After a month in southern California surrounded by an amazing mountain biking network, you’d think it would be really hard to come back to cold temperatures, rain, and muddy trails.
It can be. Riding dry trails under blue skies and toasty temperatures one week, then having to layer up, track down my rain gear, and spend 15 minutes cleaning my bike after each ride the next week, is a slap in the face that can be hard to accept. It can take two weeks to get reacclimatized.
But each year as I return home to our beautiful rain forest, I remember why I live in B.C. Yes it is wet here, the trails get muddy, and I can’t ride all year without a jacket, but I can ride all year.
When I travel, I enjoy where I am and look for the best riding I can find, but I always miss riding through dense forest, I miss hero dirt, and I miss the challenging technical climbs littered with roots. We have one of the best riding areas in the world on the North Island and as much as I want to experience riding around the globe, I am always excited to get back home and go for a rip. Mud or no mud. This is home for a reason.
So if you’ve been avoiding riding because the conditions are sloppy, think about all those places where riding is impossible right now. Then grab your bike and go for a rip. You won’t regret it.
I’m James Durand and I’m Going’ Ridin’…