Spring Briefs

March 28, 2014

Spring Briefs

Pasty legs and blooming orchards

When I first moved to Grand Junction, I took a short trip over to Moab. Upon walking into the Red Rock Bakery and Coffee shop, the owner asks "how do you know it's spring in the desert?"

"All the license plates turn green!"

Meaning that 9.5/10 cars have green Colorado plates and are filled with people looking for a warm escape from the mountain winter. I used to be one of them, too. I always seemed to go off to explore Zion or the Grand Canyon come late winter/early spring when living in Montana. I now feel very lucky to be in a spot where spring comes early and I can choose to ride my bike or go ski in the mountains. Or do both in the same day only to top if off with a BBQ and flip-flops.

Though the joke was referring to Moab, Grand Junction and Fruita are not to be left out. If you were to stay in town, one may not notice a difference since all the green plates magically match, but one visit to any of the trailheads and you'll know spring is here. The lots are full of cars packed with camping gear and bikes. Denver, Salt Lake, Wyoming, Montana.

1 to work, lots to laugh and harass

Team Rude Boi, from Denver, is one such group that recently had their camping gear/bike filled cars taking up space at the trailhead lots. Not one or two of them, but 12. Team Rude Boi is the somewhat notorious Rastafarian team that shows up to most of the Enduro races in the area and always has a good time. They're loud, they heckle, they ride hard, drink hard, and are usually having more fun than anyone else. They're all good guys and I spent every race of last season chasing and being chased by the guys in Rasta tank-tops.

Anyways, 12 of them came over to do some riding. Loma, 18rd, and Lunch Loops. Fun was had by all. Some had more fun than others. Endos, hard crashes, running a train down the Horsethief drop-in, 2 destroyed wheels, 2 broken derailleurs, one elbow needing stitches, another arm with some nasty road-rash, Super Troopers quotes, and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.