2011 Loeka Team
Joy Martin - San Diego, CA
My daydream:
Envision pure bliss mixed with a huge adrenaline high. Put a smile on your face you can't wipe off. Find the center of your chi mixed with happiness.
That is mountain biking for me.
I have always loved the outdoors. As a child I would run and hike and swim all over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. I found endorphins.
I went to college in San Luis Obispo, California. Always on the top ten places to live in the US, it is my favorite. The surrounding landscape is breathtaking and the culture is enchanting. I found mountain biking. The mountain bike learning curve is steep in SLO, and I embraced it. The terrain always gave me a new challenge to conquer and a new adventure to experience. I fell in love with mountain biking and I am still.
I found adrenaline and mixed it with endorphins.
At one time my roommate traveled the NORBA Circuit in the late 1990's. He would come back from the NORBA races with stories and video he was working on. Missy Giove and Marla Streb were my idols. I wanted to race Downhill so bad. I envisioned myself rocketing down hills at top speeds in the center of my chi and experiencing bliss.
First I had to graduate from college, so I could afford the expensive hobby. So I graduated and moved to San Diego, CA to a great job. I bought a downhill bike and loved it. Downhilling has the ability to challenge me physically and mentally. I learned to jump and can't believe how much fun it is to be in the air. There are so many skills I still have to learn and I love picking them up and challenging myself. Downhill racing does that for me. I am pushing my limits and loving every second.
I love riding and cycling has loved me back. It has given me the confidence to trust myself and my abilities. I have become a better person because of it.
Mountain biking is life changing.
No matter what level you ride at, just ride because it gives you more than you will ever realize. Every time you smile at the end of a ride think of what the bike does for you.
If you are in the San Diego area and want to pick up some skills check out my website at www.joyridemtb.com. See you on the trails!
