As somebody who has spent a great deal of time maintaining trails, trying to keep existing older traditional lines, nothing irks me more than people creating a their own personal go around on a feature or section of trail.
IF YOU CAN'T RIDE IT, WALK IT.
We have all abided by this rule for the last 30+ years. If you don't want to "walk it" then figure out how to ride it, this is how we improve and grow as riders. If that doesn't suit your needs, then just stay off that trail, otherwise you become the problem.
I am on the dark side of 50 now and my abilities are regressing, but I will still go for a ride/walk down the hard trails with my 30 something friends, who can send everything. I have no shame in walking anything, it is where I am at in my life.
When I was 20'ish and learning how to ride on the shore, there were things I looked at and said, that is impossible, I will never ride that. Within a couple of years, almost all of those things were ticked off the list, because I improved, I watched better riders do them, then I challenged myself to make the first attempt.
If you just want to feel good about yourself, go ride B-Line all day long, if you want to be a "mountain cyclist" then you should challenge yourself.
I try to scare myself every ride, even if just on a slippery root section, trying a rock face in the wet, or letting go of the brakes in a high speed or steeper line. These are the thrills that make mountain cycling what it is, exciting and challenging.
March 15, 2022, 10:30 p.m. - TonyJ
As somebody who has spent a great deal of time maintaining trails, trying to keep existing older traditional lines, nothing irks me more than people creating a their own personal go around on a feature or section of trail. IF YOU CAN'T RIDE IT, WALK IT. We have all abided by this rule for the last 30+ years. If you don't want to "walk it" then figure out how to ride it, this is how we improve and grow as riders. If that doesn't suit your needs, then just stay off that trail, otherwise you become the problem. I am on the dark side of 50 now and my abilities are regressing, but I will still go for a ride/walk down the hard trails with my 30 something friends, who can send everything. I have no shame in walking anything, it is where I am at in my life. When I was 20'ish and learning how to ride on the shore, there were things I looked at and said, that is impossible, I will never ride that. Within a couple of years, almost all of those things were ticked off the list, because I improved, I watched better riders do them, then I challenged myself to make the first attempt. If you just want to feel good about yourself, go ride B-Line all day long, if you want to be a "mountain cyclist" then you should challenge yourself. I try to scare myself every ride, even if just on a slippery root section, trying a rock face in the wet, or letting go of the brakes in a high speed or steeper line. These are the thrills that make mountain cycling what it is, exciting and challenging.