#followcamfriday from the iconic Hartman Rocks, in Gunnison, Colorado with Colin Pickett. 

Strangely enough, this was my first visit to Hartman's. I get requests for this one all the time, and despite being about 3 hours away from my house, I had never made time top stop and ride. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I always drive over Cottonwood Pass on my way to Crested Butte. Somehow, I rarely pass through Gunnison. I guess I didn't know what I was missing. 

I spent the last week camping at Hartman's, while filming a segment for a Matchstick Productions film that will be released in the spring of 2021. Yes, Matchstick of the ski movie world. I am not gonna lie, I have watched every ski movie they have ever produced, and was flattered to film for a week with the MSP crew. So much history there. I wouldn't be where I am today without the influence that these ski films had on my life choices, back in the day. I had a wonderful time working with, and getting to know MSP boys. They are dialed, and I couldn't be more excited for the film! Stoked. 

Colin Pickett lives in Crested Butte and has been riding out here for many years. He was kind enough to let me chase him around for the morning and get me all dialed in on the the rock lines. Colin and I raced DH bikes together, back in the day, and we have always been in the same Colorado race/ride scene. Colin shreds, and I am stoked to be able to show this skills for your viewing pleasure. 

This is a meaty huck. Basically a 10ft out, 10ft down, to a solid rock landing. If you screw this one up, you will be going to the hospital, directly. The landing has the texture of a cheese grater and would be the last surface in the world that you would ever want to put your body down on. Fortunately, Colin is dialed, and makes light work of Freefall trail. This is old-school, tech-gnar, radness. Live for it. 

Another rad feature on Freefall. This rock spine is classic. If you have ridden this, than you know. Classic Hartman's. If you look closely, you can see my van parked in the distance. The camping scene out here is equally as amazing. How have I never been here before.... It may have something to do with the pull of Crested Butte. It does get hot out here for sure, but the high-country riding is just minutes away.  CB is like a tractor beam on my van, but Hartman's is definitely worth a detour. 

So, next time you are near Gunnison, grab some whiskey and snacks, and budget a few days for some campfires and stories. This place is legendary. It should also be noted that Colin rides all of this stuff on his moto too. Rowdy! 

Followcamfriday first lap for James Weingarten down Two Elk East in Vail, Colorado. There is nothing like the first time. 

There is just something special about "first lap" on a new trail. You only get one first kiss, one first Covid, and one first go on a new track. I have had 3 or 4 laps on this special bit of trail and it still feels as good as the first time. Still not sick of it. Can you blame me?

While most prefer the more "classic" Two Elk descent that ends in Minturn, the "East" version just holds something special for me. It's steeper, faster and more technical than the classic route. Basically what I am looking for in a trail. Both descents are fun and both are accessed off of the top of Vail Pass by Bowmans Shortcut. You burn a bit of vert on the bike path at the bottom of TEE, but I am more of a quality over quantity guy, at the end of the day. 

Always be getting the shot. It's not going to get itself. This particular section feels more like BC than Vail. As we cannot currently travel to Canada, I'll take it. Get your shit together, Merica. 

What are you looking at? If you have to ride pavement on your enduro bike, there is absolutely no sense in wearing out both tires.... 

James runs a weekly t shirt campaign and donates the proceeds to a different animal charity each week. Help save a walrus, monkey, owl, or another deserving furry friend HERE

Enter the green room. 

Road bikers look on in confusion as James uses only one wheel to pass through the gate at 30mph. Seemed appropriate to me. Keep it locked right here for more social distancing intiaves in the Colorado high-country. 

Simply put, the Colorado Trail never disappoints. Segment 7.4 from Wheeler to Copper with Botsy Phillips and James Weingarten. #followcamfriday alpine social distancing tour 2020. 

I can't think of a section of the Colorado Trail that I am not a fan of. After climbing this section many times over the years to access Miner's Creek, this was strangely the first time I have ridden down this bit. It certainly won't be the last. Basically, 3000ft of rad. 

