Editor’s Note by Sarah Shaffer: Cyrus has long been an inspiring presence in our local outdoor community. We first heard about him and his twin brother, Niles, tackling long trail runs over a decade ago. In recent years, we have often crossed paths with Cyrus on our own mountain biking adventures. His kindness and humility stand out, even as he powers up steep climbs at an impressive pace. He always takes a moment to exchange a few friendly words before refocusing on the trail ahead.
Please read on to learn more about Cyrus in our interview with him.
Question: Cyrus, please tell us a bit about yourself. Your hobbies, interests, etc.
Answer: I grew up in Chelan and found love for the outdoors exploring up lake with my dad and brother. In college I became enthralled
with mountaineering after reading a book written by Ed Viesturs called, “No Shortcuts to the Top,” which got me back into running, and prompted me to take a mountaineering course. Since then, I’ve let one outdoor interest bleed into another, and love getting out as much as possible. I now live in Wenatchee with my wife and three cats.
Question: We have heard you compete in mountain or gravel bike endurance races? How many years have you been competing? What drives you to compete?
Answer: I’ve never considered myself a serious bike racer, and honestly, I probably never will. I’ve done some races before in other sports like trail running and Randonnée skiing, and for me, biking has always been the sport that I do for pure enjoyment and adventure. I picked up my first gravel bike on a whim around 8 or 9 years ago at Cycle Central and saw the potential to see a lot of places that I’d never really explored before, like Entiat Ridge, Sugarloaf, and Liberty above Mission Ridge. Shortly thereafter while searching for routes, I heard of the local legend Josh Kato who raced (and won) multi day bikepacking events like the Tour Divide, and I couldn’t wait to try one. I signed up for the Cross Washington Bikepacking race (XWA) in 2022 and won the race outright on a single speed. I have done several of those events because I get a ton of enjoyment meeting people and sharing camaraderie, mutual hardships, and competing more against myself. I mean, you get to ride your bike all day and eat gas station snacks, while seeing massively diverse landscapes. Nowadays, I do a little racing off and on, and host a local bikepacking event, the North Central Washington 250, annually in September.
Question: What are your biggest outdoor accomplishments? What events have you won etc.?
Answer: Cross Washington bikepacking event: 1st overall, Single speed. Stagecoach 400 (6th overall, 1st Single speed). Tour Divide (9th overall).
Back when mountain records were easier to obtain, I used to have running records on Eldorado peak, Mount Shuksan, and the Enchantments traverse, which have all since been crushed. Records aside, I have a great sense of self accomplishment in other exploits and completed my first thru hike on the AZT in 2023.
Question: Current favorite piece of outdoor gear and why?
Answer: Long sleeve sun hoody! Light, versatile, and protects my long neck. There are a ton of great options for sun hoodies out there, and I think it’s hard to go wrong. For long distance hiking and backpacking, I prefer a sun hoodie with a merino wool blend because it dries fast and doesn’t smell nasty like a synthetic layer will after a few days. I’ve used both a hoodie from Smartwool, and one from Ridge Merino and they are excellent. I also really like the OR echo sun hoodie for day trips and running because it is so light and similarly offers good sun protection.
Question: Before mountain or gravel bike competition season, what do you do to prepare?
Answer: Although I love biking, I also love running, backcountry skiing, Nordic skiing, and like to mix it up. In general, I just try to get in enough miles without overdoing it and add in a couple of harder sessions each week. I’ll do a rest day each week and a down week every 4-6 weeks. I am always experimenting and still figuring out what works best for me.
Question: What kind of diet/nutrition do you keep while training? Do you have an off-season diet or regiment?
Answer: I used to have an unhealthy relationship with food/weight, since I am on the taller side, and used to compare myself to other guys and athletes that were smaller than me. It’s taken me years to realize that I feel much healthier when I don’t focus on either. Nowadays, I don’t keep track of calories and try to get as much nutrition in as possible. This year during training, especially harder sessions, I’ve started using high carb fueling (100-120g carbs/hour) and find that it works well for me.
Question: How do you balance all of the outdoor activities you like to do? Do you focus on one sport at a time or try to juggle them or train for one while doing others more minimally?
