Two weeks ago I was up in the Santa Cruz Demonstration Forest; it was a perfect day, after the chilly weather from the day before, for my first mountain bike ride. I have always wondered how mountain biking was like and eventually was going to try it sooner or later, so I agreed to go on this ride with my friend who couldn’t make it to my bike ride the day before. My friend is very enthusiastic about mountain biking and has always wanted me to join him and so I decided to try it out. This mountain bike ride was a very memorable one, I suffered some battle scars in the end but it was an exciting and thrilling experience – it was definitely worth trying.
We arrived at the mountains around 3pm and planned on riding for the next few hours, just until it starts to get dark. There were 5 of us in all and everyone, except me, was pretty experienced with the sport; most of them were a little skeptical when I told them it was my first ride. When I got out of the car we were in the middle of a forest with a soft earthy ground – the air was cool and comforting. It felt good to be outdoors once in a while so I spent some time enjoying our surroundings and absorbing the chilly but sunny scenery.
Eventually the bikes were all brought out and I was given my friend’s spare hardtail mtn bike to ride – I was instructed on how to use it briefly and given some tips throughout our ride together. I had a lot of experience with road bikes but was a total newbie here in the forest – I wasn’t sure what I was in for but just kept tagging along. The bike I was given probably wasn’t the best bike in the world but at least it was functional and had decent front shocks that did the job and was absolutely crucial for the entire ride.
When I first got on the bike it was very odd and difficult to balance because the floor was made of loose earth – it didn’t take too long to get used to but it definitely was feeling different. The floor wasn’t paved so all the objects and cracks on the ground bothered me a bit, but as I kept riding I was amazed at how well these machines rode through the rough terrain. There could have been rocks, cracks in the ground, a log, or mud and this bike would go through all of it like it wasn’t even there – all thanks to the front suspension fork.
There was a bit of climbing at first and eventually we met our first descent and boy was I surprised. I remember my first reaction very vividly – it felt like I was staring down a mountain made of loose dirt and gravel and death around every corner with a cliff or tree. My friend and the others cheerfully rode down the path like it was nothing and that gave me enough confidence to move forward. I kept telling myself it was perfectly safe and as long as I mimic their patterns then I should be fine. What a rush it was after the first downhill experience, the bike rode down the trail so smoothly and absorbed every single bump. I was blown away at how well the bike handled through the crazy and rough terrain that I was in real disbelief through the first few minutes.
The group led me through a series of trails and always waited for me at a wide open resting spot where they would ask me how I was doing and would answer any questions I had. They were amazed that I was still able to make it through each section of the ride and complimented me on my progress. Eventually the trails got more difficult and challenging – I found myself using the brakes more and more just to avoid a potential fall. The ride was very technical – you would need to focus a lot when going downhill and should always feel confident because there was very little room for any hesitation. The trail was made up of steep climbs and steep descents each one unique and always changing.
As we were nearing the end of our ride, the guys decided to take me to the most difficult part of the trail and that’s when I started to fall apart. I managed to barely get through the first half but eventually met my challenge. I vaguely remember it but it was a very long and steep descent on a very narrow path. So I just told myself to go fast and go straight through and avoid using the brakes – I was able to make it down but was not able to make the turn right at the bottom. With all that speed that built up descending down hill, my bike easily climbed up the side of a cliff 4-5 feet high and I was tossed off falling hard on my left shoulder.
After that fall I couldn’t really use my left arm too much and had to walk down the last of the trail because I wasn’t able to steer or hold the handlebar without discomfort. After describing how everything felt, my friend told me I probably separated my shoulder and, as we walked, told me horror stories about his mountain bike experiences that included two concussions. The fall didn’t seem too bad and I was being optimistic since I didn’t feel anything broken. Luckily the fall was near the end of our ride. My shoulder only hurt when I tried to push or use it to steer; I was able to climb the last few miles out of the trail so it couldn’t be that bad.
We made it out just in time when the sun started to disappear, everyone seemed pretty satisfied with the ride today and even though I fell down hard and they said it was “Part of the experience”. I was, again luckily, able to drive myself home just fine and decided to get my arm checked incase of any problems. I was told there was nothing broken or anything major at the hospital and boy was I was relieved. I walked away with some torn muscles from the shoulder and told to take it easy for two weeks.
Like any sport, it’s not for everyone – and mountain biking is an extreme sport that requires a lot of guts and skill. You need to have the legs to overcome steep climbs as well as the arms to handle downhill descents and turns. Because the terrain changes after every rainfall, there is a lot of variety and impromptu situations that require quick reaction. I can imagine mountain biking to be very fun once you have mastered all your techniques and overcome all your fears. Proper gear is also equally important; suspension and disc brakes are very important and provide you with more control and comfort.
Well it has been about two weeks now and my shoulder has recovered significantly enough to start using it again but will probably require a little more time to fully recover. Overall, even with the injury I had, I would say mountain biking is something I enjoyed and would probably see myself doing again – just not anywhere that has helicopter landing areas which was something I found out later about those wide open “resting spots”.
