Colorado - Yeti Tribemeet 2010

The Colorado experience got off to a flying start. Further confusion about the bike bags on arrival at LHR T5 led to some convivial banter with the check-in girl who, having asked me if I had considered modelling (mmmm, not my face I'll wager!), slipped a note on our record that prompted an upgrade at the gate. We got on the plane and turned left for the first time. Happy days.

A very relaxed Fred & Molly were collected from Denver International by Dave & Teresa who had signed up for some serious baby-sitting for the next ten days. Dave & Teresa had planned the whole itinerary, organised every meal, sorted all the travel arrangements and the stop-overs, scheduled shopping trips, bike rides and entertainment. It was like being away with mom and dad, although I hope we contributed something to the endless list of little jobs that surround life on the road. We cannot thank you guys enough, simple as that.

On the first full day, we picked up two new ASR5's from Fred Nolting at Wheatridge Cyclery (www.ridewrc.com) and were quite keen to try them out. Plans for a 'spin round the block' turned into a two-hour, thirty-mile tour of the extensive cycleway network around Broomfield. We puffed and panted a little more than normal. We live at sea-level and Denver is about 5400 feet up. That's over a mile high and a thousand feet higher than the highest mountain in the UK. None of this is a problem until you start to put some effort in and this happened during the traverse of Big Dry Creek and the circumnavigation of Standley Lake - an easy local 30 miler. Will we get used to this in a week ?

Monday we visited HQ, where the charismatic 'Big' Joe Hendrickson gave us a guided tour of the Yeti factory, complete with a sneak preview of something very special, the 25th Anniversary 575 in classic colours. Love at first sight and the first of several we saw during the week being piloted by the Pro's and the fortunate few. My best efforts in the raffle drew a blank and a fellow Tribe member walked away with the prize. Well done and enjoy, fellow Yeti rider :-)

Tuesday saw us re-packing bags and loading up to drive south over / through the Rockies to Silverthorne (for some retail therapy) and then on to Salida for a planned appointment with the Monarch Crest Trail, one of the top trails in the world. Teresa and Molly kindly dropped us off at the top of the pass (11000ft) and this saved a tarmac slog that neither of us wanted. The climbing wasn't over though ...

It appears to go up and up. Doubletrack first, then classic singletrack of every type imaginable. Rocks, trees, roots, tricky, easy, dry, wet, open, swoopy .. brilliant riding with views to die for. It's not technical and very little is that steep (either up or down), but it is chuffing high and this does increase the risk of anal haemorrhaging if you are not prepared.

The reward is a roller-coaster ridge-line traverse on top of the world, at 12000-15000 ft, with only fresh air and huge skies for company. I struggled for breath at times and was not acclimatised, but that was unlikey in such a short time. I did recover quickly at the rest stops though, my legs felt strong and I did manage all the climbs - but was at the back of the peleton. Huge thanks to my (moral) support team and temporary riding buddies (L-R) Brian, Ryan, Melanie, Dave and Doug of team COMOtion. I felt like a real rider for a short while.

A final endless descent spewed us out onto I285 and we free-wheeled to the gas (petrol)station in Poncha Springs for some second-rate coffee and to wait for pick-up. Grubby, smelly and rather tired, but grinning from ear to ear after the day's exploits. A quick shower and lunch later, we were on the road again to try and get over Wolf Creek Pass before nightfall and on to Durango - the spiritual home of the Yeti.

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Yeti is a great Company who provide high-end bikes for discerning riders. Design, workmanship, quality and backup are all excellent and no-where else would you find a market leader who subsidizes a get-togther for devotees of the brand every year and then ships all the employees, sponsored riders and Pro's in to mix with the normal folk for a weekend of beer, banter and riding. You could criticise some of the Tribemeet's fine-tuning, but the slightly random nature of the event and the 'fluid' timings are part of the relaxed vibe that Yeti work hard to engender. Where else would you see (World 4X Champion) Jared Graves, Aaron Gwin and Joey Schusler arsing about on bikes, mid-season, after a few beers and risking potential injury - watched, sanctioned and encouraged by the very guys that support and sponsor them ?

