Tune in here to this episode of Grits, Guts, and Determination, The Leadville Race Series Podcast, a leading authority for all things Leadville! Host Cole Chlouber, son of race founder Ken Chlouber, takes us on a story-telling journey of the 38-year rich history of this race. We learn all the tips, tricks, and stories from the Leadville community members! Joining us today is Brian Feddema, the owner of the local bike shop called Cycles of Life in Leadville, CO. There is no one across the nation who can prepare your bike for the Leadville 100 better than he can. He has brought life into and protected the Leadville community, and he is the guy to see for every cycle, Leadville and business owner need, and everything in between.

To begin, Brian shares how he found Leadville. He is from St. Cloud, Minnesota and at the time, he was working in Utah in 2005. He skied in Leadville, and fell in love with the environment of the town and visited the bike shop. He remembered thinking that he could do it better. He talked to the coffee shop owner, Chris, for three hours and they opened the Cycles of Life bike shop together. Brian grew up in a small town and was involved with sports in high school- he didn’t bike until college. During college, he worked at a bike shop called Out and About Gear. He loved this shop and looked up to the owner, Bruce. After he graduated college, he moved to Montana to ski and then Utah to work, but quit to start his own bike shop. Brian did not always have aspirations of opening his own business, but after working in the bike shop in college, he decided to get his degree in Business and Administration. Brian competes in four major bike races a year including the Leadville 100, Unbound, Mesa Verde, but he prefers to ride with his friends for fun.

The services at Cycles of Life bike shop include: renting and buying bikes, bike maintenance, nutrition advice, shipping and service package, etc. They will help you with anything you need. Their shop has helped countless individuals with their bike needs before the race and they want to be as much of a resource as they can to maximize visitors' stay. Brian shares that his favorite part of owning a business in Leadville is getting to help and see the excitement on customer’s faces. He enjoys being the master of his own destiny in that if the shop succeeds or fails, it is due to himself. The most challenging part of owning a business is hiring employees that are skilled enough to help customers and leave people with a good impression in the summer. Another challenge is hiring employees because he can’t offer employees full employment since the winter months aren’t as busy.

Brian recently got married to a real estate agent named Heather, who owns RE/MAX at Aspen Leaf Realty. They met when Brian was trying to buy his first home. Brian shares that Leaville has helped keep him grounded and rooted in the things that matter in life. He is connected with a good core group of friends and Leadville has allowed him to focus on simple and meaningful things. He has also learned to protect what he values, including Leadville and the way that is it. He wants to add to Leadville and help everyone enjoy the city more. To finish, Brian’s last piece of advice for the race is to not underestimate the power of having a proper, operating bicycle. He says too many people focus on getting in shape and eating the proper nutrition, but don’t take the time to give their bike the respect that it deserves. He advises you to come to the bike shop and they will check your bike to give you that extra confidence you need to finish the race.