We all ride for different reasons, but one of the universal things we love about mountain biking is that it’s a way to be completely present, to have everything else fall away except the feeling of flowing down a trail, the Velcro rip of your tires on the dirt, the smell of pine needles in the air, all your worries and regrets about the past or future momentarily gone. Time slips away too easily: hours fly by at work, we lose minutes in front of our screens, we wonder where the weeks go. The ride is a way to recapture our most valuable commodity.
That’s the theme of Anthill Films’ latest, “Return to Earth,” presented by Shimano. On June 19, the Colorowdies were proud to host the Denver premier of the world tour of this feature-length film at The Oriental Theater. Over 400 riders and friends came, and all proceeds benefited the Golden Giddyup Trail Team, which in the past five years has contributed over 10,000 hours to building, maintaining, and advocating for trails in Jefferson County. Through a raffle with prizes that included Shimano parts (including a full XT drivetrain, brakes, and pedals), full-size prints by mountain bike photographer Sterling Lorence (@eyeroam), backpacks from Evoc, a Lazer helmet, and more, we raised over $3,800 for the Giddyup. The first 100 attendees received free schwag from Shimano including posters and hats.
We asked Colorowdies president and cofounder Tony Bentley (left, below) a few questions about the event.
Like pretty much every Colorowdies event, including group rides and our twice-yearly mission trips, the film premiere is open to anyone who wants to come. Why is it personally important to you to put on events that are open to the public?
When we started the club it was pretty exclusive to a core group of guys and gals racing BME [Big Mountain Enduro] and shredding together every weekend. About a year or so in, I really felt like it was almost selfish to not share all the fun we were having. I was still pretty new to the Colorado mountain biking scene, but I just loved meeting new people and progressing my skills. So our once “private” Facebook group went “closed” and allowed in anyone who was invited by a friend or asked to join. I made a website and we got “official” with a team jersey that anyone could buy, we started hosting group rides and promoting a more inclusive club. That decision has led to some of my best friendships.
Check out the trailer for the film below.
All photos by Bearded Bros Media. Feature photo courtesy Anthill Films.
Like pretty much every Colorowdies event, including group rides and our twice-yearly mission trips, the film premiere is open to anyone who wants to come. Why is it personally important to you to put on events that are open to the public?
When we started the club it was pretty exclusive to a core group of guys and gals racing BME [Big Mountain Enduro] and shredding together every weekend. About a year or so in, I really felt like it was almost selfish to not share all the fun we were having. I was still pretty new to the Colorado mountain biking scene, but I just loved meeting new people and progressing my skills. So our once “private” Facebook group went “closed” and allowed in anyone who was invited by a friend or asked to join. I made a website and we got “official” with a team jersey that anyone could buy, we started hosting group rides and promoting a more inclusive club. That decision has led to some of my best friendships.
Check out the trailer for the film below.
All photos by Bearded Bros Media. Feature photo courtesy Anthill Films.