Some of these things I learned from other people, some I have learned myself. All of these things are true, and I bet you think they are the stupidest things ever.
You will fail. Sure, it’s easy to think you can just push through the pain of tearing your quads apart or thinking about all the hours you will spend in the gym recovering, and ride and ride and ride.
But actually, you will fail. Lots of times.
If you think that riding is only a fun time where you don’t have to do anything serious, you are nuts. Mountain biking is hardcore. It requires serious focus, mental toughness, and commitment to actually ride all the time.
We are so much different than when we started 10 years ago. A decade ago, we knew nothing. Ten years ago, we didn’t know how big the mountain biking world was. Ten years ago when the PayPal casino landscape was a lot different to what it is today, a lot of us were either broke, or we had spent our whole paychecks riding mountain bikes. Today, it is relatively easy to make the big bucks, and there are lots of people making the big bucks riding mountain bikes.
No matter what mountain bike you ride, you will fall and get hurt. No matter how bad it hurts, you will get back on the bike.
Sometimes you will be a hard ass, and ride really slow and just whine about how it hurts. Other times, you will be strong and ride just as fast as you ever have. Most of the time, you will find the middle ground. You will learn what works for you.
What works for some people might not work for others. You will probably still go through peaks and valleys. Sometimes you will be healthy, and sometimes you will be in a flare up that won’t let you ride for a month or two.
But on the whole, riding is not too much of a risk for your overall health. In fact, when we go through the big mountain biking injuries we have, we don’t tend to get any serious long term consequences. On the whole, mountain biking is a safe sport.
You can be a successful mountain bike racer if you put in the time. First of all, you have to keep in shape, and you have to keep training. Getting hurt riding mountain bikes is just part of the game. Just remember that you might not be able to ride super fast all the time, but you can still be successful and build your career and make a decent living off of it.
Actually, being an active racer probably helps your career more than being just a runner or a boarder or just a road biker. In general, you will probably have more success in the pro ranks if you are a competitive mountain biker.
Be careful. Mountain biking is dangerous. Just because you can still ride, doesn’t mean you should. If you are still in a good mood when you are coming to the hill, then you will probably have an awesome ride. If you are a whiner who doesn’t do anything about it, you might have an awesome ride, and maybe even one you will want to write about here.
