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In this episode Josh & Dane sit down with Chris Johnson who is the CEO & President of the Tonto Gravity Riders (TGR). TGR has built and maintained some amazing gravity focused trails in Arizona including in the Pinal Mountains Trail System and Sunrise Bike Park.

TGR is a large group of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts that share a passion to better the user experience. It is a large core of highly experienced trail volunteers who have worked on many projects throughout Arizona. Many of them have been working together for over a decade now and it shows in their work! Sustainability is #1.

They share a vision for the great recreational possibilities that await all user groups, especially mountain bikers within the Pinal Mountains by providing the resources needed to restore, maintain and help re-develop the Pinal Mountain Trail System.

Tonto Gravity Riders (TGR)

Web: https://www.tontogravityriders.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tontogravityriders/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TontoGravityRiders/

Trails

Pinal Mountain Trail System: https://www.trailforks.com/region/pinal-mountain-trail-system/

NRA Jumps: https://www.trailforks.com/poi/1410/

Sunrise Bike Park: https://www.sunrise.ski/summer/downhill-mountain-biking/

Mt Graham Trail System: https://www.trailforks.com/region/pinaleno-mountains-mt-graham/

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In this episode we dive into the value of bike-adjacent businesses deliberately planning for and taking actions to make it convenient for cyclists to visit their establishments.

Tucson’s Hop Shop does exactly that… in fact, they are of 1 of only 11 businesses in Arizona to get a “Bicycle Friendly Business” award by the League of American Bicyclists.

In this episode, the guys sit down with Jessie & Sarita from the Hop Shop. The Hop Shop is a bottle shop & beer garden in North Tucson that has a deep connection to both the mountain & pavement bike communities. It’s located off Tucson’s infamous 150+ mile paved “loop” trail system.

The Hop Shop is a popular “post ride” location where mountain bikers, commuters & roadies can enjoy a fresh pint and amazing pizza from the Hop Shop's neighbor Ciao Down (which is a “culinary studio” next door that delivers the pizza to your table inside or outside the Hop Shop). Oh, and you can bring your bike inside, in fact, it’s encouraged.

Episode links...

Web: https://www.tucsonhopshop.com/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tucsonhopshop/profilecard/?igsh=eWJwMGZ5NmQxZThz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/NT5ZtV6rwunyrCEs/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

The Loop: https://tucsonloop.org/

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In this episode Josh & Dane sit down with the President (Nick Giovannucci) and Vice President (Matt Hrabko) of the Tucson Off-Road Cyclists and Activists (TORCA). They are doing some amazing work relative to building & maintaining big mountain trails on Mt. Lemmon in Southern Arizona.

The mission of Tucson Off-Road Cyclists and Activists (TORCA) is "To preserve the tradition, condition, and etiquette of the trail; and to present novel trail opportunities in a sustainable and responsible manner."

They represent all facets of the mountain biking community and enjoy riding all of the trails that Tucson has to offer. TORCA invites you to get involved so that mountain biking's voice becomes louder and our trails get faster!

TORCA...
Web: https://www.torca.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torcamtb/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TucsonTORCA/

Santa Catalina Trails Plan: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coronado/home/?cid=FSEPRD974570

Home Grown MTB: https://homegrownmtb.com/

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In this episode, Josh & Dane chat with Charles Kwintero (or as he says it, Carlos Quintero). Carlos has worked in the bike industry for 15+ years including roles at Giant, Specialized, and managing Bicycle Warehouse in SD. Today, Carlos is the Southwest Marketing Manager for Enso Sales Group (which covers Intense, POC, Mavic, & Derosa) and is a specialist at Guru Bikes.

The conversation includes some humorous stories from Carlos’ time at Giant and Specialized and sheds some light on the role sales reps play in the mountain bike supply base.

Enso Sales Group...
Intense: https://intensecycles.com/
Mavic: https://www.mavic.com/en-us
POC: https://poc.com/en-us
Derosa: https://derosa.it/

Carlos also digs… https://alchemybikes.com/

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In this episode you’ll learn about two things…
#1. Sunrise Park Resort (which is outside of Greer, AZ.)
#2. Colby Landin (seasoned trail & track builder)

We kept hearing that Sunrise Park Resort was making great progress in improving their bike park. Then we ran across Colby’s Instagram Page and saw what he was doing up there. We reached out to Colby and last weekend drove up and spent a couple days riding the park and recording this episode with Colby.

First and foremost, shoutout to the White Mountain Apache Tribe, who owns and operates the Sunrise Park Resort. We love to recreate on your mountains in the winter and summer and we appreciate you sharing them with us and working to make the trails even better.

