A question a lot of us will get asked from time to time is why we ride by people that don’t ride or that don’t understand. Now some of us ride just as a hobby, for fitness or as an activity with friends. If you’re really lucky you might ride for your job. However, there are some people where mountain biking is more than just a hobby or a way to keep fit, it's an outlet, a way to escape.
People may not understand why you have to go to a trail centre rather than just riding around the city but that's not for you to try and make them understand because not everyone will. There is something about being out in the forest that just makes all the stress and other struggles of daily life disappear. Mental health is a big factor in a lot of people's lives and it can affect you in ways you don’t always understand. Getting out on your bike and riding those trails provides a sense of serenity that cannot come from within a city. When you’re out there in the forest it's just you, your bike and the forest. It's calming and relaxing and when you get into a flow it's like nothing else, all the worries and things that have been on your mind just float away and at that moment nothing else matters. Trail rides aren’t about setting the best time they’re about having a good time and giving yourself some space away from everything. Driving away from the city to a place where you can just slow down - in a day and age where life is going at the speed of light. Taking some time for yourself. Take time to stop on the trails and just take in the view and listen to the silence and give yourself a break from riding as well you’re there to escape not break your body.
For me, mountain biking is exactly that, an escape from the daily woes of life. It allows me time to just reset my brain and stop thinking about anything and everything. In a way it is a form of meditation for me personally as it allows me to empty my mind of all the stress, anxiety and worrys. It gives me time to just truly relax and think about nothing else other than what's happening at that moment. Riding has helped me in ways I won't ever be able to fully express and for that I am greatful. I have had people ask why I don’t just go down the road or cycle around the city and trying to explain it to someone that doesn’t understand isn’t easy and I don’t think people will ever understand unless they were in the same situation. Riding around the city causes me more stress and worry than riding down a really technical trail. Riding in the city makes you think a lot more and you’re constantly worrying about where cars are and if they’re going to give you enough room or if they are getting too close for comfort. Driving out to my nearest trail centre (Dalby Forest) gets me away from everything, kind of like an out of sight-out of mind thing in a sense. Being out of the city and going to a place where you can just ride through the trees and see some amazing views and just slow down does wonders for me on a mental level. Through all the years of trying to find ways to cope, I have never found anything that has allowed me to fully reset and stop thinking at supersonic speeds. Mountain biking has also helped me through some difficult times and without it, I don’t know how I would have coped, as it allowed me to process what was happening better rather than trying to process the situation while you have all the other things going on around you that come with daily life. Now it doesn’t have to be mountain biking it can be anything you choose to do, everyone is different and unique in their own way and you just have to do what’s best for you. Mountain biking is just the one thing that works for me.
Sharing the experience with friends or loved ones is a great way to escape as well as you're not alone up there on the trails and you have someone to share the experience with. Having someone else that enjoys riding as much as you do can be a great thing as you have someone to talk to about the fun times you are having and someone that can help you clean and maintain your bike and give you company on the drive to and from the trail centre and also while you’re having a rest from riding. Riding alone is a great thing from time to time as it can allow you to focus on clearing your head fully and work through the things you have been needing to, sometimes that doesn’t take the full ride and the ride can get lonely from time to time so having someone with you that can help and be there for you on the trails is a great security blanket. While you're riding it's not easy to talk to one another either so you can still lose yourself in the ride, just be mindful that you do have someone with you and not to lose them especially if it's their first ride. If you have gotten your partner into riding or your best friend etc help them along the way like letting them borrow things to clean their bike and maintain it as we all know buying a bike is an expense, let alone buying everything else that comes with the hobby.