My Back 40

This week on the podcast I bring you a conversation with filmmaker, Jack Zakrajsek @jackzakra , creator of Tracing The Divide | A Tour Divide FIlm , which was just released on August 16th, 2022. In this documentary, Jack follows Chris Schmidt and Chris Hiebert , two avid cyclist who take on their biggest bike packing challenge yet, The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The Chris’, who have known e...

One of the pieces of the puzzle, when it comes to endurance athletics, is nutrition. Long days in the saddle require ample calories to keep the body moving, but often times it’s difficult to get the fuel in without our stomachs complaining. Thick sticky gu and gel shots can be unpalatable and are generally just high carbohydrate fillers with flavour added. Enter, Endurance Tap . Toronto’s Matt Smi...

This week I wanted to bring you a conversation with Jennifer Hanson gojennygo67 about her 350 mile Iditarod Trail Invitational which she finished in 6 days 2 hours. Arizona born and raised, Jennifer grew up in the outdoors. She makes a living training horses but is also an experienced equestrian endurance rider. In these endurance events, a competitor will ride their noble steed over a 50 - 100 mi...

This week on the podcast I wanted to bring you something a little different. A few months ago, Louis-Eric Simard introduced me to Sebastien and since then, we have been in communication on a regular basis. Side note - Louis-Eric, creator of the Trans Canada Bike Race has also been on the podcast back in Episode 50 . Sebastien Rolland is a Consultant and Coach who helps people to show up as their b...

This week on the podcast I wanted to bring you a chin wag with Ty Domin, who connected with me from Canberra, Australia. Ty has lived his life from the saddle of a bike whether he’s rolling laps in the velodrome, single speeding his local trails, touring around the world or tackling events like the Tour Divide, Race to the Rock, The Hunt 1000 or the Victoria Divide. Most recently he has taken to c...

This week on the podcast I bring you a conversation with Chris Panasky, host of the Bike Tour Adventures podcast. Chris and I connected for a chat that we were going to co-release, but after the chat I felt as though I took over the conversation and felt like it would be better if we connected for another chat where I would provide more space for Chris. Chris is a traveler, cyclist, expat and teac...

Anthony Walsh wants to help you find health, happiness and longevity through cycling and is building a community around him that is accomplishing just that.. Cycling is in Anthony’s blood.  As a child, his bike was an adventure machine, providing him with a way to explore the land outside of his local community. Through adulthood, a bike was always there, not only as a commuting machine, but...

James Wilson, founder of Graveleur , wants to grow Australia’s gravel community and he and co-founder Mike Israel are on their way to building something truly awesome. “Graveleur is a cycling community drawn together by one thing – back road exploring. Our purpose is to build Australia’s gravel community. This is a movement – not a race – it is about enjoying the ride and stopping occasionally to...

A few weeks ago, too long ago actually, Justin reached out to me to share his idea for a Bonnie Gagnon fundraiser. For those who don’t know who Bonnie is, she’s been a ever present force in the bikepacking community for a long time, sharing the love of endurance athletics and the joys of experiencing the world from the saddle of a bike. Bonnie’s journey hasn’t been an easy one, battling injuries a...

A coach just doesn’t send you workout schedules and nutritional advice. A true coach engages with his or her athletes to guide them along their own athletic path. A couple of weeks ago I was having a high level of existential angst about my current condition, so I called Ryan to chat. Dealing with my resent injuries is feeling like a setback, but Ryan doesn’t think so. He says that this is an oppo...

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Theo Kelsey-Verdecchia, last years winner of the Alberta Rockies 700. I saw Theo briefly at the start of the AR before he swiftly rolled away into the Rockies. Just over two days later, 53 hours if I’m not mistaken, he crossed the line to win the event. Theo hails from Toronto but aspires to move closer to the mountains in the near future. In Ontario, he...

