#followcamfriday keeping the levels right where they need to be with Marty Schaffer and Dacre Dunn on Chimney Gulch in Denver. 

Energy is infectious. Riding is always fun, the trails are always interesting, but there is just something special about the chemistry among people that makes things that much better. When people are actually having fun in real life, it translates to an amazing experience and video. You can't fake this sort of thing. The energy coming from these guys is palpable. It is undeniable. It is real. 

Nothing in any of the videos I have ever produced has been rehearsed, staged, set up, or given much thought for that matter. Everything is organic. What you see before you is as raw and real as it gets. I don't session sections, searching for the perfect line, practice trails, or make a solid plan ever. This is the only way to capture real riding . That is why this formula works. This is first run for Marty and despite living relatively close by, Dacre hasn't spent much time on this descent. This is the formula that I enjoy most. You can't make this shit up. 

Marty Schaffer is a Canadian citizen, professional ski guide and fellow Yeti Cycles ambassador. As the border is still closed, Marty is probably as close as I will come to Canada this summer. Just hearing him repeatedly say "soury" every time we pass someone puts a smile on my face and makes me miss the Great White North even more. 
When Party Marty isn't shredding bikes, he is running Blanket Glacier Chalet. Go heli skiing with Marty HERE. 

Dacre Dunn works for Yeti Cycles and manages the ambassador program. He is technically our boss I suppose. Here you can see Dacre aggressively managing Marty in this turn. Got to keep tabs on those damn ambassadors in the wild. Making sure we are influencing properly, that sort of thing. Dacre is influencing the ground with his rear wheel mostly though. Good man that Dacre Dunn. I haven't met a Yeti employee that doesn't absolutely crush it on the bike. It all makes sense now. 

I honestly don't know how much longer this can continue. The dirt for the last 3 weeks has been unreal. The brownest of pow, the stuff of dreams. I have basically been planning my visits around the weather and I have yet to be underwhelmed. Back to the "levels" thing. Perfect conditions just amplify the levels, so when you get a proper squad extra hyped with a fun trail and perfect dirt, there is just nothing that compares. Again, this is something you can't fake in editing, or tell people to do. This is real. This is energy. 

My friends lift me up. Levels. I am fortunate, no question. Recently, life has been dictating that I squeeze in quick rides by myself, and I do enjoy that. But... there is nothing like riding in a tight train with some legends. Live for it. 

#followcamfriday with that hero dirt timing once again with James Weingarten on Apex

I don't ride Apex very often. If I am being honest, I have always gotten a very bad vibe from the other user groups at this trail system. This is a vibe that I have not experienced anywhere else on the Front Range, or in the world actually. For this simple reason, I usually avoid the place. No sense in riding where I do not feel welcome. It basically ruins the ride. Last thing I need when I am trying to enjoy myself is catching attitude from entitled trail users. I have never encountered as much, as I have at Apex. And that is unfortunate, because the trails are absolutely amazing. 

I do my best to avoid busy times and try and time things as best as possible to avoid as many other users as possible. We started at 6pm for this ride for that very reason. Let's be honest, crowded trails are not fun for anyone. That much, we can all agree on. Hikers don't like being run off the trail by bikes and bike rides aren't actually that fun when you have to stop every 15 seconds to let hikers pass. 

So, all that said, I see the even-odd day split to be a huge step in the right direction. Bike and hike only trails would be a better answer, but we are living in Colorado and that seems to be a pipe dream due to land management and its continued resistance to address the need for trails specifically to mitigate user conflict and provide a positive experience for our user group that is only growing. So, Kudos to Jeffco for implementing the even-odd day situation and improving the experience for everyone. 

I am not sure that we could have timed this one any better. We opted to not ride the top of Enchanted because of snow on the trail but did manage to ride the bottom bit. The dirt couldn't have been better. Endless traction. There are some places on the Front Range that are unrideable with this much moisture. Green Mountain for example, right across the road was surely unrideable at this point. The soil and high sand content at Apex do amazingly well with moisture and this was as good as I have ever seen it. Powder day. 

It's no wonder this place is so popular, the trails are amazing. We are very fortunate to have these places to recreate, so close to a major city. We all need this outlet, more today than ever. I am pleased to report that I didn't feel any tension from other users on this particular day. Everyone we encountered was pleasant and smiling, just as it should be. The even-odd day thing seems to be working. In the 6 or 8 times I have ridden Apex over the last 20 years, this is the first time I have ever felt welcome. Thanks Jeffco, keep up the good work. It's a wonderful start, now if you could just start working on some MTB only trails, that would be great. 

#followcamfriday proving once again that timing is everything. 

The outdoor industry is booming right now. Covid has caused everyone to reevaluate and reset and trend towards spending more time outside than ever before. As good as all of this is for my livelihood and greater humanity as a whole, the Front Range cycling experience is leaving something to be desired lately. 

