In high school, I was a straight-A student, except for a single class: Lifetime Fitness, also known as physical education (PE). To be clear, I was a top track and field athlete at my school, and easily the fastest runner in my PE class, but according to the coach, I whiffed the final written project. The assignment was to come up with a physical fitness plan, and I filled mine with outdoor activities like hiking and mountain biking, which, in hindsight, I suppose wasn’t practical given the suburban environment where I grew up. Fail.
Fortunately, PE instruction has changed a lot over the years.
Looking over my own kids’ standards-based curriculum recently, I came across this nugget from Shape America and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE):
“The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.”
Personally, I can’t think of another sport that delivers all five of these benefits in a single activity the way mountain biking does. See, I told you so, Coach Johnson*! Consider this my make-up exam.
Mountain biking is healthy
Of all the physical activity benefits, health has to be number one. Obviously, riding bikes is great for cardiovascular health, but we’re also seeing that there are tremendous mental health benefits too. Not only that, it’s one of a few activities most people can and do continue into old age, unlike, say, running marathons or powerlifting.
Riding bikes is fun
Looking around, it seems the biggest barrier to regular physical activity for the average person is that it just isn’t fun. If the only way to get in shape was to exercise in a stuffy gym several times a week, I would choose to sit on the couch too. Mountain bikers find plenty of enjoyment in the sport, though to be fair, it’s not usually that way at first (see next item).
Challenging is an understatement
If the commercials on television are to be believed, mountain biking is easy. Just throw a bike on your car, drive to the nearest scenic mountain vista, and start coasting! The reality is, riding a mountain bike isn’t easy, and it takes practice. Like, years of practice. Decades of practice. As soon as we overcome one MTB challenge, whether it be physical or technical, there’s another one to tackle.
To some that might seem daunting, but as the NASPE and others suggest, this is actually a feature among the most effective physical activities, not a bug. Walking, for example, is great for health, but clearly, there isn’t much challenge involved for most people, which means there’s little sense of accomplishment in the end. Of course, an activity can be so challenging that it becomes frustrating, which isn’t ideal either. Mountain biking, for most people, strikes just the right balance.
MTB style
Self-expression in MTB brings to mind Red Bull Rampage, where the riders design creative lines to showcase their own riding style and talents. But it’s the same for all riders, albeit on a much smaller stage. I love following different riders down familiar trails to see how they approach the ride. Some straight-arrow through the turns for maximum efficiency, while others jump and jib over every tiny rock and root. It’s as if the trail is a blank canvas, and we’re all free to express our own style in motion.
Unrelated to the physical value of mountain biking — but then again, maybe related — is self-expression through our bikes and equipment. Unless you’re racing, there isn’t a uniform, and most of us see our bikes as an extension of ourselves, personality quirks and all. There’s some truth to the saying that when you look good, you ride good.
Mountain bikers do it in groups
I suppose mountain biking in a group is really just a bonus, since this particular PE standard tacks on social interaction as an and/or proposition. Riding alone, we get all of the benefits listed above, but the cake is truly iced when riding with friends. For the extroverts in the room, this naturally feeds #2 (fun), but even for those who are perfectly happy to ride solo, there can be benefits to social interaction. At the very least, being nice and saying hi to others on the trail comes naturally for most mountain bikers.
Moved to a new town? Just connect with some local mountain bikers and you’ll make new friends. Bored or lonely? Organize a group ride or volunteer for a trail work day. Keep in mind that a lot of us came to mountain biking because we didn’t fit in elsewhere, so don’t be shy.
Mountain biking as the new standard
This PE standard, which has been adopted almost verbatim by states and school districts around the US, wasn’t written with mountain biking in mind specifically, though it does make a good argument for people of all ages to give it a shot. Personally, I’m convinced there’s no better activity for the “physically literate individual” than mountain biking. I give it an A+.
* Not his real name, because I don’t remember it.
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