Taking On the Mountain With Only Two Tires: The New Sport Of Mountain Biking
Written by Damian Papworth on January 1, 2010 – 9:57 am -There’s always some new sport brewing, whether it’s something more extreme that somehow makes its way to the mainstream, like skateboarding and rollerblading, or something so weird that not many people are ever going to take it up, like kiteboarding or skydiving. And most sports that have been created have something to do with invention and innovation, where there’s a need for a new use for an area, or an object.
With so many ski resorts wondering how to attract guests in the off-season, it’s no wonder that someone took a look at one of those ski runs once the snow melted and thought to themselves, “What a perfect place to go for a bike ride.” Sure, the origins of mountain biking are a little bit more complicated than that, but that’s basically the long and the short of it.
Instead of simply going for a hike, or going for a bike ride across town, mountain biking managed to combine the two elements of getting around on a bicycle with maneuvering one’s way through the wilderness. Since its initial inception, different riders took the sport in different directions. Some were interested in keeping the bikes in urban environments but using them differently, while others were more focused on creating a challenging speed-based environment that looked more like downhill slalom ski racing.
But more than that, there are different types of mountain biking, some of which spend time on more manicured surfaces, some who go all out and head to the middle of nowhere, and others where the riding is more built on creating one’s own type of style and implementing it, but in the dirt instead of out on the street.
With so much innovation to the sport, it’s sometimes difficult to tell which are different styles, and which are just new takes on old concepts that aren’t actually a separate riding school. That’s not as important as figuring out what type of riding one wants to be participating in, but can also be helpful for making a choice–and even figuring out a bike to use–at some point down the road.
Probably the most famous variation of mountain biking is the kind seen everywhere from ESPN’s X-Games to “bike parks” around the country. The style, dirt jumping, or big dirt riding, involves bicyclists with a significant amount of padding and smaller, durable mountain bikes taking on a large dirt jump. Riders are judged by the tricks they perform in the air, usually variations of twisting, flipping, and maneuvering the bike but still having a safe landing. While fun to watch, this is definitely not the spot for aspiring mountain bicyclists to begin.
Since not everyone has access to mountain trails or even large urban parks, a popular style for those living in cities, especially teenagers, is known as urban or street riding. The only gear needed here is a bicycle, usually one with a smaller frame and smaller wheels that is lighter to carry. Riders go out alone or in groups, and like skateboarders who used to figure out how to ride railings and sidewalks, do very much the same thing with their bicycles. Balance and creativity is a huge component to this style of riding.
For most people with access to the trails, the obvious starting off point for riding is to begin with cross-country mountain biking. Just as simple as the name sounds, cross-country is all about the bicycle and the terrain, with no added obstacles or epic jumps. Cross-country riders have larger, more durable bicycles, and tackle everything from bumpy uphill trails to muddy, tricky downhill slopes. It’s a great way to learn about balance and endurance.
For riders who have graduated past basic cross-country, a number of professionals in the field have more challenging styles ready and waiting. The newest and fastest take on cross-country is something called speed cross, which is also known as short cross. With short cross, a very short course with a great deal of obstacles is prepared, and riders take turns seeing who can maneuver it the fastest without falling down.
Since mountain biking is such a new and exciting sport, surely many other different variations and styles are bound to pop up in the next few years. But far from being just an outsider’s sport, it’s beginning to get the kind of acclaim that could eventually mean Olympic trials. Regardless of how mainstream or not it is, mountain biking is an incredible opportunity to participate in a sport that actually involves heading out into nature. Even if the closest thing to nature that’s around is a park in New York City, those who are participating in mountain biking are outside in a way that other sports just haven’t done, and the result will hopefully be more people of all ages who are healthy and not glued to screens all day long.
Damian Papworth loves the thrill of mountain biking, but always makes sure he fills his bike water bottles before he goes. A cycling water bottle is so important to maintaining hydration in this grueling sport.
Tags: Biking, Cycling, Exercise, extreme, fitness, Health, Health And Fitness, lifestyle, Mountain Biking, People, Recreation, Sport, sport and, Travel
Posted in Cycling | No Comments »
