Why are you reading about a skateboarder on a site dedicated to trail running, riding, and hiking? As with all the people deemed Wizards, John Cardiel brings a thing that transcends his sport, unstoppable energy, fearlessness, and joy. He’s inspiring.

Watching Cardiel skate makes me want to attack my trail runs with that same sense of raw stoke. There is a reason that so many pro skaters call him their favorite skater ever. He rips.

Also, for those who don’t know, John Cardiel was injured in a car accident when he was at the very top of the skate world, and after being told he wouldn’t walk again, he walked again, and now he brings the same hard-charging energy to riding fixed-gear bikes. He has no self pity, just drive to do as much as he can with what he’s got.