"Apidej is a living legend, the greatest muay Thai fighter of the century. He won seven titles. In muay Thai the better the fighter, the more humble and good the person; and you could feel the goodness, humbleness, and the happiness radiating off of Apidej. He had an infectious laugh, a deep sense of glee and the gentle manner of a life long Buddhist. And yet there was this other side, the fighting side. Apidej would show me how to move, sliding around the ring like a leopard, his eyes dark and serious, his motion effortless, his aura menacing. His eyes would go flat and cold, the naked enmity toward another man in the ring just under the surface."
"It captured the idea that life is born of struggle and striving, that true joy and understanding do not come from comfort and safety; they come from an epiphany born in exhaustion ( and not exhaustion for its own sake). Safety and comfort are mortal danger to the soul."
"You have a specific responsibility to existence, to God if you like, to taste, touch and smell what there is to experience. You have to do everything. If given an option between doing something and not doing it, you have to do it; because you've already done the "not do it" part. This can be juvenile and dangerous, I realize there are a lot of things I have chosen not to do, for a million reasons. I was raised polite. I've never hurt anyone, and I don't take needless risks. The idea is to make it through intact; "safety" is my middle name. But I feel that you owe it to the world to be curious. Somebody asked me if I was looking for something, I am looking for everything."
a nice group tonight at MR. We had daylight for much of the ride, a clear message that despite the bitter cold, spring will be here soon. We all joked that next week, we won't need our coal mining equipment anymore. Todd (el presidente) maestroed the group containing myself, Matt(run forest), Wes the conqueror, Once a week Paul, and Tom (Papa Smurf). Along the route we also saw Fort James.
The trails were frozen and solid, and rutted in some places. Ruts make me angry. Look I'm not IMBA bible beater, and I am long since past my trail spinner guilt, but Amazin' Andrew said it best, "muddy trails aren't fun to ride!" I don't care how self important you are, or how much you have to train , or maybe you figure it'll be just you and it will be okay. Look, if you leave a rut where you rode, you are a fucking idiot, and really you don't get it at all. I hope your muddy ride was terrific, because in the end, you just fuck up the trails for those of us, who do wait to ride when we should and trails are good and soild, and best of all we aren't fucking them up for anyone else. Really, it's just common courtesy, but some people just don't have any respect, and that's why we had to ride rutted trails tonight. If you rode at MR or white clay last weekend, I have one thing to say to you: Fuck you, Fuck you very much. And the reality is, you do know better, you just don't care. I also get, that if you are reading this, you likely do get it, and weren't out there last weekend. They have a sport designed to ride when it's too wet: it's called cyclocross, not lets fuck up the local trail system because I'm selfish and have to ride my mountainbike, on my trail system now. Because you own it, it's not for everyone, just you.
But I digress, the pace was a little crisp tonight, some good natured smack was tossed around, something about "his fatness" not being so fat any more, more of a chubby. I've looked and chubbymarc.com is not available. Todd (el presidente) rode a couple of truly inspired sections, that left the entire group grasping to hang on, and Todd to comment, "what happened to my group?" Every time I think this will be the year that I whoop that ass, Todd raises the bar. Well done my friend, well done.
back at the parking lot, hugs and high fives were past about. It was a good night.
respect.
fm
13 comments:
I had the same emotions when I was riding Middle Run yesterday morning.I just hope whoever it was crashed a couple of times,and i hope there bike if fucked up,or maybee thay just get a giant zit on there ass.
B
"Look, if you leave a rut where you rode, you are a fucking idiot, and really you don't get it at all. I hope your muddy ride was terrific, because in the end, you just fuck up the trails for those of us, who do wait to ride when we should and trails are good and soild, and best of all we aren't fucking them up for anyone else."
Well put.
You've never ridden in those parks in conditions that you shouldn't have?? Bullshit!!
....so I guess it was Mr Anonymous
who tore up the trails...nice goin
puss!
da Shark
I'm breaking a personal blog rules responding to a comment but what the hell:
1. anonymous commenters who use multiple puncuations are cowards.(i.e. ?? or !!)
2. I call your bullshit, I have never ridden WC when it was questionable. That is easily the most sensitive area in our riding, and to trash that is just stupid. MR in the past was far more hardy than it is now, with all the new trail, I wouldn't ride there for the same reasons listed above. In recent years, say the past 7, if I rode on a questionable day, it would be at FH, for the simple matter that if they don't mind the horses on a wet day, my butt sure as hell isn't going to any damage.
