Introduction to Your Gravel Ambassador

Hello! My name is Jaron DeWit. I am one of this year's Spoke-N-Sport ride Ambassadors. This year I will focus on gravel rides and cyclocross. I thought I'd share a bit about myself and why I think you should ride with us.

I live in Sioux Falls with my beautiful wife and two wonderful daughters. I work in Harrisburg and when I get to cycle commute to work, I enjoy a 16 mile round trip ride to work. I grew up in Sioux Falls about 2 blocks from Cherry Rock Park and that meant great access to the bike trail. I spent countless hours roaming Sioux Falls by bike. My friends and I would make trips to Falls Park, the library and other areas of town to get some childhood mischief done.

I always rode “childhood” bikes, but in 1996 I had saved up and bought my first “real” mountain bike at the Bike Barn! This opened up new roads (or shall I say off-roads!) I got in hours of time at Leader's Park (pre Falls Area Singletrack), time in the trails behind Tuthill, and I knew all the offshoots from the bike trail.

As an adult I’ve enjoyed annual mountain-bike trips with friends to North Dakota's Maah Daah Hey Trail and Northern Minnesota’s Cuyuna. This summer we’re heading to the Chequamegon area in Wisconsin. I also enjoy fun local events like Beresford’s Do The Du duathlon and a few years back I found this crazy little sport called cyclocross that I spend most of my cycling time enjoying! When I’m not riding I spend quite a bit of time advocating for cycling safety in Sioux Falls and promoting any type of cycling in Sioux Falls. On of my favorite things to do is take photos on bike rides. If you follow a Facebook group I started called “Sioux Falls Bicycle Photos” you’ll know that I love propping my bike up in random locations for a picture or two.  In addition to biking, my family and I enjoy crewing for hot air balloons, flying kites, kayaking, and generally spending time outdoors.

This summer we plan to do Saturday Morning Gravel Rides April 8th, May 6th, June 3rd, and July 1st.  The Saturday Morning rides will leave from Spoke-N-Sport at 9am and will be 25-40 mile round trip.

June 15th and August 17th we’re going to do Family Ice Cream Gravel Rides. The Thursday evening ride will be around 8-10 miles and feature an ice cream stop part way through the ride. These will leave from somewhere on the outer edge of Sioux Falls or a surrounding town.

I hope to see you out on the gravel this summer and I sure hope you come out and grind some gravel with us!

Follow Me:
Instagram - @jarondw
Strava - Jaron DeWit

MTB Ambassador Gear Preview - the bike

As the Mountain Biking Ambassador, this year I’m going to be riding the Giant Anthem 2. It is my first new mountain bike in 15 years and I am really looking forward to riding it. I debated between hard tail and full suspension for what bike to ride. With the Maestro technology and great spec on this bike, the debate landed on the side of the Anthem.

Giant Anthem 2

Giant has redesigned the Anthem and turned into an all round xc bike - great for everything from racing to all day epic adventures. I received the bike about three weeks, got it built and had it checked over at the store. So far, I have only been able to ride it on the bike path and in town, so am hoping the weather cooperates and gets the FAST trails dried out soon so I can really get a feel of what this bike has to offer.

Here is part of the official release from Giant - With its all-new lightweight ALUXX SL aluminum frameset, engineered specifically for 27.5 wheels, this agile XC machine delivers confidence and control even on rugged terrain. A new trunnion-mount Maestro rear suspension setup gives you 110mm of smooth, active rear travel. And Boost hub technology improves wheel stiffness for even more control.

In my next post I will be letting you know what parts I have swapped or upgraded on my new bike. As my enduro bros would say,  "I’m stoked to be riding this sick whip and looking forward to pinning it all season long.  Braap!"

Click here for all the specs of the Giant Anthem 2.

Click the links below for some YouTube videos from Giant about the 2017 Anthem and a link to the news page with some great reviews from major mountain bike media outlets.

XC Amplified: Introducing the all-new Anthem Range

Giant Maestro Suspension Technology

Giant Global News