Weekday Diversions #11: The French, Brage, Jaxson and Beer.

It’s Wednesday, you’ve (almost) made it! The work week is halfway done, and the prospect of big weekend rides is beckoning. Until then, here’s a roundup of the best bike (and non-bike) content that’s caught our eye this week.

Dylan Russell - Social Media Manager

Whenever Brage Vestavik drops a video, I find the closest large screen and sit down to watch. His Burgtec B-RAGE video is no different than his previous: its full of the edgy hardcore freeride style we have come to know Brage for. What makes this one stand out for me is the segment with Ratboy. Two of the best bike riders on the planet riding some steep tech in the most heinous weather, what’s not love about that? Seeing them struggle to gain traction is somewhat relatable with our slick PNW winters.

Weekday diversions? How about on-trail diversions! This rider was cruising around and just barely made it out alive after almost being crushed by a falling tree. I do wonder how often something like this happens, sure hope not frequently...

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Ariel Kazunas - News Writer

I’m absolutely no roadie, but you can’t not notice the Tour de France, especially when history is being made: on July 1, Biniam Girmay , a native of Eritrea, became the first Black man in the entire 121 year history (!!!) of the Tour de France to win a Stage. He’s since gone on to win Stage 8 on July 6, and podiumed again today, coming in very close 2nd for Stage 10. I can’t wait to see how this plays out over the next 11 Stages! Absolutely legendary stuff.

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Speaking of France (am I craving a midday espresso and croissant right now? Peut-être oui): Amaury Pierron did something absolutely bananas at the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Les Gets a few days ago: he beat the competition by six and a half seconds in atrocious wet, slippery, conditions, in front of a French crowd that went absolutely off after his achievement. Mon Dieu *inserts tongue out sweat drop emoji*.

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Cy Whitling - Editor

DEITY: SUPERVILLAIN featuring Jaxson Riddle.

This video works for me on two levels: First Jaxson Riddle on the bike + Clay Porter behind the lens is a great combination. Sure, from a cynical perspective, this is three minutes of hype and energy to basically cover one (massive) hit, but even so, these two make engaging videos and this one is no exception.

And second, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the “why” of content creation, or media, or commercial-art making, whatever you want to call it. There are a lot of good reasons to make videos, like telling important stories and trying to make the world a better place. But sometimes “because it’s cool” is reason enough. When I look back at the pantheon of Deity video projects, they have a solid track record of giving cool, creative people an outlet to make a spectacle. Not everything has to be super deep and meaningful, sometimes making rad shit, for the sake of making rad shit is worth it. And this video is rad shit.

Good Beer Hunting: On Becoming Hawk

I love casting sidelong glances at folks doing great work in their own, very different lanes. For a long time, Good Beer Hunting has been, in my opinion at least, the gold standard for owning a space with quality, thoughtful, empathetic stories. I might not understand or particularly care about the world of beer, but I’m always happy to devour an article or podcast by GBH. The work is the work, and their work has always been excellent. And now it’s over. Sort of.

I’ve never been part of the beer industry, but I have worked in outdoor media my entire life. And every job has had some sort of uncertainty around it. Uncertainty about the future of print, the future of digital, the future of social, the future of video. Uncertainty about sponsors, and traffic, and weather, and market forces. And, when faced with that uncertainty, I’ve found that I have two options: I can dance like a tattered kite in the wind, trying to mitigate every potential outcome, prepare for every eventuality, and anticipate every trend in “content” or I can buckle down, commit to telling good stories, and put out work that I’m proud of every day.

Good Beer Hunting has always been a steadying force in that equation. I’ve always been able to look at GBH and see the value, the reward of remaining dedicated to excellence, of holding yourself, and your title to a high and somewhat arbitrary standard. Often, when going over a story that I’m in the midst of writing, I’ve said to myself “If GBH covered mountain biking, would they run this story? Or would they reject it and tell me to be better?” This piece is a fitting goodbye. It’s a timely warning as I start in this new role, and it’s a reminder to remain focused on doing good work, and telling worthwhile stories. The rest will sort itself out, and if it doesn’t, it was still worth it to have excelled in the meantime.