Advocate Cycles

Ambassador Profile - Dejay Birtch

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Best known for his accomplishments on a singlespeed, Dejay Birtch is a mountain biker and ambassador to the mountain biking community involved with the sport both on and off the bike whose illustrious career spans 20 years. He currently lives and rides in Tucson, Arizona, although his roots are found in Port Jervis, New York—a place where he says that he cultivated his creative capacity for finding new and interesting approaches to the world.

When he transplanted himself to Tucson, Arizona, he took along his outdoor experience, added a bike, and began sharing his adventurous mindset with everyone else. Among many other things, he is an urban escapist, tour guide, shop rat and world dirt sampler. Sometimes referred to as a cyclist that races, Dejay tries to deal with that pressure by being the first to the top of many hills.

He’s been an endurance national and world champion and has crisscrossed the continental United States both west to east and north to south on his bike. He has designed trail systems and created cycling events. Recently he has created and promoted fat bike events in Arizona and New York and organized the 2014 singlespeed World Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. He helped start SSUSA (Singlespeed USA) and has been a part of Singlespeed Arizona for over a decade.

For his most recent project, Dejay has followed his roots back home to New York to take on a trail building project in his hometown. Like many east coast towns, Port Jervis was brought up on industry, which has all gone away at this point, leaving the area as somewhat of an economic ghost town. But the town does have an amazing natural resource that has been virtually untouched and completely off limits for 100+ years.

This particular resource is a large, city-owned, 2,000+ acre piece of land in town that is part of the watershed and houses three reservoirs, along with many rolling ridgelines and ideal terrain for a trail system. For a while now, Dejay has seen the potential in this piece of land for outdoor recreation.

With other nearby outdoor attractions like the Delaware River that runs through town, the nearby Appalachian trail, the Poconos and Catskill Mountains within a short drive—and the possibility to ride the commuter train all the way from NYC—the area stands to be the next best playground in the region for cycling, hiking, and other sports year-round.

And so he went to work convincing the town that this would be an ideal place to build some trails and start to draw people back to the town. Finally last August, he got the go-ahead to start building and went to work putting together the beginnings of a trail system.

To say that he helped to make a miracle happen could be truth. Currently, they are in the infant stages of building singletrack with at least 30 miles laid out and about 15 miles of doubletrack already existing. On March 19, Dejay held a fatbike event on the trails as a grand opening, which turned out to be a hit, and now has plans for a MTB event to be held on October 29th.

Dejay tells us that, “all of this is to spread the love of the outdoors of course, but it holds a special place to me, to help my small home town come back from the economical ashes of what was a booming industrial town.”

If there’s a bike involved, Dejay will always be there. Just stay tight on his wheel and follow him into his next adventure.

Dealer Spotlight – Velorution

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Velorution Cycles and Bedrock Bags call Durango, Colorado, home. They are ideally situated in a solar-powered warehouse at one of the largest trailheads in town, with singletrack right out the front door. Velorution has been in business for a little over four years and just a couple months after Joey Ernst opened the shop, the maker of Bedrock Bags, Andrew Wracher, brought some of his first personal bikepacking bags into the shop having heard that Joey was into bikepacking. After a conversation about bikepacking, gear, and business, Bedrock became a reality.

Over the next four years Andrew and Joey worked closely with their separate businesses. Going into autumn of 2015, they decided to just up and combine everything—now they’re co-owners of what is, to their knowledge, the world’s first bikepacking-centric shop that actually makes gear on site.

Joey has been in the bike industry since he began working at a small-town Midwestern Schwinn shop in 1997—after spending years working in shops and on the World Cup MTB circuit as a mechanic, it was time to settle down. He didn’t know what else to do with himself besides stay with bicycles and so the bike shop was born.

His shop has also had quite an impact on the local cycling community. Before the mainstream cycling world had ever heard of bikepacking they had built up quite a little community of bikepacking adventurers in Durango. When they began, people would walk in the door, see the wall of bikepacking gear and say, “what is that strange stuff?” It’s very different now—people come in saying, “I’ve heard you’re the people to talk to about bikepacking.” Joey admits that for someone that’s rarely on the cutting edge of anything, “it’s pretty cool to be an originator in a movement that’s seeing a lot of traction.”

The shop is also involved in a handful of local and regional cycling events. Every other year Velorution hosts the start of the CTR (Colorado Trail Race), a race Joey has finished twice and absolutely loved every time. They are also heavily involved in the Colorado Endurance Series, a statewide, underground collection of no entry fee endurance events. They host about 4-6 of the races on the 17-event calendar every year and even created two of them—the Velorution Valkyrie backcountry fatbike race in January and the Velorution Venture multi-day bikepacking race in September.

Velorution really believes in the CES events because they take riders to amazing places—they don’t require participants to ride multiple laps on a boring course, they capture the essence of backcountry and self-supported riding, and they are free. Outside of the CES, Velorution puts on bikepacking and fatbiking clinics every year, and when they have time they run a weekly group ride. In short, they do their best to get involved and continue to build the adventure cycling crowd in the Four Corners.

When it comes to advocacy, one group that excites the crew at Velorution most is the Sustainable Trails Coalition, a nation-wide group advocating for sensible changes to federal Wilderness Area laws that keep things like bicycles and strollers out of Wilderness areas, while allowing horses and skis. Instead of just perpetuating the status quo, they believe this group is challenging nonsensical ideas and bringing realistic solutions to the table. Surrounded as they are in Durango, by hundreds of thousands of acres of federal wilderness, changes to the types of travel allowed in those wildernesses would very much change the local cycling community.

As a staff, Velorution is currently a three-person shop of avid riders that are great at getting people into the same things that they are into—gear that they use and personally believe in. Velorution stands apart from the crowd because they look for staff that is truly experienced in bike shops and the bicycle lifestyle, with a genuine enthusiasm for helping other people have fun on two wheels.

Living in a place like Durango, there is no shortage of trails in the area but when forced to pick favorites there are a few. It’s not exactly local the entire way—at 500 miles long that would be difficult to claim—but the Colorado Trail in its entirety is a personal favorite of Joey’s. Of riding the Colorado Trail he says, “Something about having nothing to do but ride, eat and sleep is mentally calming.” More locally, they like to ride on any of the awesome high country trails in the San Juans, which are always a favorite. Andrew is also a huge fan of the desert riding in southeast Utah and of course it doesn’t hurt that the shop is also located at a trailhead. A two-hour ride from the front door at Horse Gulch and 1:59 of it will be on trails—not bad at all.

