Mountain Biking thru 2020: How we survived a pandemic - Park City Utah Photographer

When I remember how we survived 2020 I will always think about our mountain bikes and the miles we spent in Mother Nature's playground.  In March, when the pandemic shut down our lives, we realized that our bikes, the mountains and the family was going to be enough to get us through the loneliest days. I wanted a portrait that celebrated the joy we found on our bikes and the safety we felt in the red rocks of Zion during a world wide shut down.  I will forever treasure this portrait as our silver lining to a year that could have consumed us with sadness and isolation. 

Although my family has been biking their whole life, I only started mountain biking in 2019.  I was that mother who always stayed behind because Sasha wasn't old enough to participate, whether that was biking, zip lining, boy scouts, etc.  But I got a swift kick to my butt when I realized she was no longer little and could hold her own and I was the one at the back of the pack.  All those years of being the mom who sacrificed for the littlest child had resulted in a mom who couldn't keep up now that everyone was older.  I don't want to be left behind by my family and now I am playing catch up.  It amazes me that when we go mountain biking, since I am the weakest link, I only have to worry about myself.  It's a crazy parenting realization that my teaching days are over. Now it's time to trust their abilities, cheer them on and be ready with the band-aids, because band-aids will be needed. 

When quarantine started in March and school went online, I figured the best way I could support the kids was to help them maintain some mental health. I know that being outside in nature and getting some endorphins through exercise has been proven an effective tool for mental health.  So I set the standard that in exchange for more screen time they had to be willing to head outside and either hike or peddle everyday with me.  I think this daily habit really helped pass the groundhog feeling of the days and gave us something to do.  Out on the desert plateaus near Zion, we could safely distance and also find a way to enjoy ourselves.  As we watched the covid statistics around the world show devastation and sadness from March through May, we had nothing but desert trails to wander and be grateful for.  It was an odd feeling to know that all that was required of us, in the tiny southern Utah town of Rockville, was to socially distance and be patient.  It didn't feel like a huge burden considering what others were experiencing.

By mid-May we returned to northern Utah since the weather was nice enough to ride our bikes here and get settled before summer jobs started and actual bike practice began.  Jonas and Sasha both had summer jobs coaching kids mountain bike camps.  Talking to the program director she said 2020 was the highest registration they have ever experience due to all the big city, out-of-state families looking for a safe place to spend the summer.  Usually the biking program caters to locals but this year all the tourists rented houses for 3 months and signed their kids up for the only camp they could find... mountain biking.  Starting in June, Jonas coached 5 mornings a week and then went to bike practice 2-3 nights per week, because honestly there was nothing else to do.  

One of the craziest memories of the summer came when Jonas decided to use his money earned from coaching to buy a new bike for race season.  It was a hefty purchase for a 16 year old and we helped front some of the funds so he could pay us back over time.  One night, after evening bike practice I got the dreaded call, "Mom, my bike was just stolen off the car."  My stomach sank for many reasons but mainly because he hadn't even finished paying us back yet.  Sasha and I were driving home from her bike practice and turned the car around and headed for the parking lot where Jonas said the bike was taken.  We decided to think like a criminal and check all the places we might find someone making an escape with a stolen bike.  In my head I was think.... "NOT TODAY CRIMINALS, NOT TODAY!"  Not 2 miles later did I end up finding a drugged out thief shoving my sons bike into his tiny stolen car.  In a very crowded location, surrounded by witnesses, I jumped out of my car and went psycho mamma bear on this guy as I pulled my sons bike from his car.  Turns out the criminal was wanted on felony charges and didn't really care about the bike as much as he cared about getting away.  The police had already been called and they easily caught the guy after a 10 mile high speed car chase. I have never experienced adrenaline like that before and I hope I never have to again. 

I think we were all amazed when the whole racing season actually happened.  Although the kids were training for a race season that starts in August, I think we all thought it would be cancelled like the rest of our lives.  Before each race I really did say, "well this might be the last one for the year."  Miraculously, the whole season happened as masks kept us safe and no outbreaks happened due to the races.  My kids finished every race this year no matter what.  They pushed themselves through heat, dust, smoke from the California fires, rain and mud and finished every race.  If you know me, then you know I don't care who wins.  I only care about doing your best and my kids did that race after race.  My biking highlight moment with Sasha occurred during race 2 at Snowbasin, on a particularly difficult coarse.  She wasn't feeling strong that day and her friend slowed down and waited for her so they could have fun and ride together, ultimately crossing the finish line together.  I was camera ready when she came across the finish line and high-fived her team mate for giving her the moral support she needed that day. One of the many lessons I have learned from biking, who cares who wins, riding with friends makes the journey more fun.

So 2020 wasn't so bad thanks to our bikes.  Personally, I have accomplished a lot of biking firsts but I still consider myself a beginner.  I am a little bummed that some of the progress I made this year will have to be relearned again in the spring.  I may never get a riding season that starts in March since it is still winter here and the ski resorts are still going.  So many things were cancelled last year.  But those bikes were always available to give us the endorphins we needed to make it through the long months of social distancing.  With hope on the horizon, I'm feeling gratitude for the gift of biking we were given through the pandemic and I have the perfect portrait celebrating those small miracles.