This is the event I started in 2015 while my bicycle company, Swobo, was winding down. What started as a whim, wanting to ride with friends, soon expanded to 4-5 rides a year, from private adventures of as few as five to groups of over 100. The popularity caught me a bit off guard as, until then, trips with friends were part of life. However, I soon realized I had a talent for developing adventures and experiences for others and that most folks were happy to pay someone else to do the planning and handle the work.
The amount of planning to take folks four days into the wilderness is intense. And we're doing this at least four times a season and in different locations. Feeding 60+ people is a job, let alone the route planning, scouting, permitting, marketing, and operations. Staffing is critical as you need people who not only share your vision but also the skills to manage people when they're at their worst, and after 65 miles and 7K feet of climbing in July, you don't always have happy campers.
And with this work comes the responsibility to make this experience attainable to anyone. Cycling is an expensive sport, and adding the camping and outdoor gear costs can put an event like the Ramble out of reach for many. That's why I worked with partners to develop programs where riders can borrow or rent gear depending on circumstances. It's creating BIPOC scholarships to reduce entry fees. It's taking this message of adventure on the road, hosting seminars and clinics. It's realizing that some women sometimes want the comfort of other women, which means hosting women-only events.
It's community building not only amongst participants but also staff. Ramble Rides are a family affair, with my spouse as head chef for group events and our teen (now adult) kids alongside. You become part of our community if you ride or work a Ramble—100%.
My product here is adventure. The Ramble Rides enrich, educate, and inspire participants to test their limits and explore what they can do through engaging outdoor experiences.
And while COVID-19 reset our efforts, and inflation and the recent economy haven't helped, the work is relevant to any effort I can think of. Of all the things I've done in my work life, Rambles have been the most challenging and rewarding.
After 2024, I decided to put the Ramble Ride on hiatus, as it became increasingly difficult to find routes with accommodations for multi-day events.
In 2017, I produced a short video series with our sponsor on our original Steamboat Springs route. It was the same year we were chosen as "Best New Event" by Bikepacker.com, the preeminent outlet in the genre.
