Overland Archive Podcast

40: Emma Bateup - Tour Te Waipounamu

This week we are joined by Emma Bateup, the women's winner and 11th overall at the 2024 Tour Te Waipounamu.

39: Joe Nation - Tour Te Waipounamu

We're back! Getting back to racing has sparked up some inspiration and I really wanted to hear the story behind Joe's epic run down the TTW route! Hear about his race strategy and the battle with Rufus up front.

38: Jefe Branham - AZT800

37: Thomas Boury - GTMC and Atlas Mountain Race

We're back! Toto joins Lewis on this episode to discuss his GTMC FKT project and battling saddle sores on the Atlas Mountain Race.

36: Jay Petervary - Great Divide Classic

Jay Petervary joined me days before heading up to the Canadian/American border at Rooseville for this years abridged edition of the Tour Divide. With the Canadian border still shut racing on the route will only be from border to border across America, in the vein of the original Great Divide Race. As such theres some differences to the route, throwing back to the ACA's Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, where some deviations now exist between that route and the Tour Divide.

35: Simon Eglinton - Kudlila Rally

Simon joins me (in person!) to tell us all about his upcoming race in South Australia; the Kudlila Rally which runs from the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri to the Spencer Gulf in Port Augusta with the Grand Depart on July 3. For more info on the race check out the facebook event: https://fb.me/e/2uOgQoQKm

34: Victoria Divide

This episode is packed full of short interviews from the Victoria Divide racers out on trail and a post-race chat with winner and new course-record holder Stephen Lane.

33: Brian Alder - Tour Te Waipounamu

We're back! This episode we are joined by Brian Alder from New Zealand's South Island to tell us all about the inaugural running of his rugged, backcountry ultra race; the Tour Te Waipounamu!

32: Eliza Sampey - The Bike Raft Guide

Eliza Sampey joins us to talk about her bikepack racing accomplishments and the release of an upcoming book and project she's been involved with bringing to life: The Bike Raft Guide. For the uninitiated, bikerafting is a combination of bikepacking and packrafting. That is; riding to a river with a 2-4kg inflatable raft strapped to your bike, then inflating the raft, strapping your bike to the front and paddling down said river. It opens up some incredible opportunities to traverse the natural e...

31: Kurt Refsnider - Kokopelli Trail FKT and Bikepacking Roots Update

Kurt Refsnider who was an early guest back in Episode 9, joins us again to tell us about his new FKT on the Kokopelli Trail, breaking the record set by Lachlan Morton earlier in 2020. He also has some updates to share in regards to his non-profit Bikepacking Roots. Their new BIPOC Adventure Grant and a renaming of their Wild West Route to the Western Wildlands Route.

30: GDT400 Wrap Up - Field interviews and post-race thoughts

A slightly different episode this week. The first half is short chats with riders on course of the GDT400, then followed up by 3 slightly longer interviews with riders after they've had a chance for their legs to recover and gather their thoughts on the route.

29: Craig Wiggins - Munda Biddi Trail Course Record

This week we're joined by Craig Wiggins who recently smashed the FKT on the Munda Biddi Trail, taking very nearly a full day off the previous mark.

28: Ryan Hawson - GDT400 and Australian Bikepack Racing

This week's guest is Ryan Hawson, the man who started the GDT400 race back in 2013. We chat about this humble beginnings of the event, and take a look at this history of bikepacking racing in Australia and how it evolved from the early days of the sport back in 2008.

27: Tech Talk 5 - Tarps with Evan Howard and Ty Domin

Another Tech Talk, gear-focused episode this time focusing on tarps. I'm joined as always for the Tech Talk episodes by my good friend Ty Domin, and this time, also by Evan Howard, of Terra Rosa Gear, manufacturer of incredible ultralight tarps here in Melbourne, and someone who's pushed tarp usage to the extremes. Some great insights in to all things tarps including size and material choice, pitches, knots, and a general pro/con comparison of why you would choose a tarp over another type of she...

26: Natt Williams - Bikepacking the Iceland Divide route

Natt Williams joins me from London on this episode to tell us all about his trip down the 550km Iceland Divide route that traverses the island North-South. The route crosses desolate glaciers and lava fields, with no towns or resupply options for its entire length! Natt's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natt.ewill/?hl=en or @natt.ewill

25: Ross Burrage - Tour Divide Redemption and the Masaka Cycling Club

Good friend of the podcast and host of the Hidden Athlete Ross Burrage joins me to tell us about his story of redemption on the Tour Divide route in 2019 after calling it quits on the race in 2017 before he made it out of Montana. He also shares his story of how he became involved with the Masaka Cycling Club while training for his 2019 Divide run in Uganda. https://www.masakacyclingclub.com/ https://thehiddenathlete.com.au/ https://instagram.com/rossburrage?igshid=1t5660jass3vc https://instagra...

24: Faith Hunter - A Wider World

Melbourne local Faith Hunter joins me this week to talk about this history of women cycling in Australia in the 1890's. The birth of the modern bicycle was linked directly with the women's suffrage movement and also facilitated unprecedented levels of freedom and independence for women from traditional Victorian social standards. Many people will know about the history of the Overlanders racing their bikes across the country from city to city to best each other's records, but Australian women, a...

23: Josh Ibbett - GB Duro and Unsupported/Self-Sufficient Bikepacking

The winner of this year's GB Duro Josh Ibbett joins us fresh off the trail to talk about his victory. The race underwent some significant rule changes this year to accomodate the situation of the pandemic responsibly. Riders were required to be entirely self-sufficient from the start of the race, carrying all their food for the entire journey. Stepping foot into any business or public building for resupply or shelter would mean disqualification. These rule changes made for a very interesting rac...

