Renata Chlumska Runs Circles Around America

Renata Chlumska has completed her circumnavigation around the continental United States. Congratulations Renata! For photos and her personal blog of the event, visit her website. To read more about her journey from slightly past the halfway point, check out her EtE interview from six months ago. We wish her the best in her future adventures, and hope to cross paths with her again someday, even if it's just to make sure she's had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Riding the Original Dirt Roller Coaster at Tsali, NC

I’ve noticed a trend in the more popular mountain biking destinations recently. That’s right- I’m talking about rocky trails. Somehow, these places are put on a pedestal because they have a bunch of rocks in the way, and you have to try to go over, or around, or thru them to ride. Has the explosion in 5-inch trailbikes led to this shift in perception? Has the mountain biking population as a whole, elevated their skills to such a level that requires more rocks? Who's to say?

But rocks are the blood clots in a trail systems’ arteries, and frankly, they give me a heart attack. I’m just not a huge fan of lengthy rock gardens. In fact, I wish they would plant tomatoes, or sunflowers. Instead they planted rocks. What the hell is wrong with people these days?

So there’s a place in North Carolina that I love to ride. I love it because it’s fast. I love it because it has incredible flow.

I love it because there’s not a lot of rocks.