I am from Boulder, Colorado, where cycling is the unofficial city pastime. One of my earliest memories is ripping down the sidewalk in front of my house on a hand-me-down bike from my cousin, not knowing how to use hand brakes, and promptly ending into my front yard. My dad helped me, handed me a popsicle, and we tried again. Growing up, family vacations were always centered around mountain biking, but I was mostly there for the treats my parents bribed us with. In sixth grade, surrounded by an incredible group of friends and female coaches, I fell in love with mountain biking. Since then, I’ve felt so lucky to have grown up on two wheels. Throughout middle and high school, I raced cross-country, enduro, cyclocross, road, gravel, and track. My high school’s mountain bike team was 140 riders strong and the absolute highlight of my four years. The joy and positivity of Colorado League racing, the chance to spend weekends with my friends and family at venues around the state, racing against some of the most talented youth cyclists in the US, wearing glitter and Hawaiian shirts, and eating barbecue and brownies…what more could you ask for?! Training for these races gave me a structure and motivation that I loved, but my favorite days on the bike were never race days. I love to be outside, in the mountains, and adventuring with friends. Since graduating high school, I’ve **mostly** retired from bike racing. I keep a few races on my calendar that I’m still stoked about, but I’m happy just to wander around the mountains and plan epic adventures, both on and off the bike. I love Nordic skiing, backcountry skiing, chasing my little brother down mogul runs, going backpacking with my dog (who is unbelievably stoked about it), baking, and traveling. After high school, I hiked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, which was a crazy experience that absolutely destroyed my feet and knees…next time, I’ll do it on a bike! For college, I decided to go somewhere far away but felt close to home and found myself at Middlebury College in Vermont. I love exploring the gravel roads around campus and the Kingdom Trails, a few hours away. Riding with a crew of friends with all different backgrounds in cycling and life has been so much fun. At Middlebury, I’m studying Environmental Writing and Spanish. I’ve made a name for myself as “the kid from Colorado who came to Vermont with a hand mixer in her suitcase” because what can I say? Life is always better when you have the proper equipment to whip up baked goods in dorm kitchens. When I’m not in the library or exploring the Green Mountains, I’ve managed to weasel my way into the dining hall kitchens as co-president of Middlebury’s student-run fine-dining restaurant, where I cry the tears of a thousand chopped onions and make giant messes with industrial-sized stand mixers.
Elliote Muir
Guide & Chef
Guide & Chef
Elliote Muir
What is the best thing about working at The Cycling House?
I’m new to The Cycling House this year, but am so excited to join the team! I love sharing the joy of biking with others, from the idea for a rad new route to the post-ride snacks. I can’t wait to get to know The Cycling House team and guests, and share rides and food together.
Do you have a favorite ride?
My favorite ride is one that I’ve been doing with my family since elementary school — a mountain bike route around Crested Butte, Colorado that we call “the town loop.” As kids, we’d get shuttled to different spots on the loop so that we could enjoy the handle-bar high wildflowers and flowy descents without a meltdown. We stopped for sit-down snack breaks, went wading in the creek at Gunsight Bridge, and cheered each other up the big climbs on clunky hand-me-downs that weighed about as much as we did. As we got older, the shuttles stopped, the loop got bigger, and the climbs that once seemed impossible are now a fun challenge. From the rock garden on Upper Upper to the shoulder-high skunk cabbage on Meander, the Snodgrass and Lupine descents and aspen forests on Gunsight Connector, this is a ride I’ll never outgrow. The route has evolved as we’ve grown up, but the essence is the same: a big day out on some of the best trails in the world with a great crew and a milkshake waiting when you roll back into town.
What is the most memorable day you've ever had on the bike?
This answer might be cheating a bit, but my most memorable day on the bike was actually five days (and it was supposed to be six, but the weather had other plans)! The Breck Epic is a mountain bike stage race in Colorado that traverses some incredible singletrack through amazing landscapes and serves up a bit of everything that makes Colorado riding so challenging and fun. The stages take you from chunky logging roads to flowy sections of the Colorado Trail; from the Continental Divide to hike-a-bikes up the Ten Mile Range; ripping descents through aspen forests to long technical climbs; snow fields and stream crossings to Skittles on the top of Mt. Guyot. Every day is the dream-come-true of ride, eat, sleep, repeat, surrounded by an awesome crew of riders and volunteers. It’s such an incredible week of riding that is so challenging and rewarding. Lots of Type I Fun, definitely some Type II and III Fun in there, and I’ll absolutely be back for more.