adventure daily.
It's been so long since I've written on this platform regularly. I think about making writing a regular part of my life again just about every day, but an endless list of excuses get in the way. I don't have time. It's not productive. I sit front of the computer for work and don't want …
An interesting conversation ensued between a friend and I a couple weeks ago as we were in the car driving home from a ride. I mentioned how I was glad she was willing to ride with me again -- at times in the past she said that she felt too out of shape to do …
I've been struggling with a hamstring injury since the beginning of winter. For most of that time, I didn't even realize it was an issue. My hammie was tight and sore but I figured it was something that would work itself out. About a month ago, that dull soreness turned into a burning pain in …
The things we are most scared of are often the things most worth doing. Evan reminded me of this last week as I was having a meltdown and freaking out about going on a 3-day bikepacking trip with a group of women that I barely knew. I was scared I would somehow be in over …
To use a favorite analogy of my coworker Karl, life is like spinning a bunch of plates in the air, trying to keep them from crashing to the ground and shattering into a million pieces. I tend to think of my own life like a Venn diagram with five circles: Exercise/outdoor adventure, work, home, a …
Riding my bike is my best attempt to defy my weaknesses. This thought popped into my head one morning earlier this summer as I was enjoying a solo "ride before the ride" on the Allegrippis Trails. Later, I'd be meeting up with some friends for what I knew would be a pretty casual roll, so …
I went to Interbike for the first time this year. It was my first time in Vegas, my first time at a bike show this big, my first time trying to write so many articles in such a short amount of time and see so many different products within the span of a couple of …
I had this teacher in high school who said he went into teaching because he was always scared of public speaking, and he tries to do things he's scared of. I don't think about much from high school. It wasn't exactly my favorite period of my life. But I think about this statement a lot. Most …
I like to be outside. I like to ride my bike. I like to run. But these things are more than just hobbies. They are necessary to my existence as a happy human being. I wouldn't call myself "naturally happy." It seems like happiness comes so much easier to other people. Despite the fact that …
I'm going to risk sounding like an egocentric, self-obsessed, narcissist for a minute here. I love this photo of myself. Of all those that exist, it's remained a favorite ever since it was taken in November 2013. Evan and I had decided to ride from our cabin to town via the shoreline of Raystown Lake, a …
helena kotala 