Five hours in, 6 more hours to go. We’re 40,000 feet somewhere above the Pacific Ocean between the small island of HI and the giant of Australia traveling into the future chased by the sunset. The lights are dim, ear snuggies on, and I guess I look like an angler fish with my book light deep into a futurist sci-fi. We hit a patch of turbulence and the plane shifted like a mild earthquake. A faint cry of a baby breaks the silence and slowly fades as her mom rocks her back to sleep in the aisle… I slip back into the magic of my reading mind's imagination...
Behind I left my so very much beloved bike fam in the rural Humboldt county who have been a huge part of my life on and off the bike. Hands down, best bike fam ever (Hands-up Party Time!). Humboldt county is a magical place where the shopping and traffic are scarce but the wilderness and cycling community thrive. A place where you can gravel grind thru endless forest of redwoods without seeing a car, shred the trails and likely find a friend, and the home to the best bike shop around with a vibe of master mechanics, good times, and on the fore-front of grassroots trail building and leading youngster towards a healthy way of life. Home to a place where you meander the giant redwoods and become a strong rider due to the terrain of straight up or straight down. Also not to forget the wide array of local post-rides brews: craft beer or local Kombucha. If you ride Humboldt you are bound to be rad with mad skills for riding and digging and undeniably a facet of a fierce and friendly bike community…. that's just how Humboldt rolls...
Behind I left my so very much beloved bike fam in the rural Humboldt county who have been a huge part of my life on and off the bike. Hands down, best bike fam ever (Hands-up Party Time!). Humboldt county is a magical place where the shopping and traffic are scarce but the wilderness and cycling community thrive. A place where you can gravel grind thru endless forest of redwoods without seeing a car, shred the trails and likely find a friend, and the home to the best bike shop around with a vibe of master mechanics, good times, and on the fore-front of grassroots trail building and leading youngster towards a healthy way of life. Home to a place where you meander the giant redwoods and become a strong rider due to the terrain of straight up or straight down. Also not to forget the wide array of local post-rides brews: craft beer or local Kombucha. If you ride Humboldt you are bound to be rad with mad skills for riding and digging and undeniably a facet of a fierce and friendly bike community…. that's just how Humboldt rolls...
The mellow Humboldt life was all instantaneously paused for an adventurous opportunity down under to earn a supa- fancy DPT degree. Without the opportunity to attend a school in the states, Australian schools loved what I had to offer and accepted… with quite a bit of application work and a hefty tuition (actually less than the states) with timely loans (establish good credit kids!!). It was my one shot to make it in the Physiotherapy world and with overwhelming encouragement here I am... there wouldn't otherwise be an option. I actually couldn't believe it because it was a standing joke over a beer.
Having climbed to the edge of my potential in the XC world I figured it's time to let the XC dream go and carry on to a new epic adventure... A completely different challenge than racing a bicycle which I have worked to perfect over the last six years... and is by far the hardest thing anyone (I believe) can ever do... I have sympathy for anyone who thinks racing XC MTB at an elite level is a "hobby" or rather, a past-time. It is hard work paid in health, freedom, and maybe a few hard-earned medals along the way which no one can ever take from you. There is no cheating, no short-cuts, no slacking... just a bottomless pit of enjoyment, hard work, figuring-it-out, and thou shall not forget party time. What is there not to love? It's easy to have one obsession and give 110% but it harder to show up to your job the next day where no one understands. I mean, we can dream and do our best to train and perform like Nino but there comes a time when you realize you can't be like Nino rather, can at least appreciate and be a huge fan. Anyway... enough of that.
Having only been down unda’ for a couple days, we haven’t quite found Nemo or 42 Wallaby way but did manage to ride on the other side of the road, check out some cockatoos and fauna, the Sydney opera house, havanavo (have an avocado) and Vegemite sandwich, and get lost on the public transit system. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make it out into the bush in the next couple days, experience some dirt of the southern hemisphere’s and perhaps the starry night sky. Also… it’s true. Regular coffee does NOT exist-- only espresso drinks-- and natives know you’re from the States once you speak. Nor CA folk have quite the piraty Rrrrrrs… Pirate riders. ;) Hopefully I'll have a sweet Bush adventure to share in the near future and perhaps get it together for a few races. Until then, thanks for reading if you read and keep ridin' your bici!
Having climbed to the edge of my potential in the XC world I figured it's time to let the XC dream go and carry on to a new epic adventure... A completely different challenge than racing a bicycle which I have worked to perfect over the last six years... and is by far the hardest thing anyone (I believe) can ever do... I have sympathy for anyone who thinks racing XC MTB at an elite level is a "hobby" or rather, a past-time. It is hard work paid in health, freedom, and maybe a few hard-earned medals along the way which no one can ever take from you. There is no cheating, no short-cuts, no slacking... just a bottomless pit of enjoyment, hard work, figuring-it-out, and thou shall not forget party time. What is there not to love? It's easy to have one obsession and give 110% but it harder to show up to your job the next day where no one understands. I mean, we can dream and do our best to train and perform like Nino but there comes a time when you realize you can't be like Nino rather, can at least appreciate and be a huge fan. Anyway... enough of that.
Having only been down unda’ for a couple days, we haven’t quite found Nemo or 42 Wallaby way but did manage to ride on the other side of the road, check out some cockatoos and fauna, the Sydney opera house, havanavo (have an avocado) and Vegemite sandwich, and get lost on the public transit system. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make it out into the bush in the next couple days, experience some dirt of the southern hemisphere’s and perhaps the starry night sky. Also… it’s true. Regular coffee does NOT exist-- only espresso drinks-- and natives know you’re from the States once you speak. Nor CA folk have quite the piraty Rrrrrrs… Pirate riders. ;) Hopefully I'll have a sweet Bush adventure to share in the near future and perhaps get it together for a few races. Until then, thanks for reading if you read and keep ridin' your bici!