#followcamfriday sampling the most iconic trail at 18 road with Noah Sears

If there is one section of trail that is burned into my brain more than any other in Fruita, it has to be this section pictured below. This is technically called "Frontside" I think, but this is on the way to Zippity. This section has been photographed and filmed to death, and for good reason. Something about the curving ribbon of perfect singletrack, dropping sharply away, never fails to make me smile. This is iconic. 

If I am being honest, 18 Road is not my favorite place to ride. It's actually not my cup of tea at all. There are no rocks, nothing is steep or sustained. Not my type of riding at all. I hate on this place all the time. But, when I look at this photo, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have this place and how much I actually do enjoy riding it. It is definitely boring if you are just cruising about, but if you are sprinting everywhere and riding on the limit, chasing Noah, it is definitely an attention getter. I can't help but crack a smile when I think about Zippity. As much of a green run as it is. I guess I actually can have fun without risking my life. 

My "enduro" bike is definitely overkill, and this would probably be more fun on a hardtail, but the slack head angle doesn't hurt in the faster sections. Nothing is tight, the long stable enduro rig is definitely not slowing me down. I guess this is a perfect example of proof that there is actually no perfect bike. Everyone asks me all the time which bike I like the best.... Well, I don't honestly care that much. My goal is to have fun, and I am not having any more, or any less fun because of my bike choice. I can have fun on just about anything. There are certain instances when a certain bike might excel at a certain section of trail, but at the end of the day, my post ride beer tastes just as good, regardless of what bike I was riding. 

Noah is unreasonably fit right now. The byproduct of pandemic life. We are very fortunate to be working in an industry that is booming currently as the world desperately latches onto outdoor activities. Like most in the industry, we have been riding more than ever. We are fortunate to have this release, and the means to make it happen, no question. Noah is training for a 200 mile gravel race. While some eat the stress of the world away, Noah chooses to ride his brains out, much like myself. We all deal with the chaos of the world in our own way. I am glad we have a "healthy" outlet. I would be a miserable asshole if I didn't ride constantly. 

It is snowing up high in Colorado as I type these words. Hopefully Fruita takes on a bit of moisture. This weekend will be absolute chaos at 18 Road with snow in the mountains and all of Colorado trying to ride bikes. Tourism is a delicate balance, I know this from living in a ski town for the last 25 years. As annoying as a crowded trailhead can be, it is honestly good to see humans enjoying our great outdoors. The pandemic has increased traffic on the trails, but it has also introduced so many new people to the sport. As annoying as it can be as a "local", I do believe it is for the betterment of the sport and humanity as a whole. You can still get away from the masses if you try harder, If you head to 18 Road this weekend, be ready, it will be crowded, you know that. 

There is a reason that "tourists" come to these places from all over. It's the same reason we ride there. There isn't really anything better than riding with your friends in the great outdoors. Everyone is trying to do the same thing, regardless of what bike you are riding, how you are dressed, or where you are from. Just fucking ride. And be nice to the "tourists", everyone is a "local" somewhere. 

#followcamfriday doing #nationalbeerday correct with a lap on PBR in Fruita, Colorado with Noah Sears. See what I did there?

Apparently this past Wednesday was " National Beer Day" It must be so, because the internet said it was. Somehow this seemed like a proper way to pay tribute to this very important holiday. I didn't celebrate Easter, but this one.... It's a must!

Don't drink beer and ride bikes kids. Noah actually doesn't drink, so this absolute rubbish was just what the doctor ordered to quench his thirst before, and after we rode for a few hours out at 18 road. Come to think of it, I rarely drink beer. I have probably drank 4 or 5 in the last year. Modelo mostly. I am more of a tequila guy lately. Another beverage that is only appropriate, post ride. Stay in school kiddos. Stand up straight, clean up your potty mouth, pull your pants up. Okay boomer. 

