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What is this blog and why am I here?

Okay, I can really only answer the first part of this question. This blog is about my journey as a professional mountain bike racer — trying to get faster, push my limits, conquer fears and balance all of that with still having fun on the bike. I’m constantly learning about this sport and my own capabilities, and I want to share this process with all of you. So, while this blog is mainly about me, it’s also kind of about you, and how I can help you learn from my mistakes and encourage you to tackle your goals.

Best of – the most popular posts on this blog

How I Finally Stopped Saying Sorry
An Open Letter to the Kid Who Stole My Bike
10 Ways Mountain Biking Prepares You for Life

For anyone – posts for people who want to get better at sh$t

How I Learned How to Learn
How to Get Better at Being Bad at Things
Why Having A Growth Mindset is Important

For mountain bikers – posts about tackling the unique challenges of this sport

Fear and Mountain Biking
Frustrating Mountain Bike Scenarios and How To Deal with Them
I Learned How to Wheelie in a Week

For racers – posts about dealing with the stress of competition

Struggling with Confidence After a Rough Season
The Good Days, the Bad Days and…All The Other Days
Why “Not Getting Last” Is the Worst Motivation

Lemons to blog posts – times when everything went wrong but at least I got a good post out of it

Learning the Limits of Toughness in Steamboat Springs
How I Flunked Out of Whistler
What Doesn’t Kill You – Dealing with Injury
How I got MRSA right before my first EWS and Learned a Valuable Lesson
Inca Avalanche, or That One Time I Barfed on Ancient Ruins in the Middle of a Bike Race

Ask Syd – my favorite questions from blog readers

What should I expect at my first Enduro World Series race?
How do you train for enduro?
Does online skills coaching really work?

Got questions? Ask them here!