Duzer, famous for his get-out-there philosophy and relentless positivity, leads a weekly bike ride on Thursday nights called the Boulder Cruiser Rides. He is a longtime cheerleader for getting the community together.  

“I’ve been doing the ride since 1999, since I was a sophomore at CU,” Duzer said. “The same philosophy has endured through the whole thing, and that’s just to get outside, have fun, be silly.” 

Duzer’s influence stretches beyond riding his bike. President and CEO John Tayer of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce has known Duzer since the mid-1990s.  

“If Ryan were to leave our town, there would be a void,” Tayer said. “He carries forward the essence of Boulder groups as a community that lives life to the fullest, that cares for those who are in need, and at the same time, is focused on living life full of spirit and joy.” 

This instinct to rally the town is in Duzer’s DNA; he was elected president of his senior class in high school. His longtime friend Sara Ross says she remembers him standing on the roof of the school, microphone in hand, leading the student body in a celebration he called “Wiener Fest.” 

“He has always been able to rally people and help them come together for stuff that matters and also just for stuff that’s fun,” Ross said.  

Ross notes that his depth is most visible during difficult times. She described the younger Duzer as a “fizzy drink from Willy Wonka’s factory.” Ross now calls for more empathy towards Duzer.

“I wish they would give him, cut him some slack, because he’s even more beautiful in the darkness than he is in the light,” she said. 

Duzer is often involved in community fundraisers. He partnered with the owners of Walnut Cafe to raise money for kids who can’t afford to buy a bike. Dana Derichsweiler is the former owner of the cafe and named a breakfast burrito after his favorite meal; she called it the Duzer-rito. She says the idea of the burrito came up while hiking Longs Peak with Duzer in 2015. For every burrito sold, $1 goes to the Kirck “Rocky” Derichsweiler Foundation, a Boulder-based nonprofit named after her brother who died of cancer.

“Ryan is a crusader of all things good, and he loves burritos,” Derichsweiler said. 

Duzer is as generous to people around the world as he is to those at home. He has ridden his bike in South and Central America and some years ago participated in an eight-week survival show, “Out of the Wild: Venezuela,” where he lost significant weight and collapsed due to exhaustion.  

“I voluntarily choose to go out and do hard things,” Van Duzer said. “When I do that, it trains me for when life throws stuff at me that I don’t have, that I’m not expecting, that I don’t have control over.”  

Duzer served in the Peace Corps in Honduras for two years. At the end of his service, he rode his bike back home, 2,000 miles from La Esperanza to Boulder. 

“I’ve had bad experiences. I have been robbed on the side of a volcano in Guatemala. I’ve had a gun pulled on me in Honduras.” 

Despite the dangers Duzer has faced abroad, his focus always returns to the community he calls home.  

Back at North Boulder Park, Duzer hops down from the park table and onto his bike, leading the massive column of cyclists out onto the streets of Boulder in honor of Pretti.   

“That’s really important to me, to be of service to this world and not just be a taker,” Duzer said. “I can be a light; I can be inspiration in a way to people.”