Ben and Bikes

This episode comes to you from the Denver Headquarters of Guerrilla Gravity. Manufacturers of Badass Mountain Bikes. Made for going fast. That’s Guerrilla as in Che Guevara and not Gorilla as in King Kong. 

As I am a fan of a) Mountain Bikes and B) going fast I am looking forward to talking to the team about their brand, their story and what makes their awesome bikes, so awesome (y).

Guerrilla Gravity bike frames are designed and built in house in Denver Colorado, no too far from Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos.

The company is led by its President Will Montague, its Chief Engineer Matt Giaraffa and head of Marketing Kristy Anderson. All 3 come from quite different backgrounds, Mike for example has a background in both racing car and aerospace design, but as you might expect they share a passion for building a mountain bike that you are stoked to ride for a long time.

Joining me today is Matt Giaraffa, Chief Engineer.

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The GG Team - Matt second from left

A GG Bike in Action

Guerrilla Gravity Web Site

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode comes to you from the Denver Headquarters of Guerrilla Gravity.  Manufacturers of Badass Mountain Bikes.  Made for going fast.  That’s Guerrilla as in Che Guevara and not Gorilla as in King Kong. 

As I am a fan of a) Mountain Bikes and B) going fast I am looking forward to talking to the team about their brand, their story and what makes their awesome bikes, so awesome (y).

Guerrilla Gravity bike frames are designed and built in house in Denver Colorado, no too far from Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos.

The company is led by its President Will Montague, its Chief Engineer Matt Giaraffa and head of Marketing Kristy Anderson.  All 3 come from quite different backgrounds, Mike for example has a background in both racing car and aerospace design, but as you might expect they share a passion for building a mountain bike that you are stoked to ride for a long time.

Joining me today is Matt Giaraffa, Chief Engineer.

Listen on Google

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher

The GG Team - Matt second from left

A GG Bike in Action

Guerrilla Gravity Web Site

It’s 1994 and Rwanda, a land locked country on the Eastern side of Africa, just on the Equator, was in the midst of one of the worst genocides in history. 

In 100 days more than 1 million Tutsis were slaughtered, representing about 70% of their population. 

At that time a bicycle = life. If you had a bicycle you might escape the slaughter. If you had a bicycle you could try to make your way to safety, too afraid to look back at the staggering and stomach churning displays of man’s inhumanity to man.

A documentary called Rising from the Ashes details how some of those survivors were given a reason to hope by cycling legend Jock Boyer (the first American to enter the Tour de France and a member of the United States Cycling Hall of Fame) as he helped a fledgling Rwandan cycling team not only get off the ground, but also, amazingly, managing to attend the London Olympics in 2012. The riders of Team Rwanda gave their countrymen a vision of something greater than themselves and their history; hope for the future.

Scroll forwards to 2017 and the Rwandan Cycling Team will be racing at this year’s inaugural Colorado Classic pro cycling race

Join me as I talk to Jock Boyer about the movie, the team and the race.

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Jock Boyer and Adrian Niyonshuti 

Team Rwanda's Colorado Classic Jersey - Note Rhinos

The Tour de Rwanda - ©Mrjka Boensch Bees

Team Rwanda's Web Site

Rising from the ashes movie (iTunes)

Thorne Research

The Colorado Classic

Spiders Will Eat Your Face $0.99 Starring Mike Fallek

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s 1994 and Rwanda, a land locked country on the Eastern side of Africa, just on the Equator, was in the midst of one of the worst genocides in history. 

In 100 days more than 1 million Tutsis were slaughtered, representing about 70% of their population. 

At that time a bicycle = life.  If you had a bicycle you might escape the slaughter.  If you had a bicycle you could try to make your way to safety, too afraid to look back at the staggering and stomach churning displays of man’s inhumanity to man.

A documentary called Rising from the Ashes details how some of those survivors were given a reason to hope by cycling legend Jock Boyer (the first American to enter the Tour de France and  a member of the United States Cycling Hall of Fame) as he helped a fledgling Rwandan cycling team not only get off the ground, but also, amazingly, managing to attend the London Olympics in 2012.  The riders of Team Rwanda gave their countrymen a vision of something greater than themselves and their history; hope for the future.

Scroll forwards to 2017 and the Rwandan Cycling Team will be racing at this year’s inaugural Colorado Classic pro cycling race

Join me as I talk to Jock Boyer about the movie, the team and the race.

Listen on Google

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Stitcher

Jock Boyer and Adrian Niyonshuti 

Team Rwanda's Colorado Classic Jersey - Note Rhinos

The Tour de Rwanda - ©Mrjka Boensch Bees

Team Rwanda's Web Site

Rising from the ashes movie (iTunes)

Thorne Research

The Colorado Classic

In the space of 12 months I have known three people commit suicide. All 3 of them were men. In my interactions with them, I never would have guessed there was anything wrong, and news of their suicide came as a complete shock.

