2012, immediately after graduating from college. It actually is a pretty treasured hobby of mine because as I was sitting there with my degree, I just thought “Mountain Biking. I’m going to get into Mountain Biking.” No one escorted me into it or eased me in, I just dropped 800 bucks on a Cannondale hardtail and hit a trail that threw me off the bike repeatedly. 6 years later, I’m still getting thrown on the sides of the trail, but with a Santa Cruz 5010 Uncle Sam helped me pay for and an intense desire to find time to get better.