Why I Ride Comment Contest 67

sspomer
12/14/2010 7:57am
AND THE WINNER IS...

Erin Roberts
I ride because I cannot fly; I ride because it's the most freeing, independent extrinsic activity I am capable of... I ride because someone once told me that girls can't.

Micayla says, "Erin Roberts' comment really left an impression on me because one of the most driving factors as to why I push myself as hard as I do on my bike is because of the stereotype that girly girls can't ride."

Micayla picked her favorites and we helped narrow them down, choosing Erin as the winner.

Micayla had the following to say about her favorite comments:

"spankthewan" - I ride because my bike always comes through when I am wondering what I should do to entertain myself. There is no team to organize, no boat to launch, and no gas tank to refill. All of these freedoms and endless possibilities are available with just a short walk to the garage.
Micayla: This is so true! I love it!  It's simply put, clean and to the point. I hate team sports, although I must say trying to organize a decent group of guys to go downhilling is like herding squirrels!

"veach" - I ride because people used to make fun of me for wearing my helmet around town.
Micayla: I laughed at this one.

"Parkin Bro's" - I ride to impress Micayla Gatto
Micayla: I absolutely love the parkin bro's and think it's adorable and awesome that they put this comment.  Honourable mention for sure!!!

Thanks for playing and stay tuned for more ways to win custom-painted helmets from Micayla Gatto and Pro-Tec

(Keep in mind this a showpiece and the artwork is fragile. Riding in it, not recommended.)



Not a member of Vital MTB? Becoming a member is fast and free, and you can join in on the forum, post comments on photos and videos, upload your own photos galleries or videos, and more. Just click here to become a member of Vital MTB.

