Hi,
🚵 Ever wondered what it takes to survive 8 days of South African heat while racing mountain bikes 400+ miles through punishing terrain? Just ask The Feed HPT athlete Alexis Skarda, who finished 2nd at Cape Epic this year.
This is Alexis’ unique story – from runner to mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and….electronic music.
Shop the Alexis Skarda Pack
From 4th Grade Fun Run to Pro Bike Racer
Alexis didn’t like sports initially, but she entered her fourth-grade fun run and won. Classmates accused her of taking a shortcut, which fired her up – by age 8, she was practicing triathlon transitions in her backyard.
🏃 Alexis ran track and cross-country for Colorado Mesa University, where she was named an NCAA All-American 3 times. She started mountain biking to train through an injury, which led to a Collegiate National Championship that year – she successfully defended the title 2 times before graduating in 2011 with multiple degrees.
Alexis jumped into professional racing – and got humbled fast. Working as a teacher while "getting last place at races and going backwards in abilities,” she had to dig deep to find motivation.
Determination Pays Off
🏅 Alexis’ no-quit attitude paid off – 3x US National Marathon Mountain Bike Champion, Pro Cross-Country Tour winner, multiple Epic Ride Series podiums, 2x Team USA World Championships representative, and she’s held the White Rim Trail FKT. She also placed second at gravel nationals, showing her range across off-road disciplines.
Cape Epic Success
🇿🇦 Cape Epic is arguably the world’s toughest mountain bike race – 2-person teams race 8 days over wildly diverse terrain in equally diverse conditions in South Africa.
With partner Vera Looser, Alexis earned 2nd in 2025 and 5th in 2024. Her preparation? Train like it is the hardest race ever – sauna sessions for heat adaptation and massive bike volume for the 8 brutal stages.
Lifetime Grand Prix: Mountain Bike + Gravel
The Lifetime Grand Prix mixes mountain bike and gravel races – perfect for Alexis’s skill set.
In 2024, she was 4th overall despite mid-season collarbone surgery and raced Leadville 100 six weeks post-surgery. 2023 wins included mountain bike races (Cactus Cup, Moab Rocks) plus gravel victories (Telluride 100, Breckenridge Epic, Pikes Peak Apex).
🎵 Music + Racing
Alexis has been making electronic music longer than she’s been racing – she started at her dad’s workstation in high school. She made her live music debut with a 30-minute set at the 2023 Big Sugar Gravel post-race party. Talk about range.
Fuel Like Alexis
Alexis’s wide range of skills and interests is reflected in her nutrition choices – fuel like her with the Alexis Skarda Pack:
