Bug Springs

#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.... 

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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. 

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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.