Hi Everyone!

The 2010 Sea Otter Classic is coming up April 15-18!

My focus at this world renowned cycling festival will be to perform trials shows in the pit area (see schedule below); but as a side bonus, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be offering free morning yoga classes for anyone that is interested.

So this blog post will serve as a reference for all those riders who might be interested.

Whether you’re racing, watching, working, exhibiting, or performing, the goal of this class is to charge you up so you’re feeling amazing for the day ahead—loose body, primed muscles, and a clean and clear mind. Nothing too serious, just playing yoga!

Instructor: Ryan Leech

When: April 16, 17, 18

Time: 7am – 8am

Where: Chapparel Building in Campground B (here is a map, the building is at the north west part of the loop)

Style: Vinyasa Flow

Level: All levels All good

For Who: Everyone welcome

If you have your own yoga mat, please be sure to bring it. But I’ll have a few extra just in case.

For an interview with Ryan about how mountain biking and yoga fit together, check out NSMB.com.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments feild below, I’ll do my best to answer!

If you’d like to check out a trials show, I’ll be at booth 755 with a brand new demo obstacle set to ride on. Come on by for daily shows:

Thursday: 1 and 3

Friday: 10:30, 1 and 3

Saturday: 10:30, 1 and 3

Sunday: 10:30 and 1

(photo-Harookz, chain line from CRUX)

Looking forward to see you there!

All the best,

Ryan

PS-If you’re looking for a mountain biking and yoga holiday, check out the one I’m hosting with Boreale Mountain Biking in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, Canada

If somebody asks me if I do yoga, I’m going to have to say no, I play yoga! This seemed to be one-of-many emerging themes from my recent ten day, 100 hour, yoga teacher training course.

Eoin Finn, our teacher and mentor, had a mission to turn our group of fourteen students in to “the best freaking yoga teachers in the world.” I hope he gives us a lifetime to complete that task because as he himself states, “To be a good yoga teacher, you need to understand anatomy as well as an orthopedic surgeon, be able to grasp philosophy like a university professor and become aware of the human soul like a priest.” Good thing we have another 100 hours of training coming up in September!

So what’s this yoga thing all about for me, why would I want to teach and share the experience with others? By the time I was twenty-five, and after ten years of bodily abuse on the bike, my back, wrists and shoulders had chronic pains, five years of yoga practice later, my body feels more balanced and better than ever. But I have to acknowledge that yoga can be more dangerous than mountain biking depending on the style you choose and attitude you take. Some yoga postures can torque the joints, even if you’re an expert; Eoin shared stories of older yogis that have completely worn out joints. Not good!  So an important myth to understand is that just because you’re doing yoga doesn’t mean it’s good for you. A clear goal of our teacher training was to structure a class that promotes well-being and longevity.

My wife reminded a friend of ours today that yoga is not about flexibility, saying you’re too stiff to do yoga is like saying you’re too thirsty to have a glass of water. Another concern people have is that yoga is too much like a religion; now I have been to some yoga classes where it feels like you’re taking an oath with some strange chant, maybe those are the fundamentalist yogis; of course they have their place and that’s all good, but the kind of practice that Eoin Finn preaches is an ever-evolving style for the western lifestyle, inviting to all, no new age nonsense.

One of the guest speakers we had, Mark Finch, was an expert in structural integration, that tied in to our required reading of the book Somatics. He quite effectively helped us to visually spot problem areas in body alignment; for example, he said to look not at the over extended low back, but instead at the thorax and pelvis so as to give points of reference. He applied this knowledge to yoga postures giving us a better understanding of common alignment issues.

Over the last few years, I have been on a roller coaster ride trying to educate myself about climate change. My egoic emotions on the topic have stabilized, and I am cautiously optimistic. I was so glad to see that Eoin included a seminar with Bernie Clark (the Al Gore of the yoga world) as part of the curriculum. His presentation, titled “Yoga for Our Planet”, was very well done. He emphasized following the three Big Easy’s:

1. Mindful Consuming (diet, travel, buying)
2. Mindful Voting (incredibly important)
3. Communicating Mindfully (speak up!)

