AN MOA PODCAST

The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes

The Ride Inside leverages the knowledge a licensed clinical psychiatrist brings to issues affecting riders of every stripe. Mark also interviews experts in fields related to his professional and riding interests and fields questions from riders all over the world, especially in the area of skills and training. Mark also writes numerous product reviews and wrote the book Why We Ride.

A MOMENTARY LAPSE: Everything can change in a split second when your attention wanders. In a car, it might not be a big deal, but on a motorcycle, a momentary lapse of attention or skill could have devastating effects.
What do X-ray glasses, rocky hill climbs and invisible dangers have in common? Perception! Mark explores how experience shapes what we see—and what we miss—on the bike and beyond. Discover why learning doesn’t just change how we think, but what we notice in the first place.
What happens when a long winter off the bike dulls your passion instead of sharpening it? Mark explores the psychology of re-entry, emotional inertia and why sometimes the thrill of riding returns only after we act on faith, not feeling. Get moving first! Joy often follows in its wake.
What if you could feel nostalgic for today—while it’s happening? This episode explores how reframing the present can bring joy, clarity, and calm amidst uncertainty. From gas station epiphanies to motorcycling metaphors, it’s a ride through time, perception, and the power of noticing what’s good right now.
From trail-side heroics to the quiet joy of finding the perfect wrench, Mark explores the power, pride and occasional absurdity of tools in the life of a motorcyclist. Hear how a clutch cover fix in the wilderness became a triumph of ingenuity and what it means to be truly prepared.
No doubt, some motorcyclists become so single-minded they neglect valuable relationships, make disastrous financial decisions in the service of their insatiable hunger for ever-greater intensity (fancier hardware, more extreme adventures), and perform poorly at crucial tasks because of their preoccupation with the “rider lifestyle” and withdrawal of significant investment in anything else.