When you average everything out, most of us have had the same experiences. People come in and out of our lives, events take place that are both good and bad, tastes and trends change over time (I hope you still aren’t rocking the Members Only jacket)…but there are some things that always seem to stick around. As time goes on, these certain things in our lives are always there in some shape or form. We might be obsessed with them at one point in time just to find that later they are a side thought. That side thought grows new life later as it jumps back into your life with a fury, and – so much so – that you wonder why you stopped paying attention.
For me, that is mountain biking. For as far as I can remember, there has always been a mountain bike in my stable. As time went on, the sport of mountain biking has meant different things, but one thing is for certain…through all of the changes in my surroundings and tastes…it was always there.
I was finally riding dirt over the weekend (rain stopped for just long enough to get in a great ride), and as I was spinning my way up a long climb up the hill taking in the first cold air ride of the season…I really got to thinking about it. I have used mountain biking any many forms and fashions over the course of my cycling career.
I used my mountain biking as a form of celebration. Have a birthday to celebrate? Let’s ride. Something great happen in my life? Raise? New wife? Let’s get out and ride. Get a new part or bike in? Ride! Whatever it was in my personal or professional life, it was normally celebrated with a great ride out in the woods.
Expected negative life happenings? Ride… Some of my best riding has come in times of turmoil. While some might go to a bar or to the gym to work out…I hit my bike. Right now – more than ever – riding allows me to keep my head on straight. Getting out and enjoying fresh air while challenging myself to get better and faster keeps my head clean throughout the day as my wife and I handle a situation that is out of our control. Will we get through it? Absolutely, but by getting in my spin time, I am able to stay sane and push through. Mountain biking has been my best form of mental therepy over the years when times get really tough. The mental stress relief of hammering out that singletrack or airing out that drop organizes my thoughts and allows me to stay level.
Ever ride just to ride? Mountain biking is always there when you don’t need anything at all. Sometimes it is great to just grab the bike and go without a worry in the world.
There has always been something about the sound of rubber tread ripping into rocks and dirt with my breath in the background sucking in every bit of oxygen that my legs can pull in to push faster and harder than the last ride. There has always been something about the peacefulness of bringing chaos into a quite forest. There has always been something more to mountain biking than riding a bike for this rider.