I was particularly glad he acknowledged the important role our democracy can play when we actually exercise its power.

One of Eoin Finn’s hero’s is Joseph Campbell; so he shared a documentary titled “The Power of Myth”. One of the statements Campbell said struck me, especially after listening to Bernie the night before, “What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.” (my italics). But the one reflection I had after this documentary and Bernies speech was the importance of acknowledging all perspectives, and the integral ecology slogan sums that up nicely-”things are getting worse, things are getting better, and everything is already perfect.”

One of my favorite musicians, Xavier Rudd, attempts to describe the experience of playing live as a circular cycle of energy that comes out from the audience in to him and out through his music right back to the audience and out again, a positive feedback loop of sorts. Eoin expressed a similar feeling when teaching a good flow class, and I can relate to a degree during my trials shows. The offering of the musician, or yoga teacher, or bike performer has to be authentic in order to trigger the right kind of energy or state from the group of people involved, otherwise there is no magic.

A challenge our culture faces is that we have a hard time listening to feedback from our bodies. We would much sooner push past our limits to fuel our ego rather than listen to our bodies’ somatic wisdom. This mindset of focus on the external world goes well beyond the origin of yoga injuries, the major challenges our world faces is in part due to the ignorance of this first-person person guidance, this basic wisdom from within. Sure yoga brings incredible fitness, strength, and balance to the body, but those are just side benefits, the entire yoga practice of moving through poses is simply a preparation for savasana, corpse pose, the death of the practice, which is a rare opportunity in our fast lives to just simply be, breaking for just a moment, the identification and attachment to our thoughts, allowing a connection with our true selves to form.

Yoga isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it is just one key of many toward that leads to a healthy lifestyle.  I’m glad Eoin emphasized that yes, yoga can bring your body in to alignment, but too much of it can make you look stiff, and stiff people are boring, right So yes, go rip it up on your mountain bike, play some yoga, and then go laugh a little with the friends you make along the way.

Big thanks to Eoin and his blissology crew, and all the friends I made during course!

Peace y’All

Yesterday, after some trials shows in 100 Mile House, BC, I raced home to check out the new ‘Trials of Life Platform’ being installed in the Port Moody trials park by Mr. Jay Hoots and his mate Owen. When I arrived they were just finishing up because they had run out of materials…so they invited me on a ride! I made a quick stop at home to grab my Fluid LT and riding gear, dropped my demo trailer off, and raced to meet them at Mt. Seymour for a rip.

(Owen, Myself, Jay; on the almost complete practice platform of varying heights)

Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of shuttling. I tend to like climbs, especially technical challenging ones. I like to get a workout and earn my downhills, I like being warm at the top before I slam my saddle down for a DH, I also like the bonus that you use an extra bit of food fuel instead of fossil fuel…..BUT, when you have the chance to hang with Jay and to chase him down a trail, how can you say no! Shuttling has it’s place, and last night, racing to the trail before sundown, was one of those times. 

The ironic thing is, that Jay and I are doing a stage of the BC Bike Race together, so we really need to get some mileage in legs. So we decided to meet today nice and early, again Seymour, but we raised our saddles and with some caffein racing through our bodies, we raced on up the trail. A good three hours later, we were pretty spent. We have some (a lot of!) work to do in order to complete the 65km stage in Squamish…did I mention I’m planning to do a trials demo right after I finish that stage!

I did some yoga this afternoon too. I usually try to practice outside this time of year, but today was wet and cold, so I decided to just put on one of Eoin Finn’s DVD’s, and did a routine called Strong, Free, and Happy. I’m thoroughly tired now so I think I’ll go fall asleep to the sound of falling rain…

Getting youth on bikes. That’s key. You get them on bikes at a young age, and it’s in their blood forever. Bikes are a huge part of the future, whether that be for transportation or fun. Once a cyclist, always a cyclist. That’s the mission of the Sprockids program, and it’s being relaunched and rebranded in hopes of spreading to as many schools as possible. 

