Freehub Issue 12.4

An unprecedented number of people are riding mountain bikes as an outlet for exercise and exploration and, as a result, discovering a truth we all eventually come to know: Every ride is an adventure. Freehub’s 12.4 edition is a celebration of this truth and a meditation on how adventure leads to discovery, both of the outside world and within oneself. In our cover story, ultra-endurance racer Alexandera Houchin writes about how her relationship with the bike has instilled a deeper understanding of her identity as a Native woman—and how she’s come to realize the act of racing is a ceremonial expression of her Ojibwe spirit. Transformative adventure pervades this book, with feature stories on a life-changing family bikepacking journey in the Alaskan wilderness and the existential reckonings of a rider attempting to clear a long-neglected trail in central Nevada’s remote Toiyabe Range. Welcome to Issue 12.4—a tribute to self-discovery and embracing the unknown.

DEPARTMENTS
Who We Are | The Power of Adventure
Masthead | Who Did It?
Contributors | Amazing People Behind This Issue
The Responsibility of Freedom | Self-Reliance is Paramount
Mud Lust | First Date Jitters on an Afternoon Ride
Space for Conversation | Close Encounters of the Fat-Tire Kind
Trailside Transcendence | Mountain Biking's Culture of Overcoming

FEATURES
Gravitational Pull | Earning Turns on a Backcountry Mission Between Bike Parks
One Drop at a Time | Alexandera Houchin's Steadfast Journey of Self-Discovery
Ephemeral Permanence | Recollections from Six Legends of the Lens
Rightful Heirs | Inheriting Adventure in the Alaskan Wilderness
Remote Learning | Drawing from the Toiyabe Crest's Sage Wisdom

ISSUE 12.4 COVER
Photo: Eddie Clark
Rider: Alexandera Houchin
Illustrator: Justin Santora