In conversations with the people they left behind though, it is clear that theirs was a thin veneer and they knew there were signs of inner turmoil; signs that only a loved one might have noticed such as severe moodiness, disinterest with things they loved to do and periods of complete withdrawal.

Join me as I talk to April Paige, as we talk about the suicide of her partner and her creation of the Check In Foundation.

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Clay Watson at a High School League Race

April, Clay & Bailey

The Check In Foundation's Web Site

Find A Suicide Prevention Outreach Program

Call - 800 273 8255 (talk)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the space of 12 months I have known three people commit suicide.  All 3 of them were men.  In my interactions with them, I never would have guessed there was anything wrong, and news of their suicide came as a complete shock.

In conversations with the people they left behind though, it is clear that theirs was a thin veneer and they knew there were signs of inner turmoil; signs that only a loved one might have noticed such as severe moodiness, disinterest with things they loved to do and periods of complete withdrawal.

Join me as I talk to April Paige, as we talk about the suicide of her partner and her creation of the Check In Foundation.

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Google

Clay Watson at a High School League Race

April, Clay & Bailey

The Check In Foundation's Web Site

Find A Suicide Prevention Outreach Program

Call - 800 273 8255 (talk)

In a first, I’m pleased to say that I’m interviewing a member of that most select, elite and smart group of people, a listener of the Bikes And…Podcast. A listener who reached out to me with an idea for a story. 

Honestly, when I started this podcast back on 2016, this is exactly the sort of person I wanted to talk to. It’s been super talking to people who have events to promote, or beers to drink, but for the most part I have reached out to them to invite them onto the show. So, to have someone actually take the time to click on the contact button on my web site, fill out the form with an idea, means a lot to me. 

If you want to be on the show, don’t be shy. You don’t have to have the perfect voice, just an idea about a story relating to a bicycle. 

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on iTunes

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Robert & Westwind

Robert Raymond's Web Site

Espada Latin Rock Band

People for Bikes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a first, I’m pleased to say that I’m interviewing a member of that most select, elite and smart group of people, a listener of the Bikes And…Podcast.  A listener who reached out to me with an idea for a story. 

Honestly, when I started this podcast back on 2016, this is exactly the sort of person I wanted to talk to.  It’s been super talking to people who have events to promote, or beers to drink, but for the most part I have reached out to them to invite them onto the show.  So, to have someone actually take the time to click on the contact button on my web site, fill out the form with an idea, means a lot to me. 

If you want to be on the show, don’t be shy.  You don’t have to have the perfect voice, just an idea about a story relating to a bicycle. 

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Google

Robert & Westwind

Robert Raymond's Web Site

Espada Latin Rock Band

People for Bikes

Editorial Note: In this podcast it is inadvertently mentioned that the race that precedes the Colorado Classic is the Tour of California, it should be the Tour of Utah. 

7 years ago, I stood on the steps of Colorado’s Capital Building, along with 4,000 other cycling enthusiasts, to witness the birth of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. Quite possibly the longest and hardest to pronounce name in sporting event history, this marked the return of professional cycling to Colorado since the heady days of the Coors Classic which ran from 1980 to 1988 and before that the Red Zinger.

Sadly, this event was not to last

Scroll forwards to 2016 and rumours began to circulate that there was a new team in town, represented by RPM Events, an investment team that includes Denver’s Gart Family and local philanthropist Ben Walton (grandson of Sam Walton) with the goal of resurrecting a Professional bike race in Colorado and soon it was announced that this race would be called the Colorado Classic. Not only a bike race, but also a huge music festival, all under the banner of Velorama Colorado. 

The event will run from August 10-13, have 4 race stages in Colorado Springs, Breckenridge and Denver, the 3 day music festival, based in Denver’s hip and trendy RiNo district will feature headline acts such as Death Cab for Cutie & Wilco. 

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Google

Velorama

Visit the Colorado Classic Web Site

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editorial Note: In this podcast it is inadvertently mentioned that the race that precedes the Colorado Classic is the Tour of California, it should be the Tour of Utah. 

7 years ago, I stood on the steps of Colorado’s Capital Building, along with 4,000 other cycling enthusiasts, to witness the birth of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.  Quite possibly the longest and hardest to pronounce name in sporting event history, this marked the return of professional cycling to Colorado since the heady days of the Coors Classic which ran from 1980 to 1988 and before that the Red Zinger.

Sadly, this event was not to last

Scroll forwards to 2016 and rumours began to circulate that there was a new team in town, represented by RPM Events, an investment team that includes Denver’s Gart Family and local philanthropist Ben Walton (grandson of Sam Walton) with the goal of resurrecting a Professional bike race in Colorado and soon it was announced that this race would be called the Colorado Classic.  Not only a bike race, but also a huge music festival, all under the banner of Velorama Colorado. 

The event will run from August 10-13, have 4 race stages in Colorado Springs, Breckenridge and Denver, the 3 day music festival, based in Denver’s hip and trendy RiNo district will feature headline acts such as Death Cab for Cutie & Wilco. 

Listen on Stitcher

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Google

Velorama

Visit the Colorado Classic Web Site