Cullen Perkey

Donkey is out of the bag!!! So stoked to be representing @rodeolabs this gravel season and onward. This Traildonkey 4.0 was designed from the ground up to be a race ROCKET. It’s been a treat working with the tech wizards at Rodeo Adventure Labs HQ to squeeze every drop of performance from this rig. We even managed to match it to my @avoutracing race kit! The words to express my stoke over this custom build are beyond me. I’m sure there will be a bike check post incoming, but for now I can’t wait to get out and get this bike DIRTY. Catch y’all at the rodeo🤠 …Oh yeah, did I mention mountain bike tires? There will be mountain bike tires 😈 📸- @rodeolabs #rodeolabs #rodeolabstraildonkey #spiritofgravel #gravelbike #gravel #adventure

DESERT GRAVEL 🥈🥈🥈 Pretty exctatic to see the endurance legs coming around leading up to @unboundgravel - if you had asked me a year ago if I was any good at long races I would have laughed at you, but here we are and I’m standing on a podium for a 125 mile altitude(ish) gravel race! I checked all the boxes on my personal goals, and just so happened to come away with a little bling in the process! Thank you so much @desertgravel for having me out for such a fantastic weekend of racing, laughter, and good times on bikes! Till next time! Vibes✅ Rad humans✅ Adventure✅ Carb intake✅ @carbsfuel Tan lines✅ “And fun was had by all” (P.S. - Don’t tell ETRTO but I raced 2.35 @schwalbetires Thunder Burts on my @rodeolabs Trail Donkey. It was REALLY fast ;))

Sea Otter 2026 - the “better late than never” post: A DNF is never a fun result to write home about, but sometimes you have to roll the dice to be where you want to be in such a stacked elite field. I had good legs for the first lap, and was able to hang for top 30 before experiencing some of the gnarliest cramping I’ve had in a while. I pushed through for lap two, but the state of my body plus the repeated, steep and punchy climbs on course compounded on one another. I found myself rolling through the start/finish with one lap to go as my entire lower back seised. While I didn’t have the raw power to be there on race day, I LOVED being around all the lovely people at the @seaotterclassic expo! Bike people are the best people, and it’s events like this that bring this community together :) Thank you @johnny.vanderwell - owner of @faastproducts , @lars.str0m and @gulocomposites for the support on race day and for such a fantastic week with friends! On to the next 🫡

Life is hectic sometimes!! I’m back in Michigan after being in Colorado/California/Tucson - I owe everyone a couple of race recaps, and those will come in the next few days. But here is some of the gear I’ve been running recently! Maybe we could call this a bike check? @rodeolabs TD4 @schwalbetires 2.35 Thunder Burts or 50c G1RS SRAM eagle drivetrain with force brakeset and cranks - all the shifty bits with a nice coating of @faastproducts ;) @gulocomposites GGA44’s @wovebike M8 (more on this soon - Suffice to say I’m really digging it) Trek RSL cockpit 37/40/130 This setup was golden for the first two stops of my calendar - it is such an honor to be in the position where my gear is never the determining factor of performance. Now it’s time for a quick rip on the flat bars at @mudsweatbeers before we bite down on some volume for @unboundgravel !!

@carbsfuel eject-o seat-o

It’s about the simple things really. California is stunning, and I get to play in these hills with my friends. Life is pretty freaking cool. Super excited to get more time on these roads on the days leading up to @seaotterclassic @lifetimegrandprix race day!

Thats like, only two @carbsfuel gels. Putting the final touches on my prep for @lifetimegrandprix Sea Otter Gravel. It’s almost time to give ‘er the beans🏎️🏎️🏎️ #cycling #gravel #gravelracing #training

March in review - sunsets - 100 degree commutes - coffee stops - cactus views - @nicky._.pascarella and @_edenro in the house

In this moment, I love riding my bike more than I ever have before. Volume blocks rock - now it’s time to step on the skinny one for @lifetimegrandprix Sea Otter Gravel prep🏎️

Back on the pedals again. Being sick sucks, going fast is way better 🏎️ #gravel #gravelbike #bikerace #night #fast

what a year. I started 2025 as a desert-dwelling U23 XC racer. The plan was simple - earn UCI Points, Qualify for a world cup, MAYBE win a race, and document it all on a foray into the world of “influencing”. And isn’t it interesting how one can always expect life to turn out in a way that is both completely out of left field and more amazing than ever imagined? Months of injury and recovery, burnout that lead to finding a new spark, laughing, trying new things, crying, crashing, learning, working multiple jobs in different states, redefining success, and smiling (sometimes because of, sometimes in spite of) the crazy adventure that my year turned out to be. 2025 came to a close and I am again a desert-dweller, but now as an elite off road endurance racer (gravel racer? Marathon Mountain bike racer? Adventure athlete?). I don’t post unless doing so feels fulfilling and meaningful. I ride my bike because it is fun to adventure and to move my body and to be strong. I smile more than I did a year ago. Sometimes I go on a run (usually I regret it after, but sometimes I don’t) and I’m fitter than I’ve ever been in my life. Life exists to be made full. My life is full. And I am so excited to see where it goes from here :) Thank you @rodeolabs for making the best bicycle ever to be made on this planet. Pedaling fills me with joy and I am so grateful to do so on my Trail Donkey. Thank you @gulocomposites for making some of the lightest, fastest wheels I’ve ever had the honor to ride Thank you @justin_kreger_ket for being a friend and someone to trust when I felt like I couldn’t trust my own intuition on the bike, and for giving me really really horrible intervals on occasion. They hurt. A lot. Thank you @basecampcyclery and @onedaylonger for keeping me and my bikes suited and booted throughout the 2025 season. Denver’s cycling scene needs a little more XC/endurance flair, and y’all do it pretty damn well. Thank you @noridearound - I don’t think I went to a single event this year where someone in a NoRideAround jersey didn’t stop and say hi to me. Community is a wonderful thing. And thank you to everyone who believes in chasing dreams. Peace, 2025✌️

Holidays with my people, my favorite place on earth, and my bike :)