#whyMTB - An Inspirational Video Series from Kitsbow

What is the meaning of mountain biking? Why do we ride? In this new Kitsbow video series, they explore what it means to ride from the motivations and perspectives of those whose efforts have lent the sport meaning to our own lives. For some, these are easy questions with tangible answers. For others, less so.

In this first chapter, Kitsbow sought out the voice of Scot Nicol — someone whose vision, experience, and offbeat sense of humor have molded Ibis Cycles into the inspiration that it is today. Who else would know more about mountain biking's meaning than one of its very pioneers?



In this second chapter, Kitsbow heads to the arid hills of Kern County to learn about what mountain biking means to Brien Chartier: the BLM Ranger tasked with policing the region's public wilderness lands. Recreational permissions for mountain biking can be a sensitive topic in some places in California, but Chartier's refreshing perspective holds the key for building a more sustainable future for every type of trail user.



In this third chapter, Kitsbow returns to their backyard in Sonoma County and meets Vanessa Hauswald, a former Petaluma English teacher now serving as the Executive Director of the Norcal League — Northern California's arm of the National Intercollegiate Cycling Association. Her role with NICA is simple: get more high school kids outside and on bikes. But Vanessa's story has a twist — a powerful complexity that keeps her going back to the trail for reasons that far eclipse even the job she loves.

Credit: Logan Kelsey // Kitsbow
0 comments

The Latest