By Audrey Paulus – Stormy
LoCo4NoCo Rides is a Facebook biker group page that focuses on Northern Colorado residents. It is the only active one that organizes and hosts rides. I met the founder, Coy Wylie, back in May when he and some riders and the Cool Biker Lunch and Rides group stopped at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre along Poudre Canyon. We introduced each other and instantly became great friends. He told me now he has time to ride, “COVID started it all. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought global suffering but has also brought some unexpected benefits.” He is a professional real estate agent and when the Colorado Real Estate Commission virtually shut down his industry, from late March to early May, right at the peak of the buying and selling season, he needed something to fill his time. He wanted to find some new people who were as enthusiastic about motorcycles as he was and make some new friends. He posted in a biker Facebook group and invited people to join him on a ride out of Fort Collins for that same Sunday afternoon. I then encouraged him to start up his own group page where he can control it, post rides, and meet new people in his area. We also talked about how this is a good way to network and that it helps you become more visible to the right people and you can gradually become that one person that “knows everyone”. I jokingly call him the King of the North.
Coy had just begun to use the brand “LOCO4NOCO” (crazy for Northern Colorado) with his real estate business, so he called the group LOCO4NOCO Rides. Within a few days, the group began to grow. From the start, the focus has been on group rides and community. He stated, “In three months, we’ve grown to over 350 members with regular group rides and a weekly bike night at various venues around Northern Colorado. It has become evident that this is more than just riding, it’s about finding like-minded people who love the motorcycle culture.”
Over these months, since COVID-19 has impacted the world in such a negative way, LoCo4NoCo Rides has become a positive force for motorcycle lovers in Northern Colorado. They have covered a lot of miles, drank a lot of beer, and built a community that has helped them weather these trying times.
I brought some members from Cool Biker Lunch & Rides with me to join LoCo4NoCo Rides on a ride to Cameron Pass and Snowy Range one sunny afternoon. Coy led us up Cameron Pass to a small-town Riverside in Wyoming where we had lunch at Bear Trap Bar and Cafe. Riverside has a population of 50. It is a quaint town; I always believed tiny towns have so much character that may otherwise get a little lost in the bigger towns. After lunch, we proceeded to Centennial via Snowy Range Scenic Byway. It was more scenic than any of us could have imagined! If you get tired of the Peak to Peak route, you need to head over to Wyoming and explore the beauty of Snowy Range. If you live in Northern Colorado or if you want to ride some different roads from time to time, I highly recommend joining Loco4NoCo Rides on Facebook and get all the info about their next ride, bike night, or event.
