It Takes a Strong Man

It takes a strong man to ride a pink bike. My Rajasan is just the man to fit the bill. He constantly wowed us on our Spring mountain bike trip with his ability to climb the steepest of hills, fly down the most vertical of descents, and zip around like a speeding bullet.I must admit I take great pride in bragging on my talented hubbie. His quiet demeanor usually takes people off guard because they do not expect to be blasted away by this underestimated powerhouse. What fun to sit back and see others watch him with jaws dropped open at his finesse and skill.Despite the fact we do not race or engage in any training regime, he still manages to give any expert rider a run for their money in the technical department. Our only goal is to have fun, and Raja pulls it off in style.

When we showed up at Moab Cyclery to pick up our rental bikes for a week of riding in Moab and Fruita, it was a bit of a shock to see Raja's steed was a lovely shade of Ellsworth Epiphany Pink. Not being one to complain, he was just happy to have such a nice cushy bike to ride. You definitely get plenty of comments on the trail when you have a pink bike!After 4 fabulous rides in Moab, we packed our bags and headed east to Fruita, Colorado. It was the first visit for Speedy and The Clogger, and Jungle Boy's second taste. Last year we brought him over to Fruita for a day trip, and he was hooked.We were fortunate to also be in town as Speedy's brother-in-law, Steve, was passing through on his way from Durango....the scenic route! It was a treat to be joined by Steve and his energetic son, Kyle, for our ride on the Kokopelli Trails. Riding on singlespeeds, Kyle and Steve impressed us with their fire and zeal. It takes a strong man to ride a singlespeed in Fruita!!!!Uncle Speedy was proud of his kin and pedaled along with a big grin all day.
The Clogger was getting the hang of these zippy trails, and put his 29r to the test on Horsethief.
Well, some things we decided not to put to the test. Best leave that for the strong men with 6" of travel and 0" of fear. We had managed to be injury free by this point, and wanted to keep it that way.Besides, we still had one more day of riding on this Western Adventure. We spent our next to last day exploring the classics; Rustlers, Mary's, Horsethief, Steves, and Mack's Ridge. Beautiful.That night I was too tired to make it to the Festival Party. Five days of riding all day and my little legs could barely support me. The boys left me to my beauty rest. Resting up for some fun at the Bookcliffs. Our last day of Adventure.It takes a strong man to ride 6days full on, and these were strong men indeed. Legs were screaming the next morning, but no one was about to back down. We signed up for the whole deal and we were going to get our money's worth!Jungle Boy had been dreaming about Kessel Run for a whole year. Oh yea, we had to do it twice, screaming legs or not.Speedy was still going strong, enjoying the zips and the do da's!Of course, there was the Strong Man on the Pink Bike! Raja lives for these trails. They are his favorite. He knocked our socks off by climbing some vertical walls. Photos do a good job of flattening out terrain, but use your imagination to get the idea here. You can see him behind The Clogger....climbing like Spider Man.He's pulling it off. Unbelieveable!140mm in the front did not slow him down at all. Impressive indeed. I'm proud of my Man on the Pink Bike!We did not want it to come to an end. Especially Kessel Run. That trail is So Much Fun! Let's do it Again, and Again, and Again....While it takes a strong man to ride a pink bike or ride for 6 days in a row, let's not forget what it takes to be a Photoninja! Able to take a shot in a single bound, the Photoninja can ride a bike and juggle at least 2 cameras at one time.Although, sometimes I get a little too zealous and get myself in sticky situations. All for the sake of a picture.My Hillseeker friend, Becky,expressed concern that I was not giving enough credit to the female riders out there. While I do not like to post photos of myself, I decided to capitulate. Here's some proof that occasionally I do ride instead of just taking photos all the time.Thanks to The Clogger, my presence on the trip was documented. Here is my favorite shot of me and Rajasan on Amasa Back. A spontaneous, unplanned shot of us in action. No posing. A strong man on a pink bike with a woman in hot pursuit. A pink bike must not be such a bad thing afterall fellas.

For your entertainment purposes, I've compiled a little slideshow of myself in action on the trip. Obviously I swallowed my pride a long time ago. It's all in good fun! Click on the slideshow to go to my Picasa Web Album.


Thanks for coming along on our Western Adventure. I could not have asked to be with a better group of guys. It was fantastic, and I'm still grinning just thinking about it. Can't wait till next year!!!!