Cycling is a race for many people, even if the only people they race with are their imaginary opponents on a cycle path. There is nothing quite like hearing someone change down gears after you have passed them, to then bury themselves to regain their imaginary first place from you. You watch their bodies rock and sway, their head slowly dropping lower as their energy dwindles. Their body starts to sag, hanging from their hands, which hold onto their bars with a death grip, all while you wonder, “Why?”

I’ve started a new series on YouTube exploring what is tracklocross. The first is a quick video explaining what tracklocross is to me; I hope you’ll find it a fun little video. Next week there will be video uploads exploring the parts of tracklocross bikes and possibly a rant on why steel is best.

The other day at work, I built up a wheelie bike for a new project. It struck me that this bike is so simple. The wheelie bike has stripped away what you don’t need, and you have a bike that is just simply a bike. It is a bike that will work, and you don’t need any bike trade marketing to dictate the features on the bike. The kid pulling wheelies down your road is who the bike is designed around, not marketing. In short, this is why I also love tracklocross.