A week ago I decided that I needed to get on the road and go find new places to ride. I figured there
is no better time to make a freeride trip happen then right now. My schedule for FMX shows is not as
booked up as it was last year and I am not one to sit around and find myself drowning in boredom. So
there we have it, time to load the Toyota Tundra and a trailer with bikes and camera equipment. I grabbed
photographer Sergio Guiducci and filmer Joseph Ray to travel with me and document my trip and
update my sponsors with content. I also decided to bring longtime friend and MOB Syndicate FMX rider
Vinnie Carbone to ride with me. We got everything loaded and hit the road.
We left So Cal and headed to Reno, NV where MOB Syndicate headquarters is and Team rider Matt
Buyten lives. I made some phone calls to the local Reno FMX guys to ride the following day. After an
eight hour drive we made it to Buyten’s house for some rest. The next morning we hooked up with
Drake McElroy and Tim Obrien to ride the Chickadee ride area. After a couple hours of riding and
filming it was time to get some lunch and get back on the road to the next freeride zone. My original
plan was to head towards Northern California to ride then hit the Oakland, Ca. and watch the AMA
SuperCross on Saturday. Before heading out of Reno I got a phone call from Bill King, President of
2Moto SnowBikes. I got an invite to attend the McCall, Idaho Winter Carnival and go SnowBiking in
the mountains surrounding the town. With no worries to be anywhere in particular, I decided we were
heading to Boise, Idaho to do some more riding. Before heading to get the Snowbike kit mounted to my
KTM 450sx we headed to Murphy, Idaho for a freeride session. A little bit muddy from snow melting, the
Hemingway Butte Trailhead was a great place for scenic ride photos. Launching cliffs and cranking laid
over turns made for an awesome day of riding.
After leaving Boise we headed to Emmitt to get the snowbike kit mounted then continued the trip
north to McCall. My friend Mike Fowler tagged along with us and hooked us up with a place to stay
while in McCall. I got to ride for two solid days before heading south again to get the 450’s wheels back
on for some more freeride. The following morning I jumped on the 84 west heading towards Salt Lake
City, Utah. Knowing that I had to be back in Reno for a MOB Syndicate Ride Day on Tuesday, I decided
to hit up Grand View, Idaho. I had heard about it from a few people that there is good riding, and they
were right. I ended up driving down some random road heading back into some foothills with massive
rock formations that I knew would make for some cool looking photos and film. After Vinnie and I road
for a bit, it was time get the Toyota heading towards Reno. I arrived at my partner Wade’s house at 2am
for some rest. The Team and I are now at MOB Syndicate headquarters working on bikes and getting
everything ready for a couple hour ride session at Chickadee before heading towards Jesse Jolson’s
house for a ramp session then back on the road to who knows where.
My plan is to be on the road for at least another week before heading home to the family for a bit
and figure out the next mission. My goal with the 2011 MOB Syndicate “Life Behind Bars” Freeride
Tour is to find places that I have never ridden and document my travels and experience all year long.
Freeriding is what I do best and there are so many untouched riding areas I need to find. So stay tuned
for all the adventures that lay ahead.
METZ
Thanks goes out to the following sponsors:
Oakley, Blaklader, ARMA Energy SNX, KTM, Alpinestars, Mtn. High, Race Tech, GPR, FMF, DT!, Easton, Fly Racing, Dunlop, MTA, VP Fuels, Acerbis, Metzger Unlimited, and the MOB Syndicate Crew.
Written by Mike Metzger © The MOB Syndicate. All Rights Reserved
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