Now I can't really complain, because obviously I produce videos that make people want to go outside and ride, and am certainly contributing to the over crowded trail situation, but things are getting a bit out of control. This was my first time riding Falcon a couple of years and I was astonished at how much traffic this old trail has seen since Covid. The trail is basically three times the width. They even added another huge parking lot to meet demand. I will say this again- more people outside is a good thing. But, where is the tipping point? When is the outdoor experience forever altered enough to lose its original appeal? These places were once for escaping the crowd and communicating with nature. Again, I can't really complain, I am the guy with 3 cameras and a drone chasing me, but where does it end?

The best way to avoid the crowd is with proper timing. Timing is everything. Rule number 1 is to start late enough in the day that you will be finishing in the dark. If you are heading up the climb when all of the hikers are headed down for the day, you are off to a good start. Pack clear lenses and maybe a light. You are going to need them. Rule number 2- pick a day where it rains in the morning. There is something about a gloomy morning that demotivates people from even thinking of going outside. The key is to let the dirt dry out just enough to not leave a track, but still provide amazing traction. On this particular day, the rain made the trail completely unusable until about 5pm. Perfect timing. Your patience will be rewarded with an empty trail and hero traction. 

We are very fortunate to have these resources available to us, so close to a major city like Denver. Looking down into the city is surreal as you descend some of these high speed sections. There is certainly something special about this trail and it is easy to see the appeal. It's just not that appealing to me when it is littered with people. It's not even fun. Timing is everything. 

No one trail users experience is more important than another's, but overcrowded trails are not fun for anyone. I am not sure that there will ever be an answer to this issue, I certainly don't have one. Best thing you can do is keep the expectations low, be nice to everyone, and start as late in the day as possible. We all desperately need the release that outdoor recreation provides, now more than ever, just be wise with your timing and set yourself up for success. 

#followcamfriday dropping a history lesson. You know, back when Canada welcomed us dirty Americans into their lovely country. This was filmed during Crankworx 2019. 

I have been thinking a lot lately about why I actually ride bikes. Riding is my job currently, and for that, I am thankful. I will say however that turning you passion into a job is a slippery slope. One of my first jobs when I moved to Colorado was working in restaurants. I began in the dish pit, like every ski bum does, and eventually started cooking on the line. I had always loved to cook and prepare food at home, so when I started washing dishes, all I wanted to do was become a chef. Once I started cooking full time, making it my job, something strange happened. I didn't want to cook at home on my days off anymore. It started to feel like work. I used to prepare elaborate meals that took hours at home and share them with friends. Now, I just wanted to order take out and drink tequila on my days off. What happened to my passion?

I have been very fortunate to not only keep my job through the pandemic, but the bike industry has been absolutely crushing it. The entire outdoor industry is booming. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I have been riding more than ever, am fitter than I have ever been, and am "successful", as viewed by society in general. Everything is going great, but something is still missing. 

I miss my friends. My pandemic isolation depression is just setting in now. 1 year late. You see, I was fortunate to be able to quarantine through the height of Covid with some of my closest and most trusted friends. I felt guilty as the rest of the world was suffering in complete isolation, as I carried on, riding bikes and making videos, and living life as normal. As normal as it could be in the middle of a global pandemic. My job was outside, away from people, socially distant and came with the byproduct of fitness and health. For the last month, I have been home in Colorado, working my life away, but something is missing. My friends are missing. 

So, back to my original question. Why do I ride bikes. I ride bikes to spend time with my friends. The energy and motivation I get from that is responsible for where I find myself today. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am. My videos are about my friends, and the trails that we ride. For an introvert, I sure do value my close circle of friends. Riding in a train, jumping trail gaps and laughing the entire way down the trail is what motivates me to ride my bicycle. Without that dynamic, something is just missing. Camera or no camera. The shit I see right before my very eyes while riding in a train is something most will never get to witness. This raw energy is missing in my life currently. This is as real as it gets. I've watched friends sustain life changing injuries and I've watched friends overcome fear and break down barriers, right before my very eyes. It's fucking surreal. 

When I started typing this post, I thought I was getting burnt out on bikes. This couldn't be further from the truth. I have ridden on dirt twice in the last 2 months after leaving Tucson. I have been skiing and riding road and building a new van, essentially, training and working my brains out. I am not burnt out on bikes, I just miss traveling and riding with my amazing friends. I was looking through some old hard drives this week and went down a rabbit hole watching old footage from years gone by and realized how much fun I am actually having while riding with my friends. They lift me up. I need that in my life. Riding with your friends in the bike park, or at the dirt jumps, or hanging off the side of some random 14er in Colorado is pretty hard to beat. Always surround yourself with good people. Always. 

I get my second vaccine shot tomorrow. My new van is nearing completion. Winter is being stubborn in the high country, but spring is basically here. New bikes and new parts are starting to show up on my doorstep. It is almost time to build up some new bikes, load up the van and head to the desert for some quality time with some of my closest friends. I couldn't be more ready for it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. 

#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.