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. 

#followcamfriday testing out the latest and greatest addition to the Snowmass Bike Park with everyone's favorite guinea pig, James Weingarten. 

Long story short, Snowmass has been working hard all summer to build a new jump trail and thought it would be a good idea to host James and myself for a weekend. You know, to "test" it out and shoot some video. Thank you to the Limelight hotel and Aspen Snowmass for taking good care of us. Love your work. 

This new section of trail is aptly named "Gonzo" and consists of a bunch of large jumps and wooden features. The one that James is boosting in the photo above is all of 40ft, lip to landing. Let me be the first to say "thank you" for building a progressive trail with properly sized features. After spending the last month in Whistler, I was pleasantly surprised by the scale of this trail. This is what we have been waiting for. Kudos to the bike park. When you do visit, give the trail crew a high-five. I bet they dink beer too. Off of the clock, of course. 

Next time you see Mr. Weingarten, you can congratulate him. James is a dad now, but I am happy to report that this has not slowed him down one bit. After all, who needs sleep to jump bikes.... Right? I mean, dad-bod hasn't even set in yet, I thought fatherhood would be different. James just has less time now, so compensates by going bigger off of every jump and feature. Got to pick your battles I guess.

As I type these words, the trees are just starting to turn in the high-country. Fall is upon us, my favorite time of year in Colorado. Just think how sweet this jump will look when the trees are glowing yellow. Fire. Snowmass is open for the next few weekends and well worth a trip. Unless you hate jumps and stunning scenery, in which case.... stay home. lol. 

If you look closely, you can just make out "Rim Trail" Its on the rim of that cliff, hence the name. Well worth a pedal if you find yourself in town. Government Trail is also a classic and can be added to the "scenic fall ride" list. I don't know anything about that lake in the distance. Maybe someone can educate me there... Looks refreshing tho. 

This bridge jump is a committing maneuver for the certified. Much like raising a child, I would imagine. James is all in, all the time,  in all aspects of life. That is perhaps why I enjoy his company so much. No half assing, always full-send. You can learn a lot from James.  Pull up, not out. See what I did there?

If you need me, I will be spending as much time outside as possible over the next month. It will be winter soon and I will be making the most of my time until the snow flies. I will not be shutting down this website for the global climate strike today, but I promise not to throw my carbon frame into the ocean when I am finished with it. But seriously, think about what you can do to make a difference in your own way today. Our actions shape the future.
​I am headed into the mountains for a couple of days to ride with friends.  What high-country, leaf peeping destination will #followcamfriday turn up at next? Keep it locked right here. 

If something gets in your way..... Turn. If there is a plane in the trail.... Jump it. #followcamfriday blasting through the forest with Heiko Krause. 

This actually isn't click-bait, we actually jumped over a plane. I don't know the whole story behind the wreckage, but I am guessing that things didn't end well for the pilot.... Now it's a stunt. Only in Canada.  

I filmed this during my road trip through Northern BC, earlier this summer. If I am being honest, these are some of my finest memories from the trip, so this one deserved another episode. I promise that I pedal more uphill miles than you, but somehow there is nothing that puts as big of a smile on my face as, DH shuttle laps. Put Smithers on your short list. Yes, it's hard to get to. Yes, it's worth it. You can thank me later. 

More groms doing dog-pissers. I should start the hashtag #gromsdoingdogpissers.... All of the natural talent in the world coming from Heiko Krause. I can't get my head around how well this kid rides. Especially considering that he doesn't really have that many close friends that ride. Natural talent. 

Just another blind huck, first time down this track, chasing someone I barely know. What could go wrong? This trip definitely got me out of my comfort zone. Most of my videos are chasing my friends. People who I know well, and trust with my life. I rarely film people I have never ridden with prior. By rarely, I mean never. Do you know how many requests I get to film people. The email usually goes like this... I am the raddest rider in the______, you should come film me so I can show you how rad I am..... Delete, delete, delete. My index finger is tired. Sorry, but I don't want you to kill yourself in front of my camera, even if that would get all the views. 

Now having said all of that, Heiko was dialed. Lucky for me, because I can honestly say that I have never ridden so fast down a trail that I had never laid eyes on before. Heiko is pinned. Do not take that statement lightly, I have seen a thing or two in my travels. Keep your eye on this kid. I was blown away. 

Fall is fast-approaching and I bet these trees will look amazing soon. This particular zone reminds me very much of the terrain in Crested Butte or Aspen. Just more sweet jumps. Any more wood. This is Canada after all. The resemblance to Colorado was uncanny. Good thing for me because I would have been dropped in an instant. 

Blasting. The kids are alright. I just need to say that as long as the kids are hitting jumps at warp speed, everything will be okay for the cycling future. While people are wasting their lives worrying about wheel size or complaining about e-bikes, Heiko is out here blasting jumps and having the time of his life doing it. How refreshing. Riding feels good. This is why I ride. 26 for life. 

Don't feel bad if these little kids make you look silly. If you grew up in Whistler, you might be able to keep up with them. #followcamfriday for the children. 

It is easy to start feeling bad about yourself after watching small children do things that you never thought possible on a mountain bike. I was definitely scratching my head a bit. Benny is 12, Landon is 10. Prepare to feel like quitting bikes, lol

Double over-head berm roost. This is the proper technique to make the dogs bark. When you hear the dogs barking, you are doing it right. I wonder where all those holes come from..... Keep it up boys. Holes are for hacking and jumps are for stacking. Burritos are for snacking. 

Speaking of dogs, Benny has a dog-pisser that would even leave R-Dog shaking his head. So much style coming from these groms at such a young age. The future is promising. My feet only leave the pedals by accident these days. 

A-Line rock drop pre-jump? Yup, if a 10yr old can do it, so can you... Right? If we were playing Mario Brothers, these kids would be gobbling up all the coins. If you are old enough to understand that reference, you probably shouldn't try to pre-jump this one. Landon on lock. 

Classic moody Whistler vibes. There is just something magical about riding here in the mist. I am not trying to be all cinematic, but would you just look at it.... Groms in the mist. 

It's really inspiring to see the family dynamic here. Father Judd, who is a legend in his own right, definitely gets father of the year for keeping these groms stoked without making riding feel like a chore. These two look out for each other and push each other to progress. I can't even imagine what the future holds. World cup DH podiums? Crankworx Joyride fame? Someone sponsor these kids now. They are way beyond their years. 

Nose-manual down the biggest slab in the park? Landon got it on lock. When I was ten, I was still crapping my pants. Seriously, just start sending these kids bikes. You can thank me when they dominate the world and bring your bike company with it. Iv'e had the pleasure of riding with a lot of the world's best and most talented people to ever throw a leg over a mountain bike. Mark my words, these groms are going places. One dog-pisser at a time.