Entranced by this dirt

Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  We are born from the soil.  And we will one day all return to this same soil.  The molecules that make up our bodies coming from the very dirt that we walk and ride on.  Maybe that’s why I’m so attracted to it?  It’s a part of me.  I’m a part of it.  One.  This dirt.  The very first mountain bike that I rode was back in 1987.  Steel frame.  Fully rigid.  Canti brakes.  Ridiculously wide gearing range.  Back when I was completely consumed by BMX.  A time when I wasn’t yet drawn to the new emerging MTB movement.  Four years later, in 1991, done with 20” wheel bikes, I purchased my very first mountain bike.  Aluminum frame.  Fully rigid.  Canti brakes.  Triple ring crankset in the front.  7 cogs in the back.  STI shifters.  That bike re-awakened the explorer inside of me.  Through the woods, on this dirt, those fat tires carried me.  Now, 30 years later, still exploring on my mountain bike, a new whip rekindling my love affair with this dirt.  As I throw my leg over this new Giant Trance Advanced Pro 1, I can’t help but think of how far we’ve come, how far all this technology has carried us over the last 30 years.  29 inch wheels.  Front and rear suspension.  Full composite frame.  1x12 gearing.  Dropper post.  As mountain biking evolves towards more jumps, pump tracks and landscaped trails, I feel my connection to this dirt that is part of me run deeper.  A certain regression in my riding style.  The young boy carving this same dirt on his BMX reborn.  Familiar.  The only thing that has changed is the technology of the tool.  Even if my riding style is much more conservative as I get older, my new bike seems to be able to handle all that I can throw at it.  Playful.  Balanced.  Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  Here.  Now.  This dirt.