Answer: Honestly, I try my best, and choose sport based on the season and what makes the most sense. Generally, I do a little planning
and goal setting every November/December before the new year and create a plan around that. I have found that balancing sports helps with injury prevention, and for me it keeps things interesting. For example, this year I am planning a running event in the spring, and more cycling in the summer/fall. So right now, I run 4-5 days/week, and bike or ski 2-3 days/week. With that said, if we get 2-3 feet of snow here in town in winter, then I’ll grab my skis and go ski every day in the foothills until it turns into slush. Nothing beats skiing the local townie classics.
Question: It seems you enjoy adventure. What draws you to the outdoor adventures you partake in?
Answer: Great question. I love exploring and seeing new places/landscapes more than anything. I also love the aspect of challenging myself. Whether it’s in the higher mountains on ridgelines or in the desert with all the pokey plants. I get psyched looking around and being present outside.
Question: What is a memory that stands out while on your many outdoor adventures?
Answer: In 2024 I completed a bikepacking race called the Stagecoach 400, in California. On the evening of the second day, I was sitting in 8th place, having ridden for 36 hours without sleep, and chasing three guys in front of me. With just around 60 miles to go, the course takes riders back up into the high mountains from the desert, up above 8,000′, and there was an ongoing snowstorm at higher elevations. As I rode into the second night without sleep, I started hallucinating, particularly in the last few hours, seeing wildlife and cartoon characters in the woods all around me. In the last five miles, I remember nodding off while pushing my bike uphill through 8 inches of snow. I finished in 44.5 hours, at four in the morning, alone in a snowstorm in 6th place overall, 1st place Single speed. This was my first time truly testing the sleep deprivation game, and although I really enjoyed the experience, I certainly learned more about myself. Taking care of yourself is paramount in self-supported endeavors, and I believe the ultimate goal should be to find that balance between pushing hard and staying safe.
Question: What outdoor event is your favorite and why?
Answer: The Tour Divide, hands down. The Tour Divide is one of the first self-supported ultra endurance cycling events that was developed in the early 2000’s that has helped develop the sport of bikepacking into what it is today. It is very well known, has a large following across the world, and attracts hundreds of cyclists each year to take on the race (or “Grand Departure”) in June.
I truly love bikepacking events like no other racing events. There is such a strong sense of community and unity in self-supported racing. The events have public tracking, and the trail magic that pops up in these events is really unique. Because the Tour Divide is the most popular bikepacking race, it has so much of this magic. Plus, it’s hard as hell.
Question: Most memorable time on a bike and why?
Answer: Completing the Tour Divide in 2023. It’s a 2600+ mile primarily off-road self-supported bikepacking race from Banff to Mexico, where the clock doesn’t stop. I rode my bike every day for 18+ hours/day for 16 days in all conditions and experienced some of the most stunning views along the Continental Divide. Additionally, I met so many great people and just fell in love with the small-town 
communities along the way. I remember being stopped on the road by a moose that wouldn’t let me pass for 15 minutes. The day I finished I ate at Denny’s at 2am with another rider, then rode 125 miles in 106 degrees to get to the border in Antelope Wells. It’s an experience that’s difficult to describe in a short paragraph, and one I surely won’t forget.
Question: What other activities do you enjoy other than mountain/gravel biking?
Answer: Trail/mountain running, ultralight backpacking, mountaineering (but generally the less technical stuff), skiing, chess, anything with a frisbee! Someday I’d love to learn how to sail!
Question: What does a typical day look like for you? What do you do?
Answer: On days that I’m working I try to get out for an hour or two on the bike or running after work on local trails. On weekends, I’ll go out for a longer day with my wife and friends and try to explore somewhere new!
Question: What sport are you most excited to challenge yourself more on? Or a new sport you would like to try out?
Answer: I really like the longer distance style of events and routes. Since hiking the Arizona trail in 2023, I have always wanted to take part in the bike race that rides that trail. Similarly, I am hoping to take on some longer runs and hikes over these next couple of years.
Question: Favorite life quote and why.
Answer: “You only die once, but you can live a thousand times.” I don’t remember where I heard the quote, but it was in response to the phrase “Yolo (you only live once),” and I really resonate with it.
Question: Anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Answer: Don’t wait. Get after it, even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone a little. I’ve postponed or cancelled trips before and wished I hadn’t. But I have never regretted going for it.
Please check out the NCW 250 guidebook post on Wenatchee Outdoors here.
