Member Spotlight: Aislynne Edwards & Colby Brandt

Tell us about your cycling journey. What got you into riding and what keeps you coming back?

Aislynne – I first got back into riding as an adult in 2023. I was living in Winter Park, CO, and I bought a gravel bike to commute to work. I hadn’t really ridden much since I was a teenager with my dad who was really into road races. I had broken my pelvis the previous winter and needed something low impact to get my strength and conditioning back and biking was a great alternative. When I moved to Alaska, I really wanted to try new things so I bought my first mountain bike and started to learn some basics from Colby. The thing that keeps coming back to biking is the great feeling of accomplishment after a big ride and feeling myself improve and how brave I feel learning a new skill in my 40’s.
Colby - Well I hoped on a bike when I was 4 and never really stopped. It’s always been my main source of transportation, utility , and recreation.

What is your favorite cycling discipline (MTB, road, gravel)?

Aislynne – I love both gravel and mountain biking. I like that I can bike pack on my gravel bike and go on a long distance adventure in the mountains, and I love MTB for the excitement and feeling of accomplishment after going up or down some techy trails.
Colby - Honestly, I ride year-round and everywhere I can, so ideally it’s whatever I am doing that day. I’d say its hard to beat a long fall trail ride or a perfect conditions day on a snowy fat bike ride.

What’s your favorite trail or area to ride in the Black Hills / Western SD Region?

Aislynne – I am pretty new to the Black Hills and SD, but I have really enjoyed having trails right in town that I can ride before or after work. I love M Hill for the mountain bike trails and The Mickelson for gravel riding.
Colby - I am still pretty new to the area. I ride Skyline and M Hill a ton out of convenience, but I prefer to get out on longer rides, so it probably Tinton Trail and Shanks more locally.

What’s your all-time favorite place you’ve traveled to ride?

Aislynne – I haven't been riding for long, but I have been super lucky to have gotten to learn in Alaska and Utah. So far, I have loved riding Kincaide Park in Anchorage (AK), the Whole Guacamole in Hurricane (UT), and Sedona (AZ). I really started to gain confidence riding rollers on Whole Guacamole and getting myself down terrain I didn’t think I could do in Sedona. Kincaide is such a great directional bike park that is built really well.
Colby - I lived in Alaska, and that takes the cake. Close second is Sedona. I am heading to South this fall to Bentonville to see what all this commotion is about.

What is the cycling-related accomplishment you are most proud of, and what made it significant?

Aislynne – There are two cycling accomplishments that I am proud of. One would be learning to maintain trails and getting to work on Skyline with IMBA. I love learning new skills and it was really great to be able to put those skills into practice and to get to know people involved in the biking community. My other biggest accomplishment was my first ever long gravel/road ride. I was living in Valdez and trying to find friends who were into biking as well was really hard but we managed to make a connection with a few people who wanted to put together a gravel ride. I hadn’t really ridden over 20 miles before but that day we rode almost 50. I was the very last person to arrive and was completely exhausted, but I felt very proud of making it. 

What Black Hills Bike Hub activities have you participated in, and how did they benefit you as a rider?

Aislynne – So far I have just done trail maintenance, the IMBA trail care workshop and one group ride with Black Hills Bike Hub, but being involved with those has really helped me get to know more people in town and build my confidence as a rider.
Colby - Without a doubt the IMBA trail maintenance course. And trail work in general. Less as a rider, more as a user of trails and member of the community.

What Black Hills Bike Hub projects have you contributed to and how will these support BHBH’s vision of making Rapid City a better place to live, work, and play? 

Aislynne – I have been involved in the trail maintenance projects on Skyline. Being involved in those projects is helping bring attention to the work BHBH is doing in Rapid City. People are getting to see how good our trails are and how maintaining them is an important part of making Rapid City a great place to live. The more access we have to the outdoors and exercise the better the quality of life we have is.
Colby - Aside from some trail work, I will be brewing a collaboration beer with a few locals breweries and BHBH with proceeds going to trail work and BHBH in general. More details on that to come shortly....