A few years later, I took it up again. First as a break from a regular running regimen, then as a replacement for it. In 25 years, it has gone from a northern Californian yahoo pastime to the mainstream, with an estimated 3 million regular riders and a slot in Atlanta as the youngest sport in Olympic history to earn full-medal recognition. You don't need a week's worth of tutorials to get going. But at some point, staleness sets in.
Advanced skills seem frustratingly out of reach.
Expert counsel, rugged terrain, and a little jolt of competition usually solves the problem. In the following pages, we offer an inside look at the country's premier instructional camp, comprehensive guides on affordable gear and where to find the best riding this fall, plus a dirt dictionary so you can talk the talk when you get there. So mount up that dual squishy, you hammerhead, and get rockin'. William Wright's guts are in turmoil. He's standing at the start line of the 1996 Iron Horse Classic mountain bike race.