Fair warning, this gallery this time is HUGE! So take your time and soak it in!
My second day in Santa Cruz started a bit rough, as I woke up an air mattress and was tight and crampy from my ride down the 1 and from shaking off the cobwebs of my climbing legs. I’m a big guy honestly. 6’1″ and usually around 180lbs. I don’t have a climber’s body. I was feeling it. Yeah yeah, it wasn’t that much climbing…
We made coffee, put kits back on, and rolled down to Route 9 to meet up with Chris and a couple others. We bombed down 9 into Santa Cruz and rolled over to grab another coffee, and put some semblance of breakfast in me. Then we rolled over to Caletti and met up with the rest of the people that were to be riding with Chris that morning. About a minute after we roll out, someone recognizes me “JP! Are you that guy who does No Life?”, “Yeah, that’s me.”, “Nice! Welcome!”
A warm and humbling welcome for sure, but I always have had a problem with being known as my projects. And I really built No Life for my peers and to share the love of cycling where it meets photography, and vice versa. Essentially, not about me at all. Destroy the ego. Support your peers.
My legs were tight. Since breaking my left hip in two places when I was younger, and blowing out my left knee from a bmx accident when I was 19, I’ve been very asymmetrical in my legs’ muscle structure, and fight a constant case of ‘runners knee’ on my left knee, where my knee cap wants to track to the outside of my leg. It’s excruciating on longer rides at times. It still hurt this morning.
This ride was an opportunity to meet a handful of local riders that I had been admiring and visually crushing on for years now. So many good people. So many awesome people I wish I could support more through No Life. You’ve inspired visuals and stories on this site for a long time now. Especially you Chris!!
We took about a 20 mile loop in and around Santa Cruz, and slowly dispersed. One of our photographer/cyclist crushes in Santa Cruz, Nicky(Who’s got a killer on here gallery if you haven’t seen it yet!), took us up to the top of a quarry in Felton with a huge view of Santa Cruz and the mountains. A really nice highlight to end a beautiful ride on. Then we bombed back into Felton and I went with Scott aka our current favorite kit company, Nomad Cycling, and his partner Salym to grab a sandwich at Wild Roots market and finally check out downtown Felton a little.
After gathering myself back at the tiny cabin, and checking the weather incessantly, I eventually headed into town to Chris’ show at Caletti.
So many long time friends that had made the pilgrimage from the East Coast to the West Coast were there. So many good people. West coast friends I never see, internet and Instagram friends that inspire me daily, and one of the most welcoming bike builders who invited all of us into his space and made sure everyone was fully snacked up and happy.
And Cindy, if you’re reading this, it was so nice seeing you, and your little peanut is the CUTEST EVER!!!
Share the love y’all. Tell someone in your community today that you appreciate them.
