Blast from the past: Mountain biking

I recently ran across several columns I’d written during my stint at the local papers. I decided to retype them to have them electronically. I’m not going to cart around paper clips.

So, since I typed them, I figured I’d share them. My style hasn’t changed too much. I focused more on complete sentences for my columns, as opposed to this blog, which is more how I talk. Fragments, anyone? Sentences that don’t … If you know me, I’m sure you hear my voice. See if you can hear me in these blasts from the past.

MM note: I think this was the one and only official Adventure Club outing. Ah, well. There’s still time …

Dec. 6, 2001

Adventure Club inaugural is mountain biking

There’s a whole other world for you and your bicycle to explore

If you’ve never taken your bicycle anywhere but down the driveway and up the paved bike path, be warned: There is whole other world out there, and it’s a lot of fun.

Mountain biking isn’t a sport to be taken lightly. Sure, it involves a bicycle and a rider, and it’s possible to go from basic to extreme in that bicycle and extras, but it’s more than a ride in the park.

Don’t that turn you off. After all, that’s the fun of mountain biking – hitting the trails, following winding paths, flying down steep inclines and rushing (or walking) up inclines. It’s a sport for the novice and experienced rider to enjoy together.

Adventure  Club’s inaugural event was a tossup between mountain biking and kayaking. In early November, although it was surprisingly warm, the thought of getting wet didn’t sound appealing. I opted instead for mountain biking. How hard could it be? Get out the bike, put on the helmet, go off road on a trail. Got it.

There is a lot to be learned about mountain biking.

But to back up a little … the Adventure Club was my idea. Well, not really a club, but an opportunity to get together with a couple of adventurous relatives once a month and do something outdoors and recreational.

They could teach me about it, I’d take notes and write a story or column or something. My idea wasn’t completely formulated. That didn’t matter. Within a couple of weeks of mentioning it, the phone rang.

“I’m calling the inaugural meting of the Adventure Club,” Anita Whetstone told me.

“What?” I asked.

“The first meeting of the Adventure Club. What do you want to do? Go mountain biking or kayaking? The weather is nice, and if we’re going to do something before it snows, we should do it today.”

I had my day planned. But it was beautiful outside, and getting out seemed like a lot more fun than cleaning the house.

“Um,” I stalled. “I don’t know.”

We left it that I’d call them back after noon and we’d figure it out then.

After some careful consideration (2 minutes after I hung up the phone – “I don’t want to get wet!”) I decided on mountain biking.

Agusta “Gus” Christina, the third member of our three-person “club,” was in charge of getting me ready. She loaned me the proper biking clothes – Spandex shorts with built-in padding and a mesh-back, sleeveless shirt.

She offered her “click” shoes. I declined. Click shoes have a special metal piece built into the bottom that locks into the bicycle pedal, keeping your feet in place. The concept frightened me, and I passed. Maybe another time.

I stuck a scrunchie in my hair and tried on a bicycle helmet – an absolute must for bicycling. Christina loaned me gloves (without the fingers) to match the biking outfit and a windbreaker.

I got to help load the bikes on a carrier on the back of the SUV.

Christina gave me the rules “Gus-style.” When going downhill, keep your feet level on the pedals and lift up slightly off your seat to absorb the impact in your legs and keep your balance.

Buy the lightest bike you can afford. Carry as little as possible, but be sure to take along a tire pump and a new inner tube and/or a patch kit. Christina also carries an Allen wrench to adjust anything on her bicycle that needs it.

The first bit of the ride was easy, downhill on a paved highway. But halfway down we braked, climbed the curb and headed to a wooded trail. The highway noise was lost almost immediately among the tall trees.

The trail was littered with pine needles and dry leaves. My companions, who had not been on the trail recently, were a little apprehensive about the debris on the trail, especially on hills. If you slide on leaves, braking won’t help.

I was surprised at how easy it was to ride off road with the mountain bike. The tires are designed to grip the ground. I recall getting into a little bit of sand at the side of the road with my 10-speed and struggling to keep it upright. Riding was easy on the mountain bike.

Within no time at all, we reached our first hill. When Whetstone and Christina paused to inspect it, I decided it was not for me. I’d chance it trying to walk the bicycle down rather than flying over roots and rocks to reach the narrow pass at the bottom between two trees. Christina rode it like a pro.

My biggest challenge came on a narrow lip of the side of a hill. Instead of stopping to check it out, we all charged ahead. Afterwards, Christina, who was following me on the trail, said I’d done really good staying on the trail and not sliding down the hill into the lake.

All too soon, we began losing light and had to head back to the vehicle using a different trail. This one was wide enough for a car and mostly sand. The two of them sped ahead, and I took my time to savor the ride … and try to catch up.

If you’ve never gone mountain biking, give it a try. Find a friend or relative who rides and ask him or her to take you along. You can try it out this way without any expense, to decide if you’d like to do more.

If you can’t find anyone who bikes, check out a local sporting goods store or bicycle shop. Employees there can put you in touch with someone who can show you the ropes.

In my brief Adventure Club encounter, I’ve found most people interested in outdoor recreation are more than willing to take you along for the ride.