We wouldn't be the Black Sheep without our flock! We're honored and stoked to share this interview with Rafael Millan-Garcia from Leadvelo Bicicasa. We think y'all will make fast friends. Leadvelo Bicicasa Leadville, CO | Est. 2019 20 years ago while touring on his bike with his dog Rosco in tow, the Colorado Rockies adopted Rafa in a most unexpected way. From the sky came a monster snowstorm that put an end to his touring plans and unveiled a wonderful path of magical uncertainty. It snowed and it snowed, stranding Rafa in a town where he knew no one—and quickly went broke and homeless. But from this new-found community emanated kindness, generosity—and bikes! Bikes ruled there as much as they...
We wouldn't be the Black Sheep without our flock—and we'd like to start introducing you to the people, shops and organizations that partner with us! We're honored and stoked to share this interview with Max Cohen from Scrub Jay Cycles. We think y'all will make fast friends. Scrub Jay Cycles Pescadero, CA | Est. 2021 (Image by Joe Gibson) Tucked into the rural farming and ranching hills off Highway 1, just 14 miles south of Half Moon Bay near San Francisco, is a tiny unincorporated town of less than 500 people called Pescadero. Right on the main drag you'll find Scrub Jay Cycles—a community hub for all things bikes and bicycle education. Established, owned and operated by Max Cohen (and...
We wouldn't be the Black Sheep without our flock—and we'd like to start introducing you to the people, shops and organizations that partner with us! We're honored and stoked to share this interview with Nicole Jefferson from the Whitefish Bike Retreat in Montana.
Between the three of us— Tom, Mary, and myself— we had 95 miles of bikepacking experience. We scrapped together gear from our various outdoor pursuits to conquer the Cabezon Peak Overnighter route. The Cabezon Peak Overnighter is a 70 mile route outside of Albuquerque. The route, a lollipop route leaving from the White Mesa Trail System, heads up a valley popular with weekend target shooting and then circles Cabezon Peak, a 2 million year old volcanic plug. Mary was on the really nice bike from 10 years ago. Tom had the full suspension bike designed for local trail networks, and I was on the finest hard tail that $1000 and hours of time spent on eBay could put together....
As a long-time Search and Rescue volunteer, I’ve met many people — usually in the middle of the night— who started with a grand adventure ahead but ended the day a victim of Murphy’s law. A snapped derailleur. A bad crash. Or even just appendicitis striking at the wrong time. Just as a pilot completes the same checklist for each flight, the Ten Essentials are a list of items to be carried on every adventure in the backcountry— the essential list of just-in-case items. The list was originally designed for mountaineers, but adventures of all-kind can end in unexpected situations.
