Hey all Heal Clothing blog readers, thanks for checking out the site. My name is Pat Smage, I have been riding with Heal for the past year or so. I saw what they were doing to help riders like Doug Henry, and thought it would be awesome to work with a company that helps athletes so much.

I was offered the opportunity to drive out to California to ride over winter by Brad Baumert and Ryan Young of Ryan Young Products. Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity, so I am on a road trip from Wisconsin to California and everywhere in between. Dan has asked me to post some blog entries, so I will do my best to keep updates coming throughout the trip. 

Week 1:

The trip started with a drive to Ryan Young Products in Kentucky. Luckily, the 2010 Sherco showed up the day after we got there, and we were on our way the next day. Next stop; Oklahoma. Ron Lee was helpful enough to do his magic on the new bike, and get it ready to be ridden. 

After a cold day in OK, the plan was to drive to Arizona, stopping to test the new bike and make our way to the Roper's. Well, after a bad decision to follow a dirt road at a national park in New Mexico, the Scorpa Van was in for a long, rough trip. The dirt road we drove in on turned into a rocky, muddy, rutted, snow-filled hell-trail. Four hours later, we stumbled upon a real road. Another hour after that, a flat tire set us back even longer. This changed our plans completely, and led us to stay in Holbrook, AZ for the night. Luckily, Holbrook is a great place to ride. The next day was the first real test I got of the 2010 Sherco. The bike is amazing. After the quick test session, it was off to Glendale, AZ to the Roper's. They let us stay a few days and ride at an awesome pile of rocks.  Next week its off to California for a local trial and some filming and training rides.

Also, check out my lastest monthly video