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Nov. 27, 2024, 8:48 a.m. -  taprider

Mike's "I am more of a casual trail runner in a time when it seems the world is really embracing Parkour" comment  + CBC radio interviews (7:45 this morning) with a doctor/researcher and some Lynn Valley (Fromme) riders regarding the MTB park spinal cord injury study.  + The "Spinal cord Armageddon!" thread in the NSMB forum is already 5 pages + Mike's and other's comments that "this bike would be right at home in Whistler and North Van" and "a NSMB riders type bike" +  Skook's comment in the forum "In the 14 years between 2008-2022 there were 58 patients in BC with spinal cord injuries related to mountain biking. In the next 2 years there another 21" = The impression that all serious/skilled/elite/10,000 hour type riders from the North Shore to Whistler (and those that emulate and/or making it goal to being one of those type riders) are doing the same sport.  WE ARE NOT ALL DOING THE SAME SPORT, many local 10,000 hour type riders are more like _serious trail runners who are not embracing Parkour type riding_. None of the discussion in the general media regarding spinal cord injuries is talking how "park" type riding is a separate branch of evolution from the cross-country and observed trials roots of the sport (Marin Repack downhill was a different root than the high alpine Crested Butte, observed trials Moab and cyclo-cross European type roots). There has been no or very little discussion about the types of trails most trail networks and trail centres have been building/renovating lately. Smooth flow trails that are easy for inexperienced riders to easily coast down, but are not challenging (or fun for 10,000 hour type riders) unless they go fast enough to hit the increasingly more common jumps, combined with the construction of elevated wood structures, are part of the cause of increasing numbers of injuries (not to mention the increasing desire to produce 5 second social media edits, _which is being talked about_). **Hey Mike you don't need to apologize for not being what you think is an NSMB type rider.**  Many of us are not trying to emulate Brandon Semenuk (but appearing more like Josh Bender). I try to emulate how the elite trail runners flow down the trail like deer (or the pursuing cougar), lightly and smoothly, hovering over the ground but barely leaving it.  I also try to emulate the elite swimmers that can breast stroke from one end of the pool to the other with only three strokes, and those 60+ year old classic diagonal stride XC skiers that are faster than the 20 year old skate skiers. I don't think of myself as any less of a North Shore rider than Cam and his 37 lb+ bikes. My bike needs to be less than 27lbs. My personal challenges are to do 100 trails per day observed trials/xc challenges, where it is more important to ride the challenging uphills and not put a foot down than to take the easy road climbs to preserve energy for the big dangerous hits.

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