I have often thought, whilst hurtling down some mountain trail that the old maxim of “What goes up must come down” is actually the other way around in mountain-biking: “What comes down the mountain must go up!”

You might as well enjoy the moment of gravity-assisted freedom because not far down the trail is the next climb, probably this time tougher and higher than the one before. But that’s what makes the sport all the more rewarding, the knowledge of the prize that awaits you at the end of the climb, the rush of free-fall the reward for your efforts.

It can almost be a guilty feeling - have I really deserved this? Maybe a slightly masochistic enjoyment of even the most vicious climbs, the feeling that you need to atone for the “sin” you are soon to commit. And of course there is the sheer pleasure of the physical accomplishment of conquering the climb. Whatever the psychology behind it, I enjoy climbing, and without it mountain-biking would not be the pleasure it is.

Now, I was just reading some comments by another blogger, where he cites a BBC report about an area of Scotland which is said to have great potential for mountain bikers, if only a chairlift were installed! The report the BBC article mentions says that the number of visitors might as much as treble, and our blogger observes that that must mean that two thirds of mountain bikers are lazy!

Well, this may be a little uncharitable - many of the bikers in question may be older, or children, and just not up to the rigours of the uphill. But I can identify with the sentiment - I just cannot imagine mountain-biking only downhill! There is something just wrong about that.

I don’t believe in karma and all that stuff - but this offends my sense of cosmic balance! The day I see a chairlift for mountain-bikers here in Serbia is the day this becomes the MTB-Mongolia blog!

If you think others might want to read this post, don’t be selfish, click above to AddThis to Digg, Del.icio.us or just about any other bookmarking service and share and share alike!

Popularity: 15% [?]

Posted on February 18th, 2007 by markowe
Filed under: Biking - general, MTB Serbia (All)