AZTR) “The triple crown challenge was dreamed up by bikepacker David Goldberg in 2012. It is to complete the three classic dirt bikepacking events in one calendar year: The Arizona Trail 750, Tour Divide and The Colorado Trail Race. This… Read More »Thoughts on the Bikepacking Triple Crown Challenge
Cover photo by Josh Hicks. The mistakes and inefficiencies had been on my mind since we finished last year. In 2020, Katie and I started our own individual time trials to yo-yo the CT about a week after we learned that the yo-yo was a thing, and something no one… Read More »Colorado Trail Yo-yo Round 2
Sunday morning, I woke up at 3am, ate a super early breakfast, and checked Andrew’s dot. He was already on the trail, almost halfway on his yoyo. I opted to ride one way with the grand depart like a normal person this year. I hadn’t ever done a fast one… Read More »Katie’s Colorado Trail Race 2021
Check out Katie’s write up on her two AZT 300 attempts in the Spring of 2021 on Chumba’s Blog. Part 1: My first attempt started in mid-March with some friends and fellow singlespeeders, all with potato pseudonyms. It was silly and I loved it. There was Tater Tot, Pomme Frites,… Read More »Katie’s AZT 300 2021 Lessons Learned
Here’s a brief recap of our experiences on Pinyons and Pines. To see a replay of the race, here’s the trackleaders page: http://trackleaders.com/pinyonspines21f.php Andrew’s setup on his new Chumba Sendero. 32×20, 2.35 Vittoria Mezcals. No sleep kit, just an emergency blanket. Andrew watched the lead group disappear on the gravel… Read More »Pinyons and Pines 2021, 300 mile bikepacking race
It’s been said that a bikepacking race is just as much an eating contest as it is a pedaling competition. I totally forgot about the eating contest for the first few hours of Pinyons and Pines, distracted by the race and views of Sedona I guess. In a rush to… Read More »Digging out of a hole at Pinyons and Pines
Andrew and I headed to Idaho intending to tour the Idaho Hot Springs Loop at a nice leisurely pace. We decided to spend a few days in Ketchum to get our bikes ready and check out the world class riding there. One night, I was scrolling through the events on bikepacking.com,… Read More »Smoke n’ Fire 400
Article: Katie and Andrew Strempke: The First Colorado Trail Yo-yo! Video Interview: Bikes or Death Podcast: EP. 54- The SStrempkes, YoYo on The Colorado Trail Our Video:
Cannonball 550: a gravel bikepacking route that starts and ends in Emporia, KS. Andrew and I decided to do the Cannonball 550 because we were looking for our next challenging ride- This one was near home and didn’t require burning too many precious vacation days. There were 22 riders at… Read More »Kansas Cannonball 550: Stats and Story
Andrew and I knew we wanted to take on the Colorado Trail since our buddy, Jake, shared his experience with us. He has hiked and biked the Colorado Trail and enjoyed it so much that he wants to go back again. We planned on touring the route but as we… Read More »Colorado Trail Race: Andrew’s Success and Katie’s Attempt