Grinduro Week

A diary of sorts. Nine days out west. Let’s call it Grinduro week. A grouping of photographs with captions! We photograph and visit with SOFIA GOMEZ-VILLAFAÑE, Dani Arman, Emily Kachorek, Katerina Nash, Ryan Rinn, Jonathan Sadler, Lola, Rubi, Keegan Swenson and so many others!

Saturday, October 1st

The start of TSH Out West begins with Cross Reno. This race was not on our original race calendar but Sofia and Keegan Swenson were driving there from Utah so we thought this would be a great kick off to Grinduro. It would also give us our first look at the CX Nationals venue in Reno in 2018. Highlights were walking to the top of the long run up which had Emily Kachorek, Katerina Nash, Sofia Gomez-Villafane shouldering their bikes before descending into a desert marsh with little wooden bridges. As we watched Katerina take the win we all wondered what Reno in January would be like in 2018. Should be interesting and cold!

Sunday, October 2

We drove up the Echo Lake-s after Cross Reno. TSH West is often headquartered at Echo Lake as co-founder Jonathan has a family cabin that was built by his grandfather in the 1930’s. Sierra Nevada adventurers know this to be a great base camp to jump on the Pacific Crest Trail and explore the Desolation Wilderness. Arriving at night we loaded all of our gear in a leaky fishing boat in the dark and navigated through choppy waves. Storms were moving in and by Sunday night there was a light dusting of snow around the cabin. Sunday was spent gathering wood and preparing food for the days ahead.

Monday, October 3

Monday morning we planned to go on a hike at Echo Lakes with Katerina Nash and make waffles with a 100 year old waffle maker. Perfect Rest-Day activities! The lake was a bit windy and very choppy but we managed to load dogs and day packs in the fishing boat with just a little extra effort. On the hike we all practiced our pet photography skills enhancing our all of our post-cycling career resumes. Katerina’s Vizlas, Lola and Rubi were willing subjects and demanded only warm blankets and hugs for payment.

Tuesday, October 4

Tuesday was our official launch of our men’s and women’s fall collections. We had been writing on pen and paper in the cabin but with wifi being non-existent we drove to Meyers, California to edit a bit on the computer and send off the last of the store copy to Chicago. It is always fun introducing the cycling community to new designers and this time we made a little collection with Chilean illustrator and designer Amelia Strong! So excited to bring more pieces in the future from this great artist to our store. After finishing our writing, we hit the trails on our mountain bikes with some recommendations from Katarina.

Wednesday + Thursday + Friday, October 5-6-7

Dani and Sofia flew into Reno Wednesday night to visit us at the cabin before heading to Quincy for Grinduro. Thursday morning was spent getting bikes built and then tweaking breaks and rotors at a local shop in South Lake Tahoe. Since we are still in race mode the women also needed some training time so they headed out on some trails and single track on their CX machines around Meyers. Thursday afternoon we hiked and looked for old cabins on the upper lake on the Echo chain and sat on large pieces of beached granite soaking up the autumn sun.

Saturday + Sunday, October 8-9

We will be posting a full Grinduro Gallery shortly but the shorter story is Grinduro is an incredible event. You know how there are a million stories after an epic race? The Grinduro format of a social ride with timed segments scattered throughout the 65 miles journey provides something similar but you get to throw in stories about bourbon and rope swings! Though 700 riders and their friends and family showed up to the event it felt incredibly intimate. The medley of professional racers, avid crushers, beautiful bikes, crisp mornings, music, camping, northern California vibes made for an incredible weekend. The future of bike riding and racing is Grinduro. Congrats to the organizers and all who participated in making something beautiful.