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| Morning on Gooseberry Mesa |
I didnt set off to find something that would change the direction of my life, or possibly just give it a direction. I just found myself back on a bicycle several years after ditching my last ten speed. Having moved to Reno I was spending a lot of time hiking around Lake Tahoe and occasionally being passed by these trail bikes. After contemplating the vast amount of riding that was available in the area and a little bike research I scrapped up $600 and bought my first full suspension bike from REI. Just riding around town rekindled the passion, taking it to the trails of the Tahoe National Forest was like pouring gasoline on it.
Suddenly I found I was able to combine my passion for photography, my love for being outdoors and bike riding all into one. My world has been expanding ever since then.
I started meeting some great people on the trails, in the bike shops and mainly at the trailheads. About 90% of them had this crazy gleam in their eyes and all shared a passion for life that I was not used to. Its kind of like hanging out at a ski resort (minus that pesky snow) where everyone is there to have a good time, nobody is lazy, and for the most part everyone is in a good mood and getting along with everyone else - yea, that. No matter who they were at work, Dr’s, IT people, Barista’s, Bus Drivers- they all had this zeal and a common love for their bikes and riding. I wanted that. I found I was no longer just hanging with the guys from work for lack of anything better to do or anywhere to go. I had found something to be a part of.
The Philosophy-
There are a lot of activities like riding a bike, and then there aren’t any activities quite like riding a bike. It is an activity that will repay you in direct proportion to how much you are willing to put into it. I have learned that riding a bike can be as deep and complex as you want it to be. From serenely peddling away the miles of a paved road or trail to the fully orchestrated cooperation between mind, body and will of mastering that extremely technical section of trail. MTB riding, even for fun makes you a better all around person just as any disciplined sport will do; karate, yoga, judo, etc. It requires a level of concentration and focus that is not found in most regular outdoor leisure activities, and after some time this ‘training’ has a way of sticking with you. Personally I ride alone most of the time, so there is no one else there cheering me on as I finally master that technical spot with grace or would anyone be able to tell if I gave up and walked up that hill, but I would know. So over time bike riding has become a great tool for building self confidence, no one else may notice or care, but it matters to me. I may not even be very good at it by some standards, but mountain biking is very good for me. By continually riding into the unknown, pushing your limits to both success and failure, and just scaring the B’jeezus outta yourself quite often makes the twists & bumps of daily life seem almost trivial.
On the Ground and Going Forward-
After a while I started paying attention to the trails I was riding. Where and why they existed, were they new and who built them? This has opened a whole new chapter of activities related to biking, the ongoing advocating for new trails and the maintenance of existing ones. For years I’ve mapped and wrote trail descriptions and shared this info via Singletracks.com. Lately my focus has leaned towards educating myself on trail construction techniques and volunteering on worthwhile projects. In every area of the U.S. you can find at least one group or club dedicating their time to the upkeep and betterment of the trails they ride on. A quick internet search will produce a list of them for any area you are interested in. Urban riding is another area that is growing substantially right now, with more and more people riding bikes around town the need for safer environments for doing that is ever increasing. The need for basic education, for both riders and motorist is huge and a slow going process. The input needed for better urban bicycle related infrastructure is also huge but once again there is an amazing amount of people out there willing to give their time and energy to doing just that for the betterment of the sport. Like I said; this is an activity that you can get just as involved with as you wish to, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself more involved than you originally planned.
Participation-
Is bike riding for everyone?
No.
But with that said, I don’t know a single person who couldn’t benefit from riding a bike. I also believe that every single person who wants to ride a bike, be it once a month or everyday, whether its to the end of the block and back or a century ride, should be able to do so within a safe environment.
I hope the following to be an ever growing list of links to organizations and basic bike related info for anyone that is interested.
See you on the trail-
