FREAK 026: @ryan_lay
“Most of your time street skating is spent kind of idly wandering, and I’ve realized endurance sports are mostly just an extension of that.”
Meet Ryan, the newest edition to our Freak Ambassador team. He’s covered ground his whole life, from his early days on a skateboard to long miles on foot and bike,. In 2021, hiking the Arizona Trail and running the Grand Canyon R2R2R turned wandering into something deeper, longer, and more intentional.
Whether he’s running trails under a headlamp or disappearing into the blur of motion on the PCH, Ryan approaches endurance as exploration, not conquest. It’s about seeing what’s out there, who you meet along the way, and letting the miles teach you something new.
We’re incredibly stoked to welcome Ryan Lay as FREAK 026. Welcome :)
📸: @erikursin@ericdanescu
Little edit of our trip riding the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to Tijuana 🌬️
By the numbers:
Miles: 1791
Feet of elevation: 75,766
Days: 23
Falls: 3
Rained out days: 3
Flats: 3 (just Ryan)
iPhone cables Ryan lost: 3
Borders crossed: 2
Grocery Outlets: 8
Times Ryan yelled at Erik to get out of camp in the morning: 22
Items stolen out of bike bags from raccoons: 4
Big thank you to @freaksofnature___ , @chpobrand , @nemoequipment , @ccs , @heavywatercoffee and @grin.27 for supporting this trip <3
Ryan’s bike: @fairdalebikes Weekender Nomad
Erik’s bike: @crustbikes Derecho
Earlier last month @ryan_lay and @erikursin completed the Pacific Coast Bike Route, a legendary alternative to the Pacific Crest thru-hiking trail. Vancouver to Tijuana, 23 days, 1900 miles, and many smiles.
We interviewed Ryan on the experience, in an epic revival to our dormant ‘We Have No Place To Be’ series… this one is going to be hard to top.
Slide through to read the interview.
All photos by @erikursin and @ryan_lay
