Catching Up with Hannah Simon About Her Silk Road Mountain Race

Editor's Note: Not long after Hannah Simon returned to Texas after her win at the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race, Hannah and Zach hopped on the phone to discuss the winning effort amongst other topics. What follows is our conversation, edited for length and clarity. In the conversation Hannah shares about thoughts on hike-a-bike in Kyrgyzstan, gear choices, and a little surprise at the end. If you have an epic ride report or story you'd like to share on The Buffet reach out to Zach at zach.scsw@gmail.com. Peace. 

from the desk of Zach Smith

photos by Lloyd Wright and Hannah Simon

Zach Smith: What would you say are your biggest racing accomplishments? I mean, obviously there's Silk Road Mountain Race you just completed, but what would you put on your personal podium?

Hannah Simon: I don't know if I can just wrap all three of them together, but I think having completed the Triple Crown last year is definitely the number one accomplishment. That was huge, and still, when I think back on it, it seems insane. I got third overall for that. So Katya came in first for the overall time between Tour Divide, Colorado Trail and Arizona Trail, and then Alexandera was right behind her, and then it's me. So the three of us just last year kind of set the top three for women who have completed the Triple Crown. And that was definitely a big one.

ZS: How would you describe the Silk Road Mountain Race to someone who may not know much about bikepacking racing?

HS: I would say that Silk Road is a culmination of a lot of very difficult challenges, and it's because the mountains are so much bigger than anywhere else, bigger than the Rockies.

ZS: Holy moly.

HS: Yeah. And you know, I say that it's like—there are obviously peaks in the Rockies mountain range that are just as big as some of the ones in Kyrgyzstan. But I think that the way that we have built in and around them, when you travel on a bike through like, say, Colorado Trail, there are areas that you are up above tree line for long periods of time, but a lot of the time you're not climbing, you're not really dropping down back into like 5000, 6000 feet. You're kind of staying up there. In Kyrgyzstan, you go up a mountain pass, and then you drop all the way back down to where you were. So some of the bigger passes—there were at least five or six passes that, when the climb popped up on my Hammerhead, it said 30 miles. And it's just mind boggling. You really can't wrap your head around just knowing that for the next 30 miles, I will just be constantly climbing. Strava alerted me that my largest climb ever was the first mountain pass on the route. Kegeti Pass was 8800 feet in 29 miles, and that's the first day of the race. A lot of chunky gravel roads, not a whole lot of single track stuff, but mostly just kind of something like fire roads in Arkansas.

ZS: Okay, so not super pleasant.

HS: Not super pleasant. And pretty much every time, when you get to that last few kilometers of a climb, you've got some rock slides to climb over and things to huck your bike up. So almost always at the end it gets really steep and a bit more challenging.

ZS: For readers' information, what's the data of the race, such as mileage and elevation?

HS: The race is 1200 miles, just over 1900 kilometers. And my final file was 105,000 feet of climbing. I did it in 8 days, 20 hours.

ZS: Great job, Hannah! What was the gear that you chose to accomplish this feat? You know, what kind of bike were you riding and tire choice, etc.?

HS: I was on my Ti Chumba Sendero, the ideal bike for any races like this, with Industry Nine hubs and rims, and their stuff has always been bomb proof. I was running the Cane Creek Helm fork set up at 120mm for travel, and I decided to go with a bit of a narrower tire. I rode 2.2” Teravail Rutlands. I did my research beforehand, and looked at the rigs of Silk Road from 2023 and Natalie Baillon, who I had met out at Atlas, won alongside Peggy Marvanova last year at Silk Road, and she rode 2.2 Pirelli Scorpions, basically a fat gravel tire. So I figured that it would be all right to have a little bit narrower tire, because again, like I said, it's not really single track heavy, but it's good to have a little bit of width for the comfort. And definitely recommend suspension fork for anything, especially this long, it's really just a comfort thing at that point.

ZS: Were you happy with the tires and all the gear? It all worked out. I mean, you won the race. Would you do it again?

HS: Yeah, there's really nothing I would change. And of course, we can't leave out my beautiful custom South City Stitchworks bags.

ZS: My interest is piqued...

HS: I have absolutely put my South City bags through hell. They've made it through everything, and are still holding up excellently. Yeah, I've got a full frame bag that's got the main compartment on the drive side, and then a map, kind of narrower pocket on the left, and then the full top tube bag that I never thought I would want and now can't live without.

ZS: Tell us more about these full length top tube bags, because you were one of the first really serious riders I made one of these bags for, and I was very nervous if you would like it or not. Thoughts?

HS: Yeah, I think Jacob Loos used one last year for Tour Divide. And he also is a very well respected single speed racer. And I feel like, whenever you approached me, and we started talking about what kind of bag setup I would want, I was very hesitant, and it was all just so petty of me, like, I was like, oh yeah, a full top tube bag just kind of looks silly.