Building The Baja Divide: 12 Days Towards Christmas

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Building The Baja Divide: 12 Days Towards Christmas

Words by Lael Wilcox, Photos by Nicholas Carman

In San Diego, we photocopy a colored atlas into white and black. We cut the pages down to size and highlight probable routes in orange and possible routes in pink. There remains a lot of black and white in between—lots of unknown and lots of hope. We trace our fingers over thin lines, then dotted lines—over mountain ranges and to the sea. Maybe this road actually goes through? Could we ride there? If we can’t ride, could we push our bikes and make it anyway? Let’s go try. How else do people get there? Who lives there? What do they do? Let’s go see.

We take a ferry to Coronado. Saying goodbye to my godmother in the morning, we ride the Silver Strand to Chula Vista and to a dirt road over Otay Mountain. From the top, all alone, we can see both San Diego and Tijuana. Both America and Mexico—where we came from and where we’re going.

We descend to the pavement and drink soda in the shade at Barrett Junction. We pass a road sign to Campo, the start of the Pacific Crest Trail. We continue to Tecate, the border crossing. I sit in a customs office on the American side, while Nick goes to find pesos to pay for the tourist visa. He returns to retrieve his passport and gives me a cucumber-lime Gatorade while I wait. It’s delicious.

On December 8, a couple stamps later, we cross the border to Baja. We pedal through the gate, to Tecate and pass a tree-lined plaza. Old men play dominoes on park benches. We don’t stop because we’re on the hunt for dirt roads to other places.

On the first night, a Mexican businessman that commutes daily to San Diego invites us to camp in his yard. On the second, a shop owner in Ojos Negros invites us to camp out front. We buy a half-pint of Mezcalito. Are you sure you want that? Why not? She’s right, it’s gross.

On the third day we pass vineyards on the way to Santo Tomas and almost make it to the Pacific. We climb steep and camp on a hilltop. In the evening, trucks honk hello from below.

In the morning, motos flash thumbs up as they pass. I wave to their backs. We stop at the top of a climb to look out at the Pacific Ocean. It’s all downhill from here. Let’s ride to the beach! I crash hard on the way down riding too fast into deep sand. I hear my back pop in four places and burp my front tire. Ouch! Nick digs the sand out of the tire bead and swirls Stan’s while I pick the sand out of my teeth and finally sit up. He helps me back onto my bike and we ride slowly to Erendira.

On the fourth evening, brilliant purples and reds paint over dark clouds at sunset. It’s both stunning and menacing. Ripping down the coast with a strong tailwind, we watch the storm brew. We need to find camp. To Nick’s dismay, I stop and steal brussel sprouts growing on tall stalks by the sea. He points to the sky and urges me on.

Shielded on two sides by rock walls, we set the tent up. It’s sandy and the tent stakes hardly hold. Nick stakes and re-stakes. The tent walls flap loudly in the fierce breeze. We’ll be fine. If we have to, we’ll pack up, ride on and look for shelter. Under the cover of the tent, Nick steams the brussel sprouts with onions and tops them with a dry, crumbly sheep cheese. I swear it tastes like clams and drink the tasty broth. It rains in the night and after several hours the wind dies and we fall asleep.

On the fifth day, we cross the primary paved highway, the MEX1, at Colonet. We ride dirt to Ejido Benito Juarez and follow a sandy arroyo away from the village. Fresh water flows through the valley. Behind a fence, I spy fields of tomatillos, but I don’t steal any. The night is clear and we camp under the stars. A heavy wet frost covers our bikes.

The next day we climb to El Coyote and then Mike’s Sky Rancho. We drink beer with Canadian mototourists until dark. One of their Mexican guides, named Oscar, works in a fish plant in Seward in the summer. He packs salmon. You’re from Alaska? Yeah! When you go home to Anchorage, go to Thai Tom’s and tell my boss that Oscar says hi. Where are you biking tomorrow? To Coco’s Corner. You’re going to Coco’s Corner? He’s the greatest! When you see Coco, tell him Oscar from Ensenada says hi.

The Canadian motos invite us to stay for steak dinner, but they’re not cooking the steaks. Oscar and the crew are, they’re running a business. We’d rather not impose and we’re ready to find camp. We pedal away in the dark and across a stream. The sky is overcast and it looks like it’s going to rain again. We ride half an hour uphill to find a flat spot. Then I realize that I lost the tent. Dang! Where is it? Nick says that we’d better retrace our steps. With our lights on, we descend slowly to Mike’s and look hard for the tent. We don’t find it. Well, what now? We could either ask to stay here, pay to stay here or look again. If we stay here, we won’t find the tent and then we won’t have the tent for tomorrow. Let’s go look again. Nick suggests that the tent might be in the stream. I’m sure it’s not. And then, sure enough, there it is in the stream. I let out a cheer because I’m so happy that he’s right and I’m wrong. We’ve got the tent! We climb back to our flat spot and set up camp. Instead of steaks, we eat beans and tortillas and they taste great. Heavy rain pounds through the night.

The morning of day 7 is clear and bright. We roll out of camp and start climbing. The ground is still wet from the night before and it’s muddy. It’s that nasty clay mud that stops bikes dead. The mud cakes on our tires and chains and my chain drops off the ring. I put it back on, but it won’t stay. A few steps later, Nick’s tires clog in his frame. Neither of us can pedal. We start pushing our bikes slowly through the mud. It’s sunny and not a big deal, we’ll walk until we can ride again. Eventually, the sun will dry out the roads—for now the air is cool and it might take a while. We keep pushing.

And then I see them. On the side of the road are two unopened cans of beer. It’s the little things; cold treasure can make all the difference on a muddy forced hike-a-bike. We stop in the sun, on the side of the road to drink the beer. Meanwhile, a big white pick-up approaches, engine roaring and sliding all over the road. It’s Oscar from Ensenada! Want a ride? That’d be great!

We put the bikes in the bed of the truck and take a ride to the MX3. Back on the bikes, we rip pavement with a tailwind 60 miles to San Felipe, a tourist town. We stay in a hotel for three days and watch full-length movies on YouTube and eat tacos and write.

