Veteran Radavist contributor and professional kickstand enthusiast Cjell Monē is back with reportage on a homegrown event in beautiful New Mexico. Buy the ticket, take the ride, and enjoy the heady aroma of the WeedSac.
I mean c’mon, it’s called the Weedsac. (insert your judgment here)
If that judgment was “All right, party on,” fair response. If it was, “I bet it was just a bunch of stoners smoking the devil’s lettuce,” also fair. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I personally think it’s just a provocative name, and the organizers, Matt and Phil, just like to mess with people.
What is WeedSac then? It’s a 140-mile social bike tour in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico that happens to go through a little town called Weed.
With the help of a strong community of cyclists, Matt Mason has developed Las Cruces into a cycling destination. The Monumental Loop is his baby. This popular 250-mile route has continued to attract cyclists from all over, especially in the winter when it’s a bit too cold to ride everywhere else. But Matt doesn’t confine his riding to the loop or even just the immediate Cruces area. He and his good buddy Phil have been exploring the Sacramento Mountains for a while now, and the WeedSac shares the goods.
Matt makes a lot of jokes about selling the event to Lifetime. The humor in that idea exemplifies why the WS is so special. It’s a relatively small (65-ish riders), donation-based event that no one seems to be profiting from.
If I may take this paragraph to go on record as saying I, Cjell Monē, support Matt Mason for induction into the Gravel Hall of Fame. I really can’t think of a person who exemplifies and includes his community more than any other person in my orbit. I challenge everyone reading to DM Bobby Wintle, or whatever needs to be done, to make Matt 4 Gravel 2025 a reality. And that concludes the political part of this article.
I think one of the other traits that characterizes the event is the range of riders that show up. Matt does a great job of getting a strong contingent of local New Mexico riders out, along with a few who travel from a bit further. This results in a cross-section of riders with varying degrees of engagement with cycling trends and the bikepacking scene as it exists on websites such as this one.
To sum it up in one crude sentence, The WeedSac isn’t just for the cool kids. Of course, I showed up with waxed canvas bags and tan wall tires, but more than a few were on Treks or Salsas, which you might not see featured here. It’s a refreshing take on a bikepacking event these days.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a finely curated rig that someone has taken the time to put together and obviously cares deeply about. Heck, I shot lots of photos of folks and their super cool loaded bikes, but it’s just not the focus, and it seems like that’s the vibe of the WS:
Run what you brung and enjoy the ride.
Last year, two riders showed up with kickstands, which became a focal point for the numerous rest breaks in the even more numerous meadows that the WS meanders through. Raul would pull up and stand his bike amongst all the others that were laying on the ground and the commentary was always funny, supportive and quietly jealous of the one bike that could stand on its own.
This year I had to add one to my bike as I thought it would match the vibe of the ride well. Not sure if I’m a full-blown kickstand evangelist now, but if you find a good one with a strong spring to prevent undue flopping in the rocky sections, the reasons not to sport one become few, especially at the Sac.
Speaking of rocky sections, true to any southern New Mexico riding, the WeedSac had more than a few. One could call it a “gravel ride,” which isn’t really inaccurate. There’s lots of gravel road riding on the loop, but there are a few times when the double track degrades into something that resembles a streambed.
In those cases, the “Can I ride a gravel bike?” question is almost its own joke. I rode a “cool guy” bike last year with a tire width in the 40 mm range and had fun, but I returned this year with 2.8″ (if that gives you an idea of my ideas for optimal bike/tire for the route).
The Sac also has its fair share of elevation. Phil has ridden around these mountains for decades and knows the most fun downhill sections. The route is a ramble that weaves together the best of them. It seemed more than once that the downhills wouldn’t end, like at some point you’d reach the center of the earth where there was no more descending to be had. That’s when everyone would gather in a meadow and share snacks, postponing the inevitable multi-thousand-foot climbs that characterize the route.
The first day can be hectic with a mass start, but the group quickly spreads out. Solitude is never more than a few minutes behind or in front, but camaraderie and socializing can also be had. Lots of my photos are from the crew that formed around the back of the pack, so if you came to the WS to be famous on the Radavist, pacing yourself with me toward the back was the ticket.
The WS 140 had a wide variety of speeds and groupings. Some folks who do more riding than chilling weren’t seen after leaving the start. Then, there were those very impressive riders that managed to go slower than our group. I even heard them referred to as the “stoner crew,” which was inspiring considering the extremely relaxed nature of those riding in our proximity.
Lots of photos of the Denver contingent, a tight group of couriers that made the journey down south to join in the rambling and reverie. All of them bike heads that showed up with the interesting and well-curated rigs and great attitudes that seem to exemplify the kind souls that show up to a ride like this one. They all brought great attitudes and slingshots, which are both really fun on bike tour.
Speaking of good attitudes, Tilman from Albuquerque stomped the whole thing out on a freshly built 650b fixie. I love a good challenge, but the elevation of the WeedSac on a fixed gear, even for a young guy, would be a sporty endeavor. Keaton (Doom Bars) and I took turns riding Tilman’s fixed gear and happily traded back to our freewheel-style bikes.
Keaton’s pedal-backwards bike was a cool steel 40 mm thing that he had constructed himself. Very Doom and a little rando. Another notable bike with a mechanism that allowed coasting was Anthony’s Bantam, a lugged and weathered beauty. V Radavist. V sick.
What can we say about the WeedSac 140? It’s beautiful. It’s tough. It’s 140 miles long. It has a funny name. If southern New Mexico calls to you, this route in the Sacramento mountains is a solid, well-curated suggestion that can be enjoyed anytime it’s not under snow.
The WeedSac is that, plus the timing to get a few hearty degenerates out on bikes together to climb some hills, lay in meadows, and maybe shoot a can with a slingshot.
Editor’s note: if you like supporting people who throw events like this, drop Matt Mason some love in his Venmo!