Although I have only been road cycling for almost a year, I basically grew up on a bike. My parents tell me that I learned how to ride a bike, without training wheels, when I was 2 1/2 years old. Ever since I can remember, I knew how to ride a bike. In first grade, my dad bought me a mountain bike for my birthday that was too big for me. I eventually grew into it, and started taking it on the trails. My dad, brother, and I would ride a trail around a lake at a local park. When I moved to another neighborhood, there was a park called Schaeffer Farms just down the road with some really great single track and I started riding there. My brother and I both got Mongoose MTBs, which at the time I thought were pretty sweet bikes. Little did I know what a good MTB was... Anyway, it served its purpose and I loved riding it in the forested trails.
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In those early years, the park was kind of an undiscovered gem, but lately, it has become super popular. On the weekends, I see so many vehicles loaded with MTBs going down the road past my house that lead to the park. It's a shame that I live so close to such great trails and I rarely ride there. I used to spend my summers riding the single track back in middle and high school.
Recently, a friend that I cycle with got a MTB. She had never ridden off-road before, so I suggested that we ride at Schaeffer Farms. I got my old Mongoose ready and prayed that I still remembered how to ride on single track. The shifters also don't work that great. And the brake pads are wearing a bit thin... It had rained the day before, so the trails were a bit muddy and slippery. Not the ideal conditions for my friend to learn how to MTB, but she did fine. We had a blast and survived without a mishap. I took my GoPro with me and mounted it on the rubber part of my handlebars. Unfortunately, that was a bad idea because of all the vibration from the trail, and most of the video is nausea-inducing. I should have used my helmet mount, which I will do next time!
Here's what I salvaged from the footage:
Have you ever gone mountain biking before?
