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It’s official! Alexandera Houchin has joined forces with Esker Cycles as their first sponsored athlete, and she has big plans for 2024. Find Alexandera’s thoughts on the new partnership and take a peek at her new Titanium Esker Japhy here…
Photos by Josh Kowaleski
Alexandera Houchin is a force to be reckoned with. Over the last six years, she’s stacked up multiple ultra-endurance race victories and records in events including the Colorado Trail, Tour Divide, and Arizona Trail Race. She’s also logged an incredible six consecutive Colorado Trail starts and finishes, along with three consecutive Arizona Trail Race 800 starts and finishes. It doesn’t sound like she has any plans to slow down, either, and she’s hoping to best some of her own records and tackle a few new challenges this coming season. We’ve loved following her races and rides, first awarding her Ultra-Achiever of the Year back in 2018.
Alexandera joined forces with Chumba Cycles in 2021, riding a custom-built titanium Chumba Sendero to a first-place finish at the Colorado Trail Race. Since then, every event she’s participated in has been aboard a Chumba, and she’s developed a reputation as an incredibly strong singlespeed mountain biker and a captivating storyteller, including several pieces here on the site and two in The Bikepacking Journal. As of today, Alexandera is officially Esker Cycles’ first sponsored athlete and will be riding a shiny new Titanium Japhy for 2024 and beyond.
Here’s what Alexandera had to say about the new partnership:
“Sometimes, it’s radical change that pushes one out of their comfort zone. In partnering with Esker, I’ve launched into a world unknown to me. Through all of our conversations, one thing has been made glaringly apparent; the team at Esker truly sees my worth. Not in a one-dimensional way, but in a complex way that makes me feel respected, valued, and curious. I feel seen.
As we partner to bring increased representation of the diversity across cycling, I get to spend more time and share my access to resources with a community I care deeply about—Indian Country. In signing with Esker, I’ve negotiated access to our bike fleet with hopes of hosting more events across Indian Country to give my relatives the experience of riding highly capable bikes.
As I have been racing competitively as a singlespeed mountain biker, I’ve been increasingly curious as to what possibilities exist if I ride a full suspension bike or maybe even a bike with gears. I am curious as to what bikepacking looks like if we can extend more invitations to riders of diverse socioeconomic brackets in an ethical way. I am humbled to join this team, this family, working to fight for our place in the bike world. Look out, we got big ideas and the heart to make things happen.”
Some of Alexandera’s achievements include:
- 2018: 1st Place Women Tour Divide
- 2019: 1st Place Women, Tour Divide Women’s SS Record
- 2019: 1st Place Women Colorado Trail, Women’s Overall Record (also SS)
- 2021: Spring Arizona Trail 300 ITT, Women’s SS Record
- 2021: 1st Place Women Colorado Trail Race (SS)
- 2022: 1st Place Women Colorado Trail Race, Women’s Overall Record (also SS)
- 2023: Tour Divide 6th place Women, Current SS Women’s Record
- 2023: Arizona Trail Race 800 2nd place Women, SS Women’s Record
- 2023 Triple Crown Challenge 2nd place Women, SS Women’s Record
According to Esker, Alexandera will play a key role in their R&D and bikepacking product development. We’re excited to see what this means moving forward and are excited to follow this new chapter!
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