Reclaiming Joy on the Trail: Why I Started Sitting Down
Sometimes the best part of a mountain bike ride isn’t the ride—it’s the pause. In this post, I share a new trail tradition that helps me slow down, disconnect from the rush, and reconnect with joy. It starts with a simple act: sitting down and eating an apple.
Lately, I’ve started a new tradition on my mountain bike rides: I bring an apple. Not as some energy-boosting superfood or performance snack, just a regular old apple. At some point during my ride, I stop. I sit down and I eat my apple.
No music. No scrolling. No checking segment times.
Just me, the apple, my heartbeat, and whatever birds happen to be singing that day.
This little ritual has become a sacred pause in my week. It’s a chance to reset from the busyness of Monday through Friday, to breathe, to be present. It reminds me that I’m not out here to prove anything. I’m here because I love it.
Too often, we bring the pace and pressure of our lives into the things that are supposed to give us joy. We obsess over improvement, performance, and PRs like they’re the only metrics that matter. But joy doesn’t demand a constant state of improvement. It can live quietly in the middle of mediocrity just as easily as it can ride the highs of excellence.
Joy is found in the doing not just the achieving.
This idea sits right at the heart of what Filthy Casual MTB is about. You don’t need a race bib or the latest carbon bike to enjoy the ride. Sometimes, all you need is a trail, a bike, and an apple.
So next time you head out, toss an apple in your bag. And at some point when the view hits right or the trail goes quiet, sit your ass down, eat the apple, and be grateful for your heartbeat.
Because no matter what your Strava says, that moment of stillness might be the best part of the ride.
Forever two wheels!
-Myles