I remember when I interviewed Zapata Espinoza for issue #99, there was one phrase (among a number of them) that stuck in my mind,

“That’s why I’ve remained more in love with racing and Ned Overend than most sane individuals. I’m a big advocate of racing, maybe because it came to me at Mammoth instead of at some willowy park in a big meadow.

At the moment he said that, I realized how completely opposite we were—because I had fallen in love with mountain biking in a willowy park in a big meadow. Well, it wasn’t really a meadow—it was a place called “the Bird Sanctuary,” back in Culver, Indiana.

I was reflecting on all this yesterday during a pre-ride for the upcoming Punk Bike Enduro, the annual multi-stage outlaw race that starts and finishes just down the road from Dirt Rag. But back to yesterday…A group of 9 headed out of the Dirt Rag driveway in hopes of resurrecting a trail system we hadn’t ridden since last year. It seems that with the proliferation of well-maintained trails in the county and city parks, we just don’t really ride the trails of Punk Bike anymore—Endless Valley, Oil Well, Pet Cemetery Loop…these trails have all fallen back into the hands of the motor-heads as the mountain bike community finds acceptance in the local parks. It’s more than acceptance, really. Most park officials praise the efforts of well-organized groups wanting to give back in the form of hard labor. They’re not just accepting us—they’re welcoming and encouraging us.

This is all well and good, but it seems that we’ve forgotten something that was once such a fabric of our existence—of the continual challenge of riding narrow, muddy lines between moto tire ruts, of the joy that comes from watching your friends fall into 3-foot mud holes, of standing around in wet socks, sharing candy bars and trying not to think too hard about a cup of hot chocolate. These hardships that we’ve endured solidify friendships and create lasting memories. These backwoods rituals turn into rites of passage, forming unspoken bonds that will last a lifetime.

That’s not to say this can’t happen back in Hartwood, with its polished trails and sanitary environment. It’s just different, and it’s the way I discovered mountain biking—on crappy trails in a cold, wet environment, with obstacles that created a sense of real achievement.

And that’s what I found yesterday, with a group of people whose presence I genuinely enjoy. Trudging back home at the last minute of day’s light, we found ourselves cold and wet and muddy, looking for a beer and a chance to remind ourselves how good warmth really feels.

Feel like coming to the Punk Bike? Here are the details:

NEW THIS YEAR! 25 POINTS FOR ATTENDING THE NOVEMBER 6TH TRAIL DIGGING IN HARTWOOD!!!!! BE THERE!!!!!!! 10AM AT THE MANSION.
OUTLAWS
COME TO THE 16TH ANNUAL PUNK BIKE ENDURO
SUNDAY DECEMBER 4TH, 2005
11 AM SHARP
DORSEYVILLE FIRE HALL
AN 8 TO 10 STAGE STAGE RACE FOR FUN AND POINTS
MOST POINTS WINS
NO FEES, NO NORBA, NO RULES
EATS & PARTY AFTER IT'S OVER
WE'LL BUY SOME BEER
YOU BRING THE REST (OR GO HUNGRY)
KITCHEN AVAILABLE
COURSE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
DRESS FOR COLD, WET WEATHER
YOU MIGHT WEAR A HELMET AS THERE IS NO INSURANCE
PLEASE PHONE:
412-767-9910
TO REGISTER
OR GET DIRECTIONS
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27TH
SATURDAY DECEMBER 3RD
TRAIL MAINTENACE PRE-RIDES
CALL MOE’S CELL 412.302.9070
BE READY FOR ANYTHING