Off-Road Exploration Guide Vol. VI (continued): Cyclo-Cross @ Golden, Colorado

Story by Scott Pieršafeldé
Photography by Jeff Olsen

In late Spring 2015, I was contacted by State Bicycle Co. to see if I had any flexibility in my work-consumed schedule to shoot with the new Thunderbird CX bikes. The plan was to quickly send out photographer, Jeff Olsen, and fellow rider, Alex Steadman, to Colorado to capture some photos. Despite being overly tired and worn out, I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity. My homies were in town! I also wanted to make sure they hit the proper trails and none of that middle-of-the-mall urban trail crap. After I said yes, I had a knock at the door exactly 24 hours later.

Dialing in a new Thunderbird next to my personal one (look at my perverted seatpost). I built mine with gears because theres too many good climbs in Colorado. 

Bikes loaded and ready for adventure. Who needs a roof rack when you can rent a dad van?

First stop: my back yard. We drove to the top. Stick in mouth (Pieršafeldé patent) in the Enchanted Forest trail.

Alex and I had a lot of time to play between locations because Jeff didn’t have a bike to ride back and forth. Tomfoolery was had as we waited for Jeff to lug his photo gear through the mountains. 

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like to talk to nature. They couldn’t hear us because we were too far away. Or they just didn’t care because ADGAF (Animals Don’t Give a F).

Natural springs are a real thing and you can drink out of them without #runnybutt. 

Alex filled ‘er up while I hucked.

Many repeats in the quest for the perfect shot. Repeats up 10-20% climbs on a single speed = tired legs and downhillers passing us with witty comments. 

No photoshoot is complete without a #suckit. I worked for this one for sure. 

After the Enchanted Forest, we packed up and headed for higher ground. Jeff wanted a view. I got an A+ for this spot. The view was splendid but the trail was way too rocky to have fun (as seen via Alex’s face).

The hiker trail definitely didn’t fill our fun meter so we descended back into town as Jeff drove the #dadvan. We passed at least 5 Freds descending.

Final spot for the day: South Table mountain. This spot was my favorite because it offered a terrific selection of giant boulders to throw off the side of the cliff.

Dinner time with Kate, Alex, and Jeff at Woodys in Golden. It’s by far our favorite restaurant in town. They regularly have 10% + IPA's on draft. I think Jeff used black & white here to foreshadow my hangover

Next day: hangover in full effect as noted through B&W. It still didn’t stop us from getting some skid shots. Once we finished up here, Jeff took some detailed shots of the frame and he was on his way back in Arizona. I had an awesome time with these dudes and it just re-enforced how much fun riding on the dirt with friends is. I can’t drill it enough into the heads of people who only ride road bikes; you are missing out! CX, MTB, Fat Bike: whatever you do on the dirt is just as, if not MORE fun than a normal bike made for the streets. Trail discovery is unlimited and so is the fun!