My big mountain biking experience seemed to go pretty well. I’ve done a lot of road biking, but mountain biking seemed to be a whole different experience.
I had a variety of routes to choose from, and the easiest would have been to be dropped on on top of a 5200 foot mountain (where all the routes started) so I could just glide to the bottom. Instead, I took a route that included some rollercoaster climbs uphill as well. The problem is, riding uphill on a mountain bike is much tougher than riding up hill on a paved road. First, we had to dress up like gladiators to ensure our safety. The bikes themselves contained massive shock absorbers. The paths we took were very rough with large rocks and deep ruts, and although the bikes were design to handle these huge obstacles, they were prone to wheelie when riding over any sizable debris uphill. I’m sure if I have the experience I could have handled it better. That being said, I survived just fine.
We rode the bikes about 3000+ feet down very steep hills in beautiful terrain through farms and coffee plantations. One of which we stopped by for some fresh home grown coffee.
The tour company was actually run by a couple of expat Americans, who seemed to be on to a good thing with lots of solid business.