ZS: We can say it: they're kind of ugly, right?!

HS: Not exactly aesthetically pleasing, haha.

ZS: I’d argue the look grows on you once you experience the functionality...

HS: I'm totally sold on top tube bags now that I see how convenient they are. If you match the colors to your frame bag and bike, they look pretty cool too.

I love the segmented design with two Velcro dividers that keep everything organized in three compartments and prevent the bag from getting floppy. I use the section closest to my seat post for emergency repair stuff: multi-tool, chain lube, headlamp, sunscreen. The middle section perfectly fits sleeves of cookies.(!) The front section holds electronics, and with the custom cord port, I can run my K-light USB charger through to charge devices while riding.

Everything stays accessible without digging around, and the zip closure keeps everything secure even on descents. No flop, super solid. 

ZS: “No flop” is music to my ears. 

HS: I think because you attach it to both the seat post and the head tube, it keeps it taut enough that I didn't have any issues. And I did have the standover clearance for it. 

ZS: You would run this bag set up again?

HS: Absolutely. Oh yeah, and the one hand closure on the feed bag. Big, big props. That was fantastic. I think mountain biking, you just have to have that option, and it works flawlessly.

ZS: Thanks for pushing me to do that. Because I've been making that feed bag for a while, but I'd always been hesitant about messing with the one handed closure, and then you asked for that. It pushed me to figure out how to do that. Now that's a standard thing I do on all those bags moving forward, so thanks for helping me be a better bag maker.

HS: Of course. Thanks for being open to it!

ZS: Awesome. So, back to gear, what was the climate like? What kind of clothing? How much clothing did you have to bring?

HS: I almost always wear a sun shirt. I just bring my one sun shirt. It's got a hood and little thumb holes so that I can cover as much skin as possible, because you can't carry enough sunscreen if you don't cover up at least some skin. And yeah, in Kyrgyzstan, you're in an Alpine desert a lot of the time, so you're up really high, you're closer to the sun, and it's a lot stronger. Throughout most of the day, it's pretty sunny. You've got your afternoon mountain storms, but for the most part, it's going to be sunny and hot for a large part of the day.

ZS: I think you were one of the first bikepackers to start rocking the sun shirts, and I see a lot of people doing that now.  It probably helps you ride a little bit faster, too, right? Because that's energy you're not burning, like your body dealing with the sun. How cold did it get at night?

HS: It got pretty chilly. I had my sun shirt, and then I also carried a rain layer, so rain jacket and rain pants. And then I also had my puffy jacket. I use a synthetic puffy and that jacket really—I could wear that and nothing else. And I hardly ever get cold. So it's one of those key things. It's also got a hood on it.

ZS: And that goes with you on all your races?

HS: Yep, every race. I think I even carried it for Showdown, because it's kind of like, at that point it's a safety thing. You’ve got to be able to get warm no matter what. And I like the synthetic one, because even if it gets wet, it keeps you warm. It doesn't pack as small, but I just stuff it into a dry bag, and it does well enough.

ZS: And what about your sleep kit?

HS: So I never skimp on the sleep kit. I did use a different air pad this time. I used one from Klymit, just their ultra light sleep pad. I think it's like two inches wide. And then I have a 30 degree down quilt and a cocoon sleeping bag liner. And I put all that inside of an Outdoor Research Helium Bivy.

ZS: Did you have anything you didn't need on this race?

HS: Not really. I think the thing that I always waffle back and forth about is the wool base layer, because I've carried it with me a lot, and there have been a few occasions that I've never pulled it out. For Silk Road, I just brought the pants because I knew that I'd have my puffy and my sun shirt. So I did use the wool pants once, really just to put on clean clothes that I hadn't worn yet, to sleep one of the nights when I was up at altitude near the Chinese border where it was very cold. But yeah, I think I would carry all the same kit, and there wasn't really anything that I forgot either. I did a pretty good job of making sure I had everything that I wanted.

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ZS: Can you tell us about Kyrgyzstan? What did it look like?

HS: So I was surprised, actually. Getting there, you fly into Bishkek, which is the capital city, and a lot of Bishkek feels very familiar to America, mostly just because all the cars that they're driving are very similar, and the architecture is not anything crazy, it's pretty familiar to what you see in an American city. I joked because I drive a '98 Honda CRV at home, and that's like the choice of car in Bishkek. They're everywhere. I was like, oh my gosh, I would fit in perfectly here!

ZS: So when you're out on the course, what was the day to day like?

HS: The second you leave the city, it becomes super remote and mountainous. You'll be climbing in the middle of nowhere, then turn a corner and find a whole herd of cattle and a yurt camp. Central Asia was historically nomadic, so the culture is still very live-off-the-land. These yurt camps can survive for weeks without outside supplies.

