Summer 2015 LOCALadk Magazine 9
LOCALadk
knuckle protection for when your handlebars might hit a tree. It's good
to have a bike with shocks so you aren't stiff and your wrists and back
don't get crunched on impact.
When riding technical terrain or going off a jump you should have your
arms bent and relaxed, your butt should be back so you don't go over
the handlebars and your pedals level (not one up and one down) so they
don't hit the ground. When landing a jump keep your handlebars straight
(that's what I didn't do when I crashed and broke my collar bone), keep
back because you could go over the handlebars.
My friend was just riding a jump on my bike and he hit the brakes on
the landing and he wasn't sitting back. He went over the handlebars and
broke the derailleur on my bike but luckily he was ok.
One really cool thing is we get to mountain bike at my elementary school
for gym class. We can ride laps on the trails and try out jumps and tee-
ter-totters.
One way I can get in good shape for mountain biking is biking to and from
school every day.
My ride is about 9 miles round-trip and pretty hilly. On the way home,
it is a lot of uphill, when I first got riding again in the spring it felt really
hard and now it feels like it is no big deal so I know I am getting stronger.
I think it even helped me get in shape for lacrosse.
Mountain biking is a good way to get fit, explore new places, be with
friends, and challenge yourself by testing your skills. There is nothing
like the exciting feeling of doing something that I thought I couldn't do.
