From the Riders’ Point of View: Blackstar to Beek’s Place
Some quotes and photos from two ride report threads:
Then I kept hearing “Its just a little more….” hehe I numbed that out of my head cause I know it was gonna be a grind.
All of STR great spending the day with you all and a special thank you to Brian for turning around manning up and kickin some serious @$$… You Tracey for being truely committed to attaining your goal. You both are huge inspirations…
Like Rachel(Wrecker) said, that’s what so great about this sport and this group of riders known as STR.
This was huge for many of you newbies, I’m sure of that. Of all the times I’ve been to Beek’s, this was the best time for sure. To see someone push themselves to the brink, but continue on and make it to the top is what this ride was all about! A JOB WELL DONE TO YOU ALL!
And last but not least, my boy Jake!
This was his first real climb, 15.6 miles round trip, with 2135 ft. of climbing. Not once did he mention turning around, and cutting it short.
Surlygal and neccros are examples of why mountain biking stays in my blood. They were out there pushing their bodies beyond their pain thresh holds. I saw tears, cramps, empty camelback bladders, frustration and the biggest sense of accomplishments I have seen in years. Huge prop’s to you two!!!
We asked if anybody wanted a lift up the hill and the answer was NO! Traci was determined to get up that hill and not take the easy way out, great job for going the distance!
I signed up for the ride at the last minute and was glad I did. I was expecting the large turnout after seeing the last few Fully rides, but it was nice to see how cool everybody was. Not an elitist’s attitude in the bunch.
One of the reasons I LOVE mtn biking is the comraderie, one of the reasons I love STR is the lack of ego and the intense support for each rider, one of the reasons I loved this ride is that it had it all! You guys all rock!
I would personally like to thank you for the opportunity to ride with you to Beeks. I found this to be one of the most inspirational days that I have spent on the bike in a long time. Your commitment, drive and follow through were absolutely amazing, watching you work not only through the physically challenging, but emotionally challenging climb of your life. I feel very honored to have been able to have been part of that and there is nowhere that I would have rather been then sitting on the top of that hill with you and Brian. It brought back memories both recent and distant of personal challenges, and really showed that if one sets their mind to something, there really is no limit to what can be attained.
And last but not least: here is John’s video cam footage.
