Ira Ryan held an alleycat in Portland on 2004 that I happened to race when I rolled through town on my way to SF from Vancouver. At least I think he was on one of the checkpoints - feel free to correct me. Point is, that was the first time I heard of Ira.
Of a handful of blurry images taken during that race - this is the best one.
I lifted this from his bio. I remember his story about the rando-cat, and him talking about sleeping in a ditch on one of these particularly epic rides.
In 2000 I moved to Portland, Oregon where I took a job as a bicycle courier for five and a half years – the last two of which I helped start and run Portland’s only bike messenger collective. Cold, wet and dark mornings in the winter and endless hours of sunshine in the summer. For years I worked all week to ride and race on the weekends. In 2003, I finished second in an unsanctioned “rando-cat” from San Francisco to Portland, completing the 750 mile route in 4 days.
Over the years, miles and with 80 frames built I have refined my own personal style of cycling routed in speed, distance and self reliance.
My experiences as a cyclist, my style and my love for the machines that make it all possible culminated in the creation of Ira Ryan Cycles which unofficially debuted in 2005 when I built my first frame and raced it without paint for 325 miles over 24 hours to win the inaugural Trans-Iowa Race. Gliding over moon lit gravel for hours and hours on a bike I made with my own hands, to win the Trans-Iowa, is an experience that will forever influence my riding and commitment to the craft of bicycle building.
Ira joined forces with Tony Pereira to build under the Breadwinner moniker.
Breadwinner offer a slew of steel selections, but one stood out to me because of it's name. KOMOREBI (That's japanese for #lightbro.)
It's an adventure / gravel / bikepacking / do-it-all rig based on their 29" MTB platform.
More at Breadwinner.
North American Handmade Bicycle Show - People's Choice Award NAHBS
The untold story of David and Goliath | Malcolm Gladwell