Nathan Siemans | All things bikepacking, community building and route development

In this episode of the Bikepack Adventures Podcast, I connect with Nathan Siemans to talk about the Lost Elephant and the Cold Ride. Originally called the Kootenay Gravel Grinder, the name was changed to The Lost Elephant to help people recognize that it was far from being just a gravel ride. As bikepacking was gaining in popularity, more and more people were coming out to ride the event, often without realizing that a gravel bike with 40c tires wasn't going to cut it. Through the involvement of Nathan and a handful of other volunteers, they helped grow a bikepacking event that changes the route each year, creating a new challenge for those that continue to show up time and again.

In the latter part of our discussion, Nathan also shared his passion for fatbiking, and his plan behind creating a challenging winter race that allows people to test themselves in the harshest of conditions. With winter 2025 being the first running of the event, it was great to hear how it came to be and what aspects of creating this event were the most challenging.

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