FIVE THINGS WITH CHRIS CHAVIE THE MN BIKE TRAIL NAVIGATOR
FIVE THINGS is a feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. These short interviews explore life and bicycles with notable people. This week, it's Chris Chavie's turn in the barrel.
Chavie, the former Social Media manager for Penn Cycle, founded the MN Bike Trail Navigator Blog in 2011 and publishes the largest list of cycling events in Minnesota his cycling-centric blog.
He's been in the restaurant business for 33 years, with 20 years as the Deli Manager at Briano's Deli in Eagan, MN, regularly bike-commuting the 20-mile round trip to and from work.
His passion for bikes might be an understatement. He created and is an admin of 13 cycling-related Facebook Groups including MN Gravel Enthusiasts, MN River Bottoms Ride Report, Twin Cities Bike Commuters, and MN Fatbike Group Rides.
We hope you enjoy this week's Five Things.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU RIDING?
CC: I enjoy mountain biking, gravel, road cycling and bike commuting so I have two bikes that take me where I want to go no matter the terrain. I have a Trek Farley 9.6 fatbike that is my year rounder for everything from bushwhacking and singletrack to gravel and winter riding. My newest addition is a Trek Checkpoint SL 6 that is my gravel, road and commuter bike. The multiple wheelsets that I have for these bikes offer a quick change of tires for just about any type of ride.
BANJO BROS: WHERE ARE YOU RIDING?
CC: I like to try new things and have plans for some new upcoming bike adventures. Last winter I went fatbike ice fishing with my Farley and this summer I've geared up for some bikepacking/camping and bike fishing trips that I am currently planning. One of my favorite destinations to ride singletrack and get in some bushwhacking in the Twin Cities is at the MN River Bottoms, however, I won't be doing that for a while since the trails have been underwater for over two months now and it won't be drying out anytime soon. My other favorite is a day or weekend trip up to Cuyuna to "shred the red". The trails and scenery are amazing there year round.
I commute to work regularly on my bike and I've had my share of close calls
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO, READING OR WATCHING?
CC: I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts while at home, driving or on the bike. My favorites are interview-style podcasts by comedians such The Joe Rogan Experience, Fitzdog Radio with Greg Fitzsimmons and The Church of What's Happening Now with Joey "Coco" Diaz. When I'm not listening I'm following the bike scene in Minnesota on social media and overseeing the Facebook groups I moderate. This is where I get a lot of the information on cycling events around the state for my MN Bike Trail Navigator blog event calendar.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU COOKING, EATING/DRINKING?
CC: I've been in the restaurant business for over thirty years so a lot of what I prepare for my family is made from scratch without a recipe. My favorite style of cooking would have to be BBQ, slow and low over a hardwood fire. Pork back ribs are my specialty.
BANJO BROS: WHAT'S STUCK IN YOUR CRAW?
M&T: How uninformed motorists are about how they should interact with cyclists out on the road. I commute to work regularly on my bike and I've had my share of close calls. What scares me the most is motorists that try to squeeze past me while I'm taking the lane without giving three feet of space between us or vehicles that fail to yield the right of way at intersections. To be better seen during the day I always use daytime running lights. They seem to cut down on the number of incidents but there are still motorists out there that continue to disregard the safety of cyclists out on our roadways.
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MORE ABOUT THE FIVE THINGS INTERVIEWS FROM BANJO BROTHERS
A big Banjo Brothers thank you to Chris Chavie for participating in this week's edition of Five Things. These short interviews about life and bicycles will appear Fridays on the Banjo Brothers Blog. If you liked this FIVE THINGS from Banjo Brothers you should check our full series of past five things interviews.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE INTERVIEWED FOR FIVE THINGS?
Use the contact form on our website to send us a note. See you next Friday. Also, since you're here, we do need to mention, Banjo Brothers make a whole line of tough, practical and affordable gear for cyclists. Thanks for reading.