Ryan Leech Mailing List Message

Date: August 11th 2008

Since starting my website blog, my mailing list messages have dwindled. I have been enjoying the last week at home, so I thought I'd take advantage of this down time and send a hello out to all my friends on this list!

The mountain biking season is in full force; Crankworx, one of the premier mountain bike events around is about to pull in to full swing up in Whistler, and with all the commotion, it's easy to forget that the days are getting shorter, and the Summer holiday season will officially end for most in 3 weeks! So for all those folks who are busy with this and that, just wanted to remind you about the bike, and hope you can make some time to play before the Summer is out!

If you're heading up to Crankworx, come on by my trials show set up, I'll be performing at 1, 3, and 5 daily starting on August 13th. I'll be set up with the Norco Display at the Starbucks Plaza. If you're digging the trials, then be sure to watch the competition (trialsworx) on Saturday, there will be sections spread throughout Whistler village, it's a very spectator friendly sport.

CRUX has continued to sell well through the Summer months, and one of the most common questions I receive is about the soundtrack. Shawn Hall (aka Corduroy Kid) agreed to produce a soundtrack CD with this original music that is featured in Crux, it's now available for purchase ($10.00) at my online store. Hope you enjoy!

I just posted the latest BikEcology article on my blog. Here is the start of it:

Traffic in Vancouver, like most growing cities, is getting pretty intense. Combine that with rising fuel prices, and extreme suburb commuting, and you get some nasty driving attitudes and road rage. Serving humanity and the greater whole is a key element to finding purpose in ones life. I know an old man whose apparent purpose is to help reduce the stress of the car commuter. He’s the old man at the corner of the Hwy 1 on-ramp at Hastings St. in Vancouver.

You can choose to let the old man put a smile on your face, or choose to look down upon him, and ignore him, like many do with homeless people and beggers. When passing him one direction there is no light so I just whiz by, but he always makes eye contact while waving the peace sign; coming the other way, there’s a light, at that point I see him with his broom and dustpan sweeping the curb trash and debris, I see him smiling and waving, and only when signaled by a driver does he come to the window to accept tips. The times I have signaled him, he comes along with his reflective vest on, and shares a joke that always brings a smile to my face; job done.

I started thinking about street people, and that they probably have one of the smallest carbon footprints in western societies. Whether they are happy or not is of course in question. But in a culture that values material wealth more than anything, it might be hard for them to be content with the few, if any, possessions they have. However many world travelers often remark that the happiest people they see are the ones in cultures where there is little material wealth. When I was in Peru filming for Kranked 3, we came across a small village, everyone was gathered around the fire, and they invited us over to join. They lived in little huts, no electricity or plumbing, but they weren’t embarrassed, they gave us nothing but welcoming smiles and great hospitality, and there was this unforgettable feeling of calm contentment and connectiveness. In a documentary I just watched called “Ten Questions with the Dalai Lama”, he suggested that the more you have materially, the more you h ave to worry about; I can certainly see the truth in that....

Click here for the rest of the article

Happy Summer Everyone!

Ryan

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