On day 9 we head for Coco’s Corner and stop short at Bahia Gonzaga. At the end of a paved road, on the other side of a military checkpoint, there is a really nice store. The owners are having a Christmas party and they invite us to join them. We all dance to loud music and drink Tecate Light and eat cake. We camp on the beach nearby and return to the store in the morning to fill up on water. A middle-aged man in a comboy hat asks if he can try reading my Bukowski novel. He does a good job sounding out the words. He wants to learn English so he can drive a truck in Canada. I see his son eyeing my bike. I ask him if he wants to try and ride it. First he shrugs no and I ask again and he agrees. He barely stands over the frame, but he pumps on the suspension fork and he knows how to ride. It’s awesome!

On day 10 we make it to Coco’s and stop early. He insists that we stay. Coco is alive and well! He’s the greatest. That night, a man arrives at Coco’s Corner. His truck has a flat tire and his family is waiting with the truck and he can’t get the lug nuts loose. Coco—it should be made clear that he has no legs—goes out to help with the truck. We make egg and bean burritos and leave one on a plate for Coco when he returns. In the morning I sign his guest book before we leave.

On day 11 we camp in a half built house just above Bahia Los Angeles. The four walls protect us from the wind. The un-paned windows give us a view of the bay, and the lack of roof—a view of the stars.

On day 12 we eat tacos with Pancho in San Rafael. Pancho lives in a trailer above the beach. He fishes when he wants to and he rolls fresh flour tortillas when he wants them. He fries everything on a propane stove top and I swear they are the most delicious fish tacos I’ve ever tasted.

It’s December 20, four days to Christmas and we’re half-way down the peninsula. We pedal across the imaginary border from Baja California Norte to Baja California Sur. It only gets better from here.

The Baja Divide is a projected 2000-mile off-pavement touring route from San Diego, CA to the southern tip of the Baja California Sur. Lael Wilcox and her partner Nicholas Carman have spent two months researching the route, and have recently returned to San Diego to start a second routefinding mission down the peninsula. A digital track will be published by summer 2016, with additional guiding resources scheduled to be published later in the year, leading up to the inaugural group start on the route on January 2, 2017. This group start—neither a group tour nor a race—is a way to encourage people to ride the route self-supported, at their own pace, by starting amidst a community of like-minded riders. Lael is riding a 27.5+ Advocate Hayduke. Learn more at www.bajadivide.com.

Race Report - Arrowhead Ultra 135

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Photo Courtesy Lori Dobbs / lori-dobbs.pixels.com

 

The Arrowhead Ultra 135 travels through northern Minnesota on the rugged and scenic Arrowhead State Snowmobile trail from International Falls to Tower, Minnesota. Known to be an extremely difficult race, it takes place in the coldest town in the lower 48 states and has a finish rate of less then 50%. It’s tough—throw in subzero temps or fresh snow and it becomes even tougher.

Barry Buhr just completed the 2016 Arrowhead aboard an Advocate Watchman so we caught up with him to see how the event went, how he prepared, and what he brought along on the journey. In the past, Barry has taken part in numerous distance cycling events including the Chequamegon 100, Maah Daah Hey 100, Rusty Ride 100, Duluth 100, Lutsen 99er and the Marji Gesick 100—although, none of them quite compare to the Arrowhead. Here’s what Buhrito had to say.

Preparation

Let’s start with how I trained for this event. I took a two-week snowboarding trip and didn’t ride a bike for 23 days, which was by far the longest time off a bike in years. Despite the fact that I was doing zero dedicated training, I was spending my usual amount of time outside in the snow and cold—getting a good workout everyday. I think in a way, this time off the bike was good because I’ve been developing what seems to be tendonitis in my knee, which started back in the summer, and time off the bike may have been a positive thing.

When I got home to Duluth, I had two weeks until the race. The very first day back it was -20 and I thought, “perfect, let’s get back to biking and get the cold tolerance built up.” All the miles and training had happened throughout the season, so getting my layering right and getting the gear packed solid was my main focus. In the days leading up to the big day I spent a good amount of time practicing with the gear, went on a few test rides, and felt really happy about how it all worked.

The Gear

For the event, I rode a rigid Advocate Watchman with 1×11 drivetrain and Vanhelga tires on 90mm rims. For gear hauling I made a simple sleeping bag fastener for the fork that worked great and had a Surly frame bag that held food, thermos, pump, tube and tools. On the back I had a Revelate seat bag that held the stove, fuel, sleeping pad, bivy, and extra layers. I also had an additional small bag strapped to the seat bag, which I used for more food. On the bars I had Barr Mitts, allowing me to wear summer gloves the entire time. I also brought along a Mountain Hardware 800 Down -20 sleeping bag, a Thermarest NeoAir sleeping pad, Outdoor Research bivy, Jetboil stove, fuel, and pot kit. For riding in the dark I brought along a Niterider OLED 800 light that I used in walk mode and a 100-lumen headlamp. I also carried a phone with an extra power source in case of emergency.

I decided not to use a drop bad out on the course so I carried a lot of food. Three peanut butter, honey, jalapeno, and bacon sandwiches, a big bag of trail mix, a big bag of sunflower seeds, beef jerky, two whey protein bars, four granola & nut filled bars and the customary jar of peanut butter.

For clothing, I wore what I would consider my “late October” gear most of the time. I wore thick wool socks, chamy tights with shorts over them, fleece base layer and hoody, an ultralight shell that I used about half the time, insulated hiking boots that I cut down the tread on to better mesh with my flat pedals, and a hat and balaclava.

International Falls

By the time Sunday arrived, the excitement for the event had come to life. We got to International Falls a little after noon—I wanted to have a solid amount of time for gear check incase any surprises popped up. The check-in/inspection was very smooth and I felt good about all the time I’d spent packing and re-packing to get everything dialed. After the check-in, we had to kill a few hours until we could check into our room and until the racers meeting so we drove around the town—I think we saw all the attractions.

After the rider meeting, I decided to suit up and ride from the hotel to preview a portion of the first snowmobile trail. The snow was soft as expected and definitely didn’t look like it was going to set up overnight. I rode back to town, had a few beers, and went to bed feeling confident in my tire choice given the snow conditions.

Race Day

It was warm and misty in the morning. I felt like I was dressed light, but I would later wish I was dressed lighter. I was sweaty in the first five minutes. I did pack a full extra base layer though and planned to change into that at Melgeorge’s. I figured if I kept moving at this pace I should be warm enough, albeit wet, until there.

I went out pretty fast, knowing that it would help a lot to find the “sweet spot” of where many previous riders had ridden the trail. Too far up front and I would be kind of blazing trail—after too many people and it’d be rutted. And rutted it did get—making it so you couldn’t lose focus even for a moment, or you’d catch the side of the rut and get pulled into the soft snow and come to a stop or expend a bunch of extra energy trying to save it.

