Specialized has this little promotion thing going on to be a part of their Trail Crew. I found out about it during one of my daily viewings of the many cycling related websites I click through out there. Something about it intrigued me, it was likely the prospect of getting a free bike and as we all know, free is always the right price. Now I am supposed to explain why it is that I would be an appropriate member of this crew… Admittedly not owning a Specialized bike would count as a strike against in said application. But I did recently drop a serious wad of cash on a set of new S Works shoes and I think this could be one thing that gets my proverbial foot in the door.
Why did I buy these shoes? Admittedly they were not my first choice, and not just because they were 50% more expensive to boot… they just weren’t anywhere on the footwear radar (strike two). But damn-it I needed new shoes and halfway through the season finding anything in my size let alone the ones I truly wanted was proving to be ridiculously difficult.
I had this big ride planned for early August, 3 Days in the Chilcotins in south central BC. One of those days was going to be about 10hrs long and a healthy portion of that was going to be spent pushing my (not a Specialized) bike uphill to access miles and miles of the absolute sweetest single-track I was ever to experience. I was going to require a solid set of footwear and what had been covering my feet and attached to the pedals for the last 3 years had pretty much given up. A lot of serious miles… err I think I should say time, put in those puppies. Trails in BC aren’t typically very long- distance wise- but they will certainly beat you up in no time.
I have been riding off-road for sometime now, 20+yrs, the majority of it within 50 miles of Vancouver and of all of the sports I actively participate in, mountain biking is solidly at the top step. Now I am not on the bike every waking moment, I do work on occasion, but I have pretty much given up, missed or outright avoided many other activities because I have found a new trail to ride or a new friend to ride with. This last year being no exception, reconstructive knee surgery this past December while being a serious hindrance was a serious motivator too, I hit the trails 24hrs before hopping on the table. Apparently orthopedic surgeons believe that cycling is a great form of rehab too and it is, just don’t tell them you’ve been riding something a little more serious than the excer-cycle at physiotherapy barely 2 months post-op.
So save for those enforced 2 months off the bike, mother nature wasn’t helping a whole lot either, those old shoes of mine have been through a lot: up and down the North-Shore too many times to count, Squamish and Whistler over and over again. Many trips to the interior of our province, a trip to Moab 15+ years overdue and a recent 4hr rescue while doing a recon ride (backwards) of stage 5 of the BC Bike Race. 3 years of experiences like that in those shoes and my feet were really beginning to hurt, cramps and such likely a symptom of the cracked mid-sole and with the epic of all epics to come it was time to get something to relieve those tired dogs of mine. 2 weeks of searching and wouldn’t you know it the place I was reluctant to go to first had exactly what I needed but didn’t realize I was looking for: Fancy fishing line-like retention system, high-zoot carbon sole, fancy toe-cleats and a price tag that would make Bill Gates blush. They were a perfect fit; the only thing missing was the pumpkin that would take me to the big dance. So since that purchase, in the last month I have had the chance to put those shoes through the paces. A couple more rides in Squamish on top of the regular rides and a little warm-up hike-a-bike somewhere in my backyard of the North-Shore. Not to mention those three days in the aforementioned Chilcotins where I was fortunate enough to experience the amazing Lorna Lake- Deer Pass combo. The quick and dirty is that while they are definitely not the best footwear to be walking 3+ hours up a mountain slope with, my feet have never been so grateful to be so well supported over those 10+ hrs.
So there you have it… Consider this my official application for the trail crew. A nice new bike to hop aboard, new friends to meet and hopefully new trails to ride, sounds like a great opportunity. I’ll bring my new shoes.
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