Good old 18 road. Word on the street is that this place is an absolute zoo on the weekends. Thank you for your bountiful harvest, Covid. The gift that just keeps on giving. Wednesday was a wise choice. The main parking lot was only 1/4 full at 5 when we started riding. I guess timing is everything. Everyone must have been at home, drinking beer. You can't tell because of the fisheye lens, but I am basically touching Noah in the air in this photo.  

2 boys, 2 drones. For this one we actually flew 2 Skydio 2's at the same time. My computer partially melted while making the edit, but that was a fun experiment. I was secretly hoping that the drones would start fighting each other, resulting in a dramatic crash situation, but I had no such luck, The obstacle avoidance is just too good, leaving me with a mess to work with in iMovie. Synching audio from my chest cam is hard enough with one drone.... All in the name of cinema. 

We flew the drones on opposite sides to get all of the angles. This is like having a 360 cam in the sky, except the image quality doesn't suck. People ask me why I don't use 360 cams. There is your answer. They are still in the "cool story bro" category for me. Also, I can't really be bothered to ride around with a giant stick, sticking sideways off of my head. I am enough of a kook with 2 gopro's and a drone chasing me. Now I just need 2 drones to follow me at all times and make my life an absolute trainwreck of battery charging and devices. If you read about someone's van burning down from lithium ion batteries, it was probably my van. Ticking time bomb. 

I have ridden PBR twice in the last 4 or 5 years and I crashed both times. These crashes were both within a couple hundred feet of each other, strangely enough. I am not sure what I did to deserve this, but PBR is mad at me. I used to ride for a team out of Boulder that was sponsored by PBR. I have drank so many in the past, that I really can't bring myself to ever drink another. Perhaps the trail can sense my disdain for this hipster rubbish shit beer. I guess I had it coming. 

So what have we learned? PBR hates me. Even on national beer day. Don't trust the hipsters, PBR actually sucks. 2 drones are better than one and make my life a living hell. Noah Sears is pinned. Never drink and ride bikes children. 

I have spent a ton of time in GJ and this is a new one to me. Noah Sears giving the #followcamfriday loc-dog tour of Windmill. 

Windmill was finished last year and is a prime example of what I would consider "downcountry" riding. So hot right now. This is the type of trail that is fun on any bike but can be ridden waaay faster on a 100mm whip. Nothing too tech or too rough, just enough flow and chunk to keep you on your toes. This one holds speed better than most in the area. Most of the riding in GJ is engineered to make you ride slow, but this one is a ripper. Basically, just don't line the insides of turns with huge rocks and build turns where there is no need for them, and you have yourself an amazing piece of trail. Thank you to who ever build this one. 

To do this, we started at the Butterknife trailhead and climbed the road towards the Ribbon. This loop starts in Bangs Canyon on some amazingly fast and scary slickrock that felt very similar to the infamous Ribbon. You could hit 50 in this section if you knew where you were going. From there, you basically ride rolly polly, blue run singletrack for an hour and a half, until you end up at the Colorado River. 

After all of that amazing singletrack, you have to climb 2000 ft back to the car. If you are lucky, like Noah and I, you can roll with a squad of cows, kicking up dust and blasting turds to keep you honest. This was all the motivation we needed to make it back to the car. I was craving a cheeseburger. Noah was not. Noah is vegan. 

There is always something special about looking down into the Grand Valley with gray skies and the sun pumping. Some would call this lightbro. Noah dressed film-correct with his bright ensemble, making my job even easier. The perfect storm of light, color and talent. Footy for the boys has never looked so good. 

I never track my rides anymore as my life is way too complicated already. Last thing I need is another thing to plug into my computer which is smoking slightly as I type these words. The privileged life of a "content creator". I guess what I was getting at it the fact that I have no data from this loop. If I had to guess, 24miles, 4000ft of gain, 3 hours. We stopped for 5 minutes to look at cows and eat sugar in small packages. My camera batteries all died. That tells me that it was a reasonable outing, and that is all the data I have for you. I suppose it would have been nice to know our top speed on the rock pictured above. 

