Taj in the Woods

Fairdale Bikes

My favorite part about mountain biking

is being in the woods

yet conversations about it always steer toward

the exhilarating parts.

Going fast and hitting jumps is cool

but sadly these days I spend more time sitting at a desk

than I do trying to get rad on a bicycle.

Unplugging from the screens and the noise of the world

seems more important than ever.

Hopping on my bike and putting a little effort into the pedals

carries me away.

In a little while my legs loosen up

my body starts to remember it can do more

than sit at a desk chair.

Eventually the computer screen

burned into my eyes clears

and when I finally hit the woods

and the noise of the cars fades away

everything calms down

things get simple again.

I start with a good climb

and I quickly stop thinking at all.

There's nothing but breathing and turning the pedals.

I know it's not exactly solving the world's problems

but it helps my brain find room to put them into perspective.

20 minutes later on a plateau deeper in the woods

my only thoughts are simple.

This is such a nice place to be

the trees are beautiful

it's peaceful here.

Eventually I make it to the top of some fun trail.

It feels like a roller coaster starting up

as the momentum builds

and every time without fail I'm reminded

that one of the base joys

at the heart of bike riding

is rolling down a hill.

I don't have to push it or test myself

though of course sometimes I do.

It just feels good to be riding through the trees

it's so grounding to be out here in the woods

and I love that my bike takes me here.