PBR & Late Night Lots

Maybe I've said it before: Bicycles rule.

I can't think of a time since I was very, very young that didn't include a bike. My first one was a 20" Western Flyer that I got for my 5th birthday. It was sweet: A white frame with a burgundy seat and chain guard. I'm pretty sure it was rocking the whitewall tires but that's a little fuzzy for me. My dad spent a good amount of time with me. You know, training wheels and the whole 9 yards. I'm pretty sure I picked it up quickly and soon enough I was rolling around my neighborhood and seeing things differently, they way you only see things from a bike. It's very intimate, bicycle riding. You're not insulated to the world like when you're behind the steel of your car. Things come at you much more personally. This crack, that curb, the bank across the street, the potential wall ride of a transition, a perfectly sealed parking lot, loamy singletrack, the smell of freshly falling and newly rotting leaves in the woods: these things all lead to you to freedom and it's only a rider that understands the meaning and importance of these perceptions. No matter what kind of two-wheeled action I'm engaged in, it's still liberation...

Last night was rad. J-dog and The Sarge are just flat out amazing flatlanders. I get so psyched up watching their progression and dedication to what they do. I'm still in my infancy as far as trickery is concerned but it's seeing what's possible that's driving me forward. J-Homey said progression is the key to all things. I think it might be true.

Today I spent time with the Urban Mountain Bike Crew. I took off the flatland pegs and went one-sided with the grinder dealies. Those guys are burly! They made me throw myself up into a wall ride and I'll be damned if I didn't do it! The crew is pretty diverse. My friend Ben is just an animal but still has such finesse when rolling through power manuevers. The 16 year old kid faction was stepping up and rolling things to fakie that I was frightened to ride up! The camera came out of the bag on two occasions today. We'll see how a snowboard eye translates urban riding. I hope I didn't blow it...

I can't wait for my bike. I think it's the dawning of a whole new era in my little world. This, is a healthy obsession.