When I first encountered Ryan’s YouTube channel , I was struck by his intense optimism and positive energy output. As I dove into some of his content, some current and some from 15 years ago, I was drawn to his adventures and storytelling, as well as his openness and vulnerability. Ryan’s intention, when it comes to the content he produces, is to inspire us to get out there. To try things we’ve ne...

Since I started My Back 40 a couple of years ago, I knew it was going to evolve into something. I wasn’t sure what that was going to be, but I’ve been thinking more and more about that lately. Based on some feedback that I have received from listeners, I’m thinking that, from time to time, I am going to publish solo episodes, so I can just talk about other things that interest me. There will alway...

”You retire when you’re dead”, a quote from the trailer of her documentary, No Limits, exemplifies Leah’s presence when it comes to the challenges she has faced in her life. It is her grit, perseverance and her never quit attitude that secured her win of The Race Across America, which is a 4,800km, trans continental race that takes riders from the west coast to the east coast of the United States....

Those of you in the Canadian bikepacking scene will know Brian, and if you have ever attended the Bikepack Canada Summit, you may have had the pleasure of meeting him. Personally, I look at riders like Brian as very inspirational. If I can still get after it like he, and other older riders do, when I’m their age, I will have been blessed. You’ve heard me say this on the podcast before: Moving wate...

Canmore, Alberta’s, John Freeman is going to see the world from the saddle of a bike and he’s taking his pal Mira with him. Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, John grew up like most kids, exploring the world and his surroundings on two wheels. Later, his passions for the outdoors and climbing led him to becoming a Ropes Access Professional. He helps companies with projects involving access to...

Most of you probably know who Bonnie Gagnon is - An inspiring, adventure driven woman who seems to have a grin permanently installed on her face. It took a while to connect with Bonnie after Jon Rudolf reached out to me suggesting we connect, but I finally found some time to sit down with her. In her case, lie down because she is bed ridden due to spinal fluid leaks she sustained during medical tr...

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Dr. John Ogrodniczuk, Professor and Director of the UBC Psychotherapy Program. John is also the Founder of HeadsUpGuys , an online resource that supports men in their fight against depression by providing tips, tools, information about professional services, and stories of success. After the tragic loss of our friend and mentor, Iohan Gueorguiev, men’s m...

This week on the podcast, I’m speaking with Kyle Roberts. When I first saw the Instagram post by @thelogdriverswaltz regarding Kyle’s finish of this awesome bikepacking route in Ontario, I reached out to him for a chat. But once I started digging into his background, I realized that there was so much more to this man. Kyle grew up in southern Ontario with adventure in his blood. As early as he can...

On Aug 19, 2022, Ben and Jay plan on riding the Boomerang Loop, cycling around the entire circumference of mainland Australia in 50 days to raise awareness and funds for the mental health charity Mindfull Aus . MindfullAus is extremely proud of the incredibly inspiring and compassionate people who have come together to spread the most important message, that of acceptance & hope. MindfullAus u...

Regardless of the method of transportation, by bike or by foot, Jenny Tough loves being in the mountains. I first had the pleasure of chatting with Jenny way back in Episode 3 after she finished the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco . This time around we’re talking about her recent adventure in the Silk Road Mountain Race where she was the fist woman across the line, completing the 1800km race, which...

This week on the podcast I’m speaking with Peterborough, Ontario’s Justin Ross who set an FKT on the 450km COLT in August with a time of 26hr 54min. What’s so impressive about his effort is that he has only just become passionate about bikepacking and ultra endurance bikepack racing. He also set an FKT on the 418km Farmer’s Folly route with a time of 19h 28m. Justin works for Wild Rock Outfitters...

Iohan Gueorguiev’s death has rocked the world. As this sad news resonates through the community, many of us have questions. The biggest question has been why. I had read comments wondering how, given Iohan’s lifestyle, he would opt out like this. If anything, this situation gives people insight into the power of the mind and depression. How, even in what would appear to be a wonderful happy life,...

Just a short podcast remembering this inspirational cyclist as well as my thoughts about depression and the importance of vulnerability. Be well, friends…