If you time this one just right, you will only encounter a couple of short sections of snow. The decomposing granite goes from snow-covered, to dusty and blown out, over night, so best to catch this one right after a rain, or just as the snow permits access. No Colorado high-country adventure is complete without a river or snow crossing. Wet feet are the norm. Now we are mountain biking. 

Copper Mountain looms in the distance as we drop into this 3000ft rip to the valley floor. The Colorado Trail continues up from there, climbing past Copper, over Searle Pass, and eventually to Camp Hale. The descent down Searle is also a gem. 

If exposure isn't your thing, this may not be the trail for you. I was surprised that James didn't manual this entire section to make it slightly more dangerous. One clipped pedal and you are gonna have a bad time. 

Long live the chunk. This section is littered with talus. Baby-heads as far as the eye can see. This is my prefered riding surface, if I had to pick just one. Footballs and mailboxes and microwaves FTW

Botsy and James are having a discussion about snacks. If you are trying to do this as a loop from Breck, consider bringing some. You will need them. Fortunately James sustains himself off of back-wheel love and doesn't actually need to eat on these mega-rides. James' cup is full of stoke.  How satisfying. 

Nothing quite like a 30mph manual through the trees and rocks. What could go wrong?

There is just something special about these old, eroded hiking routes that make for some of my favorite riding. As rough and natural as they come, 10ft wide, and full of bonus lines. Big thanks to the hikers for beating this thing in and widening it so much over the years, it truly does make for a world-class section of trail. For a user group that traditionally hates mountain biking, they sure do make us some sweet trails. Many thanks. Keep it up trampers. 

#followcamfriday ticking off another high-country classic with James Weingarten and Botsy Phillips. 

How had I never ridden this one before? I have gone up and over Miners Creek, but had never had the pleasure of descending the Wheeler Trail into Breck. Yes, Spruce Creek and Burro are riddled with hikers, but on the right day, at the right time, this 3000ft rip is absolutely world-class. Unless you don't like roots and rocks, in which case you might be reading the wrong blog. 

As we all navigate the "new normal", I can honestly say that I am enjoying spending time with my close friends, close to home. After traveling full-time for the last 5 years, I guess a break was exactly what I needed. While I have been extremely fortunate to travel the world with my bicycle, sometimes you just need to take a step back and appreciate what you have in this life. If there is a silver lining to the pandemic, this is it. A time to reflect, reevaluate and appreciate what I have in this life. 

This is season 5 of Follow cam friday. The very first person I filmed riding was Botsy Phillips. It seems like yesterday to me. That is how fast my life has been moving for the last 5 years. A blink of the eye. It moves that fast. When I look back, it all seems like a blur. Time to slow down and appreciate these experiences to the fullest. It is comforting to know however that the original idea I had has not changed very much. My videos are still about riding with my friends and exploring new trails. Nothing more. It's never been about me, it has always been about my friends. I am unbelievably thankful for my friends. 

Botsy is living his best life, growing old gracefully, in the air. Recently married and with one more child since we have ridden last, it is comforting to see that he is still pinned and more motivated than ever. 

James also seems more motivated than ever, after becoming a father. I wonder how many years will pass before the children learn to go faster than the fathers. That is a tall order as both James and Botsy are pro-level riders, but I can only imagine how rad their children will be on the bike, growing up with this sort of influence. Neither of my parents really rode bikes when I was growing up, I guess I picked it up on my own. I bet James' son won't even use a front wheel when he starts riding. 

I guess what I am trying to say in all of this is that bikes are the glue that holds us together. No matter what happens in life, pandemics, children, injury, marriage, whatever, we will always share this passion and stay motivated. Keeping the levels right is the key to life. Yay bikes. 

What better place to break in my new bike than on Pikes Peak with Jon Cancellier and Sarah Rawley. #followcamfriday 14er social distancing tour continues. 

