NATE RIOUX: I honestly do it for a selfish reason, and it's because it makes me happy.

In the morning I'm groggy and maybe not myself but after my ride, I'm chipper and aware of what's around me, it's just a nice way to start the day.

ADAM HAYNES: You're creating where you're going, you're creating your momentum, you're creating that energy, and you're not relying on something else to get you from A to B. LAUREN MELINK: Humans are complex creatures; we don't always take the easy way and we can't always explain why we do what we do.

And sometimes when we take that less traveled path it's because our hearts are telling us to.

Why?

Well, for the people of Idaho who choose to ride bicycles to get places, the answer is simple, "for joy."

LAURA GUYMON HEINER: I love it.

Or else why would I be doing it?

I don't know.

Maybe I'm crazy.

I love it.

ANNOUNCER: Funding for Outdoor Idaho is made possible by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation committed to fulfilling the Moore and Bettis Family Legacy of building the great state of Idaho by the Friends of Idaho Public Television, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting MELINK: Bicycles are the epitome of human-powered transportation.

Two wheels, the wind on your face and the ability to get to work using your own body's strength to do so.

RIOUX: When I moved to Boise, I was a social worker and had very little money, and my wife was going to college, so I used the bike to get around town and I just fell in love with it.

I wasn't really into cycling culture necessarily, so the clothing and the mystique and the expense.

And then when I started commuting, I realized that there was a whole other side of cycling out there and it was more utilitarian, and it really fit me.

MELINK: These days, Nate Rioux lives in the small town of Filer, Idaho.

Every day he commutes nine country road miles to Twin Falls where he owns a bike shop.

RIOUX: Commuting it's the best.

Initially it can be really hard.

It can be really hot or really cold.

But, after a few minutes you just kind of come into your own and you forget about the temperature and yeah you just get to experience what's around you.

And luckily on my commute, I get to see all sorts of stuff.

It's beautiful.

I see the mountains, I see creeks, I see wildlife.

I also get to see folks in the community that pass me every day and I get to wave to 'em and interact with 'em.

It's pretty special.

It's like all year long.

You're just seeing the growth and then you see all these farm animals getting bigger.

It's interesting.

It's like you experience the circle of life.

Sounds corny, but it's true.

It kind of ties it all, especially commuting in an agricultural area.

It's cool.

You have this awareness or this connectedness that you wouldn't get in any other vehicle.

RIOUX: If you're not smiling when you're riding, you know there's something wrong.

So really just bringing the fun back into it.

You don't have to have all the gear; you don't need to look a certain way.

You just need to get out there and experience it.

And really, any bike should make you feel better.

I think it's good for folks to see a wide array of folks on bikes.

People tend to think of liberals and urban scenes when they think of commuting.

And you can really do it in any situation.

It's an entirely different experience.

And I feel that most people never get to see that.

We live in a beautiful place.

We really do.

Idaho is an amazing state.

[Trail cam, spare rope, paracord] MELINK: There's another way to get your blood moving on a bicycle, and that's by using it as a way to reach your honey hole hunting spot.

[Okay, not to make sure I don't get any straps in the spokes] ADAM HAYNES: I'm combining two things I absolutely love.

I love bikes.

They've opened up the world for me and to incorporate bikes and bow hunting together, I mean, it's just so enjoyable.

It's two things I absolutely love and I get to do them simultaneously.

I can't think of anything more enjoyable than that.

MELINK: That's right, Adam Haynes hunts elk by bicycle.

With a bow.

So our ride in today was a little over six miles, which, it was really nice, relatively maintained road.

And then we did find a nice old logging road that definitely hasn't been maintained for probably the last 20 or so years.

We're hanging a couple of trail cameras in an area that I've always wanted to hang trail cameras at, just to get more data for when I am back here, bow hunting, if it's really a good spot or not.

It's got all the makeup for a good elk hunting spot.

[Hopefully, it gets all the good stuff.]

MELINK: A month after setting up the trail cameras, Adam was able to review the footage.

[So, four hours later.}

MELINK: And his instincts were right, his spot had game.

[Cool, we got a bear, we got a bear on scene.]

