Ridin' with GRP Wheels

Though the day may have began gray and drizzly, that couldn’t stop the GRP Wheels crew from hitting the trails. Hard. It’s always interesting following along with G (our resident pro mountain biking guru) on the first mountain biking outing of the season. As the designated GRP extreme sports photographer, I get the chance to ride out with our mountain biking group, at least once for each of the two and three-week Sessions. The aim is to capture some memorable photos and document the adventures of the day. Today did not disappoint. We found ourselves cruising through DuPont State Forest, with four Campers, along with a few dedicated bikers on staff. It wasn’t long before I realized I was with some serious shredders. The lack of fear and abundance of confidence makes for great turns, stability and epic shots.

The berms were smooth. The roots and rocks were bumpy but easily navigated. There was even a slightly-deeper-than-I-though creek crossing that may have soaked a few pairs of shoes. Climbing the rolling hills in the Blue Ridge Mountains isn’t easy, but each of our Campers conquered every ascent. On some of the gnarliest features, like 80 degree drops, log-rides and a few killer booters (jumps), each one in GRP Wheels–also known as the “might-not-make-it-back-for-lunch-on-time” crew–went for it, if they so chose. As with all things at GRP, we fully embrace the challenge-by-choice methodology. There were plenty of moments when I looked at drop, a jump or log-ride balance beam and said, “no way, thanks for asking.” After a solid three hours of riding, we all made it back safely to base camp, though we might have been a tad late to lunch.

*Story and photos by Brandon S. Marshall