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So its not quite too late for New Year's Resolutions … and here's one for anybody that rides a bike on dirt: get out there and get your hands dirty with a few days of trail maintenance this season. So how do you get great riding out of a place that is a flat, sandy, swampy, bug-infested jungle? Simple (or not), you build it! There is one reason that the trail systems that I rode were in existence and a blast to ride: a massive amount of trail work. My point is this: from the above rant, did it sound like I had a good time? Those people made some awesome trails out of nothing. I don't plan on moving to South Florida anytime in the future but if I do, I'll still be an avid MTB'er and I won't be hurtin' for a wide selection of fun trails – all because a few people were willing to dream the dream and then put it into action. So, skip a ride or two this season and help build some trails. Trust me, the cold beer will taste just as good at the end of the day … maybe even better!
Interesting talk by Flow author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on the state of flow and how this is the state when we are most happy. The last two minutes contain a great chart that shows you that flow starts when our challenge and skill set are both pushed above average. This means when we have great skill and are not challenged at all we will often be bored. When we face a challenge and our skills are weak we feel worried. This is why as you skills increase the trails you once enjoyed become less interesting or you have to go faster and/or take harder lines to keep that trail as fun as it was with less skill.
