Coldbike

I’m heading out to Kyrgyzstan today, and I’m kind of nervous about it.

Conventional wisdom says that the added complexity of full suspension (or some say any suspension) will reduce their reliability to the point of making them a poor choice for ultra-endurance racing.

No matter what I decide about which bike to bring to Silk Road Mountain Race (SRMR) 2026, a few things are pretty firm in my mind One is electronic shifting.

What Kind of bike do you recommend for these events?

My recent racing history has a few unfinished courses in it, Rather than lament getting lost, I am actively looking to improve the things that make it more likely to finish.

What went wrong on my ITI 2025 ride?

Here is a video I made of my ITI experience this year, I was less focused on the video than I was on riding, but I surprised myself with how much footage I had

I always say that harsher weather favours riders like me who are on the slower side of slow but have strong cold-weather skills.

Back in 2002, when I first rode the OG bikepacking race, the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 (ITI), I said I would be back to ride the 1000 (if I had the time off work back in 2002, I would have just continued).

I have been riding a new Surly Moonlander II on snow for a few weeks now (plus another month on dirt) and I have some thoughts.