A few years back my good friend Taylor was racing pro cyclocross and traveling the country on a small budget racing for as many UCI points as he could. After a tough season full of injuries and mixed results, Taylor decided that maybe he didn't want to be a pro cyclist and more over, maybe he didn't want to ride his bike anymore. At the time we were both living in Albuquerque, NM and I was actually Taylor's boss. I remember texting with him while he was still on the road making this life decision. At the same time, I too was struggling with finding balance between a full time job, a wife, and a desire to get my own results on the bike. I was burnt out and looking for more.
When Taylor got back into town I remember convincing him to just go out of a bike ride with me. No training, just adventure. Each week we would pick a place we wanted to ride to or check out and just go for it. Mid December in ABQ isn't warm and we would set out on 4-5 hour rides to towns we hadn't been to via bike. Taylor says these adventure rides were what saved bikes for him. They are also what opened up a whole new world of possibilites for me as well. Riding was the experience.
Fast forward to October 2017 and I was now living in SLC, UT. Taylor and I were still close but living in two different cities. We wanted a way to have our adventure rides and escape the coming winter. I proposed that we take a week and escape to the desert on a bikepacking trip from LA to Las Vegas. We knew that by February the weather would be warmer than where we lived and that weaving our way through the Mojave Desert would give us the adventure we were looking for. Our goal was to ride through all the National Parks, recreation areas, and conservation ares we could find on our way.
After months of route planning, refining our gear selection, and assuring loved ones we weren't going to die; I was driving to LA to pick Taylor up from the airport. Due to some unforeseen logistical complications, I also flew my Dad to LA to pick up my car and drive back to Vegas. Having him would be clutch! I picked Taylor up on Monday, we built his bike, and were rolling out by 12pm.
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