So I spent the last couple days visiting some schools in North and West Vancouver doing a short demo and telling them about Sprockids. Brent Martin, the man responsible for the relaunch wants to see that this 19 year old program, created by Doug Detwiller, in as many schools around the globe as possible. It’s no easy goal, but so crucial in inspiring todays sedentary youth of a life full of health, fun, and environmental stewardship. I’m sure you’ll hear more as things progress and grow.

All the best,

Ryan

Just got this video blog from our day with Decline magazine uploaded. Gives you a little peak at the people behind the pages. We’re just heading out the door to go on a ride with Bike magazine in the beautiful Californian sunshine! 

By the time this article goes to print, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will have shown the special edit of my segment from Kranked 6, “Trial and Error”, to over 100,000 people. In this film I share my instinctual feelings of concern when seeing or thinking about clear cutting a forest.

I often show this video at my school presentations, and while on tour up in Northern BC where forestry supports a large chunk of the population, I began feeling a little sheepish about showing it, as I certainly am no expert on the topic. In the film I reference the particular zone of forest where my trail is built, “this is one of the last remaining sections of mid elevation old growth on the BC coast, and it’s slated for clear cut.” Then one of the analogies I make in the film is that “it seems to me that clear cutting is exactly like a crash, and they’ve done it time and time again, and perhaps haven’t learned from their mistakes.” I didn’t want to insult those in BC that base their livelihood on the industry and give them a bad reputation from my generalizing statements. Perhaps they have learned, and perhaps there are some ecologically sound logging practices in effect.

I needed to find out some more information, so while up in Northern BC I had the opportunity to chat with Dawn Stronstad R.P.F. who is a Planning Forester in Burns Lake, also an avid mountain biker with the BLMBA. She shared her own personal feelings on the topic of clear cutting. She gave me a brief history of logging in Canada, and acknowledges that there have been many mistakes along the way. But long gone are the days of the cut & run without looking back (this is happening in South America right now), and she believes that BC has learned from their mistakes. British Columbia has some of the most stringent logging laws in the world, and if a logging company hadn’t morally been doing the right thing in the past, they are now contractually and lawfully obligated to.

It is hard to complain about clear cutting when we as the consumer hold so much power. When we’re out at the store and buy something with a big cardboard box, we are really saying “please, please cut down that tree so I can have this nice packaging again”, then we grab a newspaper with a ‘coffee to go’ on the way home and what we are really saying to the logging companies is “oh and while you’re at it, cut down that tree beside the first one”.

Dawn told me that there are some areas that should not have been clear cut in the past, and portions of these areas are slow to recover or have reduced potential for re-growth, she thinks for the most part, these sites have recovered, but some areas not as quickly; but if done properly, clear cutting can be a reasonable forest management system. In fact, many foresters are amazed at the recovery capacity of Nature to bounce back; old growth is of course another story. The ironic thing about our disgust with clear cuts in BC is that it is along the coast where the most incredible old growth occurs, so the act of clear cutting is the most damaging and yet most of  us live on the largest and most permanent clear cut in BC, Vancouver.

I was fortunate enough to hear a speech by the young Simon Jackson, who has lobbied for the protection of the endangered Spirit Bear in BC. Great steps have been taken to secure 2/3 of this creatures habitat as protected, but another 1/3 is still open for potential logging; the government is aware and lobbyists are hopeful for full protection. I also heard Bill Clinton speak recently, and his Clinton Climate Initiative is anxious about the rapid deforestation of rainforests, especially in South America, this is where some unprecedented devastation is happening, far greater than anything we have ever seen in BC (the Amazon loses about 60,000 square kilometers a year), and being global citizens, these acts effect us just as much as if it was our own backyard, so perhaps this is where our lobbying efforts and expertise need to be focused now? It’s a complicated topic with so many different views, opinions, and motivations.

All I know is that the trees we do have deserve some respect, so next time you’re out shredding the trails, make sure you do some tree hugging!

Ryan

 

 

Many often miss a very important and joyous part of riding. Whether you’re racing your friends up or down the hill, annoyed at your bike because it’s not running smooth, maybe you’re stressed about something at work, or busy worrying about that stunt ahead and the one you biffed a few minutes ago, who knows, but it results in missing out on this gift, yes, that present moment when you can truly experience Nature. It’s the fleeting experience of being in Nature, not doing in nature.

