It’s Thanksgiving in the US! Time to sit around with friends and family, eat more food than we could ever possibly digest and then sit in front of a TV and try not to fall asleep. It is also a time where we give thanks for the past years experiences and the good things we have in our lives. So…in true cycling fashion…here are the 26 things I am thankful for.

1. Long travel forks to cover up my mistakes
2. Rigid bikes to show me my mistakes
3. High volume knobby tires
4. Wide rims
5. Sweet singletrack
6. Road biking
7. A wife that lets me ride when I want to
8. Great friends that have the same cycling obsession I do
9. 27 gears
10. No gears
11. Custom steel fame makers
12. Overseas production that allows more people in this world to ride
13. Wide handlebars
14. Big wheels (yes..I like the 29er variety!)
15. US boutique frame manufacturers
16. Big drops
17. Blazing fast DH’s
18. Long, technical, slow climbs
19. The trail a day or two after it rains (can we say Velcro?!)
20. Numerous trails within spitting distance of my house
21. Everyone that does trail work
22. The sound of rubber gripping rocks and dirt
23. A sport that has always been there for me throughout my life
24. The readers of this site
25. Online communities that bring more cyclists together
26. Every single aspect of cycling…from commuting to DH…we all are of the same blood…pedal induced forward motion

It’s been a fantastic year…thanks for all of the support and next year is going to be HUGE!!!!