By Lynn Piefer, AvidCyclist.com
New Belgium Brewery was the perfect host for this event. If you were able to take a brewery tour, you would have learned about sours and how they were made, the history of Belgium ales, and cool new words like: “flocculation”, (and no, it is not something used in a Tinder profile).
We all know that Reese’s is where peanut butter met chocolate. Well, when bikes met beer, New Belgium 
called it Fat Tire Ale. And that evoked the tradition after their first year, every employee of New Belgium receives their Fat Tire Bike. Through the years it was always a
cruiser bike, by a slew of different manufacturers. But how fitting, that on the Foco Fondo’s 10th anniversary they would introduce a gravel bike as for the first time. Some things are just meant to be.
My recently discovered intrigue for bike races throughout Colorado has developed substantially from attending races simply to snag some free swag and take glances of a few impressive athletes momentarily as they ride along to passionately awaiting the finish of countless racers for hours on end and completely forgetting about those swag tents in lieu of soaking up the atmosphere and camaraderie that comes hand in hand with the thrill and stoke of a well executed race weekend. I find myself smiling wider with each new and proud face that breaches a finishing tent, who desperately and excitedly grabs for that cold wet towel and joins their fellow friends and racers on the other side of glory. In consequence, my gear wish list has grown substantially and now includes an entire gravel bike. I’ve made endless mental notes of participant’s gear in hopes of one day reaching that level and completing a race myself just to be part of the magic.
With this growth in passion and seeing races in their entirety, has come a stream of learning and understanding of what makes a race stand out, and what contributes to the overall display and success of a race well done. Working at Avid Cyclist’s expo tent last weekend at Foco Fondo provided me with frequent learning moments. I understood more and more the captivating energy surrounding cyclists and their races. Each friend and family member holding a sign at the finish, each podium beer shower, and every bout of laughter and excitement adding to the overall culture of the race.
Here are some of the pivotal pieces of information and insider details Foco Fondo left me with.
Who knew that two of my interests could be thrown together in such a dare-I-say spectacular way? Bolo ties awarded to racers that finish under a specific time limit; that is the genius of Foco Fondo. As the pileup behind the finish line grew with masses of sweat-soaked cyclists, I watched as volunteers and Fondo staff weaved through the crowds with the cord and pendant bolo accessory in true Colorado fashion; with the badge of honor and a point of pride for any accomplished racer who matched that time quota. I was delighted to see a practical variation of medals for the riders of Foco Fondo’s racecourse, and all the more tempted to compete next time.
It’s an important phrase to learn if you’re living in Colorado: No matter how good you are at (insert your chosen sport or activity here) there’s a 10-year-old in Colorado who is doing it better. I’ve felt seen by this saying during many an activity in my time, but never so much as watching podiums at Foco Fondo. Each race determined three winners of separate age groups. We
saw 13-year-old Harper Murphy sweep the under 18 Female category of the Dare You 32 mile race with a
time of 2:19.10. Harper was ranked at 150 out of the overall 535 racers of the 32 miler, which included her Mother, Father and yes, Grandfather, Will Botens.
She was followed by two other young speedsters, 11-year-old Roxie Davis and 9-year-old June Porter. The male under 18 category displayed winner Owen Grant with a time of 2.02.49 at 11 years old, ranking 78th of the 535 racers. Second place went to 8-year-old Scout Fryberger, third to 11-year-old Thorin Fetherolf. These kids are expected to become big names in the future of Focofondo. They wowed and inspired me, and I can’t wait to see where they take this talent.
There’s something uniquely special about seeing a tandem bike cross the finish line. It’s the purest representation of teamwork, togetherness, and of family. On top of it all, for every tandem finish that 
I witnessed came the hilarity of at least one viewer, almost always a different person, yelling through hoots and hollers the single word: TANDEM! And nothing else. Saying so much, with so little. My favorite of the tandemers was a family of 4 who completed the race together wearing matching homemade kits.
It is evident that the Foco Fondo team is seeking to reach everyone they can with this race, and that any and all barriers to entry and accessibility are diminished. Each race holds space for para athlete categories and includes numerous areas to achieve
accessibility all throughout the racecourse, awards, and expo fair. The Adaptive Adventures team held a prevalent presence during raceday; on the podiums, courses, and beyond, creating an open setting for para athletes and contributing to the inclusive nature of Foco Fondo. This bike race is a place for all to share in the spirit of gravel racing.
In the unfortunate current political climate that has weaponized gender expression as a war on sports equality, Foco Fondo has taken an equalizing approach to their race. The Gender Expansive division eradicates possible situations where individuals take to pointing fingers at athletes instead of institutions for systems that do not support athlete equity. Bethel 
Steele is the program leader of this division, as is easily identifiable on race day as the most vocal supporter of each Gender Expansive Division racer who podiums. The program offers a connected community to nonbinary and trans athletes on raceday, and beyond through hosting an LGBTQIA+ meetup on Saturday, and a non-binary/gender expansive cookout on the evening before race day.
Being at the Foco Fondo for the weekend, any one can see that it is more than a race or a ride. It is an event. It is way more than a ride, or a race with an expo. It is truly an event that Transends all levels and interests of cycling. There was a place for everyone that likes to be on a bike. And for Avid Cyclist, being a resource for the cyclist lifestyle, it was like the mother ship calling us home. There was something at this event for everyone, from the elite racer to the person that just wanted to be part of a big group of people that had any level of a passion for that crazy 2 wheeled machine we call a bike.
The only downside is that we have to wait 360-ish days for the 2026 Foco Fondo. See you there!
By Lynn Piefer, AvidCyclist.com
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