 

This is similar to yoga, the most important part of the practice isn’t that crazy balance posture you pulled, it’s savasana, or corpse pose as it’s often called. So when you’re out on your next ride in the woods, take a second to feel the power of Nature, experience the presence of the trees or the desert rock, feel the wind or rain hitting your face, and just be, if only for a few moments. In the past I have been in some of the most incredible natural settings and not truly realized, recognized, or appreciated it; perhaps I took it for granted.

 

A large majority of the population takes the environment for granted, and it is because of this unfortunate view that most environmental degradation and exploitation occurs. We live as though the planet provides a never-ending supply of resources that can be manipulated for financial profit and enjoyment. That has to change. As David Suzuki once said “with six billion of us now shuffling up to nature’s buffet, the “all you can eat” sign will have to come down soon or those at the back of the line – the next generation – will be left with nothing but Jell-O salad.”

 

So the importance of these moments in Nature can be great, especially if riding is the only time you have that is free from the demands of the modern, fast-paced lifestyle. It’s in these moments of being that provide a certain perspective otherwise unavailable to the incessantly thinking mind; this following quote from Joseph Campbell is a great analogy of what I’m trying to say, “what if you worked your whole life climbing the ladder, and finally saw the view at the top and discovered you had leant it up against the wrong wall”. Why not let those mountain bike rides give you a glimpse of the view along the way; all you have to do is take a moment to look.

 

Just a few weeks ago, I was out practicing. I rode hard for about an hour, working on a few new moves, and jumping on everything in sight. It was a warm afternoon, the sun was out for the first time in a while; so I found some grass under a tree at the park, took my helmet off, sat down facing the sun, and just sat there soaking up the spring-like rays and letting my winter thoughts melt away. Not sure how long I was there, but I have to say it was the most important part of the ride. Conversely, I went on a night ride with a bike shop group last Fall, and they proceeded to race for two and half hours, trying to hit as many trails as possible; what I would have given for a few moments to stop, catch my breath, and gaze up at the night sky. For animals have the capacity to know, but it’s only humans that have the capacity to know they know; this is called consciousness, and it is something that we need to develop individually and then spread around.

 

Once a true relationship with Nature is realized it becomes very difficult to purposefully (or unconsciously) harm it. Now I don’t mean a kind of one-way relationship such as the “love” for nature because it provides you with endless powder snow and vertical, no. When you truly connect with Nature there is a certain respect, awe, and sense of responsibility that goes along with it. I can’t think of a better time and place to experience this connection than on a ride, how about you?

 

January 5th Many of us are now settling in to the new year, back to school, back to work, back to routine, and for me, back to riding!! For one month I didn’t ride trials; snuck in a few mountain bike rides, but no trials! I’m just getting in to the groove again as I have a demo coming up next week, and so kicks off my 2008 season!!

I have had some time over the holidays to allow my intentions for the season to form, and one of the areas that I hope to continue developing is my Trials of Life program. The children of today will shape the future of tomorrow, and with a world that is changing so fast, it seems vital that we be sure children have the framework to make sure that change is toward a positive, sustainable world. This is a deep and complicated topic, but one I’m excited to explore.

My sponsorship roster for the year is solid; I’m excited to be on the Norco Factory Team for the 11th year in a row! Shimano has re-signed with me for another two seasons and Marzocchi is customizing some forks for me as we speak. This will also be my tenth season with Ryders Eyewear, and Mace Clothing polishes off the package. I am one fortunate dude to have so many great people to work with!!

I’m building up my new Fluid LT, just waiting for my forks and a package from Shimano, should be a pretty swank bike! This ride will travel with me all over the place, and I’m looking forward to many pedal powered adventures.

I have a new website being designed right now, and will have that live in a month or two. My blog/newsletter will be redesigned allowing me to include more photos, video, and writing topics from my travels. Talking about writing, keep an eye out in Mountain Biking magazine for my column on living a green mountain biking lifestyle.

Have an awesome year everyone!! Ryan