Teresa (TE): I first got into it in the early 90s. Friends of mine mountain biked and it seemed like fun so another friend and I borrowed her parents’ mountain bikes and went for a spin. We came back covered in mud and grinning from ear to ear! It took a few years before I actually got a mountain bike of my own, but that one ride had me hooked.

SD: That’s how it went for me too: one ride and I was hooked! How did you progress? Did you take clinics, follow friends mostly, or join a club?

TE: I progressed by following friends. There weren’t many clubs around when I started. My local club was founded in 2001, long after I had moved to Vancouver, and the Muddbunnies were just starting up when I left Vancouver to return to the island in 2007. Skills sessions were friends showing you new tricks and trying to explain the mechanics behind them (not everyone is meant to be a teacher…). I didn’t take a formal lesson until 2010 and that was a dirt jump clinic at Whistler.