MELINK: Along with being an avid hunter and bicyclist, Adam is an accomplished photographer and videographer.

So, to ensure a noisy Outdoor Idaho video crew wouldn't scare the elk away, when the season opened, Adam and a few pals went back to their spot, with bikes, bows and video cameras.

HAYNES: As I've been hunting more and more, that's what it's really becoming more enjoyable for me, is to have those close encounters.

Even if I don't harvest, it's not all just about the harvest, it's the whole package.

It's the camp experience, it's the bike ride in, it's the hard hikes with the headlamp.

It's the heavy pack outs and the close encounters are really all part of that package.

HAYNES: Okay.

There was a cow and bull coming across above me and Jason was cow calling.

I was cow calling.

And then I finally saw it was going across.

But after I, cow-called, started to come down, it came down a little ways, had everything all ready to go, I could tell he was definitely coming my way.

So waited for him to come across and cross in front of the right tree at the right time and let one fly.

So now we're going to try and find everything and see if everything worked out, but pretty sure it did see him go down.

So, we're going to find the arrow and hopefully find our elk.

It's good.

It's real good.

It's covered, covered in blood.

It's pretty special because you're creating where you're going, you're creating your momentum, you're creating that energy, and you're not relying on something else to get you from A to B. You're really relying on yourself.

You can go as far as you physically want to or you don't have to.

You're not reliant on any one specific vehicle to get you there.

It's just you.

How far do I want to go and how much do I want to enjoy it?

MELINK: Biking Idaho's backcountry will undoubtedly build big calves, but it will also build friendship, fierce independence and self-reliance.

LAURA GUYMON HEINER: Oh, we're just outside of Crouch.

We rode our bikes here from Idaho City, so we did about 40 miles today on our bikes.

This is my group.

This is some of the members of my group, Idaho Women's Bikepacking.

I started a bikepacking group and just basically offered to women if they wanted to come out with me once a month, I would show them how to bike pack, so they did it.

Yay!

GUYMON HEINER: It combines the best of both worlds.

There's biking and there's camping and there's exploring.

And it's really, really different to travel through the areas and be on your bike and hear the sounds, see the sights, experience the terrain you're riding through rather than driving to it you know in a car or on a motorcycle.

It's very different to be out on a bike.

What I like best, and the reason I formed this group is I wanted to see more women enter this sport.

And so, whether they're doing it on their own or whether they're doing it to race or whether they're riding with us, that's what I want to see is more women bikepacking and it's happening.

GWÉNAËLLE D'AUMALE: It's my very first time bikepacking and I have definitely found my sport.

I can't wait to go on a bikepacking trip that has single track trails.

And like marry the mountain biking and the camping together.

I need to buy my own gear, I'm borrowing everything today, so I need to get my own gear and then I'll be a lifer.

GUYMON HEINER: It's a cool sport.

It's fun.

You can do it your own way.

You don't have to race; you don't have to go really long distances.

You don't have to go to really remote areas.

You can basically do it right out your backdoor, in you know the cool areas that are surrounding you.

So, it can be very simple and it can be your way.

MELINK: For most people, traveling by bicycle is just about getting somewhere, eventually.

For others it's about getting somewhere, in a very timely fashion.

NORB DEKERCHOVE: Well, the Smoke and Fire is a 426 mile self-supported bike packing race that traverses some of the great geography of Idaho.

Hundred percent self-supported, self-sufficient mountain bike race.

And it's challenging.

There's great terrain, there's a lot of climbing and people really love it.

MELINK: Riders take off at 4 AM from Hyde Park in Boise.

[Cheering] MELINK: They make their way down to Lucky Peak State Park, skirt through the Danskin Mountains, on to Prairie, Pine and Featherville, up Dollarhide Mountain and into Ketchum.

Then, up to Stanley, around Deadwood Reservoir, into Garden Valley, Placerville, Bogus Basin and then back to Boise.

ERIK STOEMER: We're like 74 miles in about 7,000 feet of elevation, so pretty smooth ride other than a sidewall tear, they were doing some road maintenance, so they were grading the road, so it's kind of like big chunky rocks and just tore the sidewall.

