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Off-roading: Two-wheeled style |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 23 August 2006 |
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 Years ago, Coleman Morris woke up one Christmas morning to find a bike under the tree. His father was shocked to find that the young boy had assembled the bike in a matter of minutes, the same bike he couldn’t figure out himself.
But Morris had a natural passion for bikes and has been pedaling ever since.
Morris is now in the final stages leading up to the opening of Tour de Fort, a mountain bike tour company in Fort Collins.
“Tracy Silva, my business partner, came to me with the idea of a tourist four-wheel bike thing,” Morris said. “We decided that wouldn’t work, so as a plan B I thought, I like mountain bikes so, why not do mountain bike tours.”
The two put their heads together and filed for their business license in March. Now they are just waiting to get permits from some of the area parks.
“Tracy invested money and I invested biking expertise,” he said.
The way it will work is people can contact Morris through his Web site at www.myspace.com/tour_de_fort.
“The first thing I will do is have a conversation with the person to get an idea what kind of rider they are,” he said. “There are so many trails around here. We will find the right one for them. We call it custom-fit rides.”
From there, everything is covered. Tour de Fort will pick up riders, providing them with transportation. The benefit of a guided tour is that the tour guide has ridden the trails a number of times. The company will offer group tours as well as individual tours.
Prices start at $50, but vary depending on the number of people and the length of the ride.
“We will mainly do four- to six-hour rides in Fort Collins,” Morris said. “Ideally, this will grow over the fall and next summer.”
His hope is that one day it could evolve into a bike repair custom shop leading tours all along the Front Range, from Colorado Springs to southern Wyoming.
IN HIS WORDS
 What is it about this job that makes it challenging?
The most challenging part is the advertising and finding my target audience
Things that impress you?
Skateboarders impress me (I can’t skate to save my life).
Things that don’t.
Commuters on downhill bikes...
How do young/new employees get ahead?
Hard work and drive
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Landscaping and irrigation :(
What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done while at work? Smartest?
I can’t give away my work secrets.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
I’m not at liberty to answer that.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do on the job that you can’t right now?
Right now we don’t offer overnight rides, but I would like to in the future.
What do you do during your breaks?
The same thing I do when I am at work.
What’s one thing about your job you would do, even if you weren’t paid to do it?
I would still ride every day, which is pretty much what I do at work.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
I’ve ridden bikes my whole life. Practice makes perfect.
What’s the biggest payoff in your job?
Ha!, I’m still waiting for a payoff! Actually just the opportunity to take people riding is payoff enough for me.
Are you the boss? Do you think you should be?
Yep, well Tracy Silva and I split the responsibilities. I do all the riding and she does the more business side of things.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
Camp, climb, hike, travel.
Pets? Family?
Some fish, a cat and a dog.
Favorite TV shows.
I don’t do the TV thing, but I enjoy “Futurama.”
Movies.
“Heathers”.
Books.
“Be Here Now.”
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
Hmmm, NewBelgium.com, MySpace.com and HomeStarRunner.com
Where do you play?
I like to hang out at the bike co-op or the Bean Cycle.
Go out to eat?
Rainbow.
Favorite spot?
Wherever I am.
Did you ever think in a million years you’d work here?
Ha! No way! OK, maybe in a million years. | Only registered users can write comments.
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|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
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| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
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