It took me longer than I expected to get to the first checkpoint at Gate Store. While, I was okay with the pace, it also threw out my top time goals. I had figured that in good conditions with solid trail surface, this ride could maybe happen for me in 18-20hours and if it was soft or really cold, maybe 21-24 hours. With some additional adversity I figured 25-30 hours. Any more than that, and I figured something miserable would be happening…

With singletrack being my forte, I was riding relatively efficient though the ruts and morale was high. The hope had been to cross Elephant Lake in the daylight but alas, it was not to be. Riding by bike light now, I heard the wind before I got to the lake and knew what was coming. I thought I could make it across in my sweaty clothing but about 1/4 mile onto the open lake, the headwind got intense and the shell had to come out. As that cold wind hit my soaked body, the level of seriousness bumped up a notch.

Melgeorge’s Cabin

I finished the longest mile-long lake crossing ever with some nice folks cheering and Pam waiting at the end to offer some encouragement. She knew this was already taking me longer than I hoped. And then there it was, lit up like some sort of haunted house—Melgeorge’s cabin. I had heard what it does—it sucks you in—and so I hesitated going in. But I had brought fresh base layer and needed a place to change.

As I arrived at the cabin, TMF was outside. He offered this advice “Go in there, and get good and ready. Get dry, and don’t leave until you’re ready, even if it’s hours.” So I went in. The volunteers were nice enough to dry my clothes so that I had a full backup for emergency on the second half if needed. Two plus hours ended up being the amount of time that just felt right and it was about 10pm when I pedaled out of the driveway, with Pam cheering me on as she headed off to Fortune Bay—hoping to see me by about 11am or maybe noon. Her cheers faded and I was on my own for the night. All. Night.

Into the Night

I had left Melgeorge’s feeling good physically and mentally. By midnight though, I started to fade—my legs were still there, but my head wasn’t. I started literally falling asleep at the bars, doing that thing where you snap back to it quick. It was painful and just got overwhelming.

At about 2am I came across the Myrtle Lake shelter. There was a pair of ski’s leaning against it and someone was in their bivy. I sat there for a couple minutes, contemplating if I should do the same. Honestly, I was a little scared to camp because I was sweaty and although it was “warm” out, it was still around 20° and that’s plenty cold enough to send a wet person in hypothermia. I chose to keep on, knowing that there was supposed to be another shelter in about 12 miles if I still needed it. Seeing someone in their bivy gave me the confidence that I could hopefully do the same if needed.

After 3 more delirious hours, at 5am, I finally stumbled across the Elbow Lake shelter and I thought, “Yes, this is happening right now.” I pulled out the sleeping bag, pad, and bivy—set it all up and got right in. The best move would have probably been to strip down but I just kept my clothes on. I slept okay for 3 hours. I heard at least two others come and go during the time I half slept. Finally, when I saw it was almost 9am, I forced myself to get going again, I knew that several people had passed me and that this “race” wasn’t going to finish itself.

Back on the Trail

With setup/packing, this had taken over 4 hours now. I was freezing as soon as I got out of the bag with hands shaking while I re-packed everything. Then I looked over to the trail and a saw that a foot racer was coming by. This got me motivated to get moving and I actually covered some pretty good ground for a bit after this—eager to see that Surly checkpoint I wanted so badly to come across in the dark. It had taken me two more hours to get there and I don’t think I’d have made it there without sleep.

I met Bob at the tent and he had the most heavenly cup of coffee ever for me. They also had a bottle, which I declined at first but then opted for after the coffee. This quick pit stop was great for morale.

Soon after that I was at Wakemup hill, the most notorious of all hills on the course. It’s huge when you’re pushing a 50+lb-loaded beast through a few inches of fresh snow. I crested the hill and there it was—something nobody ever mentions—what I will forever refer to as the Wakemup Hilltop Halfpipe. It was a ditch with fresh snow. Everyone had ridden right down the middle. I surfed it. It was awesome.

Unfortunately, after that, the terrain got pretty flat. Flat should be easy, but it was back to long straightaways that went by painfully slow. I’d be going down these long straightaways but moving so slow because it was just like walking a tightrope. Then, when finally at the end of the straightaway, it’d just take a slight bend into another one, which was mentally tiring.

Coming to an End

At some point, I checked my phone and had a signal. I saw where I was on the map and that helped a little. And then finally, I rounded the corner and saw the uphill to the finish. Pam and a few others were there waiting and so I got out of the saddle for one last hammer. I crossed at 3:56pm, for a time of 32hrs56min. I was a tad bummed I had to stop and lost a lot of spots but otherwise, I felt pretty good—my brain having benefited greatly from the few hours of rest. The volunteers were so nice and the guy at the finish kindly guided me inside for the post-race inspection. I collected my awesome trophy, hot-tubbed, hit the buffet, and passed out.

Thanks to everyone who lent me gear—it felt good to actually use all the things I carried! I’m glad that it turned out to be a uniquely difficult Arrowhead and I’ll be sending in my 2017 application come September.

Arrowhead Tips

For anyone considering riding the Arrowhead 135 I would recommend getting out and riding your bike in conditions that make you uncomfortable. Remember what layers you wear for every temperature range because the event and location can throw anything at you. Practice riding with your gear loaded on your bike and know how to use each piece of gear—try to use the bivy for at least a couple hours in the cold to see what it’s like. Go on long rides and just work on breathing and relaxing when it gets torturous. And remember that the coldest, most brutal bike ride is almost always still better than most days at work.

Dealer Spotlight - SloHi Bike Co.

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Located in Denver, Colorado, SloHi Bike Co. has been in business for about three years now. This Mile-High City shop is the kind that believes every bike is as individual as its owner—why not get something that fits you perfectly.

Adam Williams, one of the owners of SloHi, has worked in the cycling industry for about 20 years—working as sales rep and sales director at a few different bike brands. After doing that for a while, he decided his heart was in the shop itself—and back to the shop he went.

Adam tells us, “It is an interesting time to go back into the independent bicycle retailer business. The retail channels are very open and competitive right now.”

He cites the local cycling community as the main reason for re-entering the retail space. “Everyone at his shop simply loves helping all types of cyclists,” he says. “Hell, we even have a kick bike in the shop right now.”

Adam also sees the benefit of having the neighborhood grow around the shop. “We’ve had the privilege to meet people through the coffee shop, see them start families and help them replace their cars with cargo bikes. Being a part of that is so rewarding.”

