{"id":3386,"date":"2020-10-19T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T16:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=3386"},"modified":"2021-01-08T13:14:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T18:14:05","slug":"mountain-biking-trail-building-through-grief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=3386","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Biking &#038; Trail Building Through Grief"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Me shown avoiding roots on Swrilz Trail\" class=\"wp-image-3387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1-1.jpeg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1-1.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After losing my wife Susan four years ago the most challenging part for me has been dealing with the grief. I&#8217;m not a structured &#8220;support group&#8221; kind of person and am instead more of a &#8220;get out and think through the thoughts and feelings&#8221; kind of person. The mountain biking community is my support group. Processing the pain, for me, has been managed mostly through mountain biking and trail work.\u2060<br>\u2060<br>I wrote about this subject, which you can see on pinkbike at the link below. This wasn&#8217;t easy. Putting yourself out there can be risky. I hope that it helps someone. It certainly helped me.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinkbike.com\/u\/gerrycreighton\/blog\/mountain-biking-through-grief.html\" data-type=\"URL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pinkbike: Mountain Biking &amp; Trail Building Through Grief<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After losing my wife Susan four years ago the most challenging part for me has been dealing with the grief. I&#8217;m not a structured &#8220;support group&#8221; kind of person and am instead more of&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[61,17],"tags":[67,68,66,64,65,22,63,62],"class_list":["post-3386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-trail-riding","tag-cancer","tag-cancer-sucks","tag-dealing-with-grief","tag-grief","tag-mountain-biking","tag-mtb","tag-swirlz","tag-trail-building"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Grief-Story-1-of-1.jpeg?fit=1280%2C854&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1YdqL-SC","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3613,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=3613","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":0},"title":"2023 WMBC Volunteer of The Year","author":"Gerry","date":"February 10, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Being selected as one of the Volunteers of the Year by the Whatcom County Mountain Bike Coalition, WMBC is a humbling experience. As someone who has been a member of the mountain biking community for many years, I am honored to be recognized by the WMBC for my contributions to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Trail Work&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Trail Work","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?cat=50"},"img":{"alt_text":"WMBC 2023 Volunteer of The Year","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_8293-1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_8293-1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_8293-1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_8293-1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_8293-1-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3261,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=3261","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":1},"title":"The Silver Lining","author":"Gerry","date":"December 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Silver Lining. It's the story of losing my wife Susan after a 19-year battle with late-stage breast cancer and how mtb friends stepped up to support me in my time of need. In the weeks and months after Susan passed, I learned how special the mountain biking community really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Trail riding&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Trail riding","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"From Left to right: Jeff Lenosky, Brice Shirbach and myself climbing at Brandywine Creek State Park.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ThreeAmigos-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ThreeAmigos-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ThreeAmigos-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ThreeAmigos-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/ThreeAmigos-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1182,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=1182","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":2},"title":"Pocono MTB Club Super D","author":"Gerry","date":"October 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This past weekend was the Glen Park Super D put on by Dan Whitehead and the Pocono mountain bike club. The race was held in Glen Park which is in Stroudsburg, PA. The 2.5hr drive took me through the scenic Delaware Water Gap which was a nice surprise for me,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;races&quot;","block_context":{"text":"races","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?cat=35"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/driveToGlen.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/driveToGlen.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/driveToGlen.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/driveToGlen.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":299,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=299","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":3},"title":"Hans Rey weekend","author":"Gerry","date":"March 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This past weekend was one of those rare times where we had unusually higher temps for an early March weekend...like a carrot dangling before us as we know Spring is on it's way. We both planned to definitely be outside and take advantage of the great weather. On Saturday I\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=299#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"Me and Hans Rey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/meAndHans-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2643,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=2643","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":4},"title":"Final Weekend at Blue Mt. Bike Park for 2015","author":"Gerry","date":"November 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I headed up to Blue Mountain Bike Park for the last weekend of 2015 this past Saturday! I really wanted to go on Sunday and take part in the \"last ride\" event but I had other obligations. Saturday would be the day and I got to sync up with my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Trail riding&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Trail riding","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_4811-e1446649601835.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_4811-e1446649601835.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_4811-e1446649601835.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_4811-e1446649601835.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":222,"url":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?p=222","url_meta":{"origin":3386,"position":5},"title":"Product review: Ryders Eyewear &#8211; Hijack Photochromic model","author":"Gerry","date":"February 17, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I just received my box of of Ryders Eyewear for the 2013 season this week and was anxious to try out the Hijacks. Since this time of year I'm doing a lot of long easy rides, I like to have a good pair of glasses for eye protection and sun\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;eyewear&quot;","block_context":{"text":"eyewear","link":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/?cat=25"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/HijacksFront1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/HijacksFront1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/HijacksFront1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.werideourbikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/HijacksFront1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3386"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3390,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3386\/revisions\/3390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.werideourbikes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}