Extreme Mountain Biking
Not for the faint of heart
Extreme mountain biking is not for the faint of heart. The multi-disciplined sport of mountain biking is one of the most innovative in the world.
Each of the distinct categories of this sport requires that its participants undergo ongoing training to maintain their old skills and develop new ones, and each category has a different set of regulations. This category of mountain biking offers the most highly skilled bikers challenges sure to get their adrenaline levels soaring!
The risks, stunts, and technically challenging courses this
sport requires makes those who do it a breed of their own.
They are truly set apart from the rest of the athletes in other cycling
sports. Not that you or I need to feel embarrassed about
our own riding level, it's just that most of us are not (yet)
among this category of bikers.
Those riders who excel at this extreme sport have worked for years to hone their skills, and can still be surprised by the obstacles and unpredictable terrains thrown at them by the organizers of competitions. The advanced techniques these riders have mastered are a very long way indeed from basic mountain biking skills.
Categories Of Extreme Mountain Biking
Extreme mountain biking takes these five distinct categories to the highest level possible:
- Cross Country Riding - Impossible trails
- Downhilling - Lightning speeds
- Free Riding - Soaring heights
- Dirt Jumping - Unbelievable stunts
- Street Riding - Mind-blowing techniques
More on (extreme) mountain biking types
The competitions may take place over rough, steep, and rocky terrain or challenging tracks. Riders can also utilize the narrow single tracks which wind through forests, streambeds, and fields.
Good training is essential for any mountain biker who would like to become involved in this level of mountain biking. One way to begin understanding the techniques involved is by watching videos of the maneuvers executed by the pros; many of them can simply be downloaded or viewed form the Internet. Just do a search in YouTube for example.
Some Internet mountain biking sites will even offer free streaming videos, and sporting goods or mountain biking retailers also have DVDs of extreme mountain biking professionals performing different stunts. Magazines, books, and Internet sites devoted to this sport will also offer a wealth of information on the training techniques of world-class riders.
Learn Xtreme Stunts By Doing
In this sport, as with all things, experience is the best teacher. Once a biker has studied the videos, DVDs and literature on the different maneuvers, he or she should attempt them and get feedback from their friends or mountain biking club members about their technique.
This level of riding is the exclusive domain of the very best mountain bikers in the world. If you think you're ready to take your passion for mountain biking to the extreme, and are prepared for years of effort, one day you might join them!
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