Hello to all! Just to introduce myself, my name is Linden Carlson. I'm 27, a Colorado native and I love bicycles. I grew up riding BMX and dirt bikes in the desert hills around Fruita, CO. Now I ride Banshee and feel incredibly fortunate to be their Colorado sales rep/rider. I operate out of Glenwood Springs CO, because it is a great place to be on two wheels.
I became involved with Banshee after I bought a Morphine frame through a shop that was sponsoring me. I was so impressed the when I heard about a sales representative position, I jumped on it. Not for money, but for the passion of such bikes and to break into the industry that I love. People deserve to see these bikes, to ride them and understand what it is to ride a great machine.
I also work with Devon Balet Photography. You have probably see more shots of me than you realized in the '06 and '07 catalogues and many more to come. Devon and I are at every Mountain States Cup race, or at least in the nearby hills finding great places to ride, take photos and just hang out.
Devon is a well trained photographer , but his natural ability to light and capture a moment is stunning. At 24 years old, he has a glorious career ahead of him that will be long and prosperous. Other than that, he climbs rocks like a spun monkey, can more than hold his own on a mountain bike and is simply a cool guy. When he's not taking photos of me charging wild flowers or hucking my corpse over some spooky gap, I am stoked to be his assistant. He rides a beautiful Scirocco, and along with being the official photographer for Team Dead Bros/Banshee, he puts his nine years of bike mechanic skills to the good use on our Banshee Bikes. He works really hard for free bikes and photo credits, no money, so he gets mad props for all his help. I could not have pulled this all together without him.
Speaking of the team, we are mostly amateurs running expert across the roster. We have a few valuable sponsorships. Banshee bikes being first on the list with a great deal for riders on bikes. Jay and the crew are really laid back and just completely friendly and helpful. We couldn'tbe lined up with a better bike company. We also have the Gear Exchange helping us out. This has to be the coolest shop in Glenwood Springs, and in my opinion, the entire Roaring Fork Valley. Darren and Kendall have been so supportive and help out whenever they can. I am proud to be one of their sponsored athletes. Culligan Water, of Carbondale CO, is helping is out with some expenses and making sure we aren't thirsty by giving us all the bottles of water we can drink. Come see us in Keystone for some high quality H20. Culligan has been my employer for almost 4 years and I really like everyone. They're a great set of people and have taught me a lot when I'm not ditching work to ride.
Team Dead Bros/Banshee is looking ahead to next year. I think we'll have a couple of pro spots open and a place for a dedicated youth. I'd like a hardcore XC rider, man or woman, to round out the team. To find out more write an email to noslrac669@yahoo.com and apply.
Thanks for reading this blog, all you hardcore riders, ragers and fans are the people that make our subculture so great. I love going from town to town, meeting new people and exploring all the local scenes. I'll be in Keystone for the next MSC race. Devon will be there too. Don't be shy. We'll be there to have a good time and help out so track us down and hay hi. I'll be the guy on the blue and white Scream trying to reach terminal velocity. Peace out!
On a personal note, R.I.P Peter Jessup: you are irreplaceable.
