Video: Rediscovering Joy After Tragedy Through Guiding in 'Going Places'
 | Going Places is as much about the people as the locations themselves. That's because everyone has a story about how they discovered their own special place to ride. And sometimes those stories are not always easy to share. |
Steel City Media is proud to present a short film with Juliana Bicycles ambassador, Julia Hobson.
Growing up on a dairy farm in the North of England, Julia developed a love for being outdoors and carving adventures out for herself, whether it was hiking, climbing, swimming or later on... biking.
Later in life, after a move to Sheffield for university, slightly influenced by her love for the outdoors and climbing at the time, she went on to discover mountain biking through her newfound partner in crime, Gareth.
After the bike bug had fully bitten, they both proceeded to go on countless two wheel'd adventures across the UK and Europe, swapping school for singletrack wherever possible, making places such as La Grave and countless other mountainous locations their second home.
Further down the line they tied the knot and embarked on a honeymoon/trip of a lifetime to North America, with the rough plan being to tick off as many of their bucket list climbing and mtb locations as possible.
During this journey, whilst climbing out in Moab, a sudden and tragic accident occurred, which resulted in Gareth's passing. An obviously life-changing moment in many ways, which shortly after, lead to Julia actually heading back out to the mountains and discovering guiding to help aid with the healing process and to help others discover the joys of being in the mountains.
This is Julia's story.
Shot on location : La Grave, France.
Riders : @julialikesbikes @ridehousemartin @24tom
Produced by : Steel City Media
Illustrations : Sam Needham
Author Info:
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12 Comments
- 18 0
LiquidSpin
(Dec 10, 2019 at 9:14)
Glad to hear through her family and friends and the will to continue riding brought her strength and therapy to get her through the loss of her husband. There's no true cure to losing someone you love and it's never easy to find ways to move on afterwards but this video goes to show that doing what you love definitely helps the human spirit to move forward with a positive/optimistic outlook on life.
- 7 0
jdigdog
(Dec 10, 2019 at 20:57)
Julia!!! You guided my husband and I through the Transprovence trails back in 2013....you were THE BEST guide (and AMAZING skills on the bike!) and we often think of u! If ur ever North Vancouver way, make sure you contact us! Would love to see you again! From The Digdogs!
- 6 0
gerrycreighton
(Dec 10, 2019 at 9:44)
Wow, what a rough way to lose a loved one. I applaud her strength and will to carry on after a tough loss like that. Having lost my wife a few years ago, I can agree with how she got on the bike to cope with the loss, it makes a difference.
- 3 0
rockhey24
(Dec 10, 2019 at 9:32)
Such a rad person and a total ripper! If you are fortunate enough to ride with her on one of her tours you will not be disappointed! So much fun.
- 1 0
ski-bike-repeat
(Dec 11, 2019 at 1:37)
Great vid, and feeling inspired. Good on ya Julia. Will see if we can come across from Chamonix to do some trails with you (and do a skinny dip!). Love comment from Digdog. A great example of PB bringing the mtb community together. And how I dream of doing the TransProvence! Cheers Julia
- 3 0
flipoffthemonkeys
(Dec 10, 2019 at 9:32)
beautiful, you managed to work through a tragedy and find a way to make a life for yourself. i admire you
- 2 0
fattyheadshok
FL (Dec 10, 2019 at 18:30)
What a story. MTB does heal the heart and soul no doubt about it.
- 1 0
mi-bike
(Dec 11, 2019 at 0:53)
Amazing perseverance and strength considering the loss experienced. Kudos also to mr_sapaudia for hiring her as a guide.
- 1 0
jgusta
(Dec 12, 2019 at 20:56)
Awesome!!! My inspiration for a good life. Thanks for sharing. Love the mountains!
- 1 0
JimmyC1212
(Dec 10, 2019 at 20:36)
Beautiful. Thx for sharing!
- 1 0
Websterminator
(Dec 11, 2019 at 21:05)
Touching story. God blesd her, and glad she's back out there.
- 1 0
dwebb4554
(Dec 10, 2019 at 10:03)
..
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