67 comments

View replies to: Why I Ride Comment Contest

c50 Screen Shot 2015 03 09 at 2.10.12 PM 1425936051.jpg?VersionId=RClhlm1GiTEPMPegVFCjJxwA22d
sspomer
13 years ago
ERIN ROBERTS IS THE WINNER! The article now has the results and some nice words from Micayla, so look up. -spomer
c50 down 1 1 1367423836
juxtapozy
13 years ago
I can`t ride like a pro but I sure smile a lot more than pro-riders while riding, I don´t race championships but I do feel like a winner everytime I do something good just because! and I would never stay in the ground after a fall because from that I always learn, so for me it`s not only why but how! And thats RIDING JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT ALWAYS WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE!
c50 473605 590084350130 553720395 o
mattdh
13 years ago
i ride for the people who are less fortunate and are unable to continue to do the one sport we all love.
c50 473605 590084350130 553720395 o
mattdh
13 years ago
I ride for those who are less fortunate and can no longer do the one sport we all love.
c50 88958720 1266680261.jpg?VersionId=7ZR9
mxnate
13 years ago
I ride my bike because at a time when I had every reason to quit, every reason to stop caring and every reason to let go my bike gave me every reason to move, every reason to smile and every reason to find more reasons. I ride because I can.
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
JIMMYJAM
13 years ago
I ride because its what I know.
I ride because it makes me whole.
I try to ride everyday.
I wish I could ride to get paid!
c50 IMG 5925 1547033846
Andre Palmer
13 years ago
Riding has been part of my life since I was 3, not being able to ride is like not being able to see for me because I see a lot of beautiful things when I ride.... that kept me riding all this years and years to come
c50 92410940 1253001279
lawrenuk
13 years ago
riding is my escape from the real world. nothing else matters once im on my bike
c50 pbpic1543057.jpg?VersionId=1Z5NC
Erin_Roberts
13 years ago
THE WINNER!
I ride because I cannot fly; I ride because it's the most freeing, independent extrinsic activity I am capable of... I ride because someone once told me that girls can't.
c50 bike pics.jpg?VersionId=SdnkrLD
iamspecialized
13 years ago
its simple, i ride because there is no greater sport out there, no sport where i could just enjoy a day of riding because it was with family or friends. i ride purely because its a true passion, mountain biking can take you anyway and its taken me everywhere. its a world-wide sport full of adventure, from hittin the trails or jumps to a fun trip to whistler, and it means everything to me, no cheezyness involved here, its straight up fact. most importantly its a sport we can all do together that has healthy, friendly competition to push you to another level. but with so much in its aura of greatness theres one thing that shines above all, and thats that i can enjoy this sport with those who are closest to me, my friends and family. theres just no sport like it
c50 AvatarBike.jpg?VersionId=N9cedY3p.D.ppZ4e
Varaxis
13 years ago
I ride to enjoy freedom. In the outdoors by myself with just my bike or maybe with some friends on bikes, all the issues with the world and typical daily lives are left behind. It's just me, my bike, and nature--the wind, the smells, the sights, the feeling of the ground through your bike. When you do something out of the norm and discover something fun, that usually puts the biggest grin on your face and that's riding for me; or doing something wild while riding.
c50 Tyrone Biggums
thehorseman
13 years ago
I ride because its the only thing that keeps me alive. My parents are bound to their jobs, their addictions, and their ideals which strongly disagree with my passion for mountain biking. Since my birth, my life has been filled with misfortune, poverty, and hardships. My parents want me off a bike and helping them make a decent life for us, the area I live in provokes me to become a gang member and drug abuser, and my school doesn't encourage me to learn and become something of myself. Much of my life has been with the glass half empty. Often I have contemplated suicide, just to escape the stress and the pressure put on me on a daily bases. But ever since i touched a mountain bike, it has given me reason to live on, get through the daily grind so once a week, i can go out and do the only that sets me free. riding my bike keeps me happy, out of trouble, and free from all my burdens. Those few short minutes when im riding down a trail, im free, and nothing can take that away from me. I live to ride, and riding keeps me alive, its the only thing i have to live for. thats why I ride.
c50 89472860 1268930798
MW
13 years ago
It only took one ride with my son to realize why I ride, its why he rides, its why we all should ride. Because it makes us smile, laugh, focus,express ourselves and its not so bad for the ol ticker either. Viva la bike! Viva la ride!
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
metag33k
13 years ago
I ride because, biking is just a part of me. The feeling of the bike and the rocks and the bumps and the jumps riding down a hill, or a mountain. Seeing all of the sights , and the sensation that nothing in life matters other then what is happening at the moment or in the future on that trail. I ride purely for the fun and the excitement that goes along with that moment at that period in time.
c50 92086990 1251269642.jpg?VersionId=5
spankthewan
13 years ago
I ride because my bike always comes through when I am wondering what I should do to entertain myself. There is no team to organize, no boat to launch, and no gas tank to refill. All of these freedoms and endless possibilities are available with just a short walk to the garage.
c50 90106930 1249175870.jpg?VersionId=93gq7fZgK1ycU
Jamie Goldman
13 years ago
I ride for the blank moments. we all know the feeling. that moment when your mind is so focused on what your doing that nothing in the world matters, for that one moment there is only you. Thats my favorite moment on my bike. no thinking. just reacting
c50 FU thumb 1561698887.jpg?VersionId=W49bHIOyXUxV1RW7klpM
kidwoo
13 years ago
Because the simple bicycle is mankind's greatest creation and to not ride it would be blasphemy against the species.


^Oh yeah, you guys read that? I fucking own this.
c50 p4pb10598441 1392399961
motoracer432
13 years ago
i ride because...well whats better than going down a trail at 30+ or going down technical rocks and turns and jumps...NOTHING! i could be super pissed off before i ride, but after the first ride down im in such a good mood! that my friend is why i ride
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
Gibson
13 years ago
I ride because there is no other way to go from floating weightless over a steep hip to being drug downwards by the g-forces of a big tight berm, freely, in no time flat.
c50 tal 360 sunset2 copy.jpg?VersionId=DPnG
talhaslam
13 years ago
I shall be telling this with a sigh

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

why? the road i took had drops and rock gardens i could ride on a machine that I propel with my own will to see what is around every corner.
c50 CropperCapture 10.jpg?VersionId=XEinn.L1J34
Gforce1
13 years ago
Simply because if I didn't spend money on expensive bikes, gear, parts and travel and entry fees I would probably be dead in Vegas with an overdose of some unhealthy addiction. I gotta say this addiction is way worth it.
c50 23715 1383777724749 1541175580 1926413 2286126 n.jpg?VersionId=1
Biggman89
13 years ago
I ride because i have tried every sport and been asked to play football more then a dozen times but there its nothing that makes me feel better and alive then ripping down the mountain. And im not even that good but even the best guys will take the minute to stop an talk to you on the mountain i ride because this sport is all cool guys and good people theres no rush like riding no where else!!!!! my point impossible to have a bad day i broke my wrist ridding on my birthday and i got out of the hospital with a cast and was like lol GREAT BIRTHDay cause i still got to ride
c50 99685220 1271279989
joshitrealgood
13 years ago
It keeps me healthy (for the most part), sometimes it hurts me, but I always come back.

