“Dirty, is drunkcyclist done?”
“How come you don’t write on DC anymore?”
“Dirty, where have you been? We miss hearing from you.”
“What the fuck, dude.”
These are just a few messages, trailside conversations or bar stool greetings I have received over the past year. I haven’t gone anywhere, I have been here all along. I just haven’t had much to say. A lot has happened since I quit my job and decided to go feral. I rode across the country, went to Asia, moved from Arizona to Asheville, NC and been on dozens of road trips. I have met countless amazing people and put tires on a TON of new (to me) trails. I just haven’t been sharing any of it here.
I think there are a few factors involved. The first being, that I don’t slow down long enough to actually get the stories out of my head and into the computer box. Back when I was a corporate ‘Merica weekend warrior, I would go do something for a few days, then come back to my boring profession and think about it for a few days. The experience would marinate, take shape and become the campfire story that I would tell you here. I don’t have that down time in my life any more. Which, I feel, is a great problem to have. But I do miss sharing my experiences with you.
Second, I was a little burnt out. When I quit my job, I decided to shop around some of my stories to offset my income. I had some minor success with publications like Dirt Rag, Bicycle Times and Adventure Journal. Three publications I respect and feel fortunate to have been in the pages of. But it sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to write on command. It was kinda like getting told to sit still, it wasn’t for me. I’m not a writer, or a journalist. I’m just a bike nerd story teller and that has to flow when it’s ready.
Third and final observation for not putting any words into pixels here, I’m just not inspired. This might be closely related to being burnt out, but nothing is really shouting out at me to do or see. I basically spent 8 months straight living on a bicycle, and it was exhausting. I do not regret a single second I spent doing it. But for some reason, I haven’t strapped my sleep kit to my bike in over a year. Just my luck, I get burnt out right when #bikepacking becomes super trendy. Kiss my hopes of a Blackburn and Salsa sponsorship goodbye! Darn. I fucked that one up. Moving to Asheville didn’t help this cause much either. The lack of vast open spaces and unfamiliarity with the zone had my wanderlust hibernating. But luckily there are a ton of trails close to town, and they are super rowdy. So I just go trail riding with the homies. It’s been a good change for me. As Fall approaches, I’m about to dust off my gear and head out for some multi-day trips with a renewed set of technical riding skills. All signs point to it being really good.
I still live and breathe Drunkcyclist every day. Fortunately, we have some rad social media platforms ( FB & IG) to scratch my itch. The real time shit talking and interactions with everyone is amazing. It’s quick, easy and pretty fun. When I get an Instagram notification on my phone on Tuesday at midnight that “Drunkcyclist just shared a post” It gets me stoked to see what the fellas put up. Are they trolling industry schills about e-bikes? A “creative” wikipedia article? Rev Dick, Danimal, Cupcake, Wrighteous or Scandinavian Jesus sharing a rad pic from their party/ride? I can’t wait to see it. Drunkcyclist is alive and well, it’s just constantly evolving. A lot has changed since Big Jonny made that first post back in Y2K. But the vibe is still the same. A bunch of bicycle addicted goof-balls sitting around a virtual pub after a ride, talking about random stuff.
I stay real active on my personal Instagram page if you want to have a look-see at what I have been up to. I have dozens of stories to share with you, and I’m going to try and do a better job of getting them up soon.
Until then, keep it dirty.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/YM0w6CgRjKc[/youtube]
peeps of all kinds. if you drink and pedal its alive. i have one dc sock left. that is proof. its 14 years old and kickin. (the sock) love yas guys from the center of pa. can equals man. bikes save lives. hm
so good to see your byline !
Good to hear that you are fine mate
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Takes a lot of courage to do what you did.
You have a lot to say for a guy who doesn’t have much to say! Great post bro!
Feral or tame. I prefer feral