Every now and then…I like to give you guys an idea of what is going through the mind of 198 while I am on the bike…so here it is…

Yesterday afternoon, traffic was light so I got the chance to get to the trail and session before my friends were able to show up. The weather had been terrible the days preceding, so there was no one back in the downhill/freeride area of my local trail…even though the conditions were about perfect. All I could hear was the wind blowing, my heart pounding, my breath hitting the full face helmet and my tires gripping that tacky soil that is only found after a great thunderstorm. As I looked down the trail before my next attempt, I felt an overwhelming calmness that I only get through riding.

Let’s face it…things are pretty messed up right now. The job market is terrible and even if you haven’t been downsized, laid off, pay cut or anything else related to things we would wish didn’t happen at our 9-5′s…working right now is difficult given the mood and manner of most customers and vendors as we push through this rough time. To make matters worse, our politicians (on both sides of the fence) would rather argue and not pay their taxes instead of coming together and attempting to solve this mess we are in.

I am able to find peace in the woods as I rip up that next section of singletrack. In the woods…the trail doesn’t care how bad my day was. It doesn’t care what is going on in the world around it. All it cares about is providing the rider with an outlet to vent frustrations and bring about something positive and fulfilling in his day. As I looked down the trail listening to the wind blowing through the trees, I planned out my next section of my ride and truly enjoyed being out on the trail. I was looking forward to my friends coming for some great sessioning out in the woods. Most importantly…I forgot about the crap that is going on around me to realize how great I really have it in this world. I started recollecting my beautiful wife, my crazy dogs, my family, my bikes and everything else that brings me happiness. I was forgetting about the stresses and people that would rather bring you down to their level instead of bringing everyone up.

There are very few things in my life that I can turn to that competely rid my thoughts of negativity. Luckily, I have a great family, a fantastic set of friends and a sport that is there for me time and time again when I need it. It doesn’t matter what bike you ride, what the latest and greatest part is or what kind of riding you choose to participate in…it only matters that you are riding…