Mountain biking tips

I scooted by bike up behind Zephyr, a slender, Yeti-clad (obviously sponsored), 20-something year old who was undoubtedly in way better shape then me and clearly not new to this whole enduro mountain bike race thing like me. She was down in a squat, shifting her weight side to side as she warmed up her body for the 3+ hour punishing race ahead of us. Gusts of wind blew moon dust into our faces and we made small talk about how windy it was going to be at the top of the mountain where two of the five downhill stages began. 

Where did the notion that uphill mountain bike traffic has the right of way? From IMBA’s Rules Of The Trail. They state “Bicyclists traveling downhill should yield to ones headed uphill, unless the trail is clearly signed for one-way or downhill-only traffic.” I do not agree with this. Instead, I believe that common sense and common courtesy has the right of way. Read on to learn what that means.

Mountain biking is my passion and as a result, I’ve ridden in some pretty amazing places and built up a solid set of skills. And while I loved (almost) every second of being on my bike and surrounded by the mtb community, there are some characteristics of the sport that I hadn’t anticipated. Below are six things I wish I had known before getting into mountain biking.