Steep trails aren’t sustainable. Riding in the mud is bad form. Yet as I discovered, there are places where those rules don’t apply.
By Jeff Barber
December 24, 2024
Singletracks may receive compensation for purchases made through any affiliate links in this article. Breaking the rules can be a lot of fun, even when it just feels like you’re breaking them. In February of this year, I found myself riding wet and muddy trails down slopes that were surely too steep to be sustainable in what would turn out to be my most memorable and eye-opening ride of the year.
There’s no greater shame for a mountain biker than to be caught riding muddy trails, and for good reason. Biking on wet trails can cause significant damage that’s unfair to other trail users and also to the folks who build and maintain the trails. On top of that, it’s not great for our bikes either.
Still, there’s something about playing in the mud that makes us feel like kids again. So, when I found myself at Windrock Bike Park in Tennessee on a wet, misty morning, I was conflicted. Surely it would be irresponsible to ride that day, but then again, the privately-managed trails are rarely, if ever, closed. And I wasn’t riding my own bike that day, I was riding a Mullet test bike (thanks Miles!).
So, weather and trail etiquette be damned, I dove right in. The wide-open, groomed Talladega trail was squishy but rideable, but my eyes were […]
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