More Than a Ride, and More Than I Know How to Explain

More Than A Ride! Co-Hosted by Building Hope, in partnership with Highside Brewing.

Last Wednesday, more than 60 people walked into the back room at Highside for More Than a Ride.

I had spent weeks thinking about every possible way the night could fail. I had not spent nearly as much time preparing for what it might feel like if it worked.

Then it worked.

The room filled. People who had been riding with Spoke since the beginning came. People I had never met before came. People showed up alone, introduced themselves to strangers, wrote ideas on the walls, shared stories and stayed in conversations long after they could have gone home.

I stood in front of the room and shared more of myself than I had originally planned to share.
I talked about riding thousands of miles and still feeling alone. I talked about how it is possible to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and still feel disconnected from the people around you.

Both things can be true.

I talked about why Spoke exists, what I hope it can become and why this has never really been about creating another cycling club.

By the next afternoon, I was sitting in therapy, spending a full hour trying to understand why something going so well had knocked me so far off balance.

Not because the night had gone badly, because it had meant so much.

What Happens After the Big Night?

I still do not know what comes next.

More than 60 people can show up for one event and never come back. People can hear a speech, have a meaningful conversation, enjoy a free evening together and decide that was enough.

That possibility exists.

But then Saturday happened.

While part of the Spoke community was riding the Copper Triangle, another group met in Frisco for our regular Saturday Social Ride. Across the two rides, nearly 40 people were out riding bikes.

There was no big event.
There was no speech.
There was no massive marketing push.

People simply showed up and rode together.

That may have meant even more to me.

Copper Triangle 20th Anniversary!

What We Are Actually Trying to Build

Spoke did not start because Summit County desperately needed another calendar of bike rides.
It started because I had ridden thousands of miles, trained for enormous goals and still found myself wanting something incredibly simple:

I wanted people to ride bikes with.
I suspected I might not be the only one.

That remains the entire idea behind this community.

Do you want to ride a lot? Cool.
Do you want to ride a little? Cool.
Do you want to become a stronger cyclist, prepare for a race or chase a massive goal? We want to help.
Do you mostly want to move your body, meet people and have someone to talk to for a couple of hours? We want to help with that too.

You do not have to arrive with a certain bike, a certain speed or a certain résumé.

You just have to arrive.

Spoke will make mistakes. I will make mistakes. We will try ideas that do not work, learn from them, change direction and try again.

This community is not going anywhere.

We are trying to create something positive, useful and rooted in integrity. A place where people feel supported. A place where someone remembers their name. A place where they know another person will probably be waiting when they arrive for the ride.

That is what I know how to offer.
So we are going to keep offering it.

This Week: The Community Takes the Handlebars

After seven weeks at home, I am returning to my bike-tour season this week. I will be away through Friday evening and will not be available to lead the weekday rides.

That is not a cancellation.

It is a handoff.

Spoke cannot become the community we are trying to build if everything stops whenever one person leaves town. Anyone can help make a ride happen. Sometimes leadership is nothing more complicated than posting:

“I’m riding at 5:30. Who wants to join me?”

Please use the appropriate WhatsApp subgroup to confirm attendance, meeting locations and routes.

Monday, August 3: After-Work Mountain Bike

5:30 PM
David has been helping keep these rides moving. Watch the Mountain Bike chat for his confirmation, meeting location and route.

Tuesday, August 4: Tuesday Night Social Ride

5:30 PM
There is no designated host this week, but the evening is still available. Post in the Road chat, find out who is interested and choose a route together.
The ride does not need to be elaborate. Meet, introduce yourselves and ride bikes.

Wednesday, August 5

There is no scheduled Wednesday ride this week. Race Breck is hosting the 5th event of their Summit Mountain Challenge Mountain Bike Series.

Thursday, August 6: Thursday Night Thunder

5:30 PM
The plan remains a spicy Montezuma lap. There is no formal leader this week, but several riders have been attending consistently.
If you are going, say so in the Road chat. Meet up, communicate clearly and ride together.

Friday, August 7: After-Work Mountain Bike

5:30 PM
Watch the Mountain Bike chat for confirmation from David and anyone else planning to ride.

Saturday, August 8: Saturday Social Ride

9:00 AM
Old Town Hall Pavilion, Frisco

I will be back and leading Saturday.
Our expected route is another Hamilton Creek and Raven loop. It has been a fun, challenging and manageable way to get approximately 30 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing without losing the social nature of the morning.
We are continuing to watch for an official reopening of Swan Mountain Road. If, and only if, it has officially reopened to bicycles before Saturday, we may incorporate Swan Mountain into the route. We will confirm the final plan before the ride.

As always, this is a no-drop social ride.

Sunday, August 9: Mountain and Gravel

Watch the Mountain Bike and Gravel chats for host, route and meeting-time confirmation.
If you want to ride, do not wait silently for someone else to create it. Put the idea into the group and see who answers.

Thank You

Thank you to Building Hope for believing in the purpose behind More Than a Ride.
Thank you to Highside for giving us a room where this could happen.
Thank you to everyone who walked through the door, listened, shared, stayed and trusted us with some part of your story.
Thank you to everyone who got back on a bicycle this weekend.

I do not know exactly what all of this becomes.
I do know that people are showing up.
For now, that is enough reason to keep going.

See you Saturday!