Not Your Average Joe showing his true colors.

Welcome to the 2015 Ride The Rockies! Please indulge me a moment as I introduce myself. My name is Joe Nieto. I am a Colorado native, and live in Highlands Ranch. In addition to cycling, I’m also an avid skier, camper and hike the occasional 14er. I’m very excited, not only to be riding in my first RTR, but to also have been chosen as a Peak Pedaler! As you may have guessed from my Peak Pedaler submission, and/or the title of this post, I’m a bit of a smart alec, and not to be taken too seriously. I hope to share many laughs with my 2000 new friends over the next two months.

I started cycling regularly about four years ago. In that time, I’ve done a number of event rides, including a couple centuries. These have been very helpful to develop training habits as well as getting experience riding in large groups with people you don’t know and getting through it safely. Not to mention, just a lot of fun. This year, In addition to RTR, I’m planning on adding the century route at the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure this August to my cycling resume.

Since I first started cycling, I knew this was an event I wanted to do. As a relatively new cyclist, I found the scope of Ride The Rockies a bit daunting, and I put off my application to the lottery until I was able to talk a few friends into joining me. This way, if was doing anything REALLY wrong, at least I wouldn’t be doing it alone. This past fall my begging, pleading, cajoling and coercing finally paid off and team ‘Blazing Saddles?’ was formed. Why the question mark in the team name? Because we couldn’t decide if it meant we’d be riding that fast, or if we’d be exhibiting signs of not using enough chamois cream. I expect a more definitive answer by the end of Day 3.

Thanks for taking a few moments to read my blog. I’m looking forward to sharing more of my experiences and stories as we lead up to this great ride that Chandler and staff have planned out for us. So until next time, keep the rubber side down!

Cycling etiquette tip of the day: If you are leading the pace line, you should be cutting the wind, not breaking it.