I’ve spent the majority of my life in the greater Sacramento area. My parents moved us here just after I finished 6th grade and the only time I’ve really been away were my 4 years at college in San Luis Obispo. I never thought I’d be back here, especially for how long I have been. But even in a town that I thought had nothing else left to explore, has continued to surprise me time and time again.
If you’ve ridden your bike in this area, you’ve probably heard of the Granite Bay trails. It’s a spider’s web of a cross country style trail system that even after riding it 20-30 times, I still get lost when I’m showing someone around.
That certainly was the case when I met up with PHOTO PACE Member Shawn Remy to go for a little photo session on the trails. Shawn, and all of the members of Photo Pace, is a rider that I’ve looked up to for the past year. I would see their images on Instagram and think to myself, “how do I get out there to capture moments like these on my rides.” They are some of my idols. Getting to ride their bikes and take photos all day long, that would be a dream come true. I can thank them for the inspiration to start this page and work to what I had written out as a dream.
When I noticed that Shawn was local to Sacramento, in the back of my head I wanted to get together to ride and take some photos. Being a little fanboy, I couldn’t muster up the courage to ask him, because in the back of my head I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to keep up.
Then, one day, a rare “rest day” for Shawn, came about and he posted to Instagram asking if anyone wanted to ride Granite Bay. The same Granite Bay that has been my backyard for 15 years! I couldn’t believe it. I hopped on that opportunity in an instant and a few hours later, there we were riding side by side out to the trails.
I’m gonna admit, the thought of riding with one of my idols was definitely nerve racking and I was pretty thankful that it was gonna be a chill ride that day. I knew my legs couldn’t keep up with his, but I was more focused on getting to know him and bouncing creative ideas off of each other that I couldn’t care less if my legs got tired.
We spent the whole way out talking about our past and how Shawn is working hard to achieve his passion by working in the cycling industry. He has always enjoyed being an athlete, and ever since he purchased a bike to commute to work, it has become more than a mode of transportation in his life. He lives and breathes bicycles, putting in as much time as he can on them, for the pure enjoyment a bike provides him.
And that love for the sport showed how skilled he was on a bike. That day he was riding his Giant Anthem, which I’m going to credit a bit to why I was so much more out of breath than he was pedaling my Santa Cruz Hightower. Shawn is definitely fast, no doubt about it, but what I was more impressed by was his ability to ride the rock rolls at GB without a dropper post!? I couldn’t believe my eyes on some of the things that he was taking on. The first time I rolled up to some of them, I was scared of them, even with my dropper and 30mm more of travel on my fork.
Not only was his riding impressive, but his eye for photography and the creative ideas he has flowing through his head really got me excited to see what he is going to create. If you ever get a chance to ride with him, don’t pass it up. He may take you further than expected, but he’ll be with you the whole way sharing his inspiring story and creative ideas along the way.
When he’s not out on his bike, Shawn strives to be an inspiration to his children. He is always looking to provide a life of joy and happiness for them in a world that may not always make that easy. But inspiring them to find what they love the most, and giving it their all, he will do anything in his power to support them along the way.
Keep it up, Shawn. I hope we can ride again sometime soon.
