4th annual Colorado MegaRide!

The weekend that just keeps on giving. #followcamfriday taking part in the 4th annual, Colorado MegaRide. Sounds big. Nederland to Winter Park and back to Boulder, by bike. With 18 people. What could go wrong?  

Yes, you are reading this right. 4th annual. As if the first three times weren't enough. There are certain types of cyclists that enjoy this sort of thing. Bikepacking to the bike park.... Perhaps some drinking. Why do you ride bikes? 

Judging buy the look on Blair Reed's face, whatever is in that green bag is not very delicious. While apple flavored whiskey may sound good while being indecisive on aisle 6 of the local liquor store, in real life, this is a terrible decision. You can thank me later for this advice. Just trust me here. Whiskey isn't supposed to be flavored. Sort of like putting flavored syrup in coffee. Kill me now. 

So back to my original question. Why do you ride bikes? Sleeping in a hut built for 6 with 18 people isn't everyone's cup of tea. That hut smelled bad, i'm not gonna lie. The chorus of farts as I lay awake, wondering what I had gotten myself into,  was impressive. Hot tip of the day- drink just enough whiskey to pass out, but not so much that you are hungover and hating the climb over Rollins Pass in the morning. Blair failed this game, but didn't recall hearing any farting. Maybe he won that game... 

So if bikepacking isn't your thing, let it be known that we did ten laps in the Trestle bike park after spending the night in that stinky hut, and riding over Rollins Pass to get the the bike park the next morning. Joey Schusler is a man who enjoys bike park as much as bikepacking. His form above is impeccable. During this lap, Joey got a bee sting on his left breast, just inches from his nipple. He also rode with great disregard for his personal safety and sustained several flat-tires. Good man, that Joey Schusler. If I am being honest, Joey was the one, several years ago, that inspired me  to give a few less fucks about being a poor bike racer, and motivated me to carry around cameras and get the people stoked for a living. Joey and I are "stoke enablers" We bring the party to the people. Joey rides for the right reasons. 

Taylor Phinney rides bikes for the right reasons. If you have raced the Tour De France, you can ride in jeans too. Long days on the road bike, wearing nothing but a skinsuit,  will do this to a man. Taylor has earned it. He can wear what ever the fuck he wants and completely blow your doors off, up or down, tarmac or dirt. To be clear, Taylor is an absolute shredder on the mountain bike and absolute legend of a human. Taylor likes to party. 

After riding park laps all day, the only thing left to do was drink beer and eat pizza. Duh. I mean, it's only 65 miles back to Boulder on Sunday. Only 8K feet of climbing. I mean, that is basically a recovery ride for Taylor Phinney.....  All we had to do was make it back to Boulder before 9pm to eat Nepalese food at Sherpa's and drink beer. What could go wrong? Seems easy. No big deal. JRA. 

So yeah, this is why this ride is named MegaRide. 65 miles on Sunday, hangover lever- moderate. Sometimes you get a log in your wheel. Sometimes you have a standoff with a moose. Sometimes you get 4 flat tires and start smoking weed during the last flat change. Sometimes you get lost and roll back to town on the road. Bottom line, everyone made it to dinner. Except for Allen Krughoff. Death before DNF. Allen gets a solid DNF and will be publicly shamed from here on out. For the 17 other people that finished in the dark, I salute you. You ride bikes for the right reasons.