I keep promising myself that I will blog with more frequency, yet it hasn't happened.  The process of generating content that is worth your time, and not just for my own benefit of seeing my thoughts on a page : can be a creative jigsaw puzzle.  This blog starts with a warning and you will soon understand what I mean.  This blog is the equivalent of the abstract bucket of paint thrown on the wall to later be called art.  Some of you may not enjoy this as much as some of the past blogs, while others may think its visionary in its own way.  This blog is all the things you have come to expect : material about cycling, comments on my life and kids, and insight into TheDirtyWheel and what we have in store.  The difference is that this time its like a OTB (Over The Bars)  somersault on a steep descent.  The thoughts are all connected with a single theme : "GROWTH" , the problem is they have taken a spin cycle and left you to collect them and take inventory of the situation.

Growth - \Noun\ ˈgrōth  
progressive development : evolution
  This is the definition we will focus on as it is so important in every portion of our lifes.  In everything we do, including cycling , this natural progression is necessary for us as humans to survive.  Lately, there has been an abundance of growth in my life that I need to share.  The two biggest things to happen in the month since I last rambled in your brain : would be my son's personal growth and TheDirtyWheel taking significant strides in its success.  My son is 5 years old which is over 1800 days on this planet and while some days its seems like they crawl, momentous occasions have a way of putting life into warp speed.  My son has started regularly riding with me on the dirt.  During these excursions he has said things that I will never forget and the bonding is priceless.  Sure these aren't full blown trail rides and I mostly get to play around on my bike whille his legs spin furiously to keep up.  But I am in no hurry for that day when he hucks his first ramp, clears his first gap, etc.  "  Dad I love you ... this is sooo awesome, just the boys get to ride ..." he said as we rode the levee with the sun setting.  It sounds made up , yet I couldn't have written it if I tried " Your right, this is the best little man"! 

  Right about now you may be looking at the title and wondering what could possibly be the connection between Asparagus and Riding Solo.  If we jump back 4 or 5 months I would probably wonder the same thing.  You see, that green veggie and riding alone were both things that I hated.  Most of this hate was misplaced because of my lack of experience with said subjects.  Hell, when it came to Asper-grass (As I like to call it), all I knew was it was a Veggie( not my favorite food group) and it makes your urine smell.  Couple that with the fact that I ran into a mountain lion twice last year while riding solo, and you can understand why being kitty kibble and having stinky pee are not my favorite things.

  The one thing that I have learned about both these items by venturing outside of my comfort zone, is that both of these things can be good for you and enjoyable on some level.  For me, I was kind of forced into both of these items via friends.  Asparagus was an item that we BBQ'd when a good friend came into town, and then prompted to ask me if I would at least try it.  Said friend is high enough on the friend spectrum that I tried it without protest, and was shocked to discover , I didn't hate it.  Riding solo was also forced upon me in a much more unwelcome way.  We all have gone into a day waiting only for time to pass untl you are scheduled to meet up with your riding buddies and burn up some trail.  Then hours before your days entire fixation becomes reality, you get the call, " Hey man, sorry I cant ride today ...(insert random excuse here) ".  Many times when I recieve this call, it is simply game over and I try to plan the next ride instead of focusing on my dissapointment.  Well during one particular week, said rides got cancelled 2 times, and when the 3rd ride was preceded by a call,  I refused to not get some dirt under my wheels.  So out I headed by myself, with no real agenda, schedule, or expectation as to what the ride would be.

  Much to my suprise this ride put me into a state I couldnt remember being in for over a year.  I was simply out having fun with almost no thoughts as to what I was doing.  Now I am not trying to imply that I dont enjoy my normal rides, quite the contrary, as a bad day riding is better than a good day with no bike activities.  But this ride was simply different.  I was not riding at someone else's pace nor was I concerned if I was slowing someone else down.  Strolling along I played, on the trail, simply soaking in the solo saddle time.  It gave me plenty of time to reflect on my natural pace and work on skills without goofing off on someone else's time.  The asper-grass and the solo ride had proven they could be positive parts of my life.  I do warn you not to misinterpret what you have just read.  I dont love smelly urine or being on the bike alone most of the time.  I cant prove that too much asparagus is bad for you, but with biking there is definitely more danger involved in riding alone.  Riding alone can leave you in a bad spot if you FR or DH and have a major crash, you also could have a mother nature run in like mine (thankfully all the big cat showed me was ass and paws).

