What Is Happening Behind Me?

Ever wonder what is happening behind you while you are riding? #followcamfriday leading the party train with Kyle Mears, Randy Sooter, Josh Tostado and Sam Schultz.

Sometimes when I am riding in front of my friends, I start to wonder what is unfolding behind my rear wheel. Sometimes I hear laughing, sometimes it is skidding and the sounds of the abrasive ground having it's way with tires. Sometimes it is a combo and I am always interested to see what is unfolding behind me as my friends try and hold my wheel. I am usually not leading the train, but when the camera is facing backwards, the chaos is captured for the pleasure of the internet. 

As it turns out, I can actually ride more normally when my camera is on my back and out of harm's way. I am definitely not complaining, but it is hard to be dynamic with a gimbal hanging off of your chest. My normal setup makes me ride more upright than I would prefer and lessens the distance from my handlebars to my chest. But it shoots sweet video..... So I have always made the sacrifice. My rig sure does feel nice, hanging off of my back. 

I rarely get to ride with my friend Josh Tostado. Josh is a 24hr national champion, ultra endurance badass. One of the strongest people in the world on the bike. As you will see in my video, Josh absolutely crushes it on the descent too. This is a great reminder to not try too hard and place labels on people. Yes, this "ultra nerd" is waaay faster than you on the descents. No one gets to the highest level of any segment of cycling without being good at riding bikes. Simple as that. Next time you label someone as a "downhiller" or an "XC guy", just remember that we all ride mountain bikes and that is all that really matters. 

The thing I like about the rear-facing cam is that I haven't seen the footage when I go to make an edit. It is all a surprise, rather than seeing it for a second time, after riding, while making an edit. Classic Kyle Mears right here, just casually riding manuals behind me on an extraordinarily rough and fast bit of trail. No big deal, JRA.  Kyle is special. Of all the people I have ridden with over the years, Kyle has impressed me the most. His natural skill on the bike is nothing short of art. 

This is what is cool about mountain biking. Our crew consists of an Olympian, a 24 hour champion, Randy Sooter the loc-dog and Kyle the legend that he is. We all just enjoy riding our bikes, regardless of our backgrounds and skill sets. We can all go out and have a wonderful time laughing at each other and absolutely crush some trail. I can't think of another sport that is so welcoming and has the ability to bring people together around these amazing wheeled contraptions. 

This marks the end of my Tucson riding block. Huge thanks to Randy for all of the good times and motivation. There is just something special about the Tucson riding scene. The trails are obviously world-class but as I have found in most locations, the people make the experience what it is. Without amazing people to ride with, I am not really sure what I would be doing with my life today. I feel very fortunate for the vibe and riding scene that we had going for a couple of months. The crew that we had can never be replicated. I am a lucky man.