Zebulon Pike was the first explorer to attempt to summit Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. I say "attempt" because he failed, but at least he went for it. Like most things in life, if you never try, you can never succeed. So, get out there and give 'er. Jon, Sarah and I did not clean the top of Barr Trail, but we tried. I am not sure that it has ever been ridden in its entirety, but at least we tried. Janktown. 

The top of the "Plunge" is basically a pile of large rocks, sprinkled with kitty litter, just to keep you honest. If there is a harder surface to feel confident on, I haven't encountered one. Add in the fact that the rock has the texture of a cheese grater, and you have a recipe for broken everything. Perfect. 

New bike day comes more frequently than it should for me. I am definitely spoiled by the companies that I work with and it is my job to keep the people hyped on the latest and greatest product offerings. I build a few new bikes each year and I can say, without a doubt, that this rig has impressed me the most. ZEB is absolutely the reason for my initial enthusiasm. This fork will go down as the best suspension product of the last 10 years, mark my words. I was blown away honestly, nothing even comes close. Confidence. 

I am running out of backgrounds for my Tetris, garage jenga, ground shots. There is just something satisfying about seeing the parts laid out before the build process. Organization situation. People often comment that this is a waste of time, but I prefer to think of it as art. 

Spec list HERE

"The Plunge" basically starts at the top of the peak on Barr Trail, at 14,115ft and descends 7,700ft into Manitou Springs. This is one of the longer runs in Colorado and rivals The Whole Enchilada from an "epic" perspective. Interestingly enough, the popular hiking trail "The Incline" is currently closed for Covid, so the bottom is devoid of hikers. Anyone who has ridden Barr before knows that Barr is normally a conga train of hikers and not actually that fun to ride because of that fact. If you can find any silver lining to the pandemic, the lack of people on the trail is a nice change I suppose. 

Sarah and Jon both had a heavy hand in bringing ZEB to market. It's basically Jon's baby, with Sarah being responsible for getting the word out effectively. After riding with Jon a fair amount over the years,  it really goes to show that the people designing the best suspension products actually shred and love to ride bikes. Makes perfect sense. Sushi from a classically trained Japanese chef tastes better than the sushi you may get from some white dude at the tex-mex joint down the road.  

So definitely give this one a rip if you find yourself in the area. Maybe bring a spare derailleur and some snacks. You could always do it as an out and back of you are in the mood to suffer. Maybe more snacks are in order. 

#followcamfriday continuing the high-elevation social distancing initiative with James Weingarten. Type 2 fun. 

I think I may have spent too much time in Sedona this spring. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but this may explain my recent desire to spend extended amounts of time in the alpine. It was just getting hot when I left Sedona, 5 weeks ago. Now I find myself wrapped in down, standing on the top of some desolate peak. Change of scenery. 

Antero stands at 14,276ft above the ocean. The summit is strangely flat and featureless. Devoid of rocks and any sign of life, aside from the other three people that were up there on this day. All three were drinking summit beers and smoking weed. Colorado things. I guess I was the asshole flying my drone around, so.... We all have our vices. 

As a mountain biker, the summit of Antero is a novelty. It's not actually rideable from the top and not really worth carrying bikes to the top just to get a summit photo for Instagram. That is not what it is about for me. I just wanted to go up there, bike or no bike. The top 600ft is a pile of scree. It's hard to walk. It should also be noted that the first thousand feet of the descent are down a 4WD road. An amazingly sketchy and fun road, but yes, a dirt road. Sometimes you just go to the top for the fun of it, riding 6K of perfect singletrack back to the car is rarely the reality. Harden up. 

The whole reason to do this ride is for the Little Browns Creek descent. This gem of a 3,200ft dh is absolutely world-class. To sum things up, picture a sandbox with toaster ovens and microwaves mixed in. This is not a flow trail. Quite the opposite actually. It's hard. I fell down. So did James. But you know what.... I wouldn't have it any other way. I am not looking for the easy, feel-good route. I want to suffer and get punched in the face. Somehow, this means more to me at the end of the day. 

