I started this whole 2-wheeled adventure in 1973 when my sister shoved me across the yard on a used purple stingray that my dad picked up from a garage sale.  I was so focused on not running into the large aspen in our yard I couldn’t steer away, so that’s exactly what I did, head first! Bike lesson #1: look where you WANT to go, not where you don’t.  Fast forward to 1976; a friend introduced me to BMX.  It was a blast and I was hooked. The races were put on by a local motorcycle shop on the MX track. The starting gate was a piece of large rubber tubing pulled in front of us.  It was attached to a pole at one end and the starter stretched and held it at the other.  He would let go, and off we went.  I learned very quickly not to jump the start because the rubber tubing left quite a nasty welt across my arm. That venue died out, but luckily there were other tracks around for quite a few years, all of which were out-of-town. Freestyle BMX became the next big thing for me, and the industry after BMX faded.  I started working in a bike shop in 1985, and it was perfect for my addiction to two wheels. I started “The Big Sky Cyclery Freestyle Trick Team” with a few friends, and we did shows all around western Montana. Our freestyle show earned us the Directors Award at The Western Montana Fair; the only ones to do so under the age of 40 at the time.  Sadly freestyle began to fade, but luckily mountain biking was beginning to take off. I started competing in MTB races and quickly moved up to the expert level.  I picked up sponsors by placing in the top three in the WIM (Washington, Idaho, Montana) series along with a few downhill and dual slalom events, when they had them.  Next, freeride came around and boy was that fun!! It’s like BMX and MTB mashed into one. I could trail ride, jump, compete, and build, or do all at the same time. My biggest highlight during this time would be receiving invites to the Red Bull Freeze ride in Whitefish Montana and qualifing for the finals in both years they had the event.  I am currently a board member of our local club and along with other members I help build/maintain trails in our area, working with private land owners, the state of Montana, and the BLM . I will try to add something once a week. In the meantime enjoy what little I have added so far. Thanks, Jason.