the oasis ledge
by Nik Ford
Everyone has there own way of dealing with testing times…
…and for me, as I’m sure with many of you, riding my bike is the way I do this. You should never run away from your problems, pedalling is much faster!
Skateparks have always been the easier and more convenient option to scratch the itch, however that is not an option right now while social distancing is being enforced. That sentence alone is something I never thought I would write.
I have always enjoyed looking for the more unique obstacles to ride and with the current state, my search has stepped up a lot.
The search has seen me stay active, using the recommend daily exercise to get out on my bike and explore for somewhere isolated to ride my bmx.
Living in a semi rural location, over the years I have discovered many untouched amazing places to ride.
A week or so ago whilst out on the Ford Falcon (my mountain bike), I spotted something encased by a bramble bush, it looked like a big old tombstone. I didn’t choose the goth life, it chose me!
After closer inspection, it was not the resting place of a vampire but it was indeed a big stone block on a 45 degree angle, covered in centuries of moss and surrounded by old bricks. Still spooky shit, I’m sure.
It gave me something to think about, how did it get there and what could I do with it?
I visited my newly unearthed oasis ledge as part of the allocated daily exercise over the course of a week and began work on making it rideable. I cut the brambles back, levelled off the run in from grass clumps. I then rode the grass run in with my mountain bike.
The backside of block needed to be dug to ensure the over grind was on, I scraped off the moss from the face of ledge and the final step was to wax the edge. It looked pretty rough but I hoped it would slide.
I worked on the spot at different times to figure out when the lighting would be best for getting some filming done.
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” Edgar Allan Poe
I day dreamed of the various tricks I could do on the angled ledge and after all the preparation was complete, I returned on a Sunday afternoon to have a ride.
It was a lot harder to ride than I hoped, the run in was super bumpy but I do enjoy the challenge of riding the obscure.
A few tricks on the list evaded me on the maiden voyage but I will return, I’ve got some ideas for my current video project.
BMX has always provided me the escapism I require when times get tough. In these strange times we find ourselves currently livin’ in, I once again find myself seeking solace and my BMX has given me just that.
Stay weird, stay rad, keep searching and ride on!
If you are looking for some ways to help pass the time and keep the stoke high, it would be rad if you checked out my YouTube channel.