This is Type 2 fun. Let me summarize. Type 1 fun is basically fun to do, fun to remember, not necessarily challenging or hard. Flow trail is type 1 fun. Meh. Type 2 fun is not necessarily fun in the moment, but seems fun when reminiscing. This is my zone. Things are hard. You feel like you suck, but you overcome adversity. Type 2 builds skill and character, as much as it actually sucks in the moment. Type 3 fun is not fun, ever. It is just a survivable endeavor that will not be repeated. 

To be clear, this is not everyone's cup of tea. James and I both exploded and left blood on the trail. Skin heals, chicks dig scars, bla bla bla. Neither of us had ever laid eyes on any of these trails and after spending 7 hours on the mountain, this bowling-ball strewn descent was amazingly abusive. Thank you baby heads. Much love for the jank. Much love. If I ever see someone moving rocks off of a trail, we are going to have an issue. 

Cliche tourist waterfall photo. We came upon this in the first hour. Little did we know how much suffering was to come. There is just something attractive about the unknown to me. Not knowing the exact route, how much was rideable, how much pushing, how many baby heads would throw us on the ground. It is basically a mental game to be okay with the unknown. I suppose this is why I enjoy "blind" racing so much. You only get one "first run", so you had better make the most of it. 

Natural alpine singletrack is where it's at. Tools and machines can't create the natural jank that exists in these mountain environments. These are hiking trails. Horse trails. Many years of weather and erosion have shaped these masterpieces. No berms, no manicured sidewalks, just natural jank. We are very fortunate to experience these places, devoid of sanitization. This is hard. This is why I am still interested in riding bikes after all of these years. Type 2 trails. 

So, if you are up for an adventure, give Antero a rip. It will be hard, bring snacks and a down coat. We climbed Wagon trail to Browns Creek Falls to start. We left our bikes 600ft below the summit, walked up there, and back down. Little Browns Creek Trail is hard to find, but begins in the saddle below the peak, and descends one valley north of the one we climbed. Browns is one of the better descents in the state. no question. This intersects the CT and then back down Wagon Trail to where we began. 5,700ft, 7.5 hours, 1 million baby-heads, 2 crashes, no flat tires. Great success. Good luck fuckers. 

#followcamfriday bringing you to the top of Colorado's highest 14er. Mount Elbert with James Weingarten and Ryan Soderberg.

Mount Elbert. Colorado's highest peak, stands a menacing 14,439ft above the ocean​. Nestled tightly into the Collegiate Range between Leadville and Twin Lakes, Mount Elbert is visible from every direction, towering above the rest. This is on the list of any hiker in the United States, but just so happens to be outside of wilderness designation and is open to enjoy by bicycle as well. 

This is my second time taking on this beast of a ride. Myself, James Weingarten and Ryan Soderberg began at the South Elbert Trailhead. This adds a bit of riding on the Colorado Trail to access the beginning of the South Elbert climb. This extra 1000ft of work is well worth the effort in my opinion as the ending descent is absolutely world-class, making for 5000ft total of descending, back to the car park. This took us about 4.5 hours with plenty of messing around and playing with cameras. It could be done in 3.5 without faffing about. 

Those down-valley views. The top 2500ft of the descent is basically like riding on the moon. With nothing for reference, speed is incredibly hard to judge. The pitch is conducive to speed, traveling straight down the fall-line in numerous sections. We could be going 30mph, we could be going 10mph. It's really hard to tell without features and trees zipping by. When you stare at the lakes below, breaking focus for just a second, things start to happen very quickly. Focus friends!

This is what the summit looks like on a Tuesday at 10:30am. I would estimate that there were about 50 people hanging out and enjoying the 50 degree temperatures and lack of wind. Such a rarity in the alpine. This is one of the most popular 14ers in the state and the North Elbert Trail is the go-to for hikers and climbers. Most of the traffic headed back down the North route as we descended the South. 

