“Violence does not live alone and is not capable of living alone: I is
necessarily interwoven with falsehood. Between them lies the most
intimate, the deepest of natural bonds. Violence finds its only refuge
in falsehood. … Any man who has once acclaimed violence as his method
must inexorably choose falsehood as his principle.” Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn

For a psychologist, mountain biking is a fascinating phenomenon.

Lying

        The first thing one notices about mountain bikers is that they lie
continually! For someone from my generation, raised to tell the truth
at all times, this is puzzling. Surely, they must know that everyone,
at least all those who aren't mountain bikers, can easily see through
them! For example, Oakland Councilwoman Nancy Nadel caught Eric
Muhler, President of the Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay,
publicly claiming that mountain biking in Joaquin Miller Park has
caused hardly any erosion! One look at Alec Karp's photographs of the
park is all it would take to know that he was lying. Similarly, the
vice president of ROMP ("Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers"),
Patty Ciesla, was caught red-handed building an illegal trail.

        Their favorite lie, of course, is that land managers who ban off-road
biking are banning mountain bikers. Actually, it is only their bikes
that are banned! It would be impossible to ban mountain bikers even if
we wanted to, since they don't look different from anyone else.

And they aren't doing their already rotten image much good. Since none
of them ever admit lying, we can only guess at their motivation. The
best that I have been able to come up with is that they don't believe
that they can justify their selfish, destructive sport except by
lying. Well, … yes, of course! Since mountain biking destroys wildlife
habitat, drives away wildlife and other trail users, and benefits only
the mountain bikers, it is hard to see how anyone can justify allowing
mountain biking in any natural area.

Similarly, it is hard to explain why land managers lie so frequently,
when asked why they allow mountain biking. For example, a ranger at
China Camp State Park told me that mountain biking is causing "no
erosion". An equestrian familiar with the park then told me that the
bikers were "turning the trails into powder"! I guess that the land
managers are afraid to admit that they have allowed political
pressure  -- or, in some cases, free trail maintenance provided by the
mountain bikers -- to cloud their better judgment.

Mountain Biking as an Addiction

        Recently I suddenly realized why this pattern seemed so familiar:
they act exactly like the drug addicts that I knew when I worked with
Synanon Foundation! They demonstrate the same willingness to take
enormous risks, just to continue their "habit". They risk their image,
their job, their relationships, their freedom, even their life, just
to continue seeking the ultimate "high". Many subscribe to mountain
biking mailing lists at work, risking losing their job. Thousands risk
arrest and fines for riding illegally or even building illegal trails
on public and private land. The "Sedona Five" took advantage of a
temporary closure of Grand Canyon National Park to ride down the North
Kaibab Trail, which is closed to bikes (and got arrested). Taking
serious risks to continue a habit of doubtful value is the best
indicator of a true addiction. In mountain biking newsgroups they
exchange stories about their latest "high" (riding "sweet
singletrack"), with extra points given for experiences that were
dangerous, illegal, or both.

        When caught riding on trails closed to bikes, in my experience, they
lie ("I didn't know it is closed" -- but they don't offer to leave!),
threaten ("I'm going to bust your head"), and even physically attack
whoever tells them to leave the closed area (one biker rode back up
the trail, turned around, and then rode into the guy who had told him
the trail is closed, as fast as he could, knocking him bloody). That
is a lot of risk to take, just in order to ride one trail illegally!
And a good sign that they are addicted. Indeed, many of them, in their
discussions on the Internet, describe mountain biking as an
"addiction".

Mountain Biking as an Image Enhancer

        Another psychological factor, of course, is the image boost that the
sport and its accoutrements give to rebellious young people, just as
racing bikes did for an earlier generation (hardly any of whom
actually raced!). The knobby tires and "hardened" frames clearly say
"I'm tough. Don't cross me!" The names attached to the bikes and tires
("Velociraptor", "Omega-Bite", "Incisor") reinforce that image, as do
the photos in mountain bike magazines of bikers flying through the air
(getting "big air"). These bikes are clearly intended to indicate that
they will help you "conquer nature" (while, ironically, actually
insuring that you will have even less contact with that nature, due to
their speed, lack of contact with the ground, and suspension
systems!).

Narcissism

        Closely related to image is their narcissism: they apparently have no
awareness of, or interest in, the welfare or feelings of the wildlife
and people around them. Hikers who are young or elderly, and are
afraid of being hit, are ignored or termed "unreasonable". People who
say that they go to parks to experience peace and tranquility, and to
get away from all signs of civilization, are called "selfish".
Mountain bikers want to ride on trails that are as narrow as possible
-- exactly the trails that are too narrow to accommodate both bikers
and other trail users!

Cognitive Dissonance

        Yet another factor explaining their insistence on biking at all
costs, even at the risk of getting arrested, is embodied in the
psychological term "Cognitive Dissonance": after spending often more
than $3000 for their bike, it would be very embarrassing and
upsetting if they had nowhere to ride it!

        Perhaps this explains why, after years of talking about how they are
going to put an end to the erosion damage, illegal riding, and illegal
trail building in Joaquin Miller Park, the mountain bikers are
continuing all of those activities unabated.

Monomania

        All land management plans are evaluated by a single criterion: do
they provide "sweet" (attractive), "technical" (difficult to ride)
"singletrack" (narrow trails)? The President could be about to
designate a million acres of new wilderness, but they don't care. All
they care about is "will I be allowed to mountain bike there?" (in
wilderness, no).

Laziness

        Why ride a bike, when you can walk? Only because you can get to your
destination a lot faster and with a lot less energy. In spite of their
muscular, "hard-body" appearance, mountain bikers are lazy! "People
who must ride on sumthin' to get into the back country are essentially
lazy" (Larry Kralj).

Bad Role Modelling

Mountain biking also provides very bad role modeling for our children.
Whether or not a