Ride Along 4

How Nicholas Greeff’s 303 Project became the face of professional cycling in Boulder.

After a local cycling team dismembered and several talented riders were suddenly stranded without a team to compete with, Nicholas Greeff took it upon himself to create a new opportunity for professionals in the area. A year into racing, he and his team have found a way to connect with the community of Boulder in a way that no other professional cycling team has before.

Greeff’s team, the 303 Project, is a UCI Continental Cycling team that has made its mark within the community through emphasizing participation and inclusion in their events, along with high-level performance in races. The results of the 303 Project’s involvement within the community has been connecting with individuals, local businesses, sponsors and offering a potential opportunity for individuals looking for something somewhere between racing at the junior and professional levels.

Along with attendance and volunteer work at the collegiate cycling events in the area and various members coaching junior level riders, the 303 Project hosts group rides that are open to anyone with a bicycle. Ranging from high schoolers to riders in their 70s and often numbering around 100 participants, the group rides connect folks and build comradery among professional and amateur bikers while promoting cycling in general.

Despite boasting a healthy, thriving cycling scene, Colorado has little to offer individuals looking to race professionally. With The 303 Project, both aspiring riders and casual bicycle enthusiasts in Boulder now have something and someone to invest in that goes beyond just placing in a race.

“We’re not doing anything out of obligation, it’s genuinely a difference in attitude for us,” says Greeff. “The things that we do are things that we want to do, and we genuinely want to have community involvement, it’s not rich guys giving us money and telling us to be there.”

The 303 Project is stitched into the fabric of the community of Boulder and its future, making it far more than just another team of professional riders. Greeff and his squad have successfully become recognizable in the community as much for their involvement in it as for their racing talent.