We print off part of the internet for you

Perhaps a fortnight ago, my copy of Dirt Rag #167 arrived at my domicile.  As I always do, I flipped through the magazine to see what I would have to look forward to when I got a chance to read it AND to see which article of mine was published since it had been so long since I actually wrote it.  Shortly thereafter, it was tossed on the coffee table and almost immediately relegated to lower shelf status by The Pie without my knowledge.

There it remained for days and days, forgotten and unread.

Until yesterday...

I dug it out and tossed it into my messenger bag before I left for work.  Being that this is the last issue before a very long break until February, I'll need to be sure to read it thoroughly, sucking the marrow from it's boneless spine.

Thom Parsons, the half-man/half-beast behind Big Bikes Media, is a once again contributor to DR this issue.  He's always pleasant to read, part The Onion, part New Yorker, part Cracked, and part Penthouse Forum. He goes off on one of his Nazi werewolf tangents, but quickly gets back to the point of the article; supporting all the wonderful illustrations.

Also of interest?  A nice travel piece by Andreas Hestler covers an entire ten pages.  He traveled down to Patagonia to ride new trails, shred the gnar-gnar, and discover the origins of Capilene.

Another article I have yet to read, but have heard much about would be the regular DR feature, Access Action.  In this issue, the topic of "New School" flow-type trails is discussed.  It has been quite the hot topic on our local forums and a matter of much contention amongst riders and trailbuilders.  I'm not sure how I feel exactly about the topic, but I do have a fuzzy opinion.  I would share it, but opinions are like assholes.  You should bleach yours before showing it off in public.

And of course, another article from yours truly.

The shirt in that image came from Ninkasi Brewing.  I wore it specifically to give thanks for all the free beer they allowed Zac and I to consume on our trip to Sun Valley, ID this past July.  I fell in love with Tricerahops Double IPA and Total Domination IPA while I was out there drinking in the hot sun, only to come home and discover that there is nowhere to get in within 100 miles of Charlotte, NC.  I felt like Danny Zuko returning to school singing about my summer romance only to find out that my hot Australian lover went back to Australia to be a roller disco queen.



The article itself has nothing to do with Ninkasi specifically, but as in 70% of my published work, beer does gets an honorable mention.  I also get a dig in on cyclocross, my favorite new whipping boy done wrong.  I don't think that's the entirety of the article, but I'm not going to read it again to figure it out.  It starts feeling narcissistic after the tenth time.