Weston Lloyd is probably cooler than you, but that’s OK. His dad, mountain biker & pro photographer Steven Lloyd, saw 9-year-old Weston getting more comfortable hitting the trails and local dirt jumps, so decided it was time to kick things up a notch. Steven remembered having a blast as a kid cruising the neighborhood on his BMX bike and camping with his dad. So now that Weston was cementing his love for the bike, it was time for what Steven calls “The Summer of Grom”. Time for a new bike – a 24″ Norco Fluid – and to head up into the mountains with dad to build some skills and memories…
Having progressed from BMX on the local dirt jumps the Lloyd boys sought out some gap jumps to try on Weston’s new Norco Fluid 4.2. To throw down the first gap on the new bike it wasn’t clear who was more nervous. It turned out to be dad, who even though he is a professional photographer, totally blew that first shot, while Weston committed and landed it smooth.
That just became the start of a summer packed with father/son riding. As Steven put it, ” This set the tone for the summer – for Weston facing his fears, and for me to let go of his hand and let him progress in a way that would only be possible if he did it on his own.”
The two went backpacking together in the Wasatch range, then rode the exposed stone slabs in the mountains there. “Weston had never really ridden anything like this before, but after watching me ride the line a few times he went for it. It was so amazing to see his eyes open to what he could actually do.”
From there they kept notching more and more firsts together. “Weston’s mind was blown that you could ride on snow…I think it was the highlight of the trip for him.”
The pair decided they would both try racing so they found the local Utah Gravity series. Then after scoping out the course and its technical sections, they raced the Sundance Showdown downhill and are looking forward to hit up more races this coming season.
Then it was time to get higher for some alpine riding. “Snowcapped mountains and rocky ridgelines have always had a special place in my heart. Since the trails are hard to access, it would be necessary to hike-a-bike. By this time, I knew Weston is a tough kid and that sometimes all it takes is some jerky or gummy snacks to make him feel good as new.”
Last to tick off was hitting the bike park. The video above is from Canyons Bike Park in Park City, UT. Not just wide open downhill runs and jumps, there’s plenty of aspen-lined forest trails to take in. “Seeing Weston shred the bike park, I’m amazed how far he’s come since that first day on his Fluid when he was so scared to hit his first gap. It was a fun way to close out the Summer of Grom.”
You can also check out even more photos from them riding together in their father/son Summer of Grom over at Steven’s photo gallery on PinkBike.
