Bicycles
I loved riding my BMX as a kid. While it was my primary mode of transportation, I loved learning to do tricks on it and upgrading parts. Once I turned 16, cars took over my interest. 13 years later, bikes started to pique my interest again. I was surrounded by visuals of extreme sports at my time working for Oakley. Seeing videos of professional mountain bikers playing on screens everywhere was so inspiring and I really wanted to get into it. The Oakley campus had bike trails built around it and there were dedicated trails all over the area. But when I learned how much a real mountain bike costs, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.
It wasn’t until around 2013 when I was ready to spend the money on a proper mountain bike. I lived near some biking trails and I was not in shape anymore. I bought a 2013 Santa Cruz Nomad. It was an entry level bike, but full suspension and far more capable than my riding ability. I started out very passionate about riding, but it slowly diminished as very few friends rode and fun trails were at least an hour away from me. Driving in a bunch of traffic just to ride got old and so I never built up the fitness to really enjoy riding for a long time. I also hadn’t discovered YouTube as a source for learning how to ride better so I never knew how to improve my skills. When my family planned on moving from the Bay Area to Austin, I figured I wouldn’t need a mountain bike anymore with no mountains and so I sold it in 2016.
In 2017, my family moved from California to Cedar Park, a town right outside of Austin. Little did I know that there were more than 20 miles of mountain biking trails right next to my neighborhood. There weren’t any mountains in Texas, but the trail builders were able to make good use of the varying elevation they had. In excitement of discovering so many mountain bike specific trails, I went to the closest bike shop and ended up buying a 2018 Transition Scout. Being riding distance to all these trails, I rode every other day from my house. As my skills progressed I started to get comfortable with more technical features. Drops, jumps, and rock climbs. Jumps in particular captured my interest. It was such a great feeling to fly through the air if only for a moment. Eventually I bought a dirt jumper to hone my jumping skills at a local pump track.
Now I live in DFW and there are many local trails to ride. And if I’m willing to drive 3-5 hours, I have access to Bentonville and many other amazing places to ride. Mountain biking has helped me meet so many new people and gain great friends. I’ve found a passion that is endlessly challenging and so rewarding. And it has been so great for my mental and physical health as I get lots of exercise and get to spend so much time outside in nature. My only regret is that I didn’t start riding much sooner in life. If this sounds remotely interesting to you, I highly suggest giving it a shot.