The bottom half of the South Trail was recently realigned. The lower, below tree-line section was completed in the summer of 2019. This new section has a more gradual pitch and is much more conducive to climbing than the old South route. Before, I would estimate the hike-a-bike to riding ratio was about 85/15. And that 15% was a struggle. Now with the new section, I would put the entire route at about a 65/35, ride to push ratio. How pleasant. 

The new South trail is amazingly fun to descend. The old bit was steep and janky, and part of me misses that for sure. But that said, it was hard not to crack a smile on this new bit, despite being far less technically challenging. It's almost a "flow trail", but matches the style of the nearby Colorado Trail section nicely. Good work, dig squad, good work. 

This is why you park at the lower trailhead and avoid the temptation to drive to the upper parking lot. A classic ripping Colorado Trail section. One of the finest bits of aspen forest I have had the pleasure of riding. No question. 

To be very clear, James Weingarten is an absolute legend. The riding I witnessed coming from James on this particular day basically melted my brain. First run, no fear, 30ft natural trail gaps on the fly. No do-overs, no hiking back up and re-riding shit, just split-second decisions in the moment. When you watch this video, please know that you are viewing a master at work. An artist. Without fear or hesitation, taking huge risks and coming out on top. I am not sure that I have ever seen such committed riding, in my life. Fucking Legend. 

So yes, this one is worth the effort. Especially now that a huge chunk of it is actually rideable on the climb. Just don't go on a weekend. Unless you are trying to meet a bunch of new friends. Like many things in life, timing is everything. Make the most of yours. 

#followcamfriday bringing you what just might be the best natural descent on the Front Range with James Weingarten. 

This is a tale of two trails. Two styles of dirt ribbons, winding through the woods. Two trails, in the same section of woods that have a distinctly different character. This may be the best example of flow vs natural that I have encountered in a small section of forest. I will preface all of this by saying that there are no bad trails and we as mountain bikers are lucky to have these valuable resources at our disposal. Any trail is better than no trail. 

Cub Creek is an old hiking trail that is fun to ride bicycles on and dead-ends (to us) in wilderness. It has that familiar front-range feel with plenty of rocks, line choice, amazing sight lines, and a pitch that I would describe as "efficient", rather than meandering all over the place. North Elk Creek was completed in 2018 and was built for bicycles specifically. This section has your typical flow-trail construction of incorporated small features, grade reversals and lots if uphill sections after sharp turns. Basically, this was built to control speed and deemed "sustainable".  On this day, James and I rode up and down each of these two trails for the first time. 

If I am being honest, the modern bike-specific flow trail is leaving me feeling empty. Firstly, this "black" trail is a blue at best. I have been fortunate to travel the world and see a fair amount of trail and calling this a black is merely stroking people's ego and fostering mediocrity. ​It's like spinning a yarn at the bar about how you hit that 40ft cliff on the ski hill today. The 10 footer you hit wasn't that sick, and no one actually cares anyway. There is an amazing bumper sticker I saw once that reads " I bet you were a big deal in Colorado- Ski Jackson Hole" This basically sums things up perfectly here. Mountain biking is hard. People need a pat on the back on occasion, but this sport is supposed to challenge you. I prefer to feel like I suck at times. This is essential for growth, on the bike, and in life in general. Real talk. 

But we need these sustainable flow trails to get people into the sport!!! Right. I get it, and my job depends on it. But, there are plenty now, and they all feel very similar. It's hard to go over 10mph on these trails, by design. If you use proper technique and actually lean your bike in turns, you will hit things that have been placed on the inside to let you know where the turn is supposed to be. Duh. For me, speed is what is most fun about bikes. Why we ride to the top. Flow trails are intended to control speed, rather than allow for an individual rider's creativity and line choice. I am the guy who smiles when I am running over brake bumps and having my teeth rattled out by loose rock and chunder. Give me a 20ft wide, shitty, eroded hiking trail with some pitch and I am a happy man. These trails just make me think a bit more and don't feel as homogenized somehow. Again, I get it, any trail is a good trail, but this new trend of manufactured trail is just missing something. Leaving creativity out of the equation. 

