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.

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 🫶🏻

For 15% off at Old Man Mountain use code: OMMORDEATH

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