So, after spending most of the winter in Arizona, I am pretty stoked to be back in the Colorado\ Utah zone. My time in AZ was truly special and I feel fortunate to have had a tight crew to ride with down there. Riding is always fun, but the people are always the icing on the cake. I don't feel right giving much life advice, but if I have learned one thing along the way, it's to always surround yourself with good people. Noah Sears is a great example of that, alway down to ride, always keeps the levels up, always a pleasure. Class-act, that Noah Sears. 

I am not sure what is over the cliff to the right of us. We were going way too fast to check it out, maybe next time. Keep it locked right here for more content from the GJ \ Moab zone in the coming weeks. We are getting the band back together. Reunion tour 2021.

Ever wonder what is happening behind you while you are riding? #followcamfriday leading the party train with Kyle Mears, Randy Sooter, Josh Tostado and Sam Schultz.

Sometimes when I am riding in front of my friends, I start to wonder what is unfolding behind my rear wheel. Sometimes I hear laughing, sometimes it is skidding and the sounds of the abrasive ground having it's way with tires. Sometimes it is a combo and I am always interested to see what is unfolding behind me as my friends try and hold my wheel. I am usually not leading the train, but when the camera is facing backwards, the chaos is captured for the pleasure of the internet. 

As it turns out, I can actually ride more normally when my camera is on my back and out of harm's way. I am definitely not complaining, but it is hard to be dynamic with a gimbal hanging off of your chest. My normal setup makes me ride more upright than I would prefer and lessens the distance from my handlebars to my chest. But it shoots sweet video..... So I have always made the sacrifice. My rig sure does feel nice, hanging off of my back. 

I rarely get to ride with my friend Josh Tostado. Josh is a 24hr national champion, ultra endurance badass. One of the strongest people in the world on the bike. As you will see in my video, Josh absolutely crushes it on the descent too. This is a great reminder to not try too hard and place labels on people. Yes, this "ultra nerd" is waaay faster than you on the descents. No one gets to the highest level of any segment of cycling without being good at riding bikes. Simple as that. Next time you label someone as a "downhiller" or an "XC guy", just remember that we all ride mountain bikes and that is all that really matters. 

The thing I like about the rear-facing cam is that I haven't seen the footage when I go to make an edit. It is all a surprise, rather than seeing it for a second time, after riding, while making an edit. Classic Kyle Mears right here, just casually riding manuals behind me on an extraordinarily rough and fast bit of trail. No big deal, JRA.  Kyle is special. Of all the people I have ridden with over the years, Kyle has impressed me the most. His natural skill on the bike is nothing short of art. 

This is what is cool about mountain biking. Our crew consists of an Olympian, a 24 hour champion, Randy Sooter the loc-dog and Kyle the legend that he is. We all just enjoy riding our bikes, regardless of our backgrounds and skill sets. We can all go out and have a wonderful time laughing at each other and absolutely crush some trail. I can't think of another sport that is so welcoming and has the ability to bring people together around these amazing wheeled contraptions. 

This marks the end of my Tucson riding block. Huge thanks to Randy for all of the good times and motivation. There is just something special about the Tucson riding scene. The trails are obviously world-class but as I have found in most locations, the people make the experience what it is. Without amazing people to ride with, I am not really sure what I would be doing with my life today. I feel very fortunate for the vibe and riding scene that we had going for a couple of months. The crew that we had can never be replicated. I am a lucky man.  

#followcafriday with those classic AZT singletrack feels on Bellota to Milagrosa with Sam, Randy, Josh and Kyle

Why yes, that is a plastic fork attached to my handlebars with a rubber band. Thank you for asking. This is the easiest and fastest way to remove the dredded Cholla cactus from my hand or a friends body. This thing comes in handy way too often unfortunately. It's like taping tire plugs to your bars, when you need things in a rush, this is the best place. This officially makes me a local. 

