At the crux of it, mountain bikers have our own community. We discuss bikes, gear, riding styles, where to ride, racing, and technique. What’s great about mountain bikers, specifically, is our desire to share this information with other riders.

We’ve all had this conversation:

Dude: “Have you ever ridden *insert trail*?”
Other dude: “No.”
Dude: “You have to! The killer trail is about a mile in. You’ll see this old Chevy car chassis…”

On Sunday, a buddy and myself were at the Land Locked Forest (PR) in Burlington for the first time. We had put in about an hour and came across two riders 10-15 years our senior out for a cruise. These guys immediately changed the purpose of their ride from shredding to riding around with us, giving us a personalized tour of the PR, explaining the terrain, and telling us how it all comes together.

It was a great reminder of the community we’re all lucky to be a part of. Joe and Peter represented everything that’s great about the MTB community: a desire to share their knowledge and joy of a great sport in a great place.

Oh, coincidentally those “10-15 years our senior” guys HANDED OUR BUTTS TO US. J