Bikes or Death

What had you accomplished by 17? Not what dreams did you have, but what dreams had you already made come true?
One thing I know for sure: You weren't the youngest person ever to complete the Bikepacking Triple Crown…unless your name is Cruz Blue.
When I was 17, I spent most of my time skateboarding, avoiding homework, and chasing girls. Not exactly my finest years, but I'd argue my experience was probably more closely aligned with that of the average teenage boy than Cruz's was.
Over the past year, Cruz has quietly been making a lot of noise in the bikepacking world. He has no social media, no blog, and no YouTube channel. He seems motivated almost entirely by a sense of adventure and what he calls youthful ignorance. So, unless you've been paying close attention, you may not have realized that a star was rising in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Cruz comes from an adventurous family and grew up inspired to seek out adventures of his own. For him, racing is simply another form of adventure. He isn't particularly concerned with times, watts, records, or results—but he does place a premium on finishing.
His only DNF came in 2025, when he attempted the Arizona Trail Race 800 as an individual time trial at just 16 years old. But let's back up a little.
Cruz entered his first bikepacking race in 2024 at age 15. Just two short years later, he finds himself among an elite group of athletes credited with completing the Bikepacking Triple Crown.
A brief history of his racing career:
Age 15
Pinyons and Pines — 2d 15h 53m — 14th overall
Age 16
AZTR 800 ITT — DNF
Pinyons and Pines — 2d 7h 23m — 10th overall
AZTR 800 ITT — 17d 7h 42m — Youngest solo AZTR 800 finisher
Age 17
Pinyons and Pines — 3d 5h 19m — 17th overall
Tour Divide — 19d 11h 6m
Colorado Trail Race — 6d 17h 49m — Youngest-ever CTR finisher
In less than 10 months, Cruz completed the Arizona Trail Race 800, Tour Divide, and Colorado Trail Race, becoming the youngest person ever credited with completing what we call the Bikepacking Triple Crown.
Technically, the formal Triple Crown Challenge requires completing all three races within the same calendar year. Cruz completed his within a rolling one-year period. But the keepers of the records at Bikepacking.net officially list him as the youngest Triple Crown finisher, and who am I to argue! 
The results, however, are only a small part of Cruz's story.
The real story is Cruz himself – and it's his to tell.
On today's episode, I have the privilege of getting to know one of our sport's youngest athletes, who has quietly been making a whole lot of noise.
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In 2019, I joined a group of students from Texas Tech on a five-day bikepacking trip through Big Bend Ranch State Park. That trip is where I met Anna Claire. On the morning of day two, she and I sat down to record Episode 6 of the Bikes or Death Podcast.
That conversation provides important context for today's episode, as it showcases AC's longstanding love for Big Bend. We play a clip from it in today's show, but the full episode is worth a listen if you want to join us on a journey through Big Bend in a pre-COVID world.
Fast-forward seven years. Anna Claire is now a resident of Terlingua, Texas, which sits on the doorstep of both Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park. As a result, she has had a front-row seat to the border-wall activity happening throughout the region.
A full-time photographer and passionate lover of the outdoors, especially Big Bend, Anna Claire couldn't sit idly by. She picked up her camera and began documenting what was happening.
It wasn't long before a coalition of residents and allies joined her to form No Big Bend Wall, a nonprofit organization established to inform, educate, and fight the construction of a border wall in Big Bend.
While today's episode deviates from our typical bikepacking fare, it does so for a very real and important reason.
Our public lands are under attack. We as trail users, outdoorsmen, and adventurers are able to enjoy these places because public lands were protected by those who came before us. Throughout history, when those lands have come under threat, coalitions have formed to defend them.
Now it is our turn.
Today's episode isn't about politics. It is about one of our nation's most sacred outdoor sanctuaries being under attack. Big Bend needs you right now.
In this episode, Anna Claire breaks down some of the misinformation circulating online. We discuss the real-world implications of the proposed wall, explore alternative solutions, and provide tangible ways you can take action to help preserve Big Bend and keep it unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
TAKE ACTION
Visit No Big Bend Wall to take a deeper dive into the topics discussed in todays episode and take action where you can!
Are you a business owner against the construction of a Big Bend Wall? Sign this petition NOW! DEADLINE IS JULY 29TH

