Mountain Biking in WNY - My Story

By: Thomas Anderson

Crossing a creek on my Mountain Bike.

I have been Mountain Biking locally since 2007. I learned how to ride a bike without training wheels at age 3 but, when my Dad introduced me to Evil Knievel, my life drastically changed. Life was still about riding on two wheels, just now it was how I could get my hands on something with a motor on it and be able to jump over things. As I child my dad knew my intentions and made it very possible that I would not have anything like, as long as he was footing the bill. Anyways, at the age of 16 I got my first street bike, and for the next 32 years I lived a very extreme two-wheeled lifestyle until I found myself in the hospital for 9 days, and out of work for 90 days as the law of averages finally caught up to me. I was ejected off my motocross bike 30 feet in the air at 35 mph and crushed my T-12 vertebrae. Anyone who is familiar with this condition, probably knows just how lucky I was to not be in a wheelchair the rest of my life, not to mention even dead. I can count on two hands the number of near-death experiences I have lived through but, this one scared me the most. For sure someone much bigger than I watching over me, and I felt as this was the final warning, not to mention my Mother sitting there next to my hospital bed on Mother’s day, just shaking her head. I could see it in her eyes, that she was saying it is time to give this stuff up. Amen!!!

This trail in Chautauqua County is one of my favorite spots to ride.

So for the next 7 years, I indulged myself in other activities, and as a single man, I could do what I wanted. I competed on the National Level at 3D Archery, R/C Oval racing, and was even a Crew Chief on a Limited Late Model Dirt Car. These things were okay but, there is nothing like being on two wheels or having the wind hit you in the face. And finally, I had to do something different as I had also put on some extra weight that I never had before. As I began my quest to get thinner, a good friend of mine told me that he had been skiing. Wow, I thought. I can do that and I am pretty good at it too. So I began, I updated my equipment, away I went. I had a really good season; it was probably one of the snowiest seasons I can remember. Then Spring came, and I needed something else to do, especially something that would help me keep off the pounds I had put on.

After a few of my ski friends had already had Mountain Bikes, I thought this would be a great way to help shed some more pounds and have some fun along the way. So I purchased my new Mountain Bike. This was much different than anything I had previous, more gears, actual suspension,  and disc brakes. A Lot of things had changed since my previous Bike ( still in the corner of the same shed), which always took a back seat to my motorized toys, but now it was different. This all I had in the shed now. Needless to say though I was quickly doing all the stuff that I would do on the motorcycles, but it was different. I could hear myself think, I could hear birds chirping, I could even have a conversation with someone else while riding. Even during races!!!

Some trails are much bumpier than others!

So again, the cool thing about Mountain Biking is we make almost no noise at all. I have even snuck up on deer on the trail, they seem oblivious to rattles that may come from the bike. So this is the really cool thing about Mountain Biking. You can go places that you could only dream of going on a dirt bike, let alone the whole trail system of WNY. I can leave my garage at home and explore the back country of the Village of Alden, and even ride straight through town if that is where I end. It is also fun to go back and visit the place I rode on my old BMX bike as a child, only now you have new options. In Mountain Biking there is no destination, you only need a bike and a desire to ride and you can have fun riding in your own neighborhood, or enjoy all of the wonderful single track that is in beautiful WNY. Get yourself a bike and get out there!!!