  If you take anything from this, just remember that occassionally stepping outside your comfort zone, can be very rewarding.  Unexpected solo rides are now a chance for me to work on skills and gauge my riding progression and weakpoints.  You may enjoy asparagus and enjoy riding solo, so maybe, you take up eating sauerkraut and riding in large groups..... I dont know what you consider your bain, but I am sure we can agree that your pee doesnt smell quite the same after a heaping helping of good old Asper-Grass....

  So first off, I do realize, it has been quite awhile since I last shared my crazy world or ramblings, with you.  Fear not, my world has definitely been crazy and I have gained clarity through it all.  Lets start at the heart and work our way outwards.  I mentioned chaos so lets look at what has been going on in just the last couple weeks.  First I mentioned heart, and my step-father has been in the hospital as he has just undergone a double bypass.  During the week and a half that he sat awaiting his operation, I have had plenty of time to reflect.  This single event has been the most thought encompassing portion of the recent year.  Everything else branches out from there with very little relevance but the juggling of other thoughts and happenings included, my Birthday, my first ever case of Poison Oak, and trying to keep TheDirtyWheel rolling when everything else felt like it had grinded to a stop.

  My fathers medical procedure and state of health left me with alot of introspection about my family, my health, and what things are important to me.  Through this process I realized that biking is even more important to my overall being than I would have guessed.  During the stressful first days of my father being admitted to the hospital, it was the handful of trail rides that I snuck in, that let me temporarily check out mentally and recollect myself.  One of these rides also happened to be my first dance with Poison Oak , and apparently its a slow dance because I am still wrestling with this inflamed weepy beast. 

  For most cyclists, your birthday is a time to decide what bike parts/gear/goodies you may acquire through gifts or by splurging on yourself without having to justify your purchases with friends,family, or the spousal unit.  Lets face it, most non cyclists dont understand our obsession with all things bike, even though they may have more shoes than your local thrift store.  My mind was treading this annual path, leaving me with dreams of all kinds of goodies : a remote seatpost? , a fork service for the DH bike, or maybe a set of the NEW HAYES PRIME DISK BRAKES .  While all these purchases would be fun, the back of my mind was yelling that I needed to upgrade myself.  So I began looking at my health, my riding skills, my website-TheDirtyWheel,  and the art that comes out of the passion I have for riding.  So what did I decide to purchase that could upgrade  all these areas without changing a part on my bike?

  Lets take a look at these items because alot of upcoming TDW happenings will come from these purchases:

1.  Heatlth and fitness being of paramount weight on my mind, led me to purchase an upgrade to my fitness, which will affect my riding capabilities.  One of my personal favorite providers of solid fitness information that comes from our on industry is MTB Strength Training Systems. MTB STS is featured in so many of the best industry websites and magazines such as Decline Magazine and PinkBike.com that I figured I would devote an upcoming website feature to the 12 week DB program with full before and after results.

2.  Next was deciding to actively focus on my riding skills, and there is no better manual of riding skill than the MASTERING MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS By Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack.  There is plenty of solid advice and skills products available from all manner of pros but this book consistently earns rave reviews.

3.  Sticking with Lee McCormack and fitness,  I purchased a copy of WELCOME TO PUMPTRACK NATION.  Yes, I somehow have been blessed with a spouse that has given me a greenlight to turn my backyard into a dirt playground.  This is both a chance to improve my skills and fitness all wrapped in one, while also building my childrens enthuisiasm for riding.

4.  From there my purchases turned to improving TheDirtyWheel and my newfound obsession with my Gopro and video/photo editing.  What have I purchased to improve these areas you may ask?  Multiple Tripods, GoPro accessories, Video editing software, and a couple of books on Web design and programming.  Time to put in some study so that I can provide a better quality product for all to enjoy.

  As I reflect on the direction my bike purchases have taken, I am confident that these items will increase my overall Health, MTB Skills,  and obsession for the sport, more than any single bike component could have.

Prepare to follow along as we break ground (literally) in all