NYC Five-Boro

it was about this same time last week when me and nikki were wondering what the hell we had gotten ourselves into. we signed up for NYC's 5-boro bike tour covering a total of 42 miles and all five of the boroughs. well basically, i haven't biked for longer than 30 minutes in the last couple years and i don't think she's biked longer than 15 minutes at any given time throughout her whole life. anyway, we managed to subway ourselves down to the starting line by 8 am along with the rest of bike junkies and it turned out to be one of the best days on my life and probably the highlight of my stay here in new york. i don't think we could have ever gone out on any normal day and just huff out 42 miles but with the 40,000 other riders ranging from full blown olympic hopefuls to ghetto huffy supahstars going head-to-head, it kind of puts you in cruise control mode and you don't want to stop. anyway, it was a blast and with days like that, who needs drugs?

surf ecstasy

there is something about surfing that feels so damn good that you always think you're going faster than you probably are. i can still remember one of my first waves at waikiki beach. making my way up to my knees, then standing up in the most awkward stance ever attempted, not even noticing the dozen or so other surfers on the same wave, aiming the 10 foot waterlogged tanker straight towards shore and trying to comprehend how fast the crystal clear reef was moving beneath me. total bliss. here's a pic of just how happy i was.

Swiss cheeeeeeeeeeeeese!

here's a photo of my cousin jennifer taken in the swiss alps. i think this has got to be one of my favorite pics of all time. it's not because the photo makes her look faster than she is, it's not because she's charging on a 1953 rusty sled, it's not because of the rad camo cow helmet she's sporting, it's not because her leather pads are from Macy's new "Silence of the Lambs" collection and it's not because she probably wiped out 2 seconds after this shot was taken. i love this pic because if you look closely behind her tinted battlestar galactica visor, you'll see that mischievous grin that's plagued her for most of her natural born life and you'll realize that at that exact moment where she's teetering on the fence of total bliss versus utter disaster, she was probably thinking to herself "I F#*KING ROCK!!!" yeah, that's my cousin jen, she got balls.

singletrack

in the summer of 2002 i went to live with my friend ely in his aunt's garage right at the base of the mountains in pasedena, california. and everyday we would load up the bikes, jump in the car and find somewhere to ride. the trail possibilities seem endless in california. single-track, fire roads, country roads, pavement along levees, it's never-frickin'-ending over there! and the cool part about biking is you slow down and see things that you may have never noticed driving by them a million times. i got bit by the biking bug hard and it totally consumed me. all i could think about was what more is out there and when can i get to it. i guess it all boils down to the exploration of the unknown and i think that's what keeps life so damn exciting. never knowing what lies around the corner. that's the best part.

here's a pic of my friend francis as we started a ride in northern california. no sponsors, no bar-ends, no ipods, no toe-clips, no hydration packs, no spare anything and two crappy circa 1993 non-suspension bikes that have seen better days. $5000 bike or $50 bike...the song remains the same.

think you charge?

i think if i was edging towards the ledge in this video, i probably would have just fallen over and snowballed to the bottom. terje con grande huevos!

follow me, it's just over yonder...

woke up this morning and almost immediately had recurring thoughts about what i've been thinking about since i was born...I WANNA RIDE! whether it's a Big Wheel, Green Machine, rusty car, dirtbike, surfboard, skateboard, snowboard, hockey skates, rollerblades, dunebuggy, inner tube, speedboat, kayak, mountain bike, ski lift, rollercoaster, motorhome, airplane, cruiseship, flight simulator, canoe, Filipino pumpboat, Chinese junk, Venetian Gondola, Florida swampboat, toboggan, custom van, see-saw or those frickin' sneakers with the wheels in the heels...it has and always will be about The Ride.

this blog will be dedicated to pretty much just that even though i'm sure i'll wander off here and there as my Ritalin wears off. so sit back, relax, think about your next session doing whatever it is that gets you off, post your ride stories in the comments and ENJOY TODAY, THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!