I've been mountain biking now for approximately three years.
It all started when I came to these trails with my cheap Kmart special and after the
ride I buckled my rims, had a puncture but I just absolutely loved it and it's been
an adventurous journey since then.
Our family loves mountain biking, my wife's cycles, my youngest daughter's cycles and
very often we get together and ride around the trails or along the Esplanade.
The beauty about cycling is that it can be a family event, you're never too old, too
young, too big to ride a bicycle so as far as the family is concerned we all love cycling
together.
It never starts with the bike, preaches in the bike is only one part of it, to get the
accessories, the cycling kit, the gear, even once you've bought the bike it's getting
new rims, new tyres, new accessories, I've spent in close to $10,000 on my bike, usually
only the ladies say it's fun to go shopping but it's certainly a class here, it's fun
to go shopping for mountain biking.
I have made some amazing friends through mountain biking, we all share the same passion, we love
being outdoors, we love to hit the trails and the whole camaraderie of friends sharing
the same passion, so yes I have made some amazing friends through the sport on a social
level and even on a competitive level.
I am 37 years old, however I feel like I'm 20.
Cycling has certainly made me feel younger and stronger.
There is no age limit when it comes to cycling, you can start from the age of five right up
to the age of 95, however I found that the average age group amongst us mountain bikers
is between 35 and 55, so seriously there is no age limit when it comes to cycling.
So this is called black snake, black because of its difficulty and snake because it winds
and winds.
I've had my fair share of injuries, the worst one being about a year ago where I came off
during a race and I popped my shoulder out, I tore all the muscles and tendons around
it.
I was off work for approximately four weeks and it took me a long while to get back into
it.
I have a lot of scars to show all my past injuries, as they would say, tick-dick scars.
Cycling for a race starts days in advance, it's not even weeks.
A lot of it is meant for preparation, but nutrition is paramount too, you need to make
sure that your body is fuelled up and ready to endure whatever you are going to be pushing
into it on the race day.
The day before race day, I make sure that my bike is crept, I only go for a slow cadence
ride just to keep the muscles going.
A lot of it is also meant for preparation, I need to be sharp and focused and nowhere
what the outcome is for the race, I need to intend safety throughout the race too.
So yes, there is a lot of preparation for a cross country race.
Being a balloon pilot, I need to be fit and healthy for my flying because I have people's
lives in my hands.
The few injuries I have had have set me back a few weeks at a time.
The one time my boss came up to me and said, look, we're not going to let you mountain
biking anymore, too many injuries, too many sacrifices for the company and I told him
I'll hand my resignation in now.
We all had a good giggle about it and after putting his arm around me he said please just
take care and make sure you don't hurt yourself.
So yes, there is an element of danger to mountain biking and it can affect your work, but it
certainly won't stop me from doing what I love.
Mountain biking is my passion, I absolutely love it, it's who I am.
So come on, let's hit some trials.
