24. The Art of Mountain Biking w/ Albert Flynn DeSilver
Release Date: 07/31/2023
50. The Mechanics of Not Giving Up w/ Braydon Bringhurst
The Art of Mountain Biking
Using your mind to break boundaries requires skills, and Braydon has so many of them. Braydon Bringhurst joins the podcast to share his journey from competing in sports like BMX and pole vaulting in college to discovering mountain biking and, ultimately, climbing the Whole Enchilada. He discusses overcoming challenges with self-confidence and academics to graduate college, and how working with a sports psychologist helped develop important mental skills that supported his success in sport and life. Braydon is a husband, father to 3 little girls, and a professional mountain bike rider. His goal...
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49. Finding Meaning in Adventure: Exploring the Connection between Human Nature and Thrilling Pursuits w/ Dr. Eric Brymer
The Art of Mountain Biking
Unpacking the transformative insights of adventure psychology. Adventure Psychologist shares insights from his research on the impact of adventure and the human-nature relationship on health and well-being, as well as effective interventions to promote personal growth and development. As a leading expert on the subject, Dr. Brymer unpacks the transformative effects of adventure psychology and discusses how thrilling pursuits can help individuals find meaning in their lives. Dr. Eric Brymer is an endorsed sport and exercise psychologist at in Australia and a chartered psychologist with...
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48. Push Past Your Edge: Find Growth By Challenging Limits
The Art of Mountain Biking
The edge marks the boundary of a limitation. How can we push past it? This episode dives into the topic of limits—both physical and mental. We discuss our personal experiences of hitting edges while mountain biking, how it manifests differently for everyone, and how to recognize and work with your edge. Themes and topics: Identifying physical and mental limits through breath loss and other physiological indicators Backing off from the edge to recruit skills, breathwork, and other resources Playing at the edge mindfully to stretch limits and enter a flow state for enhanced learning ...
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Are Flow and Joy the Same?
The Art of Mountain Biking
A listener's beautiful take on the changing nature of flow. Happy Friday, y'all! The weather is finally cooperating this weekend in Utah. So I hope you all are going to get out and ride, I know I am. I completed an interview yesterday with Dr. Eric Brymer. This interview will air on Tuesday, May 21st, but we got to talking about the existential or mystical facet—the spiritual facet—of adventure, and adventure in nature, in particular. And it was interesting that I conducted this interview right after I had received the most beautiful message from one of our listeners, Scott (Scott,...
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47. Navigating Grief through Outdoor Sports: A Timely Revisit for Mental Health Awareness Month
The Art of Mountain Biking
Rebroadcasting our intimate conversation with backcountry skier Melissa Gill about loss, grief, nature, and the beauty of life. May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time that calls for reflecting, learning, and engaging in meaningful dialogues about the complex world of mental health. To honor this month, we're reaching into our podcast archives to bring back a conversation that beautifully intertwines grief, mental wellbeing, and the healing power of outdoor pursuits. This is an older conversation that’s worth a re-listen. Since we last published this episode last May, the...
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46. Enhancing Performance and Fitness on the Bike w/Matt Mooney
The Art of Mountain Biking
MTB Fitness' Matt Mooney joins to discuss how fitness, nutrition, and mindset combine to create a positive upward spiral of health and performance. A singular focus on peak bike performance makes sense for the pros—but most riders must fit their biking practice into demanding lives. Matt Mooney of MTB Fitness provides advice on incorporating training into daily routines and harnessing the transformative power of discipline. This guidance is beneficial for riders seeking to enhance their experience on the bike as well as their mental and physical health. Matt Mooney is a personal...
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45. Positioning, Revisited
The Art of Mountain Biking
Episode 2 on positioning was our most popular of all time. In this episode, we're digging deeper into all the nitty gritty details of proper body positioning on the bike, as well as some philosophical musings on positioning for success both on the trails and off. Like this episode? Share it with someone who needs it! Like the podcast and want to do your part? Send us a tip or consider a recurring paid subscription. Your support helps us cover the time and resources it takes to create free long-form content. Referenced in this episode: Episode 2 on Episode 4 on Episode 44 with by...
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44. How Different Bodies Ride Bikes w/Lennard Zinn
The Art of Mountain Biking
Because how many of us are truly industry standard, you know? Six-foot-six former national team cyclist Lennard Zinn joins the podcast to discuss how different bodies interact differently with different bikes and give some recommendations for those looking to start customizing their bikes to their own bodies, styles, and experiences. LENNARD ZINN is a bike racer, frame builder, and technical writer. After receiving his physics degree from Colorado College, he became a member of the U.S. Olympic Development (road) Cycling Team.He has been producing Zinn custom road, gravel,...
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43. Holding Patterns
The Art of Mountain Biking
Don't let your defaults go unexamined—the affects of our holding patterns compound over time. Holding patterns, the unconscious positions in the body (and the mind) can develop from stress, injury, or repetitive actions over time. They can also surface as a default response to our own individual structure. Identifying and addressing these holding patterns through mindfulness, play, and feedback can help improve alignment, stability, flexibility, and performance. Like this episode? Share it with someone who needs it! Like the podcast and want to do your part? Send us a tip or consider a...
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42. Angle of Approach
The Art of Mountain Biking
How we approach the trail matters, especially when climbing and turning. Sometimes, you gotta come in sideways, you know? Considering the angle of approach is important in technical climbing. It can also be applied to communication and relationships. Danielle and Jamie talk about how considering different angles of approach, both physically and verbally, can make difficult situations and obstacles easier to navigate. Like the podcast? Send us a tip or consider a recurring . Your support helps us cover the time and resources it takes to create free long-form content. Also, if you’re in...
info_outlineIt's easy to speak about mountain biking on the surface level. But speaking to its potential for transcendence, ecstasy, and yes, art, is another thing entirely--thus, we called in a poet to help.
Albert Flynn DeSilver has been an obsessive mountain biker for over 30 years. He is a trail advocate and wilderness explorer. Albert is also an internationally published writer, speaker and teacher who has worked with thousands of kids as a California Poet in the Schools, served as a county Poet Laureate, and taught writing workshops throughout North America at places like the Esalen Institute, the Omega Institute, and the British Institute in Paris. He has given a TEDx talk and bombed spectacularly, and then dusted himself off to go on to host and share the stage with writer-luminaries like Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, Maxine Hong Kingston and many others. Albert writes, rides and resides in Northern California.
We talk about:
Reaching a transcendent state on a bike [6:03]
The taboo of ecstasy [9:33]
Moving meditation [12:45]
How family history/upbringing can inform our practice [14:27]
Using mtb to check in or check out [20:12]
The art of mountain biking [24:36]
The demand of mtb to pay attention [28:20]
The social component of the sport [32:30]
Grief on the trail [37:42]
Dancing and doodling [44:09]
Referenced in this episode:
Singletrack Mind by Albert Flynn DeSilver
Writing as a Path to Awakening, also by Albert
“Miracles” by Walt Whitman
We also referenced this episode with Melissa Gill
Let’s connect!
Book a lesson with SimplyMTB or work with Danielle’s project-based growth model at You Need a Thing. Please don’t forget to rate, subscribe, and share this if it resonates!
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