Bike Expo For the Win!

Remember when I talked about coopertition last month? It's a real thing: I'm living it right now. The annual bike expo in Denver is, as anticipated, a lovely experience of most things bicycles. Last year was a lot of faster/stronger/farther training focused booths, and this year the e-bikes really stick out (though they were the main view down the row from our booth). While nibbling on delicious flavors of Hope Hummus, we even had the privilege of seeing pros like Dave Weins and Georgia Gould participate in a tire changing competition... blindfolded and handcuffed! At some point there was an acoustic cover of Gangsta's Paradise serenading the beer garden. The whole set up was heavenly.

Colorado Bike Expo 2016

Back up a second - OUR booth? Yup! Leisurely Pedaling and Beer and Bike Tours teamed up to share space, laughter, and overall success of the event with each other. And - you guessed it - we're in coopertition together. We're coopertiving. Something. We were even graced with the ladies who run Experience Plus Bike Tours sharing a corner of our booth for a moment Saturday.

Someone Got Their Hands on Sidewalk Chalk!

This is how it works: Experience Plus has tours all over Europe and beyond as their specialty (they have other tour options as well). They just happen to have their home office in Fort Collins. Win! Beer and Bike Tours specializes in exactly that: breweries, bikes, and enjoying the ride. Their tours span Colorado and portions of the US that are lovely and have delicious beer culture. Leisurely Pedaling specializes in site seeing Fort Collins and the neighboring communities. We all have a little overlap (stellar experiences being offered, funloving guides, endless laughter and joy), though we all have distinctly different personalities.

Thank you so much all who dropped by the Colorado Bike Expo this last weekend. I hope to see you all again next year, and you're always welcome on our tours between times! We've drawn winners from the drawing, and are excited to announce their names in the next newsletters :-)

Cheers for now,

Adventure Jes

We Know How to Have a Good Time!

Double-take: Does That Say "Leisurely"?!

Saturday, April 25 was a day for firsts here Colorado. Primal and Audi of Denver sponsored the inaugural Colorado Bike Expo at the Denver Convention Center, and Leisurely Pedaling participated in its first ever vendor event! Let's pause and reflect on this a moment...

Denver Convention Center

...Paws and reflect a moment? (You see what I did there?) The bike expo hosts were very attentive and accommodating throughout the experience: here's to hoping all vendor events flow as amazingly well! I'd certainly come back to this one again just for the variety of bike-related industries mingling throughout the day.

Loading up!

Pre-planning *smile*

Our immediate neighbors were Bolle Eyewear and Presserly. Across the aisle were Denver's version of The Fort Collins Bike Co-Op, a cyclist injury law firm, and ladies performance yoga-wear. Directly behind the booth was an adult big-wheels racetrack. Our wonderful neighbors, proximity to the racetrack, and proximity to the beer garden made for an exciting day filled with fun interactions and the most wonderful conversations!

Learn-to-ride area (separate from the big-wheels race course)

I found it refreshing the amount of interest in Leisurely Pedaling and what we're all about, and the many friendly individuals who also acknowledged the odd presence of "leisure" throughout most bike events these days. A walk-through of the expo is a prime example of how many ways a cyclist can do it stronger/faster/farther/longer/weekend-warrior through nutrition, equipment, varied physical activity, and coaching. For the record, I love a quality cycling challenge as much as the next enthusiast (my cycling history is a few stories for another day), but when do cyclist remember to really smile and enjoy the journey? Aside from the two yoga-focused booths and paint studio, Leisurely Pedaling was the "relaxed cyclist stronghold" on the floor. This fact alone contributed to the majority of smiles, chuckles, and friendly banter throughout the day.

Thank you all who stopped by the Leisurely Pedaling booth and brought additional smiles and inspiration to my day! My helper (Marcia, also my beautiful mother) and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing the opportunity to site-see Fort Collins and Northern Colorado by bicycle with us this summer and beyond!

Cheers for now,

Adventure Jes

ready for business!

brochures, T-shirts, and stickers!

Eye-catching, yes?

Our trusty Vintage Cruiser, Courtesy of the Fort Collins Bike Library!

Just a trailer full of T-shirts!

Owner Jes Mallory ready for fun!