This photo has been floating around social media outlets for quite sometime now. It is from our friends over at Sacred Rides (awesome vacation rides for mountain bikers BTW) and it contains quotes from followers of their Facebook page on why they ride bikes.
For me, the best quote on the image is “to find out who I truly am”.
When I go out and ride, I enjoy the people I ride with, the trails we ride and the experience that mountain biking brings into my life. But, when I am on the bike…I am able to really reflect on who I am, who I want to be and what I am really capable of. It may sound weird (or not if you are like me), but I made the decision to ask my wife to marry me, start my business and make other life altering changes while riding.
My head is clearer, I accomplish things I never thought was possible and I release stress while transferring power from my legs to dirt. Through that interaction, I can apply that same theory to life off the trail and with more organization and clarity. With long periods off the bike, my mind starts to feel cloudy and confused. That release is gone and reality gets skewed. The act of riding is more to me than racking up a bike for the day. It is how I keep my mental health in check and reality grounded. My mind and body needs that relief and challenge. While I have found similar releases through motorsports, nothing really compares to the calmness and chaos of backwoods trails and roads.
Luckily for mountain bikers and other forms of cycling, this is a sport we can do well into older age. While we might have periods off the bike due to injury or life circumstances, it is always there waiting patiently for the next trip down the hill and it will always open up new possibilities personally and professionally.
Why do you ride?
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