It should also be noted that I always have a utensil to eat a can of fish at any point in the ride. You always have to be prepared for this sort of thing. Most people prefer the cardboard like texture of a bar in a wrapper, but I have always prefered fish in the can. Pro tip- bring a spare baggie to put the can in after you eat the fish so your pack or your bibs don't smell like sardines for the next week. Don't say I never did anything for you. 

This was my first time riding the Reddington side of the Bellota AZT. We accessed this by first climbing Agua Caliente and then "riding" off the back side to Reddington road. Good luck team. I feel like Randy may have sandbagged us, but we are stronger for it. Fortunately, we ran into some of Sam's friends at the start of the descent and they had cookies. After you are a few hours into the ride and your shins are bleeding  from riding through bushes and cactus, cookies fix everything. Energy levels peeking. 

Bellota dumps onto Milagrosa, ending the ride on one of the best bits of trail in the state. The descent from the top of Bellota, all the way to the bottom of Millie is many miles of smashing and smiles. I recommend that you stop at the tree with the tequila chained to it if you have been out for 5ish hours. Randy had to go to work, so we kept the train rolling. 

When I watch Sam Schultz ride, I remember why bikes are fun still. We basically have the same goal- spend as much time in the air as possible and egg your friends on to do the same. Basically, just pull up off of anything and everything that resembles a bump. A golf ball sized pebble in the trail, a 1 inch tuft of grass, a small stick laying near the trail, anything really. All I see is jumps. When I go for a "ride",  this is actually code for- I am just out here looking for things to jump off of. I care  little about anything else in life. Sam knows the drill. 

So, go ride your bike and jump some shit. Nothing else actually matters. Wheel size? Nope. Tire choice? Nope. Pedal choice? Nope. Just go ride your damn bike and hit some sweet fucking jumps. You can thank me later. Instagram will always be there to stare at later after you have pedaled a few miles and hucked some shit. Live for it. 

#followcamfriday riding with former olympian Sam Schultz and Kyle Mears at sunset on Lower Agua Caliente in Tucson, Arizona. 

Sam Schultz is a legend. He represented our country at the 2012 summer olympics in London, placing 15th in Cross Country. Sam was also XC national champion that year. In addition to being the nicest guy you will ever meet, Sam absolutely shreds on the bike. Throw Kyle Mears into the mix and an Agua Caliente lap at sunset, and we have FollowCamFriday gold. 

This was "first lap" for Kyle so we made him lead. Sam has ridden this one a number of times, so he was trying to pimp Kyle in every turn that snuck up on him. Kyle and Sam have been friends for years and I first introduced in Moab while hanging with Kyle. Sam's dog Pancho has a crush on Pete. 

In addition to being a bad-ass on the bike, Sam helped start the NICA chapter in Missoula, Montana. Sam is responsible for getting a bunch of local kids into the sport and the scene up there has been growing strong ever since. He now coaches at the Cycling House in Tucson part-time, running week long camps for aspiring roadies. A man of many talents. He is riding the latest release from Rocky Mountain Bikes and I had to wait a few weeks to show you this. Didn't want to spoil the surprise. 

To be very clear, Kyle Mears is the toughest dude I know. When Kyle crashes, the ground breaks. Brick shit house. On this particular day, Kyle fell victim to a pile of loose baby-heads in a sharp turn after a fast straight. As this was his first run and the sun was perfectly blinding, these sort of things happen. This crash would have put me in the hospital, no question. It didn't even phase Kyle. I thought Sam was going to run him over. 

I posted a video of Agua Caliente about a month ago, but we only rode the top section, before descending into the Milagrosa trail valley. This is Agua Caliente proper. I am am not sure which bottom section I like better. This one is more used and eroded and usually full of hikers, but is amazingly rough and rugged at speed. The other version is less used and more natural and has more cactus to stick into your body. I love them both. 

I left Tucson a couple of weeks ago now, and I am honestly missing AZ a ton. Seventy degree days, a proper crew, and post ride margs are an indication of life, properly lived. The skiing is starting to come around, time to confuse my body with a change of seasons. 

