My mother had this to say about me, when discussing my riding with my wife …

When Ted was about 4 we had to get him his own bike, he kept taking his older sister’s and that just would not do. A short time after we got back from the store he came in asking to have the training wheels taken off. Since the bike was so new, neither myself nor his father would take them off. He was not to be deterred apparently, as not an hour later as I was washing dishes, I look out the window to see little Ted pedaling his new bicycle that no longer had training wheels on it off the work platform where we used to work on farm equipment when I was young! Rolling straight off the 3′ drop, landing, and continuing to pedal his way to the neighbor’s house.

… so you can see, me and bikes and playing in dirt starts a long time ago. Couple that with a boyhood hero of Evil Knievil and you have a predictable chain of events coming. I was rolling up and dropping off every dirt mound and plank-set-on-bricks that could put air under my tires. Getting lost in the woods. Making maps of where I was (from memory). Generally being a PITA to my parents.

This also started the litany of broken bike parts. The Schwinn Sting-Ray that I broke so many times in the 60’s and 70’s the dealer started keeping a spare frame on hand for me. The road bikes and euro-trail-bikes that I slaughtered in the 80’s while in the Army stationed in Germany. The Cannondale hardtail’s that predicatably cracked about every two years for me in the ’90s. Culminating with the ‘02 Specialized Enduro that I repeatedly destroyed while happily bouncing along the rocks of Central Texas, New Mexico, and Utah.I stopped counting the number of spokes, rims, and miscellaneous stuff I have trashed.

Fast forward to 1999 and my move to Austin Texas, where I “rediscovered” off road cycling in a new fashion, focusing on the “chunky bump and grind” of the limestone infested terrain. Ledge climbs and drops. Embedded limestone “cheesegrater” style. Many an OTB. This was soon followed up with the Navajo sandstone of Utah, and related terrain in New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. All this collectively has really “upped” my game as it were, and I could hardly be a happier cyclist.

Through all this my primary love of off road cycling has been long-ish rides (although they do seem to be getting longer and longer in both time and space…) over varied terrain, I have also found entertainment value in the occaissional race. Races are definitely for a giggle, because who would ever “race” a 35 pound full-suspension bike without either lockout or a big-ring?

*cough* - ok - well I would. As Cody pointed out, I’m “different.”

But racing will never be my primary driver.

Seeing new and cool places, discovering strange and wondrous people, sharing good times far away from pixel projection devices.

Challenging myself in what and where I can do on a bicycle.

Cleaning that seemingly impassible obstacle.

Playing with the cool, functional, and beautiful toys that bicycles are.

Encouraging others to enjoy, and grow in their abilities.

Charging my solar batteries.

Those are the things that drive me.

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