Freeriding, freestyle, hucking, dirt jumping, pump tracks, jumping doubles, ramp riding, pool sessions, street, mountaincross, downhill, slalom, stunt riding. It seems that everywhere you look, from the X-Games to the Red Bull Rampage, on 26", 29" or 20" wheels, riders are grabbing big air and sticking sick drops. And it sure looks fun.
But what the videos and bike magazines and ads don't always tell you is that extreme riding takes an amazing amount of skill. Some of the riders you see are well-paid pros who have gradually built up their skills through endless hours of practice, and who have also had their share of stitches, concussions and busted bones (and bikes). Others are daredevils who have chosen to accept or ignore the risks. Would you allow a lawyer to say that you are so weak in the head, and have such poor judgment that you copy those you see in the media without thought of the serious risks?
The stakes are high if you screw up. Realize too late that you aren't up to the challenge, and you run the risk of major injury or even - say it with me - death, paralysis. In short, extreme riding carries a high degree of fundamental risk, and you bear the ultimate responsibility for how you ride and what you attempt to pull off.
Do you want to avoid these significant risks? Then do not ride this way.
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