Oh man, Michael Tabtabai of Leave It On The Road has been riding his bike for charity for a while now, and even shared a #RoadsLikeThese series before, for our RLT: Volume 6. Michael and a small group of amazing people recently completed their #CrushTheCoast charity ride and shot so many amazing photos along the way. Super excited to share what Michael’s been up to, and way more than excited that there’s still good human beings in the world that can take their passions, and turn them into something that can generate charity. Keep taking beautiful photos and fighting the good fight Michael!!
Words: Michael Tabtabai
When I think about #roadslikethese there is the temptation to take that tag literally and think just about the roads, how they fit into the landscape, and where they lead. Roads can be beautiful and they can take you to amazing places. As a photographer & art director I do that a lot – I’ll just be riding along somewhere awesome and think #roadslikethese!! and I’ll rip out the Ricoh GR from my back pocket and fire off a couple shots. Sometimes I stop, sometimes I spray and pray. But this year I found some deeper meaning in the pavement. I’ve been riding a long time and showing roads to people for a long time, but this was the first time I had the privilege of organizing a whole experience for a group of people, from the route to the hotels to the snacks in the van. We called it ‘Crush The Coast’. Seven of us rode Portland to San Francisco, and three of us met up with another group called the Fireflies and continued all the way to LA for a total of nearly 1400 miles in 14 days. Last year I did this same route by myself, and the roads and the experience were amazing. But this year those same roads were brought to life by the six other riders I got to share them with. I hope you dig these shots, and maybe consider getting involved with Leave It On The Road. Next year we’ll be expanding to new riders, the roads they love and the causes they believe in.
Roll with a good crew. Ride from the heart. Leave it on the road.
Leave It On The Road is a series of epic rides with purpose. To date we’ve helped raise $125k to fight cancer by designing physically challenging rides and telling their stories through great photography. Learn more and get involved at leaveitontheroad.com and instagram.com/leaveitontheroad
Riders:
Michael Tabtabai, Patrick Marzullo, Jake Szymanski, Jenn Hannon, Tracy Chandler, Andre Stringer, Randall Fransen
Photos:
James Kendi, Michael Tabtabai, Andre Stringer, Tracy Chandler, Jake Szymanski
Sponsors:
Speedvagen, Rapha, Tudor Watches, Specialized, Enve, Chris King Precision Components, Machines For Freedom, Skratch Labs, Tenspeed Hero, Silca, Strava, Untapped Athletic Fuel, Mettle Cycling, Oakley, Sugar Wheelworks, Grimpeur Bros Specialty Coffee
