as a mountain biker, you might remember thefirst trail you ever rode, and the clunker of a bike you were likely riding. you might have better equipment now, moreendurance, and experience, but you can always return to that first trail and relive theday you started riding bikes in the dirt. i'm back on long island for the weekend, solet’s take a ride to stillwell woods park, the place where i first went mountain bikingover 20 years ago. i'm positive that my dad and i rode stillwellwithout helmets, gloves, or any gear beyond water bottles. back then i wasn’t aware of the finer pointsof mountain biking—none of that really crossed
my mind. it didn’t seem like there was much roomto improve this otherwise perfect activity. my ignorance was blissful. over the years i’ve gained experience, becomemore opinionated, and spent a lot of money on bike stuff. this tends to happen when you become obsessedwith something. while i think we can all agree that gettingnew stuff is awesome, sometimes you need to make due with what you have. it's during those times where you should thinkback to your first ride, and all the fun you
had on that clunker of yours. nobody can ever take that smile away fromyou, then or now. it’s been about 10 years since i last rodestillwell, and a lot has changed. new sections have been added, and the trailhas become more fun overall. as the sport, the gear, and the riders evolve,so too do the sanctuaries that trail builders carve from their respective hills. the internet has made techniques and repairadvice available to anyone, technology has made bikes vastly more capable, and generationsof athletes have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible to do on a bike.
i think we all have a lot to look forwardto. so the next time you’re back in your hometown, or wherever it was that you first rode a mountain bike, take a ride on those trailsfor old time’s sake. reflect on how far you’ve come, and allthe other trails that followed. let it serve as a reminder for why you startedriding your bike in the dirt in the first place. thanks for riding with me today, and i'llsee you next time.
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