SloHi itself is a very small shop. Adam Quinney (Q) and the rest of the part time staff are very involved. Q is an active road racer and commuter—the kind of avid commuter that does not own a car and also looks great in a race kit. He prefers the exfoliating benefits of pavement over dirt. Adam Williams (Adam), who loves mountain biking in addition to his commute, has always been very involved in advocacy, having served on COMBA for five years in the past. In regards to advocacy, Adam tells us “I view it as a necessity to continue our sport and our way of life.”

As for community events, SloHi is very involved in the Bailey 100 mountain bike race. It is a huge fundraiser for the Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) and Take a Kid Mountain Biking. Last year they helped to run the aid stations and plan to double down their efforts going forward. COMBA is the local IMBA chapter that makes huge efforts to build trails and keep trails open in the area so it is a great fit the event to support that organization each year.

SloHi is continually working to stay active within the local community. They donate a bike to the Tennyson Center for Abused Youth every quarter and they also support the Colorado State University Cycling Team with a raffle every year—Adam is an alumnus there, he sees it as a great way to give back without having to buy a new wing for the Psychology department.

As well, Denver in itself is making huge strides in bicycle infrastructure. The mayor recently allocated $100 million to make Colorado a better cycling state—it seems that everything is up for grabs at the moment. COMBA has been steadily working to make Buffalo Creek a world class trail system and is already an IMBA Epic. They are also working to build more bike parks after the successful Golden Bike Park in Golden, Colorado.

Locally, SloHi has been working with the planning department on making their own street a bike lane. The plan is for 29th Avenue to get a “green” cycling lane that will run all the way into the heart of the city next month. For SloHi, the staff, and the cycling community of Denver—things are definitely looking good.

Advocate Insight - Casey Lajoie

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One of the most exciting things happening in cycling right now might not be what you would expect. With the introduction of a mountain biking league for student cyclists, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) aims to create a nationwide cycling league that not only gets thousands of young riders outside and onto the trails but also gives them the tools to be educated stewards of the sport and the environment.

Founded in 2009, NICA develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events, and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike.

Aside from that mission, NICA also has a vision to promote the sport of mountain biking and the benefits of mountain biking as a healthy, low impact, outdoor recreation lifestyle as well as to advocate for the environmental conservation of natural areas and parklands, mountain bike trail access, and the development of sustainable trail systems.

With the goal of expanding coast to coast by 2020, NICA relies heavily on local and regional advocates to start new leagues and teams and continue to expand on the ideas and goals of the organization. As new leagues and teams continue to be added every year, it is with the support of these advocates that the goals of the organization are able to progress.

One such advocate is Casey Lajoie, a cyclist from Iron River, Wisconsin that has recently been working hard to start one of the first NICA teams in northwestern Wisconsin.

Lajoie started out cycling like most other kids, using it as a form of transportation and freedom to get to a swimming hole or a baseball game—going everywhere he could on a bike. As he got older this sense of freedom from riding turned into a love of dirt bikes and he progressed into motocross racing, where he competed for 15 years.

It wasn’t until 2012 that he purchased his first mountain bike as a means of cross training for motocross events and he ended up enjoying it so much that he decided to enter his first race in 2013—after that he was hooked.

Since motocross injuries had been sidelining him for years, he decided he would give it up and concentrate solely on mountain biking—he now competes in numerous mountain biking events throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota and sees the potential that the sport has to offer both mentally and physically—young and old.

At one point, Lajoie came across some information about the Wisconsin High School Cycling League on social media and it clicked—he decided that he wanted to start a NICA league team of his own. Like most of us, he wished there had been an opportunity like that when he was growing up. He figured that this was something that didn’t exist yet in his area and it would be a great way to involve and expand the young cycling community.

As added motivation, he had bought his son his first mountain bike in 2013 at age seven—they began riding local singletrack and he was amazed with his son’s skills and determination. His son loved it from the very beginning and Lajoie also noticed how it began to affect so many other areas of his son’s life positively including behavior in school. A once shy little boy had become confident and outgoing and began to make many new friends through cycling. Lajoie thought that if biking was able to help his son so much why not find a way to impact more kids and share his love and passion for cycling—the natural progression was to find a way to start a high school team and get those kids involved.

Since then, Lajoie has been working hard to start a NICA team in the northwestern part of the state. Currently known as the Northwestern High School Composite, the team encompasses students from a number of schools in the area. While the team is currently considered a club sport and is not yet affiliated with any particular school they are hoping to be recognized as an official school sport in the future as many teams throughout the nation are doing—allowing for the schools to participate in the planning, organization and financing as well as allowing for students to be able to letter in the sport.

The first step Lajoie took when starting out was to contact the co-director (Kathy Mock) of the Wisconsin High School Cycling League—with her help Lajoie was able to get a lot of questions answered and helped to put the wheels in motion for the addition of another team in northern Wisconsin. Mock was an invaluable resource and has helped him every step of the way—he urges anyone interested in starting a team or a league to reach out to similar organizations as they are more then happy to help out.

Lajoie also attended a Leaders Summit, held in Waterloo, WI, which allowed him to work toward attaining a coaching certificate. At these summits, NICA provides comprehensive coach training and licensing in order to establish and maintain national standards and best practices for leadership—something that will be beneficial in growing the organization effectively across the country.

In regards to their northwestern Wisconsin location, it doesn’t hurt that his team is central to some of the best singletrack riding in the region—if not the nation. They are nearby a handful of renown trail systems such as the CAMBA trail system in the Chequamegon National Forest, the COGGS trails in Duluth, MN as well as their own local cross country trails in Brule, Wisconsin. Thanks to the hard work of the trail organizations and advocates in these areas, the NICA teams and leagues throughout the region are able to use world-class trails for practices and events.

Lajoie’s team has also benefited from area events that helped out in the beginning phases of the process. In spring 2015, Advocate Cycles, the Angry Catfish and Twin Six held a gravel cycling event called the Hungry Bear 100 that raised the initial $4,000 in funding to start the team. Throughout the country, it is events like these and the support of companies that has helped to get many of these leagues and teams off the ground. Cycling events can be perfect fundraisers for leagues and teams as they get the local community involved toward a common goal and are often able to pull together enough capital to completely fund the start of a team—a very meaningful step to those involved. This common goal within a local community and the cycling community at large is one of the reasons the sport of cycling, and organizations like NICA, are doing so well today.