#followcamfriday chasing afternoon light with Randy Sooter and Kyle Mears on La Milagrosa, the most classic trail in Tucson, Arizona

After getting denied last week, we were determined to get a late afternoon redemption lap on La Milagrosa. Last week, everything exploded at once, leaving us out on the trail, well after the sun had set for the evening. Not a big deal really, it's just a shame to miss out on one of the best sections of trail in Tucson. The two last sections of Mili, directly before and after the last climb are two of my favorites anywhere in the world. As fast as you want to go. Remain upright or explode in a fireball of twisted carbon and metal. 

When I am planning these rides when cameras are involved, I am always trying to play the light game and this oftentimes leaves us racing sunlight to get out of the woods or off of the mountain. Shooting in blown out, midday light is suboptimal in my world. I mean, the riding is just as much fun, but the footy for the boys is somewhat lacking when the sun is high in the sky. Hella cinema. Basically, I have been doing this long enough to not shoot in shity light. That said, sometimes I wait a bit too long to start the day, leaving zero room for error. Errors were made. 

Again, due to another camera snafu, we found ourselves almost riding out in the dark, again. People ask me all the time why I still run a gimbal and the last few minutes of my video are one of the best reasons. You see, internal stabilization is great and all but stops working in low light. The entire bottom of this one would have been unusable if I was shooting without a gimbal. Instead, we have perfectly smooth, low-light goodness with heaps of grain. Some call it "cinematic". Believe me when I tell you that this would not be possible with the newest GoPro's internal stabilization.  I like the look of the grain and darkness as we finish this one. 

There is just something special about riding Milagrosa into the sunset. Of course you can't actually see anything, but the beauty is so overwhelming that you don't actually need to see to feel the vibe. Riding blind into the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen is special. What you cannot see cannot hurt you. It is hard to explain, but Randy and Kyle understand. It's a vibe, the type of thing you never forget. You can almost taste the tequila as the bottom draws closer. Eyes up, heels down. 

#followcamfriday picking up where we left off last week with Kyle Mears and Randy Sooter on two of the finer sections of the Arizona Trail.

The question still remains. Will we make it off of the mountain before we run out of light.... This was one of those rides that didn't leave much room for error. Unfortunately for us, errors were made. This is a relatively unrelenting section of trail, perhaps we will budget more time in the future. Tequila tastes the same in the day or night, so what does it really matter what time we finish... 

We showed you the top of this one on Bug Springs in last week's episode. Bug ends at Prison Camp and then descends Molino back to the road again before climbing for another 20 minutes to access Bellota. These two sections of the AZT are world class, no question. Plenty of sharp rocks to keep you honest and ensure a late arrival. 

Sometimes it just isn't in the cards to make it home on time. Sometimes a perfect storm of chaos breaks anything and everything possible just to remind you that things can always get worse. Sometimes drones fall out of the sky. Sometimes tires don't hold air. Sometimes these things all happen at once and they are out of your control. Could be worse. 

Randy has been living at the bottom of Milagrosa for many years and was quoted as saying " I have never ridden this thing in the dark before" The miracle of FollowCamFriday is delivering. I will be throwing a light in my pack in the future. Lessons that I already have learned but apparently needed to learn again category. 

I mean, we still had fun. We weren't going to let a little darkness keep us from pinning one of the most technical descents in Tucson. That would have just been rude. If I am being honest, the trail seems smoother when you can't clearly see the rocks that are trying to break your wheels. Next time I get into trouble, I am going to just close my eyes and trust my skill. Let er' buck. 

#followcamfriday sampling one of Tucson's finest DH tracks with the squad. 

Tucson is definitely making an impression on me. There is just something special about the realness and rawness of this town and the surrounding trails. This place is growing on me. I could live here for a few months out of the year, no question. It is WAY too hot in the summer, but riding in a short sleeved jersey in February certainly has its charm. 

