Those that know me will know that I am mildly obsessed with mountain biking. OK maybe a little more than just mildly.

I enjoy the physical aspect of being out in the fresh air and getting a good work out. I love exploring new places and uncovering hidden gems around NZ (and the world… back when we could travel) I spend hours mucking around with bikes in the garage, making sure that pedals turn smoothly and wheels roll true. And I love sharing these adventures with others.

Over the years I’ve told hundreds of trail stories about rides I’ve done or places I’ve been on a bike, attempting to inspire others to go on an adventure. But, I’d often find that people didn’t tend to venture too far past their horizons because of the fear of the unknown… Was the ride easy to find, was it hard to ride, is it as far as they say, can I ride it on my bike?

So, seeing a pattern and sensing an opportunity, I decided to take my hobby a step further… I launched Inspired Rides. A YouTube channel and a website to capture some of my adventures, eliminate the unknowns and hopefully inspire people to get out and find new adventures.

Some would call it a side hustle; others might just say it is an expensive hobby. No doubt it is a lot of work, with the whole process from planning a ride, preparation, travelling, actually riding the trails, filming, video editing and finally website editing. When it all comes together, it just the best feeling of satisfaction.

For me, Inspired Rides combines many of the things that I love in mountain biking, travelling and marketing. I’m learning to tell stories using video which is a new thing for me and I’m getting out on my bike more often.

Commercially I’m not sure if it has got legs but lets give it a crack anyway and see where it goes. I’ll share my experiences on here of course.

Check it out and let me know what you think?