Category: Adventure

  • Biking Rollins Pass, Epic, Historical and Unforgettable

    Submitted by Bill Plock on July 3rd, 2020

    Biking over Rollins Pass was Epic, but far from historical. For thousands of years people have been traversing Rollins Pass. Native American hunting parties even built rock walls in the scree near the top to funnel game long before the first horse drawn wagons paid a toll to cross the Continental Divide in the 1870’s. In 1904 trains began to make the arduous trip passing through tunnels, twisting like a corkscrew and making their way to the top at 11,600 feet. The road grade had to be kept less than 4% to make it possible, but the biggest challenges came in the Winter when massive snow drifts would make it impassable.

    On our bike ride we learned all about those drifts, but back in the day, particularly on the West side of the pass, huge snowsheds, miles long, were built in attempt to keep the tracks clear. In fact, near the top, above tree line, a small village named Corona (ironically) sprouted from the harsh landscape and housed stranded train crews and service personnel to provide brief respite from the bitter conditions.  Read more

    • 303Endurance, “Capturing Amazing People Doing Extraordinary Things”

      Submitted by Bill Plock on June 28th, 2020

      People ask me what is 303? My answer before March might have been a little different answer than today. Different but not really. It’s always been about the endurance community; offering a place to find information, read stories about people, events and the industry that supports it all. Connecting everything.
      Like everyone, Covid has made us re-look at things. It crushed our advertising support that centered around events primarily. We had already been moving to broadly expand our coverage and interest well beyond races and events. Last year we committed major capital to buying a media trailer with the intention of rolling to races and rides all summer. This trailer is hand built by Colorado Teardrops in Boulder. We can produce videos and photos with people standing on top. We can do interviews and podcasts inside So now what?  Read more

      • Colorado’s Jennifer Blaine’s Cycling Adventure and Crash Story Helping New Pro Cambodian Team

        Submitted by Bill Plock on June 19th, 2020

        Riding in a hot dusty, grime-covered bus through the country-side of Cambodia; I sit crammed next to some friendly locals and weary backpackers as I stare up at the shag-like tassels dancing about the tops of the bus interior. Windows rattle almost off their hinges as the bus speeds along the windy two-lane road aligned with tiny tin-roof shacks, farms and thick green jungle. I can’t help but notice and find myself a bit concerned by the smell of burning brakes and the large metal cylinder filled with, ‘who knows what’ resting beneath my feet. I try to divert my focus from the obvious red-flags surrounding me, but I find myself looking out the front window just in time to see this rolling, ‘death missile’ narrowly miss colliding head-on into the oncoming traffic.
        After my near death fear subsided, I console myself by thinking how I will never forget this experience, the sounds, smells, and nail-biting fear, good or bad. These are those rare moments that push you out of your comfort zone, stimulate your senses and send your adrenaline to unknown heights; the moments that enrich your life and make traveling and seeing the world so invaluable. Read more

        • “Plan B” Sometimes Works Out Just Fine and We Found a New/Old Place to Refuel on a Ride

          Submitted by Bill Plock on June 8th, 2020

          We originally had planned a 90 mile, 8,500 foot climb in a last ditch training effort for our big ride coming up on June 13th–more on that to come soon. On Saturday morning with clouds hiding the peaks we hoped to climb, we started north from Longmont to Carter Lake. Once there, we decided we would eyeball the weather and either continue towards Estes Park or do something else. What we found instead was a time machine in Masonville.  Read more

          • Your Winter Dose Of LSD, Long Steady Distance, A Bike Adventure in Baja CA

            Submitted by Bill Plock on February 3rd, 2020

            Are you sitting on your trainer, staring out the window at the snow piling up on your back deck? Or maybe you’re bundled up like the Michelin Man, taking advantage of a sucker hole in the foul weather, the one that ends in a sideways downpour with gusts that nearly blow you into the ditch. Perhaps you have surrendered to Mother Nature and have taken up swimming, skiing, or surfing Netflix from the comfort of your couch. But what you’re dreaming of is heading out in your summer jersey and shorts, logging hundreds of base miles under the warm summer sun. What would you say if I told you that you could have all that, and endless tacos too? Read more