#followcamfriday on Bug Springs with Alex Petitdemange and Randy Sooter. Tucson tech at it's finest. 

After spending the last three weeks, riding ridiculous Sedona slabs with Lars, I headed south to decompress in Tucson. This would be my first trip to Tucson and the farthest south in the United States that I have ever been with a mountain bike. What have I been doing with my life?? And to be clear, this couldn't be further from "decompression" Tucson is ROUGH.

Enter Randy Sooter. Randy was introduced to me by Alex. Interestingly enough, they both have a background in gymnastics and this becomes very evident when following either one of these gifted gentlemen. Randy is an 8 time national collegiate club champion and now coaches and runs a gym in Tucson. Randy also has good taste in shuttle vehicles and drives a Bronco that just so happens to be the  same age as me.... 

As this was my first time in Tucson, I didn't really know what to expect. After riding Sedona for a bit, this place was reasonable rough and raw in comparison. Like, break your wheels and get flat tires, rough and raw. Pretty much what I am looking for when I ride my mountain bike. The decomposing  granite deals wonderfully with the moisture, which is good, because it rained more this week than Randy had seen after living here for most of his life. Seemed like perfect grip to me. 

As per usual, always jump everything. Back to the part about these guys having a background in gymnastics.  When your body awareness is on point, the trail is your playground. Every root and rock is a jump. Every corner, an opportunity to send gravel into the air. Crashing is a rarity, but even when these guys hit the deck, its fucking catlike. 

French Technique. I think this is a product of your surrounding. If you grow up riding jank hiking trails in the European alps, this is second nature. If you grow up riding flow-trails in the States, this is a skill that probably needs work. Frenchie Alex is dialed. Legend has it that Mark Weir built some unrideable swithbacks behind his house to practice before racing enduros in Europe because the turns were not challenging enough in the states... Smart man, Mark Weir. 

The sunsets in Tucson are next-level. People seem to think that all I do is race around and shoot video, but I promise you that I do make some time to appreciate my surroundings. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel to all of the sweet places to ride, and always try and make the most of my time and appreciate things fully. Keeps me grounded and reminds me why I ride and why I am attracted to dramatic landscapes and new experiences. 

Randy mentioned that the rivers on the trails were deeper than he had ever seen. The crossings were BB deep. I think that is good for your dirvetrain, right? Pete seems to like it. Soothing on his paws after walking around on all the sharp rocks. 

As I type these words, I am sitting on a couch in New Zealand. Sweet as bru. I just arrived for a bit of racing and a bit of filming over the next few weeks. The riding here couldn't be more different from AZ. Variety, spice of life. Once again, very fortunate and grateful opportunity to see the world by bike. Keep it locked right here. 

I always wanted to be a famous rapper when I was growing up. Instead, I ride mountain bikes for a living. Could be worse... #followcamfriday

​Y'all act like you never seen a white person before
Jaws all on the floor like Pam like Tommy just burst in the door
And started whoopin' her ass worse than before
They first were divorced, throwin' her over furniture (Agh!)
It's the return of the "Ah, wait, no way, you're kidding
He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?"
And Dr. Dre said, nothing, you idiots!
Dr. Dre's dead, he's locked in my basement (ha ha!)
Feminist women love Eminem
"Chicka, chicka, chicka, Slim Shady, I'm sick of him
Look at him, walkin' around, grabbin' his you-know-what
Flippin' the…

Alex is French, and may, or may not have an appreciation for rap music produced in the year 2000.  I was a big fan of Eminem back in the day. And Dr. Dre. Still am, I suppose. It would have been a crime to leave Sedona without filming this classic trail. 

I hope the lyrics that I copied and pasted above are stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Instead of cursing my name, I hope it rekindles thoughts of youth and perhaps reminds you of how cool you used to think you were, blasting this in the high school parking lot in your mom's Toyota Camary.  I really would have loved to license that song for use in my video, but I am pretty sure that Eminem needs to get paid a bit more that the #followcamfriday budget will allow.  

I spent three weeks in Sedona. Yup, 3. Still not bored of the place. There is just something about the trails, people, and the vibe here. Maybe it is the vortex energy... I can't put my finger on it, but there is something unique here. Perhaps the reason is because there are no "junk" miles. Every inch of trail in this place is engaging.  Always something to hold my interest. And as it turns out, if you sprint your way down every descent, things start to get very interesting, quickly. 

#Petecam is becoming a staple in my videos. The people like Pete more than me. Can you blame them? I mean, he smells, but is so handsome. He really needs his own Instagram. I bet people would follow him. If only his human had time to foster that sort of thing. Instead, his human is writing this nonsensical babble to keep you entertained. There are only so many hours in the day and Pete needs to be walked. 

So now what? Rain is in the forecast and I am inclined to head south. I have spent some time in Phoenix, which I truly enjoyed, but I was searching for something new. Tucson, here I come. I've never been, but have heard good things. It is about ten degrees warmer on average and the soil does better with the moisture down there. Plus, it's only about 4 hours away. Oh, and I brought a road bike so I probably need to go and climb Mt Lemmon. In baggies, of course. 

Until next time, stay classy Sedona. Thank you for your red velcro. Much love. 

Getting loose on the hog. Pig Trails from Sedona, Arizona with Frenchie Alex. #followcamfriay on the hunt for swine. Meat-sweats engage. 

After last week's' episode, we were due for a bit of a decompression session. The model of constant risk, just isn't sustainable for very long. That said, the pig trails are no cakewalk, but the chances of death go down slightly with this one. Part of the legendary "Triple H" loop, Hogs compliments Hiline and Hangover really well. Ride all three in a day to see what you are made of. 30 miles in Sedona is legit. Maybe throw an extra slice of bacon in your bibs. 

