2016 Gratitude: Matt Acker

We hope you enjoy this series of posts from our sponsored riders sharing some of things they are grateful for from 2016. -Kid

2016 Gratitude: Matt Acker

There are many things that I am grateful I was a part of in 2016, but the one that stands out the most to me is marrying my best friend and partner in cycling adventure.

Jenny and I first crossed paths at a cyclocross race several years ago and several months afterwards began a relationship together. Among our first dates was a frigid fatbike race up in da UP at the Noquemanon 50K. When I proposed to her just over a year ago it was during a Christmas day singletrack adventure. Cycling has been an integral part in our relationship from day one, and as a wise friend of ours advocates “couples who play together, stay together”. The past year has seen us travelling from all over the Midwest to race fatbikes, to 100-mile mountain bike races and bikepacking adventures. I consider myself to be most fortunate in that I’m able to share my time dominated by cycling with the person I love the most. Being able to celebrate our respective victories is especially rewarding. At the Marji Gesick 100 mile mountain bike race, arguably one of the toughest out there, I was not only able to spend my day racing against living legend Tinker Juarez, but also at the finish line to see Jenny tackle the beast. Looking forward to the future, I can’t wait to see what adventures are yet to come, and surely most will be by bike.