About

Many moons ago (2010?), at a trail work weekend in Lake Tahoe, we watched the documentary Ride the Divide projected onto a screen set up in the forest. I’d always loved camping and backpacking, and that film gave me the slightly scary feeling that this kind of adventure might be right up my alley.

At the time, though, I was more of a mountain biker, and 2,700 miles of roads sounded mind-numbingly boring—even if I were physically prepared and had the time off work. Bikepack racing stayed bookmarked in my head for years. During that time, I did a few 100-mile mountain bike races and got fitter.

Then a female riding buddy completed the Stagecoach 400, and her accomplishment finally inspired me to give bikepack racing a go. In 2018, at age 45, I finished the Stagecoach 400 in a pretty average 3.5 days in an attempt that was filled with mistakes. Finishing was not a given, so it still felt like an incredible achievement for me at the time. The experience spawned a desire to improve, and try more fun, singletrack-oriented routes.

I am endlessly grateful to have a decent job that allows me to live, pay a mortgage, and acquire good-quality gear, though it does limit time for training, preparation, keeping up with this blog, and events. I am also lucky to have a partner who loves riding and bikepacking. He has endured vacations spent watching my dot, listened to the annoying whir of my indoor trainer, and come along on ridiculous long touring death marches.

Along the way, I’ve met inspiring and funny people, ridden in incredible places, persisted through unsafe conditions, and pushed myself through some truly ridiculous efforts. I’ve also navigated a barrage of menopausal symptoms, suffered big crashes that required entire seasons of healing, and poured a lot of energy into a demanding career as a software engineer. Through all of this, I’ve learned that I am resilient and strong — but also very much an ordinary human.

I can occasionally set an FKT when the pointy end of the women’s field doesn’t show up, but if obtaining FKTs were all that mattered, I would have quit long ago. The greatest satisfaction comes from the constant learning in training and preparation, the camaraderie with others, the mystical experience within the moments of the race itself and the confidence boost of accomplishing big scary goals.

I am writing this as a 53-year old, and my ultra-racing future is a big question mark. But this all began because I yearn for long rides in wild places, and that will never change. All I know is that when I see people like me doing incredible things, they feel more attainable. I hope this blog will help nudge folks to listen to that little spark within them.

~ Julie