Too Much on the Tube.

I watch too much YouTube and mostly have the mind of a teenager, obsessed with riding bikes or going surfing. When I have my riding head on, I’ll watch a ton of riding edits. 99% of the ones involving jumping are so far removed from what I can do on a bike, but I watch all the same because I absolutely love watching it, and it makes me want to go and my bike. Like the video below, I watched, then immediately ask my wife if she has anything planned on Sunday? Why? She asks. ‘Because the weather is looking perfect for a Bike Park session!

When I feel like riding more enduro, which I can relate to more, I’ll watch some racing, or trail riding. I might not be that fast, but it’s always fun to ride in the woods or on the hills. When I watch gravel riding, I Imagine myself riding a 100 miles on perfect Vermont gravel backroads, but in reality, I go out and do 20 miles on the cow much ridden back lanes here in the Wild West, with the odd bridleway thrown in and come back caked in filth.  

When I want to surf, when I really obsess about riding waves, and that happens more n the winter, because I get to surf less I don’t watch, big wave hero surfing,  tow surfing or massive barrel sessions on the Hawaiian North Shore; Nah, for one, I’d die immediately on first wipeout, and for two, I’ve not got the ‘cajones’ for that. No,  I’ll usually watch Devon Howard who’s nearer my age, or maybe some skinny young whippets, formerly ‘hipsters’, cruising around mellow but perfects waves, looking cool on their mid lengths or longboard surfboards, but mostly Devon, Tyler Hatzikian or Joel Tudor,  because I watch, knowing that I can actually do what they do to a vastly lesser  degree, but I know the feeling. 
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Then there’s motocross. I grew up watching it, had a brief ownership of a 125cc that frightened the life out of me, and became happy to just watch it. Ironically, I’ve never once dreamt I could do it, but always have and always will, hold it up there as the sport that I really love to watch. When the supercross season starts, I get up early every Sunday morning and watch before my wife gets up, It’s a noise thing, or should I say sound. The sound of a 450 annoys her,  and I know this, she has no interest but I make sure I give her a run down of who won the 450 and 250cc races, and who’s leading the championship. This then leads into the outdoor season and then the Motocross Des Nations. It’s a long season.  I’ll also put some two stoke Moto action on, and turn the volume up, just because it makes me smile and makes her cringe. It’s a sound I’ll cherish from childhood and right now,  my new favourite rider is Carson Brown.

The videos below are four of my favourites.

The first video ‘A portrait of Winter’, dropped just before I wrote this post.  The film work is epic, and beautifully shot against the backdrop of Vancouver Island.  The riding is stunning, smooth and inspiring to watch.  

‘Shredder Guy’  features an all out, flat out, trail riding session that just makes me want to go and ride the woods at Grogley, (here in Cornwall), every time I see it.  

Then there Is Devon Howard ‘Assorted Rides’. A masterclass in smooth surfing. If you want to surf smoothly, then just aim to surf like  Devon. Nice chap too.

Finally we have a three lap timed battle between Carson Brown vs Justin Barcia on 150cc Two Stroke Bikes. It’s epic, but to get maximum thrill, be sure to turn the volume up on this one, don’t be shy, I’ll guarantee it will make you smile.

Well I hope you enjoy this little selection of treats, and a welcome insert to your Facebook algorithm thing.  I’ll be putting some more videos up soon, just because it’s good to share the stoke.