Nature's roller coaster: the thrills and spills of mountain biking

American Fitness, July-August, 1996 by Joshua Fawcett

Until now, experiencing the grandeur of a mountain meant uncloseting your hiking boots and a walking stick. Today, time has stood that notion on its ear. To take full advantage of a mountain, you must go down it on two wheels. Mountain biking (an oxymoron for many) is an exhilarating way to whip your body and soul into shape.

The mountain serves as nature's roller coaster for anyone willing to ride it. Once at the top, there is that first stomach-dropping sight of the mountain. While absorbing the vast landscape, you listen to your heart beat somewhere inside your throat. Finally, you plunge downward. However, unlike a roller coaster, you can't close our eyes and wait for it to end.

Mountain biking is a sensory experience like none other. You must concentrate on the intricacies of the terrain. Your hearing becomes fine-tuned to approaching streams, animals or rock slides. As you adjust your speed, you pick up the scent of a cluster of pine trees or a field of grass. In fact, you may even taste honeysuckle carried by the wind.

Each ride is a display of personal expression. There is the gonzo daredevil who rides for the adrenaline rush of speed and danger. Then there is the more careful rider who takes time to enjoy the scenery. "You choose your own speed and path," says 30-year-old Martin Lucas. "Mountain biking extends your range of observation to the most remote areas of nature.

Spontaneity is part of the ride. "A new level of awareness is achieved by developing this impulse," says 35-year-old Deidre Nichols. She suggests letting "your curiosity take you in new directions on the way down. When you have new things to explore and discover, you renew yourself."

The ride becomes all the more enjoyable if you embrace the laws of nature. "If you ride with the attitude you are there to conquer, the mountain becomes your enemy," says 25-year-old Phil Chapman. "But, if you see it as an ally, problems become part of the natural flow."

There are enough dangers to make you wish you were back on training wheels. In some areas, there will be nothing between you and the edge of the mountain except a trail as wide as your handlebars. In many instances, there is no path. "You never know what's around the next corner or over the next hIll," warns 29-year-old Martin Schrader. There are rocky stretches that wiLl buck you more than any bronco. You will hit bumps that launch you into a state of weightlessness like an astronaut.

To ride down miles of rugged terrain at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour is a true test of strength, skill and control. "Riding under normal mountain circumstances means to be prepared for anything," says Lucas. "The Boy Scouts have nothing on mountain bikers."

Bring enough clothing to keep warm. Keep body temperature constant while the external temperature and rate of activity fluctuate by dressing in layers and removing clothing as it gets warmer. A small repair kit is also smart. Flat tires are inevitable.

Common errors while riding include leaning forward and landing too forcefully. Always hold your abdominals tight to raise your center of gravity or you may lean too far ahead and fall forward. "I've `face planted' into a trail many times," says Nichols. "The adrenaline is pumping so hard and you want to see everything ahead. You forget to pay attention."

Make landing from a jump as light as possible. If it is done with too much force, tendinitis or joint swelling can occur. Lucas suggests pretending to land on a bed of cotton when touching down.

Falling is not a question of if but when. After all, you are riding over streams, ditches, logs and rocks. "Rapid decisions are demanded," says Nichols. "Should I go off the trail to avoid danger or stop? Should I jam on the brakes when approaching a bump or jump it? Sooner or later you're going to make the wrong choice."

Mountain biking is an anaerobic activity because it requires high energy in short spurts without the availability of oxygen. Since the rate of energy production demanded when mountain biking exceeds the capabilities of the aerobic system alone, the anaerobic energy system must be used. Gregory Welch, M.S., an exercise physiologist and owner of SpeciFit, a company that trains special populations, compares the metabolic process to a olor continuum. "Just as the shift in color is a gradual process, so is the change from the acrobic to anaerobic systems," he says. "As the aerobic component diminishes with increased hill intensity, the anaerobic system takes over. The rate of this transformation depends on the intensity level and how well the person is conditioned."

An important indicator of mountain biking fitness, according to Welch, is the ability to recover from anaerobic work. This is the point in which the body can buffer the lactic acid produced during the high-intensity work. At the same time, glycogen stores are replenished so high-intensity work can be repeated.

Welch suggests interval training as the best form of preparation for mountain biking. An athlete can emulate the specific intensities required for the sport in a controlled, quantifiable training environment. Anaerobic power can therefore be increased simultaneous to training the body to recover.