I think I like the riding here so much because it is hard. The ground is abrasive, the rocks will slice your skin, and the cactus.... Don't even get me going on the cactus. There is a bunch of it, living inside my body as I type these words. Maybe I am just bored of riding manicured, feel good trails. I honestly couldn't be bothered. Lemmon is hard. This place breaks bikes, bodies and your spirit. I need more of that in my life. Suffering builds strong character and makes tequila taste better at the end of the day. Any time of day, for that matter. 

The ride is only as good as the company you keep. Feeding off of your friends energy and stoke is as real as it gets. Cut that shit with a knife, get it down your throat. The energy I can harness from my friends is surreal. Always surround yourself with good people. Always. Randy, Kyle and Jonny are keeping the levels up. Squad of legends, smashing down the hill, laughing the entire way. Nothing better. 

All I actually care about when I am riding is finding natural trail gaps. Sometimes they are only a few feet, sometimes they are twenty. Sometimes they are over sharp shit, often they are for no other reason than to make the person behind me laugh. When I hear that laugh, I pull up harder off of the next one. And so the game goes. Always pull up. Fucking always. Always make your friends laugh. 

Randy Sooter is such a legend. Randy is the only person I have ridden with in the last 6 years that doesn't use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube, or any of the other white-noise distractions that we are all so addicted to. I love this about Randy. He is too busy living in the present to give any fucks about social media and it's negative impact on our society. Legend. 

Technology isn't all bad. If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would have an autonomous drone chasing me while I ride my bike with an electronic drivetrain, I would have laughed in your face. And here we are. What a time to be alive. The Skydio 2 drone really has been a game changer from a filming perspective. The technology that allows this thing to chase us, keep us in frame, and not crash 47 times is mind numbing. The footage coming out of this thing truly does justice to the amazing landscapes that I am fortunate to find myself enjoying on the daily. 

I was thinking of buying a small piece of land adjacent to Lemmon. You know, one big enough to park my van on, and with enough space for a few more. Maybe a garage and a yurt. Maybe some jumps and a swimming pool for Pete. You can get 10 plus acres here for what a 1/3 acre lot costs where I live. Might be time to cash in some of that Dogecoin. Pete will thank me. 

#followcamfriday taking on the infamous Lemmon Drop with Tucson loc-dog, Randy Sooter. 

You always remember your first Lemmon Drop. Aspen Draw, Sunset and Incinerator Ridge are all distinctly different and amazingly rad, especially trying to chase Mr. Randy Sooter around on his home tracks. This is all under snow currently as I type these words, but this is not to be missed if you find yourself in Tucson, Arizona. The ski area actually opened last week as the terrain above 8000ft got dumped on. Tucson can always use the moisture. 

Incinerator Ridge is one of the finest pieces of trail I have ever ridden. Straight jank, top to bottom. After riding this thing, Milagrosa looks..... smooth. Incinerator is an absolute fist-fight. Not everyone's cup of tea, an acquired taste for sure, but unlike anything else I have ridden. So good when chasing Randall down the proper lines on this one. Like riding through a sea of microwaves. My happy place. 

Randy Sooter owns a gymnastics studio in Tucson. His mat stills come through in his riding. Tumbling routine on lock. Pommel Horse champion. Randy even crashes well. This goes to show that having a solid foundation in gymnastics does volumes for your riding skill. You had better start training if you intend to keep up with Randall. Legend!

This part of Sunset is fun because you can die here. Like any trail worth riding, mandatory exposed traverses with consequential moves always keep things interesting. Don't fall left, don't look left, heels down, eyes up. Great success. Randy is a ninja. 

I really do need to get back to Colorado one of these days. The riding and weather have just been too good to leave. I will take 70 degree days in January over a low-snow year in Colorado any day. I am very fortunate to be able to make the most of the seasons. Like the saying goes, make hay when the sun shines. I am almost out of tires though, this place is hard on gear. Almost time to head home and restock the levels.