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Yeti are a bunch of riders that happen to make bikes, not the other way round - that's why the brand is special.

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So, we rock up in Durango, sign in and pick up the tee shirt and commemorative pint glass. Dave adds glass #9 to his collection and becomes the only Tribe member to have attended them all (as far as we know). So, what about the riding ?

The 'route du jour' for Saturday was a healthy portion of the Colorado trail and those kind folk at Yeti shipped us up the 'road' in school buses to the trailhead for the start of a memorable 30 miles. In a procession of buses and bike transporters we edged our way higher and higher along the mountain pass - like the getaway scene from The Italian Job (v1.00) but without the accident.

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And what a ride. More pristine singletrack than you can shake a stick at. Fast ribbons of dry trail under dappled shade, short but spiteful climbs, rocky descents, stream crossings, switch-backs, rock steps and more than a few comedy moments.

It was all so good that it is difficult to mention any particular highlight, but perhaps it was when Dave and I had a breather at the same viewpoint as Shusler and Gwin; and Joey asked if he could take OUR photograph! Maybe he thought it was a Saga (old-folks) outing as we are both past our sell-by date, were in matching jerseys and have Yetiman tattoos ...

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The ride up Horse Gulch Canyon from downtown Durango, in 98 degrees of blazing heat, was totally unnecessary after the brief stop at Pedro's Burrito Bar, but even with a belly full of lunch, it didn't seem 'manly' to accept a lift. The more miles the better, however slow. Thank-you Ben for keeping me company !

Beer and laughter followed and you already know I didn't win the special 575 in the raffle, but the weekend was a great experience and it re-enforced my theory that the mountain bike community in general - and Yeti riders in particular - are a most sociable bunch who simply accept you because you ride a bike. A sport with few boundaries and a brand with none. We met some of our good friends again and, hopefully made a few more. Thanks to all at Yeti for such a warm welcome for the visiting Brits and cheers Sarah for pulling it together.

We would love to return and ride some more, I feel very much at home in Colorado. We would love to host some of our friends over here in England too. Call to arrange ...

The Tribemeet was held on the same weekend as the Leadville 100 and so it was fitting we should call in on the way back to Denver. Lance had pulled out, Dave Weins (who we passed on the MCT earlier in the week) 'slumped' to fourth and Levi won in record time, but by the time we got there, most of the competitors had gone and only a few tired, but elated, souls were left lounging in the coffee shops. We had planned a short ride round the town on one of the recognised trails but bad weather and a spot of lethargy over-ruled any intent on the day.

So, we ended up at the start, with one day to sort out and pack up. A quick return-trip to Wheatridge Cyclery to buy those things we should have bought last week and to collect a sizeable contribution to my casual and riding wardrobe, courtesy of the very generous Fred Nolting. Great to meet you at last, Fred.

Finally, we had just enough time for one more ride and, at last, I managed to put a few miles in without too much puffing and panting.

We ripped round the Wipiti trail, with optional loops, on the Heil Valley Ranch, just north of Boulder, and what a great finale to a memorable visit. Even bumped into Camran & Stacee from the Tribe ... we are everywhere :-) In their spare time, they work at the Sportsgarage in Boulder - cool (Yeti) bikes for cool people. Check them out.

Statistics - ten days, four great rides, about 110 miles with lots of climbing, four beers, two whisky's, several bottles of red wine, a few new friends and a massive bag of new tee shirts. NO mechanicals, NO punctures and NO crashes, and I returned from the USA lighter than when I arrived for the first time in my life. Result !

Most of the thanks have been done, but the biggest thanks must go to Molly. Much of what I did on this trip, you couldn't manage. Some of the things I enjoyed, you didn't share. I will be there for you on those occasions when it is the other way round, always. There, I said it.

Official version of events may be found here www.yeticycles.com/#/features/tribe_gathering/12/