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Reflections
We all know that coffee and mountain bike racing go together like ... well, coffee and mountain bike racing. We caught up with Loam Coffee Ambassador and Yeti mechanic Shaun Hughes who came off another successful Enduro World Series season wrenching for EWS champion Richie Rude as well as Cody Kelley. The questions we were dying to ask was what life was like on the road this past race season and of course where and how coffee was part of Shaun's routine. Ready? Let's start this ...
There’s something spiritual, sacred, fulfilling, and downright fun about mountain biking. It’s an addiction, except that the side effect is a healthy lifestyle. It is a sport and hobby of risk. If you’re not getting hurt out on the trail you’re probably not pushing yourself enough. Since I don’t like pain, I usually ride to the upper limit of my comfort threshold and just kind of stay there. I have a family to take care of, for crying out loud. Nonetheless, I still ride, and take risks.
Our bikes are more than pieces of recreational equipment that deliver cardio workouts outdoors on dirt. Even more so, they transcend being simply muscle-powered vehicles carrying us into the remote backcountry on epic adventures. Often times, they end up becoming almost personified as "companions" or "friends." We talk to our bikes and treat them with a level of affection where they are almost alive as we give them emotions and other human characteristics.
6:30 AM.
Alarm blares like a foghorn warning ships of imminent doom along the rocky coastline that is receiving a beating from the angry sea. Or at least that is what it sounds like when your alarm goes off that early on a Saturday morning. You have thirty minutes to inhale a bagel, get dressed, and grab your bike and gear before you head to your buddy’s house for a day of shuttled runs. There’s a whole crew meeting up.
Guilt is a powerful motivator. However, it only works for the short term. After a while we learn to suppress these internal complex emotions and begin muting their voice. Do this! Our conscience screams. Don't do that!! It bellows at us. Either we succumb or learn to ignore. However powerful guilt is it is not very helpful in the immediate nor the long term.
There are a lot of reasons why we ride. Probably the least of those is exercise (especially for you shuttle-obsessed DHers ... cough). We ride to get outdoors, to clear our heads of cluttered work schedules, to see and experience new sights and vistas, to connect with our community of other riders, and so story goes on. We also flit in and out of these reasons as well. However, what we cherish the most are the memories. These stories of adventures are what we keep us coming back to. Sometimes they are photo-worthy epic adventures while other times they are comical and embarrassing. We all can recall funny happenings out on the trail.
