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"!
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"!
Now he has started school and I'm amazed at the mix of emotions that I have. I am wanting to freeze time and cherish these moments, yet I look forward to all the new things we will experience together. This is much like the website although on a less emotional level. TheDirtyWheel has experienced plenty of growing pains in the last 5 months. Our outward appearance has changed and internally we have changed. We are becoming more experienced and we are growing with every passing day. Site traffic grows and email comes in more frequently with all manner of questions and requests. We have learned that you guys really want the Review section and How-To's and we promise we have big news coming on both fronts,. This is where we have probably failed you the enthuisiast, most. Yet even in our failures we have successes such as : we have gone from an Alexa.com ranking of 13 miliion to around 3 million in the last 3 months, we have done 2 major features , we have added an integrated Youtube Channel., and we have garnered inclusion on Alltop.com.
TheDirtyWheel needs user interaction so that we can grow and provide you with the content you want. So, we ask, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE ? The coming months will see a bike park overview section, features with a top flight pro and world class bike manufacturer, as well as some other items we cant wait to unveil .
You want more growth ? Well most recently I have been fortunate enough to feel myself progressing again as a rider. It seems like for awhile I have been stuck in this mode of riding with purpose. Now, thats not the worst thing in the world, but it shouldnt be the only type of riding you do. I generally get only a couple days a week to hop on the bike and pedal. So when those days arrive, having a timeline and specific agenda can take away some of the enjoyment, without you really noticing right away. Fortunately for me, one of my main riding partners has gone through his own metamorphisis. You see this individual has long been a beginner/intermediate rider (Not that I am something special in any way). He seemed to ride as much for exercise as he does for actual enjoyment or for care towards the individual skills that could make him a better all around rider. Said individual was always someone to talk to on the trails but never someone that would help me to be a better rider or even someone I could mentor. Recently, this individual changed in a way that I couldn't have guessed was going to happen. Suddenly he started agressively attacking jumps and drops that he would have never contemplated in the past. It started with him talking about this or that jump he tried to hit , me not even sure if I believed him. Then when we rode together I witnessed it and after shaking off my stupor, I decided (Ego Decided) I can't let him hit that while I just standby and watch. So in the recent weeks we have been happily flinging ourselves at obstacles we use to avoid, sometimes with success, and other times with failure ... but always with a big ass grin. I have always been more comfortable with speed, tech sections, and steep areas while being more leary of jumps and drops. My hope is that my riding partner may now be more comfortable hitting speeds which make your eyes water and that we can both round out our skillsets a little more.
The goal is that if you made it to the end of this scattered brain splatter, that you think about where you want to see progression in your life and make it happen. Rememer Life is a cycle or the cycle is my life .... am I delirious and quoting the Lion King ??? Whatever, just appreciate your current situation and look for opportunities to get better.
TheDirtyWheel needs user interaction so that we can grow and provide you with the content you want. So, we ask, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE ? The coming months will see a bike park overview section, features with a top flight pro and world class bike manufacturer, as well as some other items we cant wait to unveil .
You want more growth ? Well most recently I have been fortunate enough to feel myself progressing again as a rider. It seems like for awhile I have been stuck in this mode of riding with purpose. Now, thats not the worst thing in the world, but it shouldnt be the only type of riding you do. I generally get only a couple days a week to hop on the bike and pedal. So when those days arrive, having a timeline and specific agenda can take away some of the enjoyment, without you really noticing right away. Fortunately for me, one of my main riding partners has gone through his own metamorphisis. You see this individual has long been a beginner/intermediate rider (Not that I am something special in any way). He seemed to ride as much for exercise as he does for actual enjoyment or for care towards the individual skills that could make him a better all around rider. Said individual was always someone to talk to on the trails but never someone that would help me to be a better rider or even someone I could mentor. Recently, this individual changed in a way that I couldn't have guessed was going to happen. Suddenly he started agressively attacking jumps and drops that he would have never contemplated in the past. It started with him talking about this or that jump he tried to hit , me not even sure if I believed him. Then when we rode together I witnessed it and after shaking off my stupor, I decided (Ego Decided) I can't let him hit that while I just standby and watch. So in the recent weeks we have been happily flinging ourselves at obstacles we use to avoid, sometimes with success, and other times with failure ... but always with a big ass grin. I have always been more comfortable with speed, tech sections, and steep areas while being more leary of jumps and drops. My hope is that my riding partner may now be more comfortable hitting speeds which make your eyes water and that we can both round out our skillsets a little more.
The goal is that if you made it to the end of this scattered brain splatter, that you think about where you want to see progression in your life and make it happen. Rememer Life is a cycle or the cycle is my life .... am I delirious and quoting the Lion King ??? Whatever, just appreciate your current situation and look for opportunities to get better.
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