So had to stitch it and glue it and pump it back up.

DEKERCHOVE: Bikepacking is hard in general, but when you race, you add a whole different element to it because there's sleep deprivation, you're sourcing water, you're trying to find nutrition, just getting out of the elements and dealing with wide swings in temperature from really hot during the day to well below freezing at night in some areas.

So, you really have to be on your toes the entire time.

MELINK: With varying weather and road conditions, riders are constantly having to adapt to the situation in order to safely finish the race, even if that means doing something you'd never do in regular life.

RUSS MILLER: Sleep in a vault toilet.

One I slept in last night was cleaned that day.

All my friends are like, grossed out.

Don't knock it till you try it, because it's like 30 degrees warmer in there.

DEKERCHOVE: You might have a blueprint of how you plan to approach the race, but once it starts and once you're out there, things change.

It happens in all races to all people.

MELINK: Back on the route, riders are struggling.

MILLER: I'm pretty messed up right now.

I'm like borderline, can I keep this food down?

TYLER STEWART: The first day I was doing good until I hit Dollarhide climb, and it just took everything out of me.

And I don't know that I've recovered yet from that.

Just a ton of hike-a-bike and I'd never done that before, and it was quite a challenge.

I'm just spent.

BRIAN RICHARDS: It's been tough, yeah, the mental game is hard.

Sometimes you're feeling on top of the world and other times you're like I don't know why I'm here.

DEKERCHOVE: I've counseled several people on three words, moderate forward progress.

Don't try to kill it the first day.

People do, but just don't try to kill it.

Really manage yourself, manage the route, manage your nutrition.

I mean, if you're just riding consistently with pace, but just consistently and paying attention, you're going to do great.

You're going to get to the finish line.

MELINK: Despite the sufferfest Smoke 'n' Fire truly is, the beauty of Idaho is evident around every corner.

[Music, cheering] SOUCY: This race is really cool to meet new people.

I think endurance sports are interesting because to do them, you have to be an absolute addict in that sport.

You gotta love it so much because you're spending so much time doing it.

So I think one of the coolest things is just meeting people who share that interest and are just full 110% into biking.

DEKERCHOVE: I think the common theme would be people who like adventures.

It crosses all socioeconomic backgrounds.

There's doctors, lawyers, bike mechanics, van lifers.

It attracts everyone from all strata's.

And I think the key is just adventure and pushing yourself.

And I've just seen the grit and the perseverance of people that are just going to grind it out and those folks who make it across the finish line, it can be a life-changing experience.

So, I think it does empower people to maybe take another look at their life and take another step up in some capacity.

MELINK; There's another bikepacking race in Idaho that seems all but impossible.

A race with an added element of survival because of the inhospitable environment.

[Talking] JAY PETERVARY: We're all here pursuing something.

I don't, it could be many things.

It may or may not be the finish, but it's something, it's growth.

It's a particular individual.

It's not for everyone, but I think a lot of people have interest in it.

They look at it and think it's neat and amazing, but it might not be for them.

And yeah, it's a special person for sure that wants to be out here and, and do this.

[Shouting] MELINK: The Fat Pursuit is a 124-mile fat tire bike race that takes place in Island Park, Idaho during January, the coldest month of the year.

It takes riders anywhere from 20 to 60 hours to finish.

To compete, competitors are required to carry survival gear, including a below zero sleeping bag and stove to boil water.

[Sleeping pad is in the bag, Okay, map, is it downloaded?

Yep, awesome.

When in doubt air down.

Running tubeless?

Yep.]

STAFFORD MARQUARDT: I'm gonna read the conditions, I'm gonna read my body, I'm gonna do what I have to do to get to that finish line.

MELINK: The event also requires a special bike.

A fat tire bike is an off-road bicycle that has close to 4-inch tires.

This kind of bike is necessary for a racecourse that's covered in several feet of snow.

[You're not tracking!

Jonathan Black!

You're not tracking! ]

[Are we watching Dada ride a bike race, yeah.

Yeah, you don't normally wake up this early.]

[Take care of yourselves, do your work.

