Video: Back to the Basics - Episode 2 - Finding the Fun in Riding Again
As a current Pinkbike presenter, and also a mountain bike industry member for 11 years, I’ve followed many different avenues of the sport since I began biking in 2011. Back then, I lived in Colorado where cross-country riding was booming, enduro racing was just becoming a thing and I remember being covered in bruises from hurling myself down the Rocky Mountain singletrack. Since those days, I migrated north and wiggled my way into the bike industry, working at a shop in Whistler for 8 years before eventually finding my way here, to Pinkbike.
Although I did delve into many aspects of the sport, I definitely skipped a few key steps along the way and have never dug too deep into any particular path in the bike world.
In this 4-part series, Back to the Basics, I'm staying true to myself. I am going to address, head-on, some of the fundamental elements of mountain biking to help me become a more confident, well-rounded rider, including some tips and tricks off the bike, too. I hope these lessons can benefit you or someone you know along the way.
Thanks to our friends at Mountain Biking BC, we'll be traveling to 8 of the most iconic bike parks and riding locations across British Columbia to ride with some of the most talented and influential women in our sport. Each location provides a unique classroom, and amazing bike park terrain, to learn from the best in the business.
In episode 1 I learned about conquering my nerves in the start gate and on the trails with Claire Buchar at Whistler Bike Park. I could then be a more confident and knowledgeable subject to work with in the video and photography fields as I learned from Hailey Elise at Sun Peaks.
Now that my head is on a bit straighter and calmer, it’s time to kick it up and have some fun! In this episode I head to SilverStar Bike Park near Vernon, BC to hang and chat "fun stuff" with young ripper, Tayte Proulx-Royds to see what the kids are up to these days. From there I head all the way to Vancouver Island to check out Mount Washington Bike Park and get to ride and learn more about turning that FUN into SPEED with my girl Georgie Astle, a Devinci Factory racer and freeride legend.
Finding the fun in riding again.
Presented by BIKE PARKS BC
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1) Throwing 45 degree "tables" over every single jump/drop I come across
2) Nose bonk or bump jump pretty much everything in sight.
3) Manual through trail depressions (5 feet or less because I can't hold a manny that long)
4) Wheelies (I'm not good at them but they're still fun)
5) Ripping a turn (you know that feeling when you hit that turn just right? I like that shit.)
"Miller High Life" could use an entry too. Pretty much guarantees that Strava won't be an issue...