| Disappointment By Way of Gypsum |
Issue #146 |
| But in this waking place, the end of the world comes and goes and I die a little, but I keep pedaling and keep sweating until my body is nothing but a movement machine. by Casey Smart |
| |
| Libra |
Issue #145 |
| Jack traveled different path from his renegade brother Frank, who would go to extremes to save the places he loved. Now Jack must come to terms with his brother's decisions, and wonder if his own path is the right one. by Kevin MacGregor Scott |
| |
| Literature Contest Runner-Up: Where the Bicycle is King |
Issue #139 |
| Just another grueling day as a bike messenger, just another routine delivery. But the address doesn't exist and the house can only be seen in a mirror...and our messenger finds his way to an alternate universe. by Kirsten Hammerstrom |
| |
| The Dirt Rag 2008 Literature Contest Winner: The Life of Earl (or, Aren't We All A Little Nuts?) |
Issue #138 |
| What drives the mysterious drifter Earl to wander the streets and back roads of his small town? Is it because he has no choice, or because that is what he chooses to do? by Ryan Smith |
| |
| Wallhangers |
Issue #131 |
| The winner of the Dirt Rag Literature Contest is the tale of Dermott McDougal and his two old bikes hung up as dusty decorations on a shop wall. by James W. Crissman |
| |
| Anywhere |
Issue #125 |
| When America becomes a totalitarian state, the bicycle is declared a dangerous tool that allows people to travel too freely. Our main character Clara has hopes of reinventing the two-wheeled symbol of freedom. by Eva Apelqvist |
| |
| Día de los Muertos |
Issue #124 |
| J.P. Wares submitted this winning entry in Dirt Rag's 2006 Literature Contest. His efforts yielded a Moots Zirkel frame, donated generously by Moots Cycles. by J.P. Wares |
| |
| The Shaming of the True |
Issue #122 |
| The nausea of wasted adrenaline poured over me like influenza. I checked the mirror again, and was not surprised to see him coming after me, again out of the saddle. Up from the hill he advanced, expressionless and composed. by Bill Ketzer |
| |
| Insomnia |
Issue #111 |
| Black cargo shorts, sports bra and a stained gray sweatshirt. I laid my little chrome BMXer in the back of the van and set out. by Marie Thomas |
| |
| Infrastructure |
Issue #106 |
| I really didn't choose to commute out of any "green" sensibility or civic-minded endeavor to reduce air pollution... by Bill Ketzer |
| |
| Have Bike. Will Travel. |
Issue #104 |
| It was one of those colossally obvious mistakes that, once realized, hits you over the head like some cartoon anvil dropped from a cliff. by Ray Easterling |
| |
| Ah la Flahute |
Issue #101 |
| The old-school guys were tough as hell. There were Flandrian diesels that rode 200km a day, every day on the cobbles, in the wind, to the sea and back, etc. by flexiflyer |
| |
| A Pleasant Ride |
Issue #98 |
| In a self-described tribute to the prose of Hemmingway, Mark R. Johnson won the Dirt Rag Literature Contest (under 2500 words) with this story. by Mark R. Johnson |
| |
| Confessions of a Dirtbag Mountain Biker |
Issue #93 |
| Matt Artz tells what it is like to be a Dirtbag Mountain Biker. He even gives us the 6 Commandments. by Matt Artz |
| |
| The Year 2024 |
Issue #89 |
| Although the "Singletrack 3" case has been resolved, read this not-so-fictional account to find out what land access could be like for us mountain bikers in the not-so-distant future. by Gary Harman |
| |
| Old Man, I'm a Lot Like You |
Issue #86 |
| A touching story, explaining what riding is to Jonathan and his brother. by Jonathan Robinette |
| |
| Incedente |
Issue #85 |
They have brought in the young American
from very high up in the mountains
-dark and Italian-
by John Freeman |
| |
| Of Warriors and Generals |
Issue #85 |
| So it was, on 16th April 2000, three mile climb in the blinding hot sun; struggling, suffering, sucking dry lifeless wind. That day would be the last time up that particular climb for me, for so many. by Jay DeJesus |
| |
| Confessions of a Rotten Downhiller |
Issue #80 |
| Hey, I know we've never met, but judging from the fact that you're currently sitting on your butt, I'm pretty sure I could beat you up to the top of just about any mountain. by Elden Nelson |
| |
| Zen and the Art of Commuting |
Issue #79 |
| You wake 45 minutes earlier than usual. Groggy and stiff, you eat a quick breakfast and down a cup of coffee. Hard as you try, you can't shake the sleep from your head. by Ron Coughenour |
| |
| Feng Shui |
Issue #74 |
| You could be forgiven for thinking that Feng Shui is Mandarin Chinese for "load of old bollocks" or "pretentious interior decorating wiffle" but in fact it's the all encompassing ancient Chinese philosophy of life. by Mike Davis |
| |
| Something Wintery This Way Comes |
Issue #69 |
| Lead shadows smashed office windows as a dim orange sun exhaled a final breath of frozen copper pennies. by by KarlRosengarth |
| |
| Smaller Hours |
Issue #66 |
| Usually, even for one who endeavors to avoid sleep, waging grandiose campaigns of caffeine ingestion ritual and persistent unhealthy work habit to thwart its ancient necessity, it is still a large "fuck you" at the cellular by Bill Ketzer |
| |
| The Joys of Working in A Shop |
Issue #64 |
| Ahhh...the joys of working in a bike shop are gracefully told by Mr. Hewitt. by Ben Hewitt |
| |
| naked |
Issue #62 |
| katrine-marie takes us on a personal and touching journey. by katrine-marie |
| |
| Irmelin Ingebritson |
Issue #60 |
| This is a story of the famous mountain biker, Irmelin Ingebritson, and how
she saved her village from an attack by the vicious Freaks. by Jeff Della Penna |
| |
| Messengers in the Midst |
Issue #56 |
| Messenger Tom Holland gets harassed by the police. Find out how he gets his bike back! by Tom Holland |
| |
| A Poem |
Issue #53 |
| This poem was anonymously submitted to the Epping Forest management by the
Epping Forest Riders Association. by anonymous |
| |
| Polyester |
Issue #48 |
| Bundled snugly in my newly purchased poly/Lycra fleecy wear, I entered the
cold night with lights blazing, eagerly anticipating the familiar trail. by Stuart Ulferts |
| |
| The Agony of Victory |
Issue #47 |
| Ken was good, but I was better. His mountain biking skills were good for a
veteran, but mine were better. I was scant inches behind him, dogging his
every move, making him sweat. by Gary Harman |
| |
| A Little Poem |
Issue #46 |
| Another wonderful poem from Ben Hewitt. by Ben Hewitt |
| |
| Stupid |
Issue #44 |
| I really like life when I feel invincible at the same moment I am most vulnerable. This is powerful stuff, these moments. Highly addictive. by Eric Richter |
| |
| Karma: It's Never Too Late For A Date With Fate |
Web Article |
| Read about Gary's belief in karma and how he relates it to mountain biking. by Gary Harmon |
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