Truth be told, you are more likely do die of heart disease from all that bacon you are eating, than from riding the Hogs. Fortunately Alex is sprinting his brains out and offsetting his bacon intake nicely.  If you hear me cry-breathing in my video, it's because Alex is pinned and I am hanging on by a thread. Or by a pig tail... 

And yeah, Pig Tail has got to be the most fun minute of the Hog experience. Several jumps that work well with the natural terrain, put you just where you want to be. Look out for javelinas hiding in the bushes. I have seen several in the area on this trip. Legend has it that they wait for mountain bikers that case the jumps on Pig Tail and feast on their compromised bodies. Luckily, we cleared all the jumps and emerged unscathed. 

Alex Petitdemange works at Absolute Bikes on the Oak Creek side of Sedona. When Alex isn't turning wrenches or stealing your KOM's, he is busy petting animals. Pete approves. Interestingly enough Pete spotted his first javelina pack on this trip. Fortunately for Pete, he was on a leash. As I later learned, Ridgeback's were bred to hunt boar. I have never seen that ridge stand up so tall on his back.... Good boy.   

Frenchie and I have been riding and racing together for years. When FollowCamFriday first began, I filmed him riding Hangover and that was my first "viral" video. By viral, I mean, stolen all over the internet. It's all history from there. There is just something about the scenery and visual appeal of Sedona, throw in a skilled rider, and you have yourself internet gold.  Sure am thankful for my talented friends!

Spending time at the Sedona dog park has become our daily routine. You can tell my dog from the rest by all of the cameras hanging off of him. #petecam has become a thing in itself. Maybe dog POV will be the future. I am ahead of the curve there, stacking content for a rainy day. If you need me, I will be bent over, picking up Pete's turds with a black bag on my hand. There is no poop fairy. 

#followcamfriday pushing the limit and accepting the risk with Lars Romig in scenic Sedona. Do me favor and don't do this. At least, read my ramblings below before attempting... 

How do you view risk?
By definition- Risk acceptance or risk retention means the fact of accepting the identified risk and not taking any other action in order to reduce the risk because we can accept its impact, the possible consequences - we simply risk it.

I have never fallen into the risk vs reward mentality. I have no need to justify my risk for a "reward". To me, mentally pushing past my perceived boundaries IS the reward.  I don't need a pat on the back, or a gold star. It doesn't have to be "worth it". Accomplishing a goal is all the reward I need. This is what gets me out of bed in the morning. If the internet didn't see it, I would still be doing the same thing... 

Some would categorize  this type of riding as reckless. Some would say that the risk is not worth the reward. I respectfully disagree. Admittedly, this is not everyone's cup of tea, and I completely respect that logic. However,  do not mistake calculated riding for reckless riding. Lars and I have spent years in this terrain, getting to know the nuances and limit of grip. This isn't the sort of thing that you just jump into and send. It is very calculated and mythodical. You don't just jump on a sport bike and race the Isle Of Man TT. This is a process of incremental steps, incremental experience, and above all, respect.

The infamous "White Line" is regarded as the crown jewel of Sedona gnar. I have ridden the White Line more than 50 times. I approach it with the same mindset each time. Complacency leads to mistakes. In avalanche-safety circles,  there is much talk as of late to the "expert halo". If you become too comfortable with your surroundings and get lucky enough times, this can lead to a false sense of confidence. Approaching each line with a similar respect level is important to stay alive. Removing outside influences and factors, and seeing clearly what lies before you. Comfort leads to mistakes. When I am not scared in dangerous situations, I am falling victim to "expert halo". That very notion keeps me up at night, more than the lines themselves. Be scared, have respect.
All of that said, the White Line was the "easiest" line that we overcame this week. Perspective.

 Lars had been wanting to ride this line for 5 years. Watching a close friend overcome fear and conquer perceived boundaries is fucking surreal. I did not ride this entire line and was scared for my life. I will ride it one day, just needing to get my head around it a bit more, and adjust my perspective. Lars is definitely the first person to ride this section of rock. Full respect for realizing his vision after looking at this ridiculous line for 5 years. I was in awe, and I am a man who has seen some shit. 

So where does this leave us? My inbox is full of requests, asking to be featured in a FollowCamFriday episode. I am not sure that you really want to be in one of my videos. If you tell me how rad you are, or how bad-ass your 10 year old is, we simply can't work together. Respect and humility are the only way forward. Lars has this in spades. We trust and understand each other. Our risk acceptance level is the same. This also applies to backcountry ski partners. No, I won't go backcountry skiing with you.... It's not because I am too cool, or that I don't like you. It's very simple, I don't trust you with my life. We haven't built rapport.  Lars and myself are on the same program. Kyle Mears, James Weingarten, same team. There are very few people in my life that I am comfortable with in life or death situations. Lars is on that short list. 

So yeah, I am not going to tell you not to try and ride these lines. To be crystal clear, none of this was done for a camera, all of this was done for passion and breaking down boundaries. My fucking bike fell off a cliff and landed in a tree this week. Perspective. Respect. I got a little too confident and got put in my place. I failed. I posted my fail to the internet because life is not all peaches and cream. The struggle actually is real. I don't live in a fantasy world, I fall down like everyone else. My farts smell and so does my dog. What seperates people is the ability to get back up and keep cracking. I have learned a lot this week. As I type this with a glass of wine, at 1am in my van, I thank you for reading.