My MTB Story
I came across mountain biking when I wanted to find the closest thing to skiing in the summer. I figured the trail rating was exactly the same and I would be a natural. I was very wrong. I loaded my bike onto the chairlift at a downhill park for the first time in 2014 and it’s safe to say I got my butt kicked. I couldn’t quite figure what was wrong with my technique. I left the sport for three years.
Then, in 2017, I got a rare chance to do a mountain bike camp in Maryland. There, I learned how to get over small obstacles like logs which was my first breakthrough! I bought my first real bike and before I knew it I was boosting jumps at Whistler Bike Park. I grabbed opportunities to ride my bike everywhere from Indonesia to the South of France. I never seemed to be satisfied with my progress. So, I kept finding bigger and bigger jumps on which to test my skills. I was riding over things I couldn’t even imagine doing two years ago.
When you hear about NYC, mountain biking isn’t generally what comes to mind. When I was looking for local places to ride, all the websites pointed me in the direction of cross country trails packed with rocks that discouraged my confidence as a beginner. Then, I came across an enduro trail and was instantly in love. This place wasn’t on any of the NYC mountain bike websites; I began to wonder why. It became clear, that as long as you put in a little more driving, the trails can be that much better. So, I created this site to point people in the direction of more distant trails that appeal to a downhill and enduro audience.
-Nolan