In the 2015 season, Lajoie’s Northwestern Composite team was able to participate in events throughout the entire state. With the addition of more teams in the Wisconsin High School Cycling League there will even be the possibility of a north and south league with a championship event held at the end of each season—allowing for more growth in the league as well as allowing teams to travel less during the season.

So far in the state of Wisconsin there are 24 teams with the upcoming 2016 season being only the third season of competition, which is a fantastic start to the league. Bordering Minnesota has also had success with 51 teams so far in their 5 years of existence with some teams even being recognized as school sports, giving students the opportunity to letter in mountain biking.

For anyone that is interested in starting a team in their own area, there is a wealth of information available on the national level and most states that already have a league set up will have more regional resources available. The organization (NICA) is set up in a way that will help provide anyone interested in getting involved with technical assistance and support for league formation, team formation, races, camps and other events.

With the addition of his team in northwestern Wisconsin there is much to look forward to. Lajoie tells us, “I am extremely excited to see and help this sport grow in our schools as the sky is the limit. I have enjoyed every step of this journey meeting and working with so many wonderful people in the cycling community. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the help and support of some amazing people.”

With so many young riders now participating in mountain biking and with more joining every year, the future of cycling and cycling advocacy looks to be very positive. For anyone interested in getting involved by starting a league or a team, head to www.nationalmtb.org to find more information and resources on how to get started or how to get in touch with an existing organization in your area.

Rider Profile - Lael Wilcox

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If you haven’t heard of Lael Wilcox, allow us to introduce you. Lael has spent the better part of the last decade touring around the world on her bike. It all started about 8 years ago when Lael and Nicholas Carman decided to take off on a two-month paved tour in the United States—in some ways, the ride has yet to end. Since that tour, they have been splitting their years between working to save up money and traveling by bike.

They have spent time touring throughout North America, two summers chasing dirt routes across Europe and a substantial amount of time in both South Africa and the Middle East. Recently Lael has also taken to ultra-endurance racing with great success, setting the female record for the Tour Divide in the summer of 2015, although for the both of them, travel is most important and will probably always remain the focus.

Currently, Lael is down in Baja, Mexico aboard an Advocate Cycles Hayduke where she and Nick are working on mapping and planning a roughly 2,000 mile bikepacking route through the area. In the end, they hope to be able to publish the route for others to use as a springboard for their own rides. You can check out their project online at www.bajadivide.com. We caught up with Lael during her tour and asked her a few questions about what it’s like living this lifestyle.

RK: For starters, when you aren’t riding, where do you call home?

LW: I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. That’s where my family lives so that’s where I’d call home. I don’t spend too much time in Anchorage. I don’t have a house or a car, but I’ll always go back there. When we’re not traveling we may work in different places. We’ve lived in Tacoma, Denali, Key West, Annapolis, Albuquerque, and France, but for the last eight years, we’ve spent the majority of our time riding.

RK: What do you do for work in between these long rides? Do you keep a similar schedule or does it change year to year?

LW: I usually work in restaurants as a server or a bartender. I’ve been working in restaurants since I was sixteen. The first year I cleaned a bar in the mornings and washed dishes in a cafe for the afternoons. Since, I’ve worked in at least twenty restaurants. It’s usually an easy job to find and an easy job to quit, and I enjoy the work. I’ll work hard for four to six months in a stretch, often two jobs at once. I save money so I can travel on the bike again.

I’ve done other jobs as well. I taught English in France and yoga in Anchorage and once worked the door for a bar on New Year’s. I’ll take any job I don’t dread. Although, serving is fast-paced and fast cash and I prefer it.

I don’t have a set pattern of work and bike travel. Mostly, I travel until I run out of money and pick up a job to save for the next trip and leave town when I can. It’s nice to mix it up. I’ll often live and work in different places. It’s fun and exciting to learn a new place and make new friends along the way, but I’m always ready to leave after a few months. There’s a lot to do and see.

RK: Tell us about your first extended bike tour and what effect that tour had on your cycling and the course of your life.

LW: I met Nick when I was twenty years old while in college in Tacoma, Washington. He gave me a bike so I could commute to work four miles away—otherwise I got around on foot. The bike opened up my world. I love walking, but the problem is walking takes a lot of time. The bike really speeds things up. We started biking all around town together.

At the time, one of my sisters lived in Seattle. The other sister flew in for a weekend visit. I wanted to go see them both. Normally, I would’ve taken the bus—its only $3 even with a bike. However, we didn’t have enough cash to pay the fare. So I said, hell let’s just ride there instead.

At the time, Nick and I were riding fixed gear bikes and it was definitely the longest ride of my life—45 miles. We pedaled and talked the whole way on bike paths, through industrial zones, outskirts and in town. Along the way, I turned to Nick and said, “If we can bike to Seattle, we could bike across the country!” I’d never known anyone to do it, but I could imagine the lifestyle of pedaling all day and camping somewhere different every night. We figured, I’d graduate in the spring and we’d leave from Tacoma and ride to the east coast.

I graduated, but we didn’t have any money—none. So we worked all summer, saved what we could and left in the fall. We flew into Boston to visit Nick’s sister, rode north to Montreal and south to Key West, Florida. We chased fall colors all the way to South Carolina and then rode the coast. Sometimes it was cold and hard, but we learned a lot: how to camp, eat, ride, and spend all day with each other and feel safe and free.

We ended up in Key West in November. It was the end of the road and we were out of money—it seemed like a great place to spend the winter and work. We both got jobs as pedicab drivers and I worked in a restaurant. We shared a small house on a tropical lane with a French guy who assumed the name Jack. We dove off the pier for lobsters and I spent many afternoons at the outdoor laundromat down the street because we only had two white work-shirts. Besides, Felix the coffee man made good Cuban coffee and sassed me cause I was from Alaska. He called me Palin.

We saved enough money in three months to ride out of town and we haven’t stopped since. That was eight years ago.

RK: What do you look forward to most on these adventures? Is it the riding itself, travel to new places, seeing new cultures and landscapes? Tell us what it is that makes you want to live this lifestyle.

LW: This is my life. How does anyone look forward to their life? Do they appreciate what they have? Do they daydream about what could be different? Do they daydream about other places or other people’s lives? Does traveling on the bike allow me to do all of these things? Yes.

I see and experience and feel new things everyday with my best friend in the whole world. We do this together. And then we talk about it. And then we sleep next to each other on the ground and then we wake up and do it again and pedal somewhere else. What else could I want?

