My mission is to bring you inspiring conversations about bikepacking, ultra endurance racing, training, nutrition and mental health.
About:
Steve O’Shaughnessy is an ultra-distance cyclist (semi retired due to a hip replacement) and the host of the MyBack40 Podcast, a weekly show focused on bikepacking, ultra-endurance cycling, and adventure riding. Through in-depth conversations and firsthand experience, he shares stories from long-distance cycling expeditions, along with practical insights on training, nutrition, and preparation for multi-day rides. The podcast also explores men’s mental health, highlighting the connection between endurance, resilience, and personal growth within the bikepacking and cycling community
“As I navigate my own path to better mental health, sharing my experience and learning from others has been a huge part of the process for me.”
My Back 40 started as a way to look at what’s actually going on beneath the surface—for me, and for the people I spend time with.
A lot of that has come through endurance sport. Long rides, long days, and the kind of conversations that happen when there’s time and space for them.
Over time, I started noticing the same thing come up again and again. A lot of men are carrying more than they let on—stress, pressure, disconnection—and not many places to talk about it honestly.
So this became a place for that.
The podcast is built around conversations about bikepacking, ultra endurance racing, training, nutrition, and mental health, but more than anything it’s about how people actually experience their lives. Not just what they do, but how they show up.
Some of those conversations stick. They point to patterns—things that keep coming up whether you deal with them or not.
If you want to listen, start there.
“The conversations shared here are a reminder that we’re all carrying something. In that, I feel less alone. The community that has grown around MyBack40 is built on support, and I’m deeply grateful to be part of it.”
For some people, listening isn’t enough.
Mettle Mechanic grew out of that. It’s a way to take those conversations a step further through one-on-one work focused on self-awareness, communication, and changing how you show up.
If you’re ready for that, you can start here.
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Or just stay, listen, and take what you need.
Either way, this is just a place to start.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
2017 AR 700 - first and only scratched race.
2018 BC Epic 1000 (1060km, 11,000m) 4 days, 4 hours
2018 Cross River Ripper Fatbike Race, 11th overall
2019 The Lost Elephant Ultra Race ITT (530km, 11,000) 2 days, 15 hours
2019 Cross River Ripper Fat Bike Race, 6th overall
2020 Lost Elephant Ultra Race finishing in 2nd. Singlespeed
2021 BC Epic 1000 yoyo. 2,200km with 19,500m of ascent in 10.5 days during which I raised $2,100 for the Masaka Cycling Club in Uganda
2021 AR 700 finishing in 5th
Cited as one of the top 6 adventure podcasts in Canada in Explore Magazine
2022 I finished the 4,400km Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race in just over 27 days
2023 Buckshot. 381km, 6800m Gain, 36h9m
2022 Tour Divide:
All of the accomplishments above led to the ultimate test for Steve as he completed the 2022 Tour Divide.
“For me, the 2022 Tour Divide was the ultimate test for the lessons learned in the other events I participated in. It’s hard to put into words what finishing an adventure such as this means. It was not only a journey of a lifetime, it was a time to reconcile the past and to think deeply about how I want to show up in the future, not only for others, but for myself.”
Audiobook
I am pretty excited about this. I got Michael's permission to record this as an audiobook!
Join my Patreon at the $10 level and follow along with this fun project! I am getting chapters out as fast as I can!
