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
The Van: 2015 Ram Promaster 2500, 159″ wheelbase. We purchased our van used on Facebook Marketplace with 40k miles. In its former life, it was a handicap passenger van. The L-track and rubber floor was already installed, it came with plastic interior panels, and back seats for passengers. After the… Read More »Van Tour and Build
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
Moab is no doubt a mountain bike mecca. We spent a little over a week here and didn’t nearly exhaust all the sweet riding you can do here. We had a chance to ride at Klonzo Trails, Moab Brand Trails, Klondike Bluffs, and Navajo Rocks. Our two most notable rides… Read More »A Week In Moab
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:
Loading up in the van was a different experience this time. We left our house empty and sold, storing a few things with our parents but heading out with the rest of our belongings. Andrew and I decided to quit our jobs and drive west in the van to ride… Read More »Vapor Trail Bikepacking and Van Life
We’ve been waiting for the right weather window to ride The Ouachita Triple Crown route for a while. With freezing rain in Kansas City and highs in the 50’s in Hot Springs, AR, we knew this was the weekend to head south. The bikepacking.com routes make a spur of the moment trip easy to… Read More »Ouachita Triple Crown Loop