Bent

Outdoor Life magazine’s naming of Bend as the number one town for “sportsmen” in the U.S.

In the words of the late actor Charlie Chaplin: “You’ll find you’re life is more worthwhile if you just smile.” And perhaps the hardest thing to find on the faces of many mountain bikers these days are smiles. That’s because, apparently, mountain biking has become very serious.
Yes, I know, Bend is the home to every great recreational athlete in the world and that just about everyone who straddles a mountain bike is training for the next world championships or something equally important. And that’s probably why riding around Phil’s trailhead this past weekend there were lots of scowling faces, as if the workout (not fun ride) in progress was way too important to interrupt with a friendly greeting, hell, even a smirk.
And by being among the slowest mountain bikers in Bend, I often get smirks of derision from faster riders. But to his credit a very fast rider in full Lycra race kit didn’t smirk as he passed but said, “hi.” Kudos to him, and thanks for keeping it real.