Life Lessons That Mountain Biking Teaches You
The wind on your face, the thrill of the downhill, the sound of leaves crackling beneath your tires as you fly down the trail - it’s hard not to smile when riding a mountain bike. Especially in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, where the trails are world class and the views are worth the climbs, there’s a lot to love about the sport of cycling. But is mountain biking more than just a fun way to get some exercise?
You could argue that in addition to being fun, mountain biking can teach some valuable life lessons too. On a recent day trip to DuPont State Forest, you could already see these lessons in action.
1.) Look Where You Want To Go
When riding a bike, especially down a trail with plenty of obstacles, it’s crucial to look where you want to go. Staring directly at the thing you don’t want to run into often results in you steering directly towards the object you’re trying to avoid.
This trip was full, with 12 boys signed up, all with varying levels of experience and different goals for the day. Ben, from Florida, doesn’t get to ride trails much at home, so he was looking forward to the chance to ride at Dupont again after a year away from camp. Logan from New Orleans wanted to practice biking to get ready for a family bike trip after camp. Zeus, from Australia, is at Falling Creek for his first time on staff this summer, and was looking forward to leading his first trip after weeks spent preparing during staff training.
No matter what their goals were, everyone was looking ahead, and working towards where they wanted to go.
2.) Be Prepared
It’s important to be prepared in life, especially when you’re heading out on some trails into the woods. After arriving at the Guion Farm parking lot, counselors Zeus, Tyler, and Whit led everyone through an “M check” to make sure the bikes and riders were prepared for the day.
M stands for “mechanical,” but working through the check also makes an “M” shape on the bike. You start down at the front wheel to check the air, go up to the handlebars to check the brakes, down to the drivetrain to check the chain and shifting, up to the seat to check the height, and down to the back wheel to check the air again. Staff also made sure they had “flat kits” packed, to be prepared to change a flat tire on the trail if needed.
Once everyone confirmed their bike was ready to roll, their water bottle was full, and their helmet was buckled, we hit the trails.
3.) Take Reasonable Risks
Reasonable risks are calculated risks where the benefits outweigh the potential negative consequences. Risks are important for pursuing your dream, growing a business, trying something new, expressing your feelings, and pitching ideas. Doing reasonably risky things, like riding a mountain bike on technical terrain, can help you be comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable.
Lawson from Cabin 1 had signed up for this trip for the first time, having never ridden a bike in Dupont before. In fact, it was one of his first times ever mountain biking.
The trail seemed much more risky to him than what he was used to riding back home in Florida, but he was eager to give it a try. Lawson decided to walk some of the downhill sections that seemed too risky to him, and rode along some of the flat trail sections to get more comfortable with mountain biking. Throughout the day, he practiced taking reasonable risks and pushing his comfort zone.
4.) It Comes Full Circle
Like a wheel spinning on a bike, or a route returning to its starting point, things in our lives often come full circle as well. This is the case for Whit Uden, a former camper who has returned to Falling Creek for his first year on staff this summer.
Whit loved mountain biking as a camper, so it’s only natural that he came back to teach this sport as a counselor. “My favorite trip we took was probably riding at Tsali,” he recalls. “I loved biking by the lake and jumping in the water after rides.”
During this trip, Whit was riding “sweep,” which means he was in the back of the group to make sure everyone stayed together on the trail and no one got left behind. From this position, he was also able to easily offer encouragement and instruction to the riders ahead of him. He said it was cool to be back in Dupont in this role, riding the trails he remembers riding as a young camper.
5.) Balance Is Everything
When mountain biking down a technical trail or navigating a tricky rock garden, good balance is key. Balance is essential for daily life as well, to improve your well-being and happiness.
During bike trips we make sure to balance the tough riding and hard climbs with plenty of breaks. At every trail intersection we stopped to regroup, drink some water, and check in with each other.
6.) You Can Overcome Obstacles
There’s no better feeling than finishing a tough ride, making it through a slippery root section, or reaching the top of a climb and realizing that you can overcome greater obstacles than you realized.
For many boys, just coming to camp may be a huge accomplishment in itself! Mountain bike counselor Tyler is here for his first summer, and is a long way from his home in Australia. However, you could say that summer camp is in Tyler’s blood. His mom is Canadian, his dad is Australian, and they met at a summer camp in California. His aunt introduced him to the sport of mountain biking when he was young, and now he has the opportunity to share his love for cycling with other young guys at Falling Creek.
No matter whether it’s your first year at Falling Creek or you’ve been here for a decade, there’s always a new adventure to try and a new obstacle to overcome. Here’s to all the fun that awaits us over these next couple weeks of June Camp!