22: Tech Talk 4 - Navigation for Bikepacking with Emma Flukes and Ty Domin

This week is another Tech Talk episode! This time around, tackling the topic of navigation for bikepacking. I'm joined by Ty Domin and Emma Flukes for a round table discussion to cover everything from our route planning processes, navigation devices, phone apps, and GPS communicators/trackers such as InReach, Spot and ePIRB/PLBs. Resources/maps: NSW: https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/ TAS: https://maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/app/list/map VIC: https://mapshare.vic.gov.au/MapShareVic/ SA: https://sa...

21: Patrick Farnsworth - Bikes or Death, Bikepacking Podcast Mega Collab Ep

This week Patrick Farnsworth, host of the Bikes or Death Podcast joins me for a really fun episode with a twist! A co-hosted episode where we talk about bikepacking, media in the sport, how Patrick got started with the Bikes or Death Podcast and then he turns the mic on me and asks me some questions about my bikepacking, ultra racing and route creation! Instagram: @bikesordeath WebsiteL: https://bikesordeath.com/

20: Theo Kelsey-Verdecchia - BT XL Fastest Known Time and Bikepacking in Ontario

This week we are joined by Theo Kelsey-Verdecchia of Toronto, Ontario, only days after setting a new fastest known time on the 1100km BT XL route. Theo has gone all in on ultra-racing and amassed a large amount of experience in a short amount of time. He provides some great insights on how he prepared himself for the FKT including his training and gear selection. Follow Theo on instagram: @theokelsey_

19: Miiro Michael - Masaka Cycling Club, Uganda

Miiro Michael is the chairperson and founder of the Masaka Cycling Club in southern Uganda. Miiro joins us to talk about what is not only an inspirational story of developing the sport of cycling in Uganda, but also an incredible lesson that cycling communities all across the world should listen to and learn from to make the sport a more inclusive and more accessible sport for all. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Masaka-Cycling-Club-Uganda-308927445825890/ Website: https://www.masakacyclingcl...

18: Grace Lambert-Smith - DotWatcher, Audax riding and the Transcontinental

Grace joins us on this episode to talk about her background in audax, bikepacking and ultra-endurance cycling. Grace discovered long distance riding through semi-supported audax events, eventually working her way up to complete the renowned Paris-Brest-Paris. Grace also competed in the Transcontinental bikepacking race back in 2017 during the scorching heatwave known as "Lucifer". Grace is also the managing editor at DotWatcher, a platform dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of bikepac...

17: Dan Hunt - Hunt Bikes and the Hunt 1000 Bikepacking Route/Event

This week I'm joined by guest Dan Hunt to talk about Hunt Bikes and the epic adventure that is the Hunt 1000, a self supported bikepacking challenge traversing the Australian Alps from Canberra to Melbourne. We discuss the original inspiration for the route and the event, some of the unique aspects of the route and how Dan has tried to foster a really inclusive spirit around such a rough challenge. As well the serious and harsh nature of the Australian high country, preparing yourself to underta...

Tech Talk 3: Bikepacking Snacks, Food and Nutrition

Ty Domin joins the show again for an in depth look at everything we eat and drink to fuel long bikepacking adventures. We cover everything from racing to touring. Snacks, cooking setups, dehydrated food, hydration and even caffeine!!

16: Steve Halligan - Bikepacking NZ, Tour Aotearoa, Terra Australis Bike Epic, Tour Divide

This week's guest Steve Halligan is an Irish bikepacker based in Hanmer Springs, NZ. Steve has completed the Tour Aotearoa 3 times, the Kiwi Brevet 4 times, won the inaugural Terra Australis Bike Epic and finished in 4th place at the 2019 Tour Divide with a time of 16 days, 3 hours and also completed the race in 2017. In our chat Steve talks to us about all things bikepacking in New Zealand, some of the incredible routes and trails the country has to offer as well as the rich bikepacking culture...

15: Joe Grant - Ultra Runner turned Bikepacker and Human-Powered Adventurer

Joe Grant is a household name in ultra-running, but a few years back turned his hand to bikepack racing to challenge himself with something new. Joe has some incredible finishes in both the Colorado Trail Race and the Arizona Trail Race. He also took on a project called the Tour de 14ers, setting a fastest known time and becoming only the second person to complete the project in the process. The concept is simple, tag all 58 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks, travelling between the clusters of mou...

Tech Talk 2: DIY with Ty - Make Your Own Bikepacking Gear

In lieu of a full interview, this week we have a short chat about DIYing your own bikepacking gear or modifying existing gear to better suit your needs! We also have some bikepacking news! Previous guest Lachlan Morton breaks the FKT on the Kokopelli Trail!

14: Jess Douglas - 3x 24 Hour World Champ and Ultra Endurance Coach

Jess Douglas is a 3 x Australian 24 Hour National Champ, 3 x 24 Hour World Champ, GDT400 bikepacking race winner and record holder, ultra runner and coach. In the interview we learn about what shaped Jess as an athlete and discuss some of her key accomplishments before shifting to talk about training an preparation. As a coach Jess has an all encompassing approach to guide athletes to prepare physically, but also mentally, emotionally and logistically. We discuss how riders can prepare themselve...

13: Sarah Swallow - Bikepacking Route Creator, WTF Bike Explorers

Adventure cyclist and bikepacking route creator Sarah Swallow joins me to discuss some of her published routes; The Trans America Trail and The Sky Islands Odyssey, as well as her event Ruta Del Jefe. The Sky Islands region is central in many different environmental and political issues including immigration and mining. Sarah has used the event to bring awareness to and raise money for non-profits fighting for these causes whilst simultaneously enhancing the experience and connection to the land...