Trail Riding | Impressions

. By T.V. Antony Raj
.

The majority of mountain biking falls into the recreational Cross Country (XC), and Trail Riding. As I mentioned before in an earlier post “Can you ride off ramps?” dated March 11, 2012, a mountain bike rider requires bike handling skills, core strength and balance, endurance, and self-reliance.

Recently I saw a 11 minutes 43 seconds video uploaded by TheTaith on Oct 3, 2011 on to YouTube. This video contains highlights from a lap around Whites Level, Afan, Wales, on a sunny September evening, riding a 2011 Lapierre Zesty. The rider had filmed the ride using a HD Hero (720p @ 50fps) on a chest mount.

I am 71 years young now. After 7 minutes of watching the rider riding off-road, over rough terrain, down hill, dirt roads, I felt vomiting due to the jerks the rider had endured doing his lap. I am not telling you not to watch the video; what I am trying to tell you is, if you are not young physically like me, be warned.

Can you ride off ramps? (tvaraj.wordpress.com)
Downhill run by Mountain Biker Alejandro Paz (tvaraj.wordpress.com)

. By T.V. Antony Raj
.

If your bicycle is specially adapted and has features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain it is not just another bike, but is a mountain bike. And if you ride off-road, over rough terrain, down hill, dirt roads, then you are mountain biking.

The vast majority of mountain biking falls into the recreational Cross Country (XC), and Trail Riding categories; and there are other categories as well: all mountain, downhill, freeride, dirt jumping and trials.

Mountain biking as a sport that requires bike handling skills, core strength and balance, endurance, and self-reliance. Some advanced mountain biking riders pursue steep technical descents while others do freeriding, downhilling, dirt jumping, and show off their aerial maneuvering skills by jumping off high ground and specially constructed ramps.

Recently I saw this video of mountain biking by four young men – Dylan Dunkerton, Curtis Robinson, Kyle Norbraten, and Kyle Jameson, constructing their own ramps for jumping. I am very much impressed by their undaunted maneuvering skill of their mountain bikes.

I hope you will enjoy viewing it. 🙂