Right reasons V5

 The last guy on my list is not least by any means. He's a guy that may be one of the nicest dudes on the face of the planet. I don't think you will find a single person that will have anything negative to say about him. He is also one of the most fun people to ride bikes with, I know that every time I go anywhere with him we're gonna make jokes and laugh and just have fun. His name is Moe Lopes. I've known Moe for 15 plus years, and I can tell you that he is without a doubt one of the most passionate people I've ever met when it comes to bikes and riding. Just talking to Moe you'd see that his positive attitude is contagious, and it's not just about bikes. He has that outlook on everyday life. Now over the years he too, like I mentioned with Rick slowed down and started a family. he actually stopped riding BMX for a number of  years based on getting more involved with downhill bikes. So in a way he never stopped just redirected his focus. So naturally I asked him to be the a part of what I was doing with this article. So the following is what Moe came up with:
  I remember watching a documentary on discovery about motorcycles and one of the people they interviewed said "you won't get butterflies in you stomach from anything else like you do riding a motorcycle",to me I thought yeah you do! Every time I go ride my bicycle it get pretty pumped  about being able to go out and do something most people take for granted and never keep doing after they buy a car or graduate from high school. Bikes have been part of my life for as long as I can remember and I'm still going strong at the ripe old age of 41!  Every time I put my bike in my car I get butterflies just thinking about the people or places, it's truly an addiction! Like most people I grew up playing football or baseball and yeah I was on teams but it just didn't have the appeal the my bike gave me. I didn't have to worry about a team mate not performing or have the most yards or goals scored, it was me just cruising around finding spots to ride. 
  My inspiration came from an issue of bmx plus that my father picked up for me at a bookstore(I still have that issue in a plastic bag) it had Toby Henderson on the cover doing a cheesy kinda table. I read it cover to cover and thought man I can do this but at the time I had some cheap freespirit I got from sears. So needless to say I saved all my money from chores and got a torker, my first real bmx bike . I rode that bike everywhere and started trying to do tricks. My friends and I found tires,garbage cans and anything else we could find to jump I was in heaven. How could something so simple be this much fun. There wasn't anything that had the same vibe as riding a bike...it was my new best friend. As time went on I learned more tricks and met new people and formed some great friendships with people I still ride with or talk with today. Everyday wether it was school or work all I thought about was riding, it got to the point where I'd drive down a street and look at a paved embankment or a set of stairs and it looked rideable. Most people just drive down the road and think about work or money and never see all the natural terrain around them. What an amazing thing that is!
Eventually after a lot of years riding what most people would consider a kids bike I focused my attention on mountain bikes, I rode trails a lot and eventually found my new love downhill racing! There wasn't anything like it and it gave me the same butterflies my bmx gave me. Once again a bicycle has brought me that feeling that I had as a kid and it was the best thing ever. Unfortunately my bmx got little use because I was either trail riding or at a mountain racing and just didn't feel the need to ride it anymore it had lost it's passion. I still took it out of the garage from time to time but I just hung it up and grabbed my big bike. It's funny cause a lot of the younger guys asked me when you gonna ride bmx again and I pretty much told them NEVER! just didn't have the passion anymore and that feeling started to happen with the mtb. Eventually I sold all my bikes and just stopped riding and slid into a huge rutt. I feel into the same routine everyone else was doing, work,marriage a family and it's all a great thing but I just felt like I was empty and missing an old friend .
    My life has changed a lot since I started riding and eventually the passion slowly came back. I was fortunate to be a judge at Mauls Brawl and honestly I can say that had I not gone I probably would've never started up again. The thing that blew my mind most was all these kids where at a park doing what they love and enjoying themselves. They weren't thinking about paying bills or work, they were focused on having a good time! Sometimes you have to step back or away from something to realize how much of it is a part of your life and that day I remembered that. I never wanted to be the best or look the coolest I just wanted to ride and that's what I did. Now after almost 3 hrs of not riding I'm  committed to that passion once again . Every set of stairs or a ledge has that same appeal. They say you never forget how to ride and it's true! I feel as comfortable now as I did when I was 15 and I love it and the best thing about it is I have my six year son telling me to go ride! Doesn't get much better than that.

Little Moe

Downhillin'

old rye setup

westport

Startin his son young