ZS: What was that like, the first time that you came around a corner and you saw a yurt camp in the beautiful mountains?

HS: Super comforting. There's always potential shelter if you get caught out. I never needed it, but friends got caught in storms or struggled with river crossings. I was shocked by how many full mountain rivers you have to carry your bike across—not creek crossings like in Arkansas, but proper mountain rivers.

ZS: How many river crossings are we talking here?

HS: I definitely got my program dialed after a few. After CP1, you cross the same river six or seven times in 20-30 kilometers. I developed a system: take off socks, keep shoes on, trudge through all the crossings getting completely soaked, then put on waterproof socks at the end. At least my feet stayed dry even with soaking wet shoes.

ZS: Waterproof socks are the unsung heroes of bikepacking gear.

HS: Truly, and you just have to use them properly, right? Because you can't go trudging through a river in waterproof socks, they will just get soaked. But they do a good job of protecting you from shoes that are already wet.

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ZS: At what point in the race did you kind of make your move? Because you were neck and neck with Italian rider Emma Missale for the first half or so of the race? Did you specifically strategize a move, or was it more a matter of simply continuing to ride hard and eventually pulling away?

HS: Little bit of both this time around. After the first day, you know, there's that massive pass Kegeti that you've got to get over, and then there was a second pass right after that—I didn't get service until well into the morning on the second day. When I checked, she was ahead of me, which was really exciting because I was like, sweet we've got ourselves a race. So I would check every once in a while to see where she was on the tracker. I did have to keep reminding myself that during these races, you really have to stick to your own program. There are strategic times I've pushed myself further or done something out of character to get a gap. But this time, it just naturally formed after a few days. There wasn't really a time I decided to push past her and start a gap. Each night I would push to a certain place and sleep, and by the time I was getting up, she had caught up to me. Over time, that continued to grow the gap.

ZS: I like how you used "program"—that's significant. It takes experience to have a program, because when you're out there it's survival. You need places to eat and rest, but you got to get there first.

HS: Right. It's been a journey!

ZS: You won the Silk Road Mountain Race. If someone capable of winning asked for advice, what would you tell them?

HS: Definitely have your program and stick to it, then strategically push limits when necessary. For Silk Road specifically, remember the race is very long—the last 300 kilometers was brutal. Two massive passes, Shamsi and Kok-Aryik, are no joke. Don't cut corners at the finish. At the Secret Oasis, after Shamsi pass with 100 kilometers left, I stopped for two full meals instead of just grabbing ice cream. Those were massive kilometers.

ZS: What about someone touring that route?

HS: Interact with locals. Sit down for tea, get meals, spend time with people who call it home—that's the best way to experience a place. And download Russian and Kyrgyz on Google Translate!

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ZS: Nice. Okay, I have a couple questions from some of your fans. Maggie Livelsberger wants to know your all-time favorite ride food?

HS: Tater Boost for sure. It's cold soak instant mashed potatoes that's savory and delicious. I added protein powder, which was great since actual protein was hard to find. Also ice cream—you can get it most places and it's good fat.

ZS: Do you have go-to music for difficult moments, or stay present?

HS: I try to get through three or four days before using headphones—makes the benefit more meaningful. Then I listen to podcasts. My friend Mel does "Detours," and I listened to every episode during Silk Road. For music, I love Caamp, a folk band from Ohio. Pedaling through mountains, you feel like you're in a music video.

ZS: Tanner Frady asks: Why flats over clips?

HS: I learned mountain biking on flats and feel more confident not being attached. Plus there are always inevitable hike-a-bikes, and clipless shoes are uncomfortable for hiking. Even with my pedal breaking, I'd still run flats.

ZS: You'd rather have flat pedals that break than clipless that don't break?

HS: That’s what I’m saying! My feet wouldn't have been happy in clipless shoes with all that hiking.

ZS: What's your take on single speed?

HS: I love it—there's magic there! Andrew Strempke talks about "Single Speed Magic." My partner Eric rides his Karate Monkey single speed and rigid almost exclusively. I've done it a few times and love it. So many respected bikepackers ride single speeds—the Strempkes, Alexandera Houchin, Andrew Onermaa, and the list goes on.. It's odd that nobody in Europe rides single speed.

ZS: Seems like a hardcore American thing.

HS: Right. I need more single speed mileage to figure out gear ratios, but I'd love to do the mountain races all on single speed.

ZS: Did we just break news?

HS: I don't think I've said that on the internet yet!

ZS: So Hannah Simon is single speed curious?

HS: Oh yeah, easily.

ZS: You heard it here first! Thanks for everything, Hannah!