Party on people, let's go! ]

[Sirens] MARQUARDT: So, the snow, even in good conditions, it sort of compresses as you ride, right?

So, you're putting all this power into compressing the snow.

You're also working with tires that are pretty aired down.

So, it's like if you've ever pushed a wheelbarrow with a flat tire, it's kind of like that.

But doing it with your legs for like 125 miles.

MELINK: While skill will get you to the winner's podium, it's grit and determination that are needed to just get to the finish line.

MARQUARDT: I'm not there to win.

I'm not like a pro cyclist.

I'm there to have an adventure and I sign up for races that are always like slightly above my limit and I just wanna finish.

Like, I don't wanna bail out, like I'm not gonna bailout, right?

Um, you're not gonna come find me hitchhiking on the way back and interview me there.

I'm gonna finish this race.

PETERVARY: It's not just about being good at your discipline, but you also have to be kind of a outdoors person, because you have to manage in this weather, so in the long distance event, they have to manage their sleep, their food, and just taking care of themselves.

MELINK: The first big climb of the race is Mt.

Two Top, over 8,000 feet, the riders ascend a tree lined path before the skies open up to reveal a snow blown summit.

ZACH STONE: Two Top is traditionally like kind of a cloudy, mysterious place and it was wide open and sunny and so that was beautiful to see.

Two Top just covered, covered in snow.

All the trees just flocked to the, to the max and that was the high.

MARQUARDT: It's amazing it's just so cool to be out here, like no one else is out here, you know, like it's a, it's a stampede at the start and then a few miles, like you're kind of on your own.

Just kind of get in your head, spend a few days just being you.

Looking around, like you see the animal prints, you're like, what's that?

Maybe that looks like a fox or whatever.

Um, it is so just peaceful and restorative, and it's also a lot of work, right?

You're pushing, you're pushing, you're, you're setting limits that, that you don't think is possible.

MELINK: While some riders will choose to push through to the finish, many will stop in the wee hours of the second day of riding, to get a couple hours of sleep, turning their tail light on for safety and crawling inside their tent or bivy for some much needed rest.

HANSON: I'll sleep because I do like to lay down and rest.

I'm not usually a go keep going, so I'm hoping to maybe, uh, maybe be a little bit faster, but it, you know, trail conditions are better and get a little farther before I have to sleep, like, farther down the trail.

But probably like that 3:00 AM, sleep for a couple hours.

MELINK: The last aid station sits ten miles from the finish, riders are coming in exhausted barely able to eat but somehow with good attitudes.

[Really good.

I haven't slept yet, so I'm exhausted.

I've been up for a little over 24 hours now.

Ten miles to go!

[Fat Pursuit! ]

MARQUARDT: You don't need to be like a lifelong cyclist to do this sort of thing.

You just need to be like, kind of crazy and determined and be in it for what it is.

HANSON: I like the challenge.

I like the challenge of it and, and I like being out there.

I mean, it's hard but I like doing hard things.

I mean, I like doing challenging hard things, so I guess it's just <laugh>.

I, yeah.

I dunno.

I like it.

MARQUARDT: I like to think my mental game is stronger than my physical game.

Like my physical game is, that's not my biggest asset here.

I'm often the caboose in these sorts of events, but I will finish.

I might finish last, I might finish Monday, but I'll get it done.

MELINK: As you can see, bicycling is not just a hobby or just a mode of transportation, it's a way of feeling unbridled joy.

PETERVARY: I love the speed of a bicycle.

There's just something about it.

HAYNES: You take in more of your surroundings versus just kind of hitting autopilot in your car.

It's like I want to get there as quickly as I can.

On a bike, I'm stopping, I'm taking it in, I'm looking at everything around me.

LAURA GUYMON HEINER: I love it.

Or else why would I be doing it?

I don't know.

Maybe I'm crazy.

I love it.

ANNOUNCER: Funding for Outdoor Idaho is made possible by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation committed to fulfilling the Moore and Bettis Family Legacy of building the great state of Idaho, by the Friends of Idaho Public Television, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

To find more information about these shows visit us at IdahoPTV dot org.