ed’ s letter
MAGIC MOMENTS
THE POPE JUST DIED, AND AS I SIT here putting the final pages of this Winter edition together, I’ m struck by the importance of living in the present. I’ ve never followed religious leaders but Francis’ final words about not waiting for good things to happen to us made a deep impression. Waiting for money, for love, for Friday, for Christmas, for perfection – that never comes. Do it now, while you can!
Like a game of golf where we only remember the occasional great shot, life is punctuated with scarce magic moments. That visceral, deeply rewarding feeling is fleeting and oh-so sweet: when everything comes together; a sensory perfect storm where everything feels just right. These don’ t come on cue, but therein lies the unique pleasure of these rare occurrences. I hope we all chase them, rather than wait for them to come to us.
I experienced two such magic moments in one day on the Rift Valley Odyssey 2024( page 26). Getting to Nairobi to ride the race had eluded me since long before Covid, but last year I managed to squeeze it in on the back end of a trip overseas, literally to tick a box after a crazy busy year on the hamster wheel of life. While I loved the thought of Kenya and finally visiting the great Maasai Mara, this logistical mission was more about supporting the passionate event organiser than for my own personal agenda. How fortunate I am that I went the extra mile.
On day 3, after some rough camping and amateur navigation errors, I was disarmed and so not prepared for the tsunami of deep glowing warmth that left me shaking in utter delight when I unknowingly rode into the shadow of Pride Rock. Yes, the throne of Mufasa, where all the animals of the plains gathered to greet Simba, their new lion king. Not long afterwards, I arrived with good friends at my tent on the shores
12 | MTB | proud as punch
Flying down the legendary Umko Drop at sani2c feeling beyond stoked to have made the long trip up to the Berg.
of magnificent Lake Naivasha at sunset, with fish eagle cries above and hippo grunts below, tired legs and a cold Tusker in my hand. These memories will stay deeply etched in my mind, so much longer than the three-hour slog up a dusty trail on day 6 when my partner’ s bike had been reduced to a singlespeed.
There are similar mercurial moments you can look forward to reading about in this edition. Like when child prodigy,
“ I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR THE TSUNAMI OF DEEP GLOWING WARMTH THAT LEFT ME SHAKING IN UTTER DELIGHT”
and the son of a long-time friend, Luke Moir, finally succeeded in delivering the race we all suspected he was capable of. Imagine the sheer joy and relief, beyond the raw excitement of finding yourself alone in front of the best XCO riders on the planet, live on global TV, in your first World Cup season as a senior rider! Wow, wow, wow! What a moment that was to witness. I called his dad Mark to share my exhilaration during lap 4 when he first made a move from the back of the field and he literally could not speak.“ I can’ t” is all he said. If you follow Mountain Bike mag you’ ll have read Luke’ s words of near desperation about not finding a team for 2025 in our Autumn edition. How sweet for him to be writing a victory piece( page 38) just one issue later. How sweet must that moment have been for him when he crossed the line in 5th place, ahead of some of the biggest names in mountain biking history. That moment will live with Luke forever.
I’ m fortunate in my job as editor to enjoy reading many such serendipitous stories. Another one that you’ ll enjoy is the journey of three modern wise men who made their way from the desert dunes of Namibia to barren rocks and more desert sand in Morocco( page 72). Three mates with different racing agendas, but each chasing hard things.
Speaking of hard things, it could not have been easy for Bianca Haw, once a Red Bull rider and always the daughter of famous Farmer Glen, the founder of the world’ s biggest mountain bike stage race, to make a comeback to professional racing. In her quest for those magic moments she has made the big leap back to the top of her game and is loving pursuing a journey that ended too soon( page 66).
As we head into shorter days and colder, longer nights, may this concept remind you to push on through in pursuit of the magic moments that won’ t come to you on the couch. Chase the stoke, never losing sight of why you ride. Do the hard thing. Life is too short.
paul @ electricink. co. za BikeRunTri. co. za Mountain Bike SA @ mountainbikesa
PHOTOGRAPH ACTION PHOTO