If he’s not fighting traffic or dodging rangers, Jason Moeschler, 29, is enjoying his life in the clean air of Marin County, where he lives down the street from WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz teammate Mark Weir, and works from home for Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB).

Moeschler began racing bikes at age 16 and over the course of his racing career has become a three-time Mountain Bike World Championship Competitor, 1997 US Junior National Champion, as well as a three-time Downieville All Mountain Pro Champion.

Born and raised in Nevada City, California, Moeschler returns there every chance he gets to ride with friends, some of who were still juniors when he began coaching them on the Nevada Union High School team years ago. It is also where he spent 12 years wrenching on bikes as his first job at the local bike shop, and where he recently got the chance to compete against some of cycling’s elite. He said that racing against the likes of Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer (to name a few) in his “own backyard” in the 2009 Nevada City Classic road race was incredible.

After talking with Moeschler, one might think that this guy would bleed bike if ever cut, and that riding and racing bikes is all he’s ever wanted to do. But with the divorce of his parents and pure exhaustion from his relentless travel, training, and racing schedule, Moeschler stepped away from the national racing scene in 1999 at age 19. Working full time, he was able to help his mom make the mortgage payment and complete his AA degree from Sierra Community College. In a few years, Moeschler left the bike shop to try his hand at carpentry. He worked construction for close to three years, building custom homes for a local contractor in the Nevada County area.

When Moeschler started racing again locally, a chance conversation with Mark Weir on the podium in Downieville about why he wasn’t wearing his sponsors’ gear (because he wasn’t sponsored at the time) led to Weir adding Moeschler to his WTB/Fox/Santa Cruz team. After his third win as the All Mountain Pro Champion in Downieville, Moeschler was approached by WTB to represent the company as the Western Regional Technical Sales Manager. He gladly accepted and was once again back in the bike industry, where his role has since evolved to include more responsibility in the area of sales and product development.

Moeschler has always believed in positive thinking and taking life as it comes. As Darwin puts it, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” It seems Moeschler’s been a proponent of change all his life, crediting Weir for bringing him back into mainstream racing, and racing for bringing him back into the bike industry.

In terms of what gets him out of bed in the morning—these days it’s being the WTB OEM Sales Manager. The job makes getting up at a bright and shining hour a necessary evil—even when he’s on another continent. Each day brings a barrage of deadlines, conference calls, and basically a chunk of time at the computer all in the name of mountain biking. Being a part of the innovation and technology that is allowing faster race times while evolving the sport from recreation to lifestyle is an exciting thing, Moeschler explained. He added that getting in a ride between projects and meetings is equally as motivating…and ice cream of any kind doesn’t hurt either.

Moeschler prefers epic rides with friends to racing, but manages to remain a threat on the XC and enduro downhill race courses on his Carbon Blur LT or Nomad. Either way, any excuse to be on a bike is a good one, and Moeschler uses the technical sections to make up for the time he might lose in pedaling—his main defense against dopers, as he explained in a recent interview with Decline Magazine. “I don’t think they’ve developed a drug that can make you descend faster—yet,” he said.

Although XC racing gets him on the podium more frequently, this year has allowed him to compete in multiple downhill races, including the Ashland 12-Mile Super D, Crankworks Canadian Open Enduro, and the highlight—the Enduro MTB Trophy of Nations in Vars, France. In this race, Moeschler joined Mark Weir and Brian Lopes as USA Team 1, placing second between two French teams. This is the first time Moeschler raced in a full-face helmet and pads, and an example of why he loves mountain biking. He explained that you’re always one race away from seeing if you’ve got what it takes to exceed your perceived limits and challenge yourself against the best in anyone’s backyard.