Slingdros
02-02-2003, 06:46 PM
There’s More to Life Than Bong Rips and Roach Clips
Cliques, clichés, herb behaviour and tribal patterns surround us. If you want to be a part of a certain lifestyle, there is always some sort of subtle pressure to conform to the implicit cultural standards of said lifestyle. This is especially true of mountain biking.
Wanna go fast? Then train hard, shave your body, wear the skinsuit with pride and revel in the narcissism of your oiled up and gleaming muscles.
Wanna ride steep and technical? Then get baggy, be hairy, take shuttles, stop often and carry a windproof lighter.
Marijuana has been around in the mountain bike world ever since someone got baked enough to think about riding down Mt. Tam on a cruiser back in the 70’s. To hear tales of the time, it’s nothing short of a miracle that those pioneering folks remembered to pack the stopwatches for the first Repack races, navigating as they were through a thick cloud of Northern California’s finest. But, just because some of the sport’s founding brothers and sisters were stoned, and just because there is a noticeable buyer crossover in the markets for metallic green and blue baggy shorts and Graffix Bongs, does that mean marijuana deserves a place in the Mountain bike Hall of Fame?
Hell, no! That’s as stupid as saying the real cyclists should shave their legs, or men are faster than woman at downhill (or anything else for that matter), or full suspension is “better.” It’s a bullshit stereotype, just like the ones mentioned in the opening paragraphs. It’s the same sort of pigeonholing that inspires the divisive factions our sport is already burdened with. It’s labelling. It’s saying, “Dude, you’re not ‘core if you don’t smoke.” It’s peer pressure that is every bit as detestable as the rhetoric of the intolerant body-fascists who believe racing to be the end goal of all riding, or the NIMBY hikers who resent any mechanical intrusion into their “pure” back country domain. It’s shortsighted and mentally stunted thinking.
Marijuana is fine in and of itself. It has a long history as a spirit herb and is an integral component of many cultures around the world. It is a valid part of the culture in the Himalayas. It is a valid part of the Rastafarian faith. It has valid uses as a pain medication, easing suffering of cancer and AIDS patients as well as making the hell of glaucoma more tolerable. It takes a pretty intolerant and paranoid person to think of weed as a cultural demon.
If it floats your boat to smoke and ride, then fin. I’m not going to try and stop you. But don’t try to tell me that smoking pot is somehow integral to the experience of riding. Don’t boast that your reactions are faster, line choices smoother, or your lungs are somehow deeper. Don’t try to convince me that you ride better stoned than straight. And, don’t try to blow any smoke up your own ass about how riding is better because of weed.
The ride itself is a high all its own. If you can’t see that, maybe it’s time to lay down the pipe and let the smoke clear for a while…
- Mike Ferrention. A man that has hovered more toxins through his system than he cares to admit. He despises labelling of any kind. -
An interesting opinion!
Cliques, clichés, herb behaviour and tribal patterns surround us. If you want to be a part of a certain lifestyle, there is always some sort of subtle pressure to conform to the implicit cultural standards of said lifestyle. This is especially true of mountain biking.
Wanna go fast? Then train hard, shave your body, wear the skinsuit with pride and revel in the narcissism of your oiled up and gleaming muscles.
Wanna ride steep and technical? Then get baggy, be hairy, take shuttles, stop often and carry a windproof lighter.
Marijuana has been around in the mountain bike world ever since someone got baked enough to think about riding down Mt. Tam on a cruiser back in the 70’s. To hear tales of the time, it’s nothing short of a miracle that those pioneering folks remembered to pack the stopwatches for the first Repack races, navigating as they were through a thick cloud of Northern California’s finest. But, just because some of the sport’s founding brothers and sisters were stoned, and just because there is a noticeable buyer crossover in the markets for metallic green and blue baggy shorts and Graffix Bongs, does that mean marijuana deserves a place in the Mountain bike Hall of Fame?
Hell, no! That’s as stupid as saying the real cyclists should shave their legs, or men are faster than woman at downhill (or anything else for that matter), or full suspension is “better.” It’s a bullshit stereotype, just like the ones mentioned in the opening paragraphs. It’s the same sort of pigeonholing that inspires the divisive factions our sport is already burdened with. It’s labelling. It’s saying, “Dude, you’re not ‘core if you don’t smoke.” It’s peer pressure that is every bit as detestable as the rhetoric of the intolerant body-fascists who believe racing to be the end goal of all riding, or the NIMBY hikers who resent any mechanical intrusion into their “pure” back country domain. It’s shortsighted and mentally stunted thinking.
Marijuana is fine in and of itself. It has a long history as a spirit herb and is an integral component of many cultures around the world. It is a valid part of the culture in the Himalayas. It is a valid part of the Rastafarian faith. It has valid uses as a pain medication, easing suffering of cancer and AIDS patients as well as making the hell of glaucoma more tolerable. It takes a pretty intolerant and paranoid person to think of weed as a cultural demon.
If it floats your boat to smoke and ride, then fin. I’m not going to try and stop you. But don’t try to tell me that smoking pot is somehow integral to the experience of riding. Don’t boast that your reactions are faster, line choices smoother, or your lungs are somehow deeper. Don’t try to convince me that you ride better stoned than straight. And, don’t try to blow any smoke up your own ass about how riding is better because of weed.
The ride itself is a high all its own. If you can’t see that, maybe it’s time to lay down the pipe and let the smoke clear for a while…
- Mike Ferrention. A man that has hovered more toxins through his system than he cares to admit. He despises labelling of any kind. -
An interesting opinion!