By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)
When I first moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2021, I met Bob at church. Bob is 65, a retired police officer, and a daily bike rider - mountain, gravel, or road. I told him I just bought a mountain bike and he offered to take me on a ride. I failed to mention I had yet to ride my new bike or I had yet to ride any mountain bike.
The next morning, I met him at the Falcon Trail on the Air Force Academy. When I stepped out of the car, it was already hot. Bob said it would be 13 miles plus a few extra he was gonna add. I thought no problem - I had ridden that far on my road bike in Detroit many times. Once we got on the trail, though, I realized I was gonna have to hang on for dear life. Bob was flying down the descents and easily navigating through all these rocks - big and small. A mile into the ride I went over my handlebars and scraped up my hands and arms. I had no gloves, so Bob had me wash my arms off in the stream, and gave me some toilet paper to wrap my hands in.
Two and half hours later, when we finally got back to our cars, Bob still looked fresh and was heading to a church meeting. I was ready to go home and not leave my couch for the next two days.
Bob was gracious enough to take me on many more rides over the next year - around Colorado Springs and even up to Breckenridge. But in the Spring of 2022, after 23 years of living in COS, Bob and his wife decided to move back to Florida to be closer to family. So Bob and I decided to get in one last ride.
I met Bob at the Sante Fe Trail at the Woodmen Exit with the new Revel Rover on my rack. These gravel bikes had recently arrived as demo rentals at Routes. They looked smooth and sleek, and I was eager to try one. The bike was so light, and the 11 speeds were plenty going against or with the wind. The XL frame fit me perfectly and 27.5 inch tires kept me moving quick. This time, I had no problem keeping up with Bob. We rode up to the Routes shop in downtown Monument, said what's up to the guys, and turned around. We cruised back to our cars and it felt like I was just gliding on the Rover - I almost forgot I was on a bike.
I’m gonna miss riding with Bob. But while he is in Florida, I will have plenty of time to work on my game. When he comes back to visit, hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with him on the mountain bike. Or, maybe I’ll just get a Revel Rover.
