Caroline Gilmore
Above: Gilmore practicing new skills at summer mountain bike clinic. PHOTO BY DEBBIE HAGE
Are you interested in learning more about mountain biking and opportunities for it in the Triangle area? Mountain biking can be a fun activity for all ages. It gets you outdoors and gives you a full-body workout.
I was an avid road biker years ago. I have owned a mountain bike for several years, but have only ridden a handful of times in the last 10 years, and only on doubletrack (wide bridle paths and greenways). I was interested in learning about different types of off-road biking and places I could ride, so I did some research and signed up for two mountain biking clinics.
On the first Sunday in August, I attended a four-hour, beginner-friendly girls/women’s mountain biking clinic at Briar Chapel, south of Chapel Hill. This clinic was a collaborative effort between Crank Sisters/North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League (NCICL; the beneficiary of the event), Clean Machine, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) and Wheel Chix.
Forty-five girls and women ranging from 11 to about 60 years and hailing from Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Apex, Chapel Hill, Huntersville, Wilmington—even Dallas, TX—registered for the event. I was one of the older participants.
At 11 years old, Marin Lissy of Chapel Hill was one of the youngest. Despite the difference in ages, Lissy and I had one thing in common: neither of us had ever done singletrack, narrow trails where riders go single file.
We went over the parts of a bike and the ABCs of checking a bike before each ride: A=air in tires; B=brakes; C=chain. We broke into five groups based on experience levels from “Beginner” to “Rock Star.” I was in the Beginner group which consisted of the girls/ women who had never done singletrack.
We started by learning about the neutral and ready body positions on the bike and separating the body from the bike, making turns and doing front-wheel lifts. After some skills work, we hit a singletrack trail and learned about picking a line and always watching ahead. The trail had roots, trees and rocks; turns, bridges and a log. Ack!
We did a technical descent and ascent. The ride enabled us to put into action the skills we had just learned. It was a bit scary, but manageable.
Afterward, Lissy told me she was “skeptical about it [the clinic] before, but was really glad that I did it” and learned a lot of skills that she never imagined. Lissy’s mother, Karen, thought, “The fact that it [the clinic] was with girls made it a positive experience” and the clinic was open to girls 11 years of age and older was a rare opportunity for Marin whose 13-year-old brother has been mountain biking for years.
The weekend following the clinic, the entire Lissy family went mountain biking in western NC. Marin thought the rewarding parts of the trip were getting to the top of the hill, seeing wildlife, scenic views and the sense of accomplishment.
The following Sunday, I participated in a six-hour Introduction to Mountain Biking Class —Level 1 at Lake Crabtree County Park, sponsored by REI. A college-age son and his father also participated in the clinic with me; we had a lead instructor and an assistant instructor.
The lead instructor was a certified mechanic, so we started out addressing proper bike fit and making necessary adjustments to our bikes. Next we learned riding techniques, including body and pedal position, shifting, braking, climbing, descending, and navigating minor obstacles on the trail.
After our skills work, we rode on the trails of Lake Crabtree for several miles. We even did the ramps and berms section of the park and rode over the small track layout. It was very beautiful riding in the woods and along the lake and riding the ramps and berms section was really neat.
On a Tuesday night later in August, I went on a TORC Meetup all-women’s mountain bike ride at Lake Crabtree. Seventeen women from all over the Triangle area showed up. We split into groups based on pace/skill and hit the trails. I was in the slower speed group of four women with a ride leader from TORC.
We rode singletrack for a bit. At one point there was a pedestrian-type bridge on the trail. As I was going over it, my handlebar hit the bridge railing and I lost my balance. I fell as I was going down the ramp from the bridge and landed in a ditch. I had scrapes and bruises on both legs and my left forearm, but was otherwise okay. I rode a bit longer after the fall, but I think I lost my “edge” after that, so I called the ride short. I will be back on another Tuesday night ride soon.
Over the Labor Day weekend, I went with a friend on my first un-guided mountain bike ride to Little River Regional Park and Natural Area in Rougemont. We started off on the beginner trail, but somehow ended up on the intermediate trail. I fell twice and ran into two small trees during the ride. I ended up with a couple of bruises, but was otherwise okay. And I finished the ride, which gave me a great sense of accomplishment.
If you want to do some off-road biking, you will need a helmet and a mountain bike. If you don’t own a bike, rentals are available from area bike shops. Other things you might need are appropriate shoes (sneakers will do), hydration, gloves, sunglasses, a basic tool kit that includes tire levers a spare tube and/or patch kit, and a mini-pump.
You also need some place to ride. Here are several MTB options:
Little River Regional Park and Natural Area in is off of Guess Road north of Hillsborough in Rougemont and offers 7 miles of dedicated (mountain biking only) beginner, intermediate and advanced trails and a skills area. Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville offers 9.4 miles of mixed-use trails (shared with horses and hikers) rated by skill level, skills areas, a pump track and dirt jumps. Harris Lake County Park in New Hill has trails rated beginner, intermediate and advanced and a mountain bike skills area. Umstead State Park on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh boasts approximately 13 miles of multiuse (bridle) trails; these trails are shared with horseback riders.
Here are some helpful web references to find out more about singletrack and doubletrack biking. The TriangleMBT web page provides general information on mountain biking in the Triangle area (www.trianglemtb.com). TORC (www.torc-nc.org) sponsors rides, trail workdays and promotes off-road cycling in the Triangle area. Information on greenways can be found on the very comprehensive Triangle Greenways Council website (www.trianglegreenways.org). The NCICL (www.northcarolinamtb.org) is a great resource for girls’ biking.
I found the mountain biking community to be very welcoming and supportive to this middle-aged woman trying to get started in a new athletic endeavor. I will keep riding my mountain bike and will hopefully become competent at it someday soon. See you on the trails!