Practice Makes Progress

That's right folks, we've been duped. Progress, not perfection, is what you get from hard work. And if you're new to something - you're most likely going to suck. Like a lot. But that's okay. Every person you see tearing it up on the trails or at the bike park also sucked at one point. Practice makes you better. Practice makes you faster. Practice makes you stronger. (Daft Punk knows what's up, why mess with a good thing?) Sure- you can buy a "better" bike, lighter parts - the list goes on. A new bike isn't going to make you suck less. I'm not saying it won't make a difference at all - it totally can. But before you run out and spend a ton of money on shit you don't even know if you  need yet, you should probably just ride your bike. Like a lot.

Putting in some work at the Desert Trails Bike Park in Mesa, AZ.

Blisters got you down? Ride more - get calluses.

What Cities Need

My new favorite place. Desert Trails Bike Park. Pump track, skills area, three flow/jump lines – even a toddler pump track. This is what cities need – kids on bikes. Opening weekend the park was packed. Not a single parking space available. Several weeks later, it's Wednesday afternoon around 4PM. Only a few cars are in the parking lot. A dad is teaching his son how to ride a bike, a few guys are practicing on the expert line. My heart sank a little. “Please don't let this place die”, I thought to myself.

I rode a few warm up laps on the beginner trail before heading up to the intermediate line. A few more cars pull into the park. My husband, who just finished running a few laps of the multi-use trail that runs around the park, gets some video of me practicing. I'm on the intermediate start hill, watching a typical breathtaking Arizona sunset when I notice.

Moms are shouting “pedal, pedal!” to their toddlers in the skills area; a dad, “hit the brakes – harder!”. The pump track is bustling with 6-10 year olds falling and getting back up. A child no older than 5 is bragging to a group of adults about a crazy crash he had last week. Pre-teens are riding in from the surrounding neighborhoods. It's Wednesday afternoon around 5:45PM and the parking lot is jammed. This is what cities need – kids on bikes.