I ride because I love to ride. Ride 2 Live. Live 2 Ride.
c50 downsized picture0007
swilson669
13 years ago
I ride because there is nothing like ripping through the forest with your closest brothers and slamming beers in between!
c50 91846280 1249325395.jpg?VersionId=
sofa king slow
13 years ago
I ride because I have a rare medical condition where if I stop riding my penis will die and fall off.
c50 86508780 1281845429
Picabo_Street
13 years ago
I ride because it is part of my court ordered ANGER MANAGEMENT THERAPY. When life is driving me up a wall, I go ride up a wall.
c50 86871600 1285255922
Cobra Panda
13 years ago
because if i don't ride, and leave the Uzzi in the garage too long, then lets face it...the Commies have won. I ride for our freedom. your welcome.
c50 106227760 1277072941.jpg?VersionId=hJp
Mandaconda
13 years ago
I ride because its my life. I ride the road to see how far I can push myself, I ride the streets to smell the smells you don't get in a car, the people you would otherwise just zip pass and the little things that you would miss. I ride the trail because I feel one with nature. I grip the earth with my tires crawling over the dirt like a wolf capturing its prey. I soar the air like the birds. I AM A BIKER.
c50 104741410 1275176652
gleeke
13 years ago
Why I Ride: The only way to explain it is to ask..."do you remember the feeling of the first time you were riding w/o training wheels?" I get that feeling every single time I ride!!! Bicycles to me have always represented FRIENDSHIP, FREEDOM and FUN. I can remember the first time I rode all the way to LBS Caster's w my friend Claro and his brothers...what an epic!!!

Riding my bike connected to my friends who didn't live in my neighborhood and more recently to people all over New England. Be it riding to Crompton or all the way to Coventry or Riding at Diablo on Memorial Day weekend, riding my bike has brought many friends to my life. Jim Marsh and I met because he had a Freestylin' Magazine and I had to read it! 20 + yrs later and he's god father to both my sons. I've always made friends thru cycling: Anthony Alessandro, Mike Feeney, Glenn Davis, Brendan Cahill and Adam King! Just to name a few. Some have shown me anything is possible on a bike. Some have given me advice on being a dad/husband. Others just make you laugh over and over again, even though they ride weird bikes. Good people! Great friends! Lifelong friends! I'm a better person for knowing them.

The freedom of riding is awesome! Rolling thru the woods, on the road or on the track. Your actions dictate the outcome of your ride. Pedal too fast into a corner and you're off the trail. Start out too fast and you're exhausted before you know it. Don't change gears for a climb and you're not gonna make it. Those all seem like good metaphors for life. Go to fast and you're off course. Move too quickly in a relationship and burnout. Don't change to adapt to your job and, well, you're not gonna make it! Freedom, also, in the fact that you can clear your mind of whatever bullshit is going on in your world and focus only on what's in front you. Whenever things have gotten crappy in my life, simply going for a ride helps me to refocus on what needs to be done. Riding with my son after we've had a rough time can smooth things out for both of us. "daddy look how fast I'm going!!!" Makes me happy that I've passed down (for now) my love of all things bicycles. Freedom ,also, to be alone when I need to be free of everything.

In my opinion, nothing is more fun than riding a bike!!! The fun you can have w your friends right in your driveway...Slow races, Longest wheelies, and highest bunny hop. FUN, FUN, FUN!!! Having your kid ask you to take off their training wheels...THINK OF THE FUN ABOUT TO HAPPEN!!! Riding the 100ft long trail w my son as he zooms down the hill....FUN. Hanging out for a weekend at your favorite lift access mountain in a condo w your friends.....FUN OF EPIC PROPORTIONS! !!! Sitting on a deck overlooking a lake, eating a great dinner and drinking w friends and their family... FUN. Working on my bike in the garage, excited about the FUN to be had riding the next day...FUN. Rolling around the driveway w Aidan on an "track" built w beach buckets, baseball bats and other toys.....NOTHING COULD BE MORE FUN THAN THIS. Seeing my son lift his front wheel and say "dad! look at my wheelie!!!" and smile huge as he does it....FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN and a wicked burning sense of pride inside. FUN
c50 88130960 1278257849
mgolland45
13 years ago
I rifde because it centers and calms me, im a messed up kid and the only itme i can think calmly is with handle pars in my hands an my feet on pedals, its an escape and my whole life