#beablackburnranger2016 Tim Paynter

I decided to apply to become a Blackburn Ranger, an ambassador for Blackburn Designs.  The company makes bicycling accessories primarily for those who love adventure!

Since my first taste of bicycle touring earlier this year, I definitely have the bug!  I hope to do the Pacific Coast route this next summer.  In my travels, I hope to meet a lot of you and have a chance to tell some of your stories, and mine, in the process.

I am a video journalist and love reporting on what the adventure community is doing.  From rafting to singing, it does not really matter!  Everyone has a story and I am looking for interesting stories to tell!

If you want to take either the Pacific Coast Route or the Great Divide Bicycle Route, you can find maps at the non-profit organization, the Adventure cycling Association.

Here is my video application to #beablackburnranger2016.  If you like, it, please go to YouTube and re post!  Put it on facebook or where ever your adventurous heart takes you!

You can also write to me, timote2u@gmail.com!

Thanks, Uncle Tim.

The most fun you can have on two wheels!

99 Miles In The Rockies

Bicycle Adventurer followed an intrepid rider, Jimmy Rivera, as he makes his way over 99 treacherous miles in the Colorado Rockies!

B.A. Why did you decide to ride from Keystone to Denver, Colorado.

Jimmy Rivera  Well, you know, I am a member of a spiritual group in Denver and I don't have a car.  I started thinking about how I could ride my bike to Denver.

B.A.  Did that route present challenges?

Jimmy Rivera  Sure did present problems.  I have ridden on many of the Summit county paths, I did a trip to Glenwood, but there is no bike path that takes you through the mountains to Denver.  You have to find a road for many sections of the route.  I love doing things not many others have done.

B.A.  What about the mountains?

Jimmy Rivera  Geez, the mountains were a huge challenge.  First, I had to get over Loveland Pass.  Another guy said it took him 6 hours.  That is a long time for an amateur rider to pedal uphill.

B.A.  How did it go?

Jimmy Rivera  I did it in 4 hours, but it was the toughest riding of my career.  First, the shoulder is very narrow and drivers are not always willing to share the road.  Then, it is also very steep.  Here you are riding in thin air, little oxygen, on a steep grade, with cars passing you by.  If you run off the road there is no place to go except...straight down.

B.A.  Were you frightened?

Jimmy Rivera  At one point a truck came very close.  But most of the time, it was o.k.  I know it is a little dangerous.  That is why not many people take the route I did.  But I was determined to go.  If I can do this, than anyone can.

B.A.  How did it feel to make the summit?

Jimmy Rivera  Your body is tormented, but your heart is pure!  It is an incredible feeling!  It was one of the biggest obstacles along my 99 mile route.  Wow!  To have this completed on the first day, that was a feat!

B.A.  When you looked at the teaser on you tube, at the last shot of you when you riding into the distance, how did you feel?

Jimmy Rivera  Well, I looked like an ant.  At first, I didn't think they really got me on tape.  I had left the videographer a long ways above.  But sure enough, if you look closely, there I am, riding off into the horizon on one of the last straightaways on Loveland Pass.



Follow Jimmy Rivera in future reports!

Rohan Dennis Takes Stage 4, Pro Challenge

Rohan Dennis with the BMC team took the stage 4 win during the Pro Challenge, completing one of the most difficult and the longest section of the challenge.  The route required intrepid riders to navigate the sheer steeps of Independence Pass with an exciting finish in front of thousands in the old minding town of Breckenridge, Colorado.

We ran into  Iohan Gueorguiev, while filming the Pro Challenge riders.  Iohan is on a different kind of bike ride, a personal tour from Northern Canada to Mexico.  Iohan hopes to eventually travel all the way to Argentina in his around the world trek.

Iohan is one of the few people selected as a Blackburn Designs "ranger".  Rangers test Blackburn Designs products as well as products the company supports or sponsors.  Riders tackle the Great Divide Route or the Pacific Coast Trail.

The last time Rohan rode the Pro Challenge he came in 77th.  According to Cycling News, Dennis has substantially improved his game and his high altitude stamina.

The Colorado Pro-Challenge was started with the blessings of Richard E. Schaden, founder of the restaurant, Quiznos.  On February 4th, 2011, Schaden funded the program with a $10,000,000 grant.