Secondly, we couldn’t talk about Sunrise without shouting out the Tonto Gravity Riders. They’ve been advocating for and working on trails throughout the state (including Sunrise and with a focus on the Pinal Mountains) since 2010.

Sunrise Park Resort Summer Activities

- Bike Park: 31 trails (8 x green, 4 x blue, 10 x black, 8 x double black). 2 lifts.

- Alpine Coaster (3000’ of track, up to 25mph)

- High Flier Zipline (tandem lines, 2100’ of elevation, up to 50 mph)

- Tubing Hill (magic carpet ride up, 300’ hill)

- Airbag Jump (18’ & 32’)

- Rock Climbing Wall (42’)

- 3d Archery Course (15 target course)

- Disc Golf (lift accessed).

eMTBs are allowed at Sunrise Park Resort.

Note: Other than letting us record this episode at the resort, we have received no compensation or perks from Sunrise. We bought our tickets full price.

Links to accompany this episode…

Colby Landin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colbys_bike_tracks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@skillsandbuilds3987

Sunrise Bike Park
Web: https://www.sunrise.ski/summer/downhill-mountain-biking/
Trail Map: https://www.sunrise.ski/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Trail-Map-Sunrise-Park-Resort-Summer-2024-VistaMap-large.jpg

Tonto Gravity Riders
https://www.tontogravityriders.org/

Ollies Cacti (Colby’s Home Grown Nursery of desert plants)
https://www.instagram.com/ollies_cacti/

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Dr. Jody Bartz is Founder and Executive Director of Gro Girl Gro a non-profit with a mission to INCREASE the number of girls and young women who BELIEVE they are capable and strong athletes and outdoor leaders through safe and supported outdoor experiences.

Additionally, Jody offers connection-based mountain bike skills, endurance, and strength coaching to women and men through the Sonoran Endurance Sports Academy.

Jody got her PhD in Special Education, Family Studies, & Human Development from the University of Arizona. She is an ambassador for Liv Cycling. She is a L1 BICP Certified Bike Instructor and an L3 USA Cycling Certified Coach. She’s a single speeder and endurance athlete. She is a mountain bike guide with Tanque Verde Ranch resort. She founded and coached for 4 years a NICA mountain bike team in Flagstaff, AZ. Her catch phrase: take the space. Her pet peeve: ‘trail Chads’ that say ‘atta girl’.

We last chatted with Jody in Episode 29 when Gro Girl Gro was just starting out. She has amazing energy and an unwavering drive for empowering women and young girls, helping them increase their confidence, and bringing them into the sport of mountain biking. We always learn much from Jody… and this episode is no exception.

Gro Girl Gro

Web: https://www.grogirlgro.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grogirlgro/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grogirlgro

Sonoran Endurance Sports Academy
https://www.sonoranendurance.com/

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In this episode Josh & Dane chat with DVO Suspension’s Master Tuner Ronnie Dillon. Ronnie has been working on the design, test, manufacture, and tuning of mountain bike suspension products for over 25 years.

DVO is a high-end suspension brand offering innovative trail, enduro, and downhill mountain bike shocks and forks. Their products are known for plushness and small bump compliance.

This episode features the following topics about Ronnie and DVO…

• history and Marzocchi roots
• Taiwan operations
• prioritizing customer relations and engagement
• historical product features like Off The Top (OTT)
• new products like Jade X Prime & Topaz Prime
• overcoming past challenges like sticky bushings and setup complexity
• partnering with WP for the new GasGas eBike suspension
• driving innovation by hiring engineering talent outside of the bike industry
• some hints at things to come (new products in development)

Links

DVO Suspension
https://dvosuspension.com/

DVO Taiwanese Factory Tour – Mo and Hannah
https://youtu.be/AJWA9C_X0-I?si=crMUD3Jfvp0ueVgZ

GasGas eBikes (featuring a custom DVO suspension design)
https://www.gasgas.com/bicycles/en-us/bikes.html

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This week Dane & Josh sit down for an early morning, pre-ride, and mellow chat with Dave Slagle. Dave runs “Our MTB Rides” (a social ride group with 1700 members). He’s also a prior president and current board member of the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists (SDMB) and a brand ambassador for Specialized Bikes. He loves to build and maintain trails. And with all that... he's super down to earth and humble.

Links from the episode...

Our MTB Rides, Tucson AZ
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourmtbrides/

Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclist (SDMB)
https://www.sdmb.org

Cyclelogical Coffee, Pinetop AZ
https://www.facebook.com/cyclelogicalcoffee/

Tucson Hop Shop
https://www.tucsonhopshop.com/

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