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Health & Fitness

Tam High MTB: A Mother's Shock and Awe

A proud Tam High mom marvels at the courageous riders of a Norcal MTB race event.

Having recently witnessed my son and his admirable team – pardon me, club – of fellow Tam High mountain bikers (along with their committed coach, Paul Kundrat) at one of the brilliantly orchestrated NorCal race events in Monterey, it is my opinion that mountain bike racing is the most electrifying, exhilarating, sometimes upsetting, always dramatic and difficult sport (that is not officially a sport) at Tam High. No Booster backing…no, no, NO! Strictly out of parent pockets all the way! But we are the few and the proud and the going-broke for the sake of our wild kids.

Think about it: tricked-out equipment that threatens to fail catastrophically at every turn; piles of muddy bike clothing, shoes, hydration packs, helmets, etc., all waiting to be hosed down after every ride (think multiples); out of town races requiring overnights…but we are all hopelessly hooked.

Grueling uphill slogs, rewarded by crazy-fast downhills! Massive (sometimes unintentional) air! Rooster-tails of dirt from hairpin powerslides! Involuntary dismounts (i.e. crashes!); not to mention the spectacle of colorful jerseys and radical bikes. This sport has it all!

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However, what strikes me most about these athletes is the sheer determination, fortitude and ingenuity they possess under the most extreme circumstances. A broken saddle? Ride the remaining 15 miles without sitting! Debilitating leg cramps? Suffer through them even if risking a last-place finish! Mechanical failure? Turn the bike upside-down at the side of the track with dozens of riders whizzing by and fix it! So not only are these racers required to have immense amounts of strength and endurance, they have to be their own pit crew too!

But short of an injury or something unfixable, did I ever see or hear about a racer quitting without first exercising all his/her options? No. As a worried mom, do I sometimes wish they would? Yes! But they won’t…because they are awesome and gutsy and gritty (literally!), and are determined to thrill, delight and torture the spectators, their parents, and themselves through the end of the season and beyond – as they religiously carve the mountain until next season.

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