3. I have NEVER rutted a trail. If my fat-ass was on a trail, and it was sinking in where i was riding I would have enough sense to get off the trail, not continue my ride. If not for the respect of other's reason, if for the fact that trails that fucked up aren't fun to ride...
4. The sad part of all of this is that I never intended this post to be a proper trail riding thread, as much as a showcase for the book I am reading.
5. the shark is right, Mr. A was one of the guilty last weekend for sure. Hope you love Iron Hill when WC is gone, that's all we'll have to ride. Thank you ruts then a-hole.
respect.
fm
Mr. A, you may have uncovered something major BS there. The operative location in the post is MR. No one said anything about Ranger Evil once being Ranger Nice Guy before the FM gang trashed Elk Neck last winter. Ruts and all. The same one whose gang rides from his house to avoid the FH park fee. Lame!!
anon posters suck ass.. !! !! !!
Oh silly d-ganger, don’t hate me because I beautiful.
My conscience is clear.
Your Elk Neck facts are just wrong. Although not surprising.
Ranger Evil’s closing of the camping areas
had as much to do with me and my friend’s as Iraq did with
the 911 attacks. At it’s peak, we would ride down there maybe 6 times
a year. There were other groups that used the place, far more than we did,
but we are the easiest targets, we have been around the longest, are often
The most vocal, the most visible. “the racers did it” that’s okay, been there
done that, the easiest way to make yourself look better is to tear someone else
down.
That’s okay. My shoulders are fat, I mean broad. I’ll repeat, I NEVER rutted
out a trail at elk neck. Whisper in the corner, gossip what a horrible person I am. They
ride fast and drop people, they drink beer, they wear bad polyester shirts, they
wear thongs, they have too much fun. I am a bad bad man.
But I am no hypocrite.
I would concur that my focus was on MR and WC, as clearly these
areas are the most highly visible, and at the highest risk. Based on
their location the competition from other user groups is highest, and thus
even more important to make sure the trails aren’t ridden when they are
muddy, or even questionable, although clearly last weekend there was no question
about how those conditions would be.
As far as Fairhill goes, this is where I live. Riding out of my house has far less
To do with avoiding a $3 fee, than it does not driving 2 miles to a parking lot when I can ride out my front door. It has more to do with a fridge with beer, and a warm
place to get dressed, than avoiding a fee. You are right I am so lame.
On a cooler note I love that we are a gang, a BIKER GANG! SWEET.
At the end of the day, I can look in the mirror and say that I know my place and
my contributions minor as they may be to this community. I can confidently state
That I give back, and at the end of the day, I am proud to be a part of this brotherhood.
Proud to stand side by side with Mr. A rutting trails, and D-ganger and his glass of hatorade.
Well, I’ve said my peace. I kidnapped the Linberg baby, I closed down elk neck,
I was the shooter on the grassy knoll, I rutted all the trails at white clay, and I bankrupted fairhill by riding out of my house. If there’s something wrong just blame me, or do what I do, and blame Todd.
Again, all I wanted to was highlight my book, and talk about a bike ride.
Respect.
Fm
A really, really bad person
You forgot to mention that you outed the Teletubbies...
Who the fuck are mr.anonymous and d-ganger. Give us your name you cowards. I am with Marc, like him I have never rutted a trailand never will. If you can't leave your name it just shows us how guilty you are. I just hope you can live with yourself, because I am sure know one else can live with you.
Buddy
Wait, can I get a ruling here? Sometimes I leave a muddy rut in my underwear. Am I a bad person, or should I just not wear any?
-mail order
Remember boys and girls, just like riding your fav. type of person, riding trails should only be done when there is no question on the condition and on the quality. Any less and you are putting yourself and others at risk.
Great quotes dude!
-BC
i know i'm late on my commentary, but here's a question for the community:
How do you educate the lay (read: retarded) riders that tear up the trails?
I'd guess that 90% of the damage is done by the people who don't know better and don't realize both the sensitivity of the trails and the amount of work it takes to upkeep the trails. they see good sunny weather and it's the weekend and they think it's the only time they will ride so fuck if a little mud gets in the way.
A woman at work just now came and told me how she rode WC & MR on Saturday, and how "it was so muddy, but we just rode on the side where it wasn't as muddy." and then she proceeded to tell me how many people she saw out and about in the good weather.
how does one effectively and diplomatically tell the super-recreational weekend warrior how much that fucks up everyone's day?
maybe we should just release Apidej on the offending parties. Teach them a lesson muay thai style.
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