Mountain Biking Videos

“Mountain biking on a variety of types and difficulties of trails and terrain

Mountain biking is a mode of travel that can add speed, distance, technical skill and physical challenge to the trail experience. In these ways, it can be similar to trail running and cross-country skiing. In general, most users on mountain bikes desire to connect with nature and experience diverse landscapes and destinations in the same way that other users do. However, the mountain biking experience also includes some elements such as fun and technical challenge. Experiencing a trail on wheels (and on skis to some extent) is somewhat different than on foot. The flow of the trail – its twists and turns, its ups and downs, its obstacles – all contribute to the mountain biking experience. The quality of the trail is integral to the quality of the experience.” [DCR Middlesex Fells Reservation Draft Resource Management Plan – Appendix – A-93 ]

Mountain biking is often portrayed as a green sport, a way to connect with nature, get a little exercise and so on. However some cyclists are purely in it for the thrill of the ride and care little about environmental impact. The first video here was taken in nearby Lynn woods and has a terrain almost identical to that at the Fells. It has offensive language so please turn down you sound if there are young children around.

After watching videos like these I feel it is absurd for the DCR to claim that the impact of bikes is the same as hiking. It is obvious they are not. And there has been absolutely no enforcement of park rules for twenty years. There isn’t a legal way for rangers to issue tickets – anyone approached for infringing of park rules is not required to present an ID nor are there penalties for not paying a ticket. The funding at the DCR is the lowest it has ever been. Staffing is at its lowest level ever. Erosion of trails is out of control, illegal trails are rampant, bikers flaunt the rules on regular basis. And now the DCR has decided it is time to add more fuel to fire declaring that, based on flaky scientific studies that bikers have been pushing in their faces for years, that biking really isn’t a problem, that safety is not a problem, that the new trails and the dozens of new bikers attracted to them will not be an issue. It is a pathetic situation, and anybody who cares about this park needs to do whatever they can to stop this DCR Resource Management Plan from going forward.

WARNING – OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE. TURN DOWN YOUR SOUND FOR FIRST VIDEO

I am posting the first video, taken at nearby Lynn Woods, despite the offensive language, because it really shows what mountain bikes are capable of today. In one scene a cyclist jumps off a six foot high boulder and lands safely.