Today's episode is provided ad-free courtesy of Old Man Mountain 🫶🏻
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Meaghan Hackinen just made history on the Tour Divide, completing the 2026 Grand Depart in 14 days, 10 hours, and 2 minutes. In the process, she lowered the previous fastest women's time, set by Austin Killips during a 2024 ITT, by more than 13 hours. She also improved her own Grand Depart record by nearly 37 hours, one of the largest leaps we've ever seen at the front of the sport.
For a full write-up and photo galley of today's episode, please visit BikesorDeath.com
EPISODE SPONSORS
Old Man Mountain – Today we highlight the new OMM Manzanita Cradle. Use code OMMORDEATH at checkout for 15% off your order.
If you enjoyed today's episode please consider supporting our work at Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Daniel Connell, aka "Dirty Dan" is fresh off setting a new FKT on the Pacific Coast route from Alaska to the Mexican border.

Dan ripped down the coast on his new, yet-to-be-released Trek Domane, setting a new time to beat: 6 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes.

What some people may not know is that Dan is also preparing for a Guinness Book of World Records attempt on the Pan-American Route from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina this July. He initially approached the Pacific Coast ride as part of his training for Pan-Am, but it became much more than a tune-up. For Dan, this was a stand-alone achievement and a deeply personal accomplishment.

It also gave him the perfect opportunity to test the bike, setup, systems, and mindset he plans to carry into July. By the numbers, and by his own account, it was a clean run — the kind of ride that should send him into the next big challenge with a whole lot of confidence.

One thing that really stands out, besides the overall time, is his daily mileage:

Day 1 — 280 mi / 11,738 ft / 16h 55m
Day 2 — 212 mi / 10,019 ft / 14h 27m
Day 3 — 240 mi / 12,423 ft / 16h 57m
Day 4 — 198 mi / 13,174 ft / 14h 6m
Day 5 — 238 mi / 15,679 ft / 17h 17m
Day 6 — 492 mi / 20,471 ft / 32h 24m

That's remarkably consistent… until the final push, where he absolutely emptied the tank.

In today's episode, we talk about that monster final effort, how the ride unfolded, what he learned from the bike and setup, and what comes next as Dirty Dan looks ahead to his Pan-American World Record attempt.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Old Man Mountain - Today we highlight the new OMM Manzanita Cradle. Use code OMMORDEATH at checkout for 15% off your order.

If you enjoyed today's episode please consider supporting our work at Patreon.com/BikesorDeath

Maddy Nutt just made her mark on ultra-cycling in her very first attempt at this year's Traka 560.
She is no stranger to big efforts on the bike — or The Traka itself. Over the previous three years she competed in the 360km event, notably finishing 7th last year despite tearing her AC ligament only 100km into the race. She's also raced some of the biggest gravel events in the world including Unbound Gravel, Migration Gravel Race, and The Rift (among others).
Coming into this year's Traka, Maddy believed the previous women's record of 28h 52m was within reach, but respected the field enough to know that anything could happen.
She wasn't listed as one of the favorites, she shares in today's episode, and maybe that helped take some of the pressure off.
 In the midst of the many conversations surrounding this year's Traka, Maddy's story stood out as something worth celebrating. Her ride was thoughtful, calculated, and deeply intentional. She visited Girona multiple times to prepare, pre-rode sections of the course, and even used Google Street View to scout water fountains and resupply locations. She left no stone unturned in her preparation.
At the Traka 560, Maddy rode through the night for the first time. She rode farther than she ever had before. And in doing so, she rode herself not only into victory, but into an entirely new realm of possibility.
She can now officially add "ultra-cyclist" to her already impressive list of accomplishments.
Congrats Maddy…welcome to the club. Can't wait to see what comes next.
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