Fast Five with Luke Strobel 3

Luke Strobel is one of America's fastest downhillers and unquestionably one of the most naturally stylish. With his full-on moto style and dedicated trail builidng ethic, Strobel is a Pacific Northwest legend who's just getting started...

What's the best part about living and riding the PNW?
The dirt, the mountains, the Steelhead fishing and the overall beauty of this place. It would be hard for me to leave.
 
Rock garden or root garden...which do you prefer to shred and why?
Tough question. The truth is that it doesn't really matter to me. As long as I am on my bike and going fast, it's all the same, I love riding it all. But if I had to choose probably roots. I love the feeling when you ride through a steep, wet, rooty, nasty section fast and clean.

Tell us a funny Lars Sternberg story.
Well I have a few. But I will tell you about the time when we were in Leavenworth, WA for his bachelor party. We were planning off starting the day with some DH runs in the morning then a little tubing float down Icicle creek into the Wenatchee river in the early afternoon. We didn't get riding until at least 2 or 3. Anyways we dropped our tubes in at about 5pm thinking it was only a one hour float. Well it wasn't only one hour...it ended up being about 3 hours. So we were tubing down this river that none of us have ever floated before in the dark. It was so epic and really, really, really cold. You know you're doing something wrong when you're floating down a river in a little inter tube that's loosing air by the minute and all you're wearing is board shorts and you look up to a bright moon and a sky full of stars.

If you had one do-over in life, what would it be?
Life must be good, can't think of any.
 
What races do you plan on hitting for 2012?
The full World Cup, World Champs, US National Champs, US Open, non conflicting US Nationals and as many of those sweet local PNW Cup races as I can fit in. That's the plan anyways. I'm looking for some changes for the 2012 season, so every thing is still a bit up in the air, but there should be some news soon! Shout out to all my sponsors for making my 2011 season happen: MS Evil, Fox Racing Shox, Schwalbe, Five Ten, Alpinestars, Mavic, Gravity, Formula, Scott Optics and Troy Lee Designs.

Want to feel what it's like to go as fast as Strobel? Take a ride...