Gypsum resident Brad Ludden named Cosmo’s hottest bachelor

GYPSUM, Colorado — Brad Ludden was crowned Cosmopolitan magazine’s hottest bachelor of 2008 at a party held at a posh New York City nightclub called Mansion Tuesday night. Ludden was one of 50 nominees.

“It’s all been pretty surreal,” the pro-kayaker said during a phone interview Wednesday morning, shortly after his appearance on the Today show. “At the party last night they introduced each bachelor and then they announced the bachelor of the year. I heard my name and I was in shock and I still am.”

Wearing a black shirt with the word “Colorado” on the front, 27-year-old Ludden stood next to Kate White, Cosmo’s editor in chief during the live television spot.

“It could have been any one of those guys, they all deserved it,” Ludden said, grinning. “It’s a huge honor.”

Ludden, a Gypsum resident, plans to donate his winnings — $10,000 — to First Descents, an Avon nonprofit that he founded in 2001. First Descents sponsors outdoor adventures for young adults with cancer.

When asked if Cosmo picked Ludden because of his charitable pursuits, White said, yes, “but we picked him too for his great looks and his passion for life.”

Each spring, the Cosmopolitan magazine editors put out a call to women everywhere to nominate their friends, co-workers or brothers for the contest, magazine spokeswoman Marisa Ollins said. Cosmo sifted through hundreds of nominees to pick this year’s bachelors, she said.

“Editors look for guys who are sweet, smart and, of course, sexy — in other words, perfect boyfriend material!” Ollins said in an e-mail.

Today show Co-Anchor Ann Curry asked Ludden if he thinks his newfound fame will lead to more dates.

“I don’t know about that,” Ludden responded, laughing. “We’ll see what happens.”

Later, during the phone interview, Ludden was asked if he’d be willing to participate in the Vail Daily’s upcoming bachelor/bachelorette competition, that is if he’s nominated.

“I would love to,” he said. “Anything in the valley, for sure.”

Let the nominations begin.

The first Vail Daily bachelor/bachelorette event is set for Oct. 22 at Loaded Joe’s in Avon.

High Life Editor Caramie Schnell can be reached at 970-748-2984 or cschnell@vaildaily.com.

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GYPSUM, Colorado — To glance at pictures of Brad Ludden in Cosmopolitan magazine, it’s hard to tell he received tragic news the morning of the photo shoot.

The Gypsum resident poses holding a tree limb, his unbuttoned shirt revealing washboard abs, a charming smile on his face.

Yet behind that grin, Ludden grieved the loss of friend and co-worker Alan Goldberg. Ludden had received a phone call about his friend’s death on the way to the Los Angeles set, where he was scheduled to pose as one of Cosmo’s 51 Hottest bachelors of 2008.

“It definitely made for a really challenging situation for me to put on a smile and go about my day and try and be normal,” he said.

As a tribute to his friend, Ludden plans to give away the prize money if he wins Cosmo’s bachelor contest. Ludden will donate the $10,000 to First Descents, an Avon nonprofit — which Ludden founded — that sponsors outdoor adventures for young adults with cancer.

Before Goldberg succumbed to cancer in June, he and Ludden worked closely together to build First Descents. As part of their vision to reach as many young adults with cancer as possible, Ludden hopes to spend the prize money on hiring a public relations firm to help with fundraising for the organization.

“I would never feel good taking that money when I know it could go to people who need it so much more than I do right now,” he said.

Readers can vote for Ludden at www.cosmopolitan.com/bachelors through midnight on Sunday. Ludden expects to find out whether he won on Tuesday.

A visit to Cosmo’s Web site offers a glimpse into his personality. In a video, Ludden quips: “You probably don’t recognize me from the pictures of me in Cosmo because I don’t normally wear my hair that way — and I normally wear clothes.”

And in a series of questions from Cosmo, the 27-year-old pro-kayaker dishes on his dating personality.

Ludden’s ideal first date: “I’ll take her flying in my plane. I’ll see how well she does outside her comfort zone.”

Three words that describe him? “Passionate, funny and outgoing.” Can a hookup turn into a relationship?: “Definitely!”

A female friend who lives in New York nominated Ludden for the bachelor contest. Ludden said he was shocked when Cosmo told him he was in the running.

“Out of the blue, I get a call from Cosmo, and they said, ‘Oh yeah, you’re Colorado’s sexiest bachelor,’” Ludden said. “I was sure it was a joke.”

Each spring, the editors put out a call to women everywhere to nominate their friends, co-workers or brothers for the contest, magazine spokeswoman Marisa Ollins said. Cosmo sifted through hundreds of nominees to pick this year’s bachelors, she said.

“Editors look for guys who are sweet, smart and, of course, sexy — in other words, perfect boyfriend material!” Ollins said in an e-mail.

Ludden flies to New York this week for a series of media appearances with the other bachelors, including a stint on “The Today Show.”

“I’m excited,” he said. “A lot of the unknowns are over. The magazine hit the stands yesterday. Everybody’s seen it. All my friends have poked fun and had their laugh, so the unknown is out of the way. So from here, it will just be fun being on camera and being on TV.”

High Life Writer Sarah Mausolf can be reached at 970-748-2938 or smausolf@vaildaily.com.