It’s not always easy and sometimes it rains and sometimes we fight, but that’s life. Life is not always easy, but it can be damn good.

I look forward to mixing it up. And along the way, I look forward to sunny weather and climbing mountains and sleeping hard and smiling until the wrinkles at the ends of my eyes hurt.

What I look forward to most is going somewhere new every day.

Everywhere I’ve been, Ukraine, South Africa, Israel, I’ve been invited in and I feel like a special guest. People see us on the bikes—they’re curious about us and we’re curious about them. To be invited into someone’s home, you learn so much about how they live and what they care about. If we share a language, then we talk. If we don’t, then we do our best. It’s real and it matters.

In the end, I guess we find a home away from home. We learn new places. We ride our bikes and we’re happy.

NicholasCarman_Baja-5676

RK: Why did you decide on Baja? What was it about the area that made you want to ride and travel there?

LW: Baja is just south of California and, snowbiking aside, it’s one of the last mountainous places we could ride in North America in winter. We rode here five years ago, mostly on narrow, paved Highway 1. This time we came back with bigger tires and less luggage to ride a mostly dirt route. To do this, Nick invested a lot of time and money into printed and digital maps. We’ve decided to commit more time to this project to ultimately publish a high quality route for other riders to enjoy in the future. This means we’ll probably ride the peninsula again this spring to explore alternative routing. I’ve come to learn that the Hayduke is the perfect bike for Baja. The 27.5+ wheels eat up loose rock, sand and washboard.

The peninsula is a desert, the least populous region in Mexico, with open water on either side. On Christmas Eve, we arrived at the dead end of a dirt road. A family was slaughtering a cow and they invited us to stay for dinner and singing and breakfast.

In the month we’ve been here, we’ve ridden along both coastlines, spent a lot of time in the mountains, and encountered lots of fresh water and the camping has been awesome, with mostly clear skies.

Throughout this ride, we have been working on connecting dirt roads and rough jeep tracks as much as possible. We hope to share our route with others and encourage them to ride here too.

RK: What’s next? Any plans after your time in Baja?

LW: We plan to be here for another month or two. We’ll be riding with friends and working on the route and then we’ll see. I’ll need to work sometime in the next few months. We might go back to Alaska to ride fatbikes in the snow. I’d love to ride parts of the Iditarod Trail and in the White Mountains near Fairbanks.

RK: Thanks so much, we wish you all the best in the rest of your Baja tour and will be excited to see where you end up next.

NicholasCarman_Baja-5675

All photos courtesy Nicholas Carman

Dealer Spotlight - Topanga Creek Outpost

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Topanga Creek Outpost, located in Topanga, California did not start out with the intention of selling bicycles. It began as a touring business taking tourists around LA to popular destinations and celebrity homes. During those touring years, Chris noticed the need for a bike shop in Hollywood and opened Hollywood Pro Bicycles right on the walk of fame on Hollywood Blvd. The shop was around for 8 years before moving to Topanga for a better quality of life. The shop in Topanga has been open for seven years now.

The move to Topanga was intended to allow a better quality of life for the owners—to move away from the chaos of Hollywood—and of course to be in closer proximity to the great mountain bike trails in Topanga State Park. The area boasts world-renowned road riding and amazing mountain bike riding while still in LA County.

Topanga Creek is proud to be a part of the small community and staying active within it is a big part of the shop mentality. In 2015, Topanga Creek received an honor of being the best small business in their senatorial district for being active within the community and they were humbled to have Senator Pavley show up to present the award.

At the shop, there is a secret door in the gate filled with spare tubes and anything road riders might need if they are pedaling by. They have an honor system in place so that they can help out riders if they need anything. Aside from sales, they also rent mountain bikes—people from around the world visit Topanga just to mountain bike in their backyard and Topanga Creek Outpost is there to help make that happen. Rentals can be applied to the purchase of a new bike and also give people a chance to explore their wonderful area. Everyone that rents a bike and completes their ten-mile loop receives a certificate of achievement after they finish. The loop has about 1700’ of climbing in ten miles.

When the shop first moved to Topanga, they were involved in a lot of racing events—it was a fun way to get new people interested in the sport. But they also noticed that the mindset had changed from having fun to going fast. While they still love racing and helping to get people active in that way, they have shifted their focus a bit to be more inclusive and inviting for all riders.

In the past two years the shop has shifted towards what they call their “UnPredict Your Wednesday” adventures. They take off every Tuesday night to go camping and hiking/riding into Wednesday morning. Everyone is invited to join, and while the adventure is “UnPredicted” there is usually a tentative schedule of where they are planning to be and what is going to happen that week. They see a lot of benefits of the sub 24-hour adventures—especially in the middle of the week—and are trying to spread the word. Trips have been as simple as camping a mile away from the shop or as complex as bikepacking out to a primitive campsite at the top of a 9,000’ summit to spend the night. In addition to these adventures, they also do weekly shop rides every Saturday morning pending weather. They bake 6 loaves of banana bread fresh before the ride and come back after to relax with coffee and fresh baked bread. The staff ride as much as they can with their free time—in addition to the weekly camping adventures, they also get involved with plenty of bikepacking and endurance cycling events.

No doubt, a big focus for Topanga Creek is to get people outside. Whether is be on bikes or by foot, they want people to explore the area that they live in. They work with the local IMBA chapter CORBA as new trails are proposed, planned and built and as a shop they hold work days for the local trails in Topanga. Since it doesn’t rain a lot in SoCal, when it does the trails get pretty torn up and the staff and community are around to help out when that happens. As a whole, they are always looking for ways to be more active with advocacy groups and efforts in the area.

The Topanga Creek staff has a wealth of experience in the cycling industry but come from varied backgrounds. Chris, the owner, has been in the industry for 20+ years—he likes to think outside the box and has created a unique retail experience in Topanga. Jay, another shop employee, came from a background of gravel racing in the Midwest and still continues to pursue and train for endurance events. And there is Jeo, he lives in LA and commutes to work by bike when he can and always joins in for Saturday shop rides—he is one of the best web guys around and also happens to be one of the nicest. The staff at Topanga knows their products in and out and have all worked together to build their own unique brand as well as to pursue creative endeavors through the retail environment. Just stop by the shop and see for yourself.

Dealer Spotlight - World of Bikes

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WorldofBikes_Profile-

Founded in 1974 and then purchased by Ryan Baker in 2006, World of Bikes in Iowa City has been a staple of the Iowa City bicycle community for over 40 years. Often touted as a “family” bike store, World of Bikes has been in the forefront of many current trends that set them apart as a destination store for niche products.

One of the largest supporters of both the fat bike and gravel movement, we asked Ryan how he stays ahead of the curve with the products the shop carries and he admits, “I have always relied on my staff to look into their crystal ball for the next great thing.” Baker recognizes the need to offer more than just mainstream products. He also told us that, “While we support all types of cyclists, we have found success in niche markets as they are developing.” World of Bikes was one of the first to really embrace fat bikes; stocking multiple brands of bikes, carrying accessories for winter riding, and building one of the first fat demo fleets that we know of.

Community involvement is also big for World of Bikes. From bike rodeos and health fairs to races like the Jingle Cross and the Sugar Bottom Scramble, World of Bikes and Baker look at these events as “a way to support the people who support World of Bikes.” He also believes that being able to support a wide variety of events will help to keep a shop from being “pigeon holed” as one specific kind of shop. Supporting these events also helps get them in contact with customers who may never have visited the shop otherwise.

Within the cycling advocacy community, World of Bikes is also one of the largest donors to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, an advocate of cycling that lobbies for bike lanes, provides education, and works for safer bike laws in Iowa. In line with Advocate’s mission, World of Bikes is a member of IMBA, Bikes Belong, League of American Bicyclist, and Adventure Cycling Association. When he first became aware of our brand through the Indieogogo campaign, Baker said he felt that the Advocate Cycles mission was a “brilliant way to bring a new company to market and it was in alignment with what we do as a shop.”

Ryan really credits his staff as something that sets them apart. Being in the “blinky light district” of Iowa City, which is home to four shops in a four-block radius, there is a need to create your own identity. “Our shop has some of the best people in the industry and we aren’t your conventional group of cyclists. We spread the spectrum of cycling and egos get left at the door. We have racers, commuters, mountain bikers, fat bikers, roadies, and kid trailer pullers.”

The current staff aside, Baker is proud of the alumni that have worked at World of Bikes and gone on to work at places like Enve, Boo Bicycles, Trek, and yours truly (Adam) at Advocate. “To me this shows that our staff cares about the industry. It’s not just a part time job to get a discount on parts, it’s a lifestyle for our people.” We can personally attest that this is true not only of past employees but of current ones as well.

Look for World of Bikes employees at local and regional races as well as out on the trails of Sugar Bottom Recreation area in their free time. Also, check them out as they provide support all over Midwestern Iowa at varying events. Baker reminds potential customers, “We CAN BE your bike shop. We love to help all sorts of people and we have the staff both in the front and back of the store to help you get what you need. No club jersey needed to walk in our door.”

Their Only Portrait - A Bike Tour That Gives Back

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As cyclists, it is hard to quantify what we get out of riding our bikes. It is a sport and lifestyle that gives us endless enjoyment as well as countless memories and experiences in the locations we see and with the people we meet along the way.

Buenos Aires photographer Federico Cabrera and his “ Their Only Portrait” project ask the simple question, “What if we all gave back a little more along the way?”

DSCF6387At the end of October, aboard an Advocate Cycles Hayduke Ti, Federico will be taking off on a 4000-mile bike tour along the Cordillera de los Andes from La Quiaca to Ushuaia giving away 1000 printed portraits along the way. In addition he will be giving away portable solar lanterns to people who need them most.

Federico came up with the idea for this project during his previous travels. In underdeveloped areas he would often notice hundreds of tourists taking photos of the local people without showing much if any respect for the subject. Furthermore, he learned that many of these local people did not possess a single family portrait of their own. With this realization, the idea for “Their Only Portrait” was born.

During his upcoming bike tour, Federico plans to make family portraits of the local people he meets along the way while riding thousands of miles through developing communities. To do this, he will bring a small portable photography studio along, which will allow him to create and give each family a printed copy of their photo. His intention is simply to give back to local communities and hopefully inspire other people to find their own way to give back.


We caught up with Federico in the final days of preparation before taking off on his tour to find out a little bit more about his project.

RK: First off, I want to say that this is such a great idea. We all dream about long rides and adventures, but to connect with people in such a personal way is very special. I can only imagine the remarkable people you will meet along the way, but what excites you most? Is it the adventure of a long ride or the adventure of the new faces and communities that you will surely find in the process?

FC: Thank you! It’s certainly both, but if I had to choose just one it would be the people I’ll be able to meet along the road. The portraits are the most important part of my trip and so the people are central to this idea and I want to make these portraits the best I can, even when that means carrying gear that is definitively not light or “bike friendly” such as the Studio flash & printer and possibly even an umbrella for lighting.

RK: Surely there are many other ways to visit these communities and meet these people. What is it about bicycle travel that you enjoy most? Have you done other long rides like this in the past?

FC: I have, and I still remember the freedom I felt exploring Patagonia on a self-supported bicycle trip almost 20 years ago. On a ride like this it is so easy to appreciate nature and blend in with the environment. It is by far the best way to relate with local people, and to engage with life in its every form.

RK: No doubt, this is a long bike ride. How long do you think it will take you to complete this adventure?

FC: For this trip I’m also collaborating with Fundacion Ruta 40 (a local NGO contributing in the comprehensive development of rural schools) to make & print their students’ portraits. Depending on how many schools I manage to visit before the end of classes in December, it should take around 4 months to make it to Ushuaia.

RK: I see from your photos that you have done some portraits for families in preparation for this project. What kind of reactions have you received from people that you gave portraits to?

FC: Yes, I already did two trips through some of Argentina’s most remote & wild areas in an effort to put myself and my gear to the test before the main trip. Outside of the big cities, most people are very shy with strangers, especially at Argentina’s original communities, and are not used to big flashes, photometers, and the rest of the gear I’m carrying along on these trips. It usually takes them a while to understand what I’m doing and that it is a gift for them to keep, for free, even with other printed portraits as examples. Usually, as soon as someone is brave enough to pose for the camera and they see a familiar face in print, they want their family portrait taken and one of just their kids as well, because they don’t know when they might be able to get another one.

RK: Will you be updating on your progress along the way? Where would someone be able to check in on your adventure in the coming months?

FC: Yes, I’m traveling with satellite technology to keep people abreast of my progress online. You’ll be able to track my daily progress on the project website at www.theironlyportrait.com and also keep up with regular updates through social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

RK: We wish you well on your journey. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your project.