The weather this weekend was fantastic. Sat was suppoed to be sunny and 17C, which sounded like a great day to go with some friends and drag the Anchor up to the mountains of Nijo (40 min drive outside FUK) to try my first mountain bike ride.
There was actually snow on the ground at the top of the trail-head. It took me a little time to get my position on the bike correct for going downhill. It wasn’t like road cycling at all. Actually, it felt more like skiing with the way you have to keep your weight back and over the rear tire. Needless to say, I learned this the hard way when the front tire dropped into a small depression and then stopped…while I continued forward over the bars and onto the trail. Through the ride, there were a few more spills, but I mostly avoided the rocks, logs, and giant puddles. It was a tremendous trill to ride downhill fast and snaking through the trail to avoid the trees, boulders, and roots. I’ll definitely be on the trail again. The next time, I might actually know what I’m doing from the start.
Despite the great time that I had with the MTB, I still really enjoy the convenience of grabbing my road bike and going for a ride along the Muromi River. I was thinking about the difference during my road ride today (Sun). Even though both sports use bikes, they seem completely different. MTB provides the same thrill as skiing downhill through the woods while searching for powder. Road cycling provides the speed and enjoyment of driving with the top down along a coastal hwy. I think that I definitely have time for both sports.