On MOUNTAIN BIKING

On Mountain Biking:

So I had an epiphany the other day that I felt was worth blogging about. Just because you may have ridden a mountain bike, that doesn’t actually mean that you have been MOUNTAIN BIKING. Allow me to explain:

While I was living in DC, I had used a mountain bike as a means of transportation to and from campus, work, the Metro stop, etc. So when Laura asked if I had ever mountain biked before, I naively answered yes and told her how excited I was for our afternoon excursion. Silly Voula. I am sure you avid riders out there are probably reading this and thinking, “Duh….silly city girl.”

Anyway, I quickly learned as we rode over the rocks to leave Jungle Bay that real MOUNTAING BIKING is actually quite different when you’re not on pavement. While I was absolutely terrified the whole time thinking that each rock would be the one to send me into orbit, or that the each patch of brush would be the one with the wild animal lurking in it, it was absolutely exhilarating. The view from the beach [finish line] alone was worth all the fear, not to mention all the calories I had burned. I am happy to report that I only fell upon trying to get off the bike, which in my defense was too high for me. The fall occurred when I was riding up the big hill, (like that narrows it down in Dominica) the one right after you cross the White River and are climbing up to Jungle Bay, and my quadriceps had said to my brain, “We’re burning and would really like it if you would stop and walk the rest of the way up this hill. Thank You.” My brain got the message, but apparently my body really wanted to say “Hello” to the ground so down I went. Laura, who witnessed the whole scene (but not the dialogue) said it all kind of happened in slow motion and that I had been doing so well up to that point. Oh well, can it really be called MOUNTAIN BIKING if you don’t come back with any dirt or scratches on you?

Lessons Learned:
1. Make sure your seat is at the proper height
2. Riding a Mountain Bike over Pavement isn’t mountain biking
3. The reward at the end is sometimes worth the fear
4. Make sure that your body, burning quads, and brain are all in agreement


Thanks for reading, and take care.

Until the next adventure,

Voula