Cub Creek has the complete opposite feel to Elk Creek. 10ft wide, line choice, erosion and sight lines. My favorite style of trail. You might be able to go fast enough to flat. Your speed is dictated by your ability to stay off of the brakes, as opposed to being dictated buy uphill sections out of poorly built turns and tight rock jank that is designed to make people ride slow. Cub creek is a thinking man's trail. You actually have to choose some lines at speed, rather than the trail forcing you to ride the main line. I would estimate that the speed is roughly double, on average, on Cub Creek. But that is appropriate here because you can actually see a very long ways down the trail, easily mitigating trail conflict with hikers from a distance. The climb up Cub Creek is hard. That is a good clue that the descent back down will actually hold my attention. Just so you know, if a climb feels "easy", it may not be worth riding back down... If you push to the top, things will be more interesting. 

So, to each their own. As a man who has done his fair share of trail building, I know how much work goes into the back end, working with land managers and raising funding to complete this type of project. I know how hard everyone works. It is a bummer that all of that work has created a trail that I would consider far less interesting to ride than the hundred year old, shitty, eroded hiking trail on the other side of the mountain. But, that is just me. I just want to go fast and run into things. I suppose that is the beauty of mountain biking, it can be different things to different people. We are very privileged to even be having this discussion. Cub Creek is my happy place. James would agree. 

#followcamfriday sampling the second bike-only, directional DH trail in Denver with James Weingarten. 

Sedona was absolutely amazing over the last few months. I feel fortunate to have spent my quarantine time there, enjoying uncrowded trails, moderate temperatures, and a tight group of friends to isolate myself with. I was able to continue to work and keep my own personal economy moving in the right direction, while respecting local ordinances and the global pandemic. Very fortunate indeed. All that said, it's nice to be home. 

Colorado is home and I definitely missed the high-country riding opportunities that this place provides. I also missed riding sustained descents. Sedona is wonderful, and it's definitely one of my all-time favorite places to ride, but sustained DH is something that it lacks. Flagstaff made me realize this quickly. Sedona is highly engaging, rock smashing goodness. It just doesn't come easily. Every bit of trail is earned. Sometimes a brother just wants to ride down the hill and have the speed dictated by how much braking is necessary to avoid death, as opposed to sprinting everywhere to maintain speed. Once a downhiller, always a downhiller I guess. 

Floyd Hill Open Space has created Denver's second bike-only, directional DH trail. Longhorn was first, now we have this. The difference here is that "The Sluice" was constructed for bikes, while Longhorn was adopted into that designation, much do the dismay of the hiking groups.  Floyd Hill has some hike-only trails as well, that were purpose built. This is a model that is effective for mitigating user tensions. With so many people in the Front Range that are interested in outdoor recreation, this seems like a good thing.  I have ridden The Sluice a handful of times now and the parking lot is always overflowing. Clearly there was a need for this style of trail. Thank you Clear Creek County. Let's hope that this trend continues. 

Singletrack is aesthetically pleasing and definitely has its place. If I am being honest, I would prefer to ride trails with line choice and variation. Floyd Hill is packed with line choice and options. You can stick to the smoother bits, or jump over things and try to break your wheels. Options are key. There are definitely places to break bike parts on this trail, and that is a good thing. It's still not a true "DH" trail, but more a product of the modern trail bike and its ability to climb to the top efficiently and smash it's way back down. The bike tech is so good right now and it's refreshing to see a trail cater to that style of bike. 

The trail builders were thinking. Instead of dictating exactly where people have to ride, why not leave some options open. The obvious line is right between the rocks, but all my eye sees is things to jump. If I can sum up how my mtb brain has worked for the last 20 years, I am basically riding around, looking for jumps. Hucks to flat, natural trail doubles, even a cinder block and a piece of wood in the driveway will do. I just want to hit jumps. It's pretty simple. The 7 year old kid in my neighborhood is doing it right. He has a 6 inch mound in his side yard that he built himself and he sessions all day long. Be like that grom. That is what is fun about bikes. 

