By Nils Eng (local schoolteacher and friend of Routes Outfitter)
“Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are un-praised." –J. R. R. Tolkien
The most current event poster on my garage wall is the 2017 Tommyknocker 10, a mountain biking endurance event in Silver City, NM, almost five years ago. As the first day of Spring drew closer, I found myself searching the internet in vain for an event that interested me.
If I’m honest, I craved a new experience and some new “swag”—something tangible to look at or hold and remember the fun of an event, just like my aging poster. I also desperately needed a goal to give my riding some direction--some focus as winter drew to an end.
The problem is, I don’t enjoy racing any more. I ride my bike to explore now, and I don’t think I ever want to make another visit to the Pain Cave. The thought of riding my bike in circles around the same course over and over as fast as I can just isn’t appealing anymore. I want to explore! I want to see new things! …and I want to drink coffee while I do it. Thus, the Ride to Rivendell was born.
To back up a little, I’m not a winter person. I know that’s blasphemy in Colorado, but being from New Mexico, and a non-skier to boot, winter in Colorado is something I’m still coming to terms with. To get me through this past winter, I decided to try to read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Silmarillion by the first day of spring. With the epic journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam reverberating in my mind, I decided to make my own event—a challenge inspired by Bilbo’s journey to Rivendell. The touring bicycle I happen to have is made by a California company called Rivendell.
I decided that I would ride my Rivendell to “Rivendell.” Doing a little digging, I found that it took Bilbo and company 39 days to walk the 397 miles from his home in Bag End to Elrond’s house in Rivendell. That would be my goal.
As for the swag, when I reached Bree and The Inn of the Prancing Pony (at 85 miles) I’d treat myself to a Prancing Pony pint glass. If I finished the challenge, I’d buy myself a Green Dragon Pub “event” T-shirt (for you non-hobbit nerds, The Green Dragon is Biblo’s home pub). Along the way, to make it more interesting, I’d create a list of challenges I had to complete.
By the end of the 397 miles, I’d try to visit at least three regional parks, have tea three times, coffee three times, visit three ponds, ride three regional trails, and ride in all four cardinal directions from my house.
Over the next thirty-nine days, I did just that. I rode early in the morning to work, seeing deer, skunks, rabbits, and nearly colliding with a turkey. I rode in the snow, I rode in the rain, and I rode in the sun. I created new and interesting multi-surface loops, connecting single track with bike paths and open roads as I tied many of our amazing city’s parks and open spaces together, stopping frequently for tea and coffee. In short, I had a blast, and I learned that, for me, I just need a little creativity to keep my riding life fresh.
