Coffee With People (Life with COVID)

Have you ever had a slice or a cup of coffee after an awesome ride in Fruita? Chances are you have. In today’s episode, you’re going to spend some time with the catalysts behind those two mountain biker essentials. Meet Anne Keller and Jen Zeuner - owners of The Hot Tomato Pizza and part-owners of Best Slope Coffee.

As a fellow Coloradan, I got to know Anne and Jen for real last summer in the Chilcotin Mountains of Canada. We spent the better part of the week pushing our bikes uphill to ride down through some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in North America. It was an amazing time filled with bikes, coffee and, the occasional stromboli.

But enough about that...

Listen in to find out what life is like running a restaurant and a coffee shop on the Western Slope of Colorado during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Today we take a trip to the South American country of Peru to talk with my guide friend, Nico Chirinos.I met Nico, and his brother Chente last October, while shooting for a Big Mountain Bike Adventures trip. They call it they Unforgettable Andres trip for a reason. Besides Morocco, Peru is one of the most memorable places that I’ve traveled with a mountain bike. The trails, culture and food are off the hook.

In this episode, you’ll come to know Nico'slove for the nature and culture in his country, something I witnessed first hand last fall. He is also passionate about mountain biking, especially the opportunities that Peru provides.Although tourism is shut down for the moment - Nico is eternally optimistic. He and his brother, along with the rest the rest of their local crew are taking this time to be patient as the pacha mamatakes a big deep breath.

I’m excited to introduce my good friend Lani Bruntz in today’s episode. I know her through my work with IMBA and the Trail Care Crew. Back then, one thing we really bonded over was seeking out adventurous things. We’ve managed to work and travel together on some interesting projects from places like Caliente, Nevada to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. When she isn’t riding her bike, she’s probably searching for deep powder somewhere near Crested Butte in her role as a guide for Eleven Experience.

Today Lani tells us about how coffee is a joyful thing for her, so much so, that she never goes anywhere without it. Even when she's scaling peaks and out for days on end, you can be assured that Lani has some kind of coffee set-up with her.

Today we’ll meet Andrew Juiliano, a professional cyclocross racer and freelance writer and editor. He lives in Santa Barbara and got there by way of New Jersey. Andrew and I got connected through my work with Shimano. We’re both looking forward to summer and the release of a project we collaborated on over the winter.

Andrew doesn’t mess around with coffee - he just drinks it. The bigger the deadline, the more pots he makes.

With the Coronavirus making life uncertain and challenging, Andrew is taking everything in stride. He’s grateful for being healthy and the time to go out on really long early-season training rides.

I’m excited to start the week off with my colleague Kyle Sparks. He’s a photo editor for Patagonia - working on the climb, mountain bike and equipment categories. Kyle and I have worked together the last few years since I started contributing to Patagonia. We actually got to spend some time in person together in Feb. It was cool to meet in person…we rode bikes and ate tacos together - in hindsight I’m really thankful for the time considering the current situation.

Kyle gives us a lot of good nuggets in this episode, including what he misses about looking a printed photos, as well as some details about his passion for hot chocolate. One fun story in particular is the time he ordered an affogato. Normally this drink comes with coffee, so as one could imagine, it threw the barista for a loop.

Today we’re going to meet Chris Winter, owner of Big Mountain Bike Adventures. The first time I met Chris Winter was in the fall of 2013. I had just arrived in Kathmandu after 40+ hours of travel. We were about to embark on a two-week guided mountain bike trip through Nepal’s Himalayan Mountains. Among other things, we learned we were both creatives blessed with a condition called wanderlust. Since then, I’ve worked for Big Mountain in five continents, drinking a lot coffee along the way.

In the episode Chris shares his eternal optimism about the current state of affairs. He reminds us that things will be that much sweeter when we can travel again

Today you’ll meet Serena Bishop-Gordon, professional cyclist and coach. She’s one of my most thoughtful and inspirational friends - we always have a lot to talk about when we spend time together.

Coffee is more than a hot drink for Serena, it’s a ritual that starts her day off with a positive spin.With her race and event season up in the air, Serena is taking the uncertainty in stride, choosing to focus on the joy and preparation of being a lifelong athlete. You can bet she’ll be ready when the time comes to get back out there.

Today we welcome Koel Thomae to the podcast. She’s an entrepreneur and adventurous traveler. In fact, we had the chance to travel together a few times last year, something we’re both really grateful for now. Koel tells a few stories fun about coffee, including a visit to the La Marzocco factory in Florence, Italy and memories of her stepmother serving Viennese coffee during her youth. She considers herself a social coffee drinker and admits that coffee is really just her vehicle for enjoying whipped cream.

Koel is one of my most energetic and adaptable friends - two things she’s relying on during this time of the Coronavirus. In addition to quickly getting up to speed as a homeschool parent-teacher, she’s keeping up with activities and routines that have always made her happy. As she recalls the action-packed days when she was starting and running her business, Noosa Yogurt, Koel emphasizes theimportance of making time for exercise to stay healthy and sane.

Finally - we have a very special guest to open the show. Koel’s daughter Matilda, gives us her take on coffee and caffeine ;-)

Enjoy this episode!

It’s my pleasure to introduce my friend Brian Fox. I’ve known him since my days at IMBA where we collaborated on some really cool projects that involved trails and maps. Since then we’ve ridden a lot of trails and had a lot of coffees together.

When Brian isn’t riding bikes or chasing his three boys, he’s hard at work as a management consultant for the government. I don’t know exactly what he does - whatever it is, Brian is very innovative and you can bet he is doing brilliant things. What I do know, is that Brian knows good coffee…so let’s get into this episode.

Happy Monday everyone - I hope you had a great weekend. We start the week with my good friend Ben Gordon. I’ve known him since 2014, during my conservation days when I was documenting trails for IMBA (the International Mountain Bicycling Association). We met through an advocacy ride in Idaho and have been friends since then, trying to meet annually to ride somewhere. Last summer he and his wife traveled to Europe to visit Chris and me, and of course, to experience both coffee and mountain biking throughout the Alps.

Two things about Ben that I admire - he’s a deep thinker and an amazing storyteller. Case in point - Ben tells the story of his first coffee experience in the desert of Israel at the age of 15. To find out what happens, grab a cuppa and settle for the latest episode.

Enjoy!