So yeah. I am stoked to be home. This summer will be very different with travel restrictions and size limits on group gatherings basically putting a halt to racing as we know it. I do love bike racing and hopefully it resumes in the fall. In the meantime, I will be making the most of my back yard. If I am being honest, I can use a break after traveling for the last 5 years to ride my bike, race and shoot videos. There are so many bits that I have yet to explore in Colorado. The snow is just starting to melt up high. Things are just getting started. As Krunk Shox likes to say " get high, stay high"

All of the ad revenue generated by the monetization of this video will be donated to support black cycling groups/initiatives, fostering diversity and inclusivity a sport that we all love. If you are reading this and fall into that category, please shoot me an email. I want to help. 
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#followcamfriday

I ride bicycles , race bicycles, and make videos about bicycles. I fully realize that this is what you come here to see and to read about. Please take the time to read my words this week. We have reached a tipping point. Here are a bunch of sweet shots of Lars riding his bike in Sedona. We had fun. This blog post has nothing to do with bicycles. 

I want to be very clear in where I stand on the current issues facing our country.  Racism in any form is completely unacceptable and has absolutely no place in our modern society. Our country was founded on this racist system of beliefs and it is still prevalent in every aspect of life as we know it today. Sadly, the bike industry/ outdoor industry is one of the least diverse. We can do better. Many outdoor industry companies have stepped up this week and made strong statements and plans of action for change. To them, I give thanks. For those remaining silent, this isn't going away. Do something. 

To remain silent, and sweep this issue under the rug is doing society a disservice. Not acknowledging a problem that doesn't "directly" affect you is supporting racism. This conversation makes me uncomfortable as your average white guy. We all need to be uncomfortable right now. Oh, this makes you squirm a bit? Good. Imaging how black people feel. The only way we can grow and learn is to have the hard conversations, hold others accountable, and evoke change where we can. It's time to get uncomfortable. 

Basically it comes down to this. This moment will be remembered for the rest of our lives. Forever. It is a defining moment in our society that will shape history. Ask yourself, how do you want to remember your response to this issue. What did you do? When you look back 20 years from now, will you be ashamed that you remained silent? How will your response shape your kid's lives?  Speak up. Do something.

So what am I doing? Firstly, I am acknowledging my privilege. I have an advantage because I was born into it. I have worked very hard for everything that I currently have in this life. Still, the color of my skin gives me a leg up on black people in the same circumstances. I don't feel fear when I get pulled over in my van. I dont worry much about getting denied for a loan or getting passed over for a job opportunity, despite being qualified, because of the color of my skin. No one labels me as "a good cyclist.... for a black.... or, for a woman". This sort of mentality isn't even on my radar. I don't have to second guess my worth and wonder if someone is just interested in working with me because " I'm pretty good, for a black" 

Secondly, I am using my voice and platform for good. I am having those hard conversations behind closed doors. I am also choosing to leverage my large audience to promote a positive message and evoke change. I will loose followers and fans over this issue. It will cost me money. I do not care. If you support racism, I will thank you for unfollowing me right now. We do not need you. There is no place for you here. 

Thirdly, I am listening. I am learning. Taking to time to educate myself on this issue. Practicing empathy. I can never understand the pain black people are feeling, but I am trying, and offering help where I can. This is just the beginning. This is not a new issue, it's a several hundred year issue that is getting attention because of recent current events. Let's stay just as vigilant tomorrow, next week, next year, ten years from now. Change will not happen overnight, but just because you are not seeing it in your facebook feed every day, doesn't mean racism is over. Keep working. And please don't get distracted by the looters. I am in no way in support of destruction of property, but that can never be a justification for taking human life. I am not in support of violent protest. Obviously. This is just the white noise that is concealing the real issue of continued racism in our country. Justifying a wrong, doesn't make it right. Focus on the real issue. Make change. Vote. Do something.