Matt Miller, owner of BASE Performance invited me to ride last Saturday, not an uncommon invitation as we have ridden many times. I had sort of decided to do a different ride in Denver. But Matt, said I might want to make the effort as there could be as many as 80 people riding, some from the BASE team and this new group he is sponsoring called Ride or Die. Of course I was intrigued.

As it turned out the groups left at different times and when the BASE team left the other group hadn’t arrived. Three hours later upon my return, the parking lot at BASE headquarters was filled with women cyclists all buzzing from a ride. Some were friends of mine who I had no idea would be there. There was a cooler of drinks and prizes and swag and I felt a fun energy. I asked my friend Becky Furuta, no stranger to the peloton from the highest levels about what I was seeing. I know they had ridden some gravel, and some road. I saw bikes of all sorts. I didn’t know anything about this group. Becky described it as, “grassroots racing and riding, the goal is fun and camaraderie without all the staunchness and elitism that’s driving people away from the road. There’s a sense of community and fun absent the usual rivalries. I think that’s really the point of these beginner/community rides – not that they’re easy or for beginners, but that they’re accessible at every level and focused on mixing training with fun and a social component. It’s a sustainable model, and I hope it sticks around.” Read more