A 2017 ePIc Photo Recap — PEARL iZUMi Blog

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A 2017 ePIc Photo Recap

Here we are, the end of the year. That time…

Erik Proano // 12.2017

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Here we are, the end of the year. That time where many reflect back on what was and what could be as we flip open a new calendar. Just as I like it, my 2017 was a pretty great time on the trails for me. While most of my everyday life and activities (see: job) is taking people to experience amazing places, I was able to get some pretty interesting trips and rides for myself on the calendar. Living in the Vail Valley in Colorado makes finding a beautiful ride pretty easy but hitting the dirt and rocks of the Utah desert is also one of my go-to destinations to balance out the weather and seasons.

Have a look at some of my favorite images from the year on the bike. Here’s to more big ePIc rides in 2018!

**Singletrack with rollercoaster character. Frontside Trail north of Fruita, Colorado.**

**Hero dirt blur on Village to Village Trail near Beaver Creek, Colorado.**

**Canyon country immersion, an annual spring tradition for us snowy mountain dwellers. Onion Creek Road near Moab, Utah.**

**The summer sun sets on the Outerbike Weekend and Crested Butte, Colorado.**

**My favorite lunch spot. Benchmark high above Vail, Colorado.**

**Snowcapped peaks in the Sawatch Mountains are a beautiful backdrop for the Mesquite Trail. Edwards, Colorado.**

**Fall foliage flow on the lower Two Elk Trail outside of Minturn, Colorado.**

**Bartlett Wash slickrock surf. Moab, Utah.**

**Sheltered from a light rain by the aspens of Hank’s Hideaway. Vail, Colorado.**

**The trusty steed nestled in lupines at the terminus of the Grand Traverse Trail near Vail, Colorado.**

**There was no place I would rather have been for the total solar eclipse than on the 401 trail. Crested Butte, Colorado.**

**A moment of relative warmth before the temperature plummeted and it started snowing. Outlier Off-road Festival. Vail, Colorado.**

**Take me to the river. The world famous Porcupine Rim Trail before ending at the Colorado River outside of Moab, Utah.**

**A tranquil moment on the Aspen Glade Trail near Beaver Creek, Colorado.**

**Riding dry, south facing singletrack in order to avoid damaging the muddy trails in the valley. Edwards, Colorado.**

**Playing the thunderstorm evasion game during the monsoon season. Grand Traverse Trail. Vail, Colorado.**

**Boulder slalom on Mars. Moab Brand Trails north of Moab, Utah.**

**High desert sage lines the singletrack around much of Eagle, Colorado.**

**Home sweet home under the stars for Outerbike, the best bike demo event in the universe. Crested Butte, Colorado.**

**Mother nature put on her best colors for the first day of fall. Hank’s Hideaway in Vail, Colorado.**

**Getting rowdy on Captain Ahab Trail with the Venture Sports crew west of Moab, Utah.**

**Mount of the Holy Cross adds to the grandeur of the Grand Traverse Trail. Vail, Colorado.**

**Riding Sarlacc Trail high above the North Fruita Desert north of Fruita, Colorado.**

**Night ride to greet the rising moon. Bar M Trail. Moab, Utah.**

**Peak wildflower season in the alpine zone of Two Elk Connector Trail. Vail, Colorado.**

**Otherworldly sandstone formations on the Big Mesa Trail. Navajo Rocks area northwest of Moab, Utah.**

**Blessed by the weather gods during the Eagle Outside Festival. Eagle, Colorado.**

**Early season climbing miles on Berry Creek near Edwards, Colorado.**

**Slickrock meanderings during the annual fall Moab migration as the La Sal peaks wait for more snow.**

**Walking our mountain bikes at 11,500 feet above sea level, on the Grand Traverse-Two Elk loop. Pearl Izumi Ambador tour of Vail Mountain. Vail, Colorado.**

**Finding dry singletrack in February. Horsethief Bench Loop in Loma, Colorado.**

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Erik Proano

Erik is a Colorado mountain dwelling recreational rider that spent 18 years guiding cycling tours in the Western US, Canada, Mexico and South America. He enjoys the sensations of speed and freedom generated on a mountain bike. Erik has a passion for the remoteness of the backcountry and the peace that those places offer. He believes the mountain bike is a perfect tool to access the beauty of our natural sanctuaries. Over the course of the last two decades he has been an Emergency Medical Technician, Wilderness First Responder, mountain bike skills instructor, bike mechanic, camp chef, professional commercial passenger driver, videographer, photographer and is fluent in Spanish. In the Winter, you will find him snowboarding or on a quest for backcountry powder on a split board.

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