POC is a leading manufacturer of helmets, eyewear, apparel, and more cycling and snow industry products. Taking a design-focused approach to safety, POC’s line merges aesthetics, function, and style to bring new paradigms to the outdoor industry. Planet Cyclery, based in our backyard of Colorado’s Front Range, is one of POC’s biggest dealers, and has spent the last decade setting up riders around the globe for 2-wheeled adventures.

POC and Planet asked us to craft their Spring/Summer 2022 campaigns for exciting new products in the gravel and mountain bike categories, so we rounded up some riders from POC and Ventum and hit the foothills of the Rockies.

Part 1: Gravel

"You ride to get away from it all. The noise, the job, the craziness. You ride for the early mornings and slow, cold warmups, for the espresso stops and leisurely lunches. For the training days that turn long, spinning into a sunset after a 2-wheeled adventure. 

You ride for fitness and explorations, for simplicity and the love of the dance. 

For all of the reasons you ride, and for the ones you have yet to discover, there’s Planet Cyclery."

We travel around the world riding and shooting bikes, but this one was all about staying local. Planet Cyclery’s headquarters is just down the road from us, and their team rides the same roads trails we do every day, so it made sense to keep it in the family and highlight the place that is and will always be home.

We looped in Boulder-based shooter Thomas Woodson and mapped out some choice gravel routes in North Boulder, heading out before the sun to capture the crisp morning light. Only 15 minutes from the city, we had the champagne gravel backroads all to ourselves, encountering only wildlife and a light wind as we rolled along where the plains meet the foothills.

Gravel Highlights:

Location: North Boulder County, Colorado 

Video/Photo: Thomas Woodson, Colin Rex

Athletes: Courtney Knott, Jonny Morsicato

Featured Gear: POC Ventral Air Spin Helmet, Aspire Sunglasses, Crave Sunglasses, Transcend Jacket, Radiant Jersey, Thermal Glove, NE-Plus Ultra VPDS Bib Shorts

Production: 1-minute commercial piece with VO (Edit: Justin Kauffman), 65 still images with product focus, marketing reels for Instagram

Part 2: MTB

"Ready to get outside and ride? So are we. Planet Cyclery has been serving the cycling world for over a decade, and we’ve never lost sight of the main goal: get you the gear you need, when you need it. We stock the biggest brands in the bike world, served up and curated for you by experts based in our Rocky Mountain headquarters. From frames to wheelsets, helmets to shoes, we’ve got you covered for the adventure ahead. 

Your bike is an extension of you, engineered to take you to distant vistas or explore right in your own backyard. You’re ready to ride. We’re ready to help you find your horizon. For all the reasons you ride, and the ones you haven’t discovered yet, there’s Planet."

For part 2, we hit the most technical trails we could find in the Front Range, the infamous Lefthand Canyon enduro system. Along with up-and-coming riders Ari Soto and Miles Wells, two Boulder-area locals who grew up riding the zone, we headed into the hills for some good old fashioned hike-a-bike romping on the steep, moon-dust covered chutes. 

MTB is a different animal than road or gravel, with tighter spacing, higher consequence, and rapidly changing terrain. Amidst the chunky berms and deadfall-littered Lefthand trail system, we focused on shooting technical riding at speed while also capturing the POC gear hard at work.

MTB Highlights:

Location: Left Hand Canyon, Colorado

Video/Photo: Thomas Woodson, Colin Rex

Athletes: Ari Soto, Miles Wells

Featured Gear: Tectal Race MIPS Helmet, Devour Sunglasses, Ardour All-Weather Pant, Resistance Enduro Glove, Bastion Shorts, Joint VPD Air Knee

Production: 1-minute commercial piece with VO (Edit: Justin Kauffman), 70 still images with product focus, marketing reels for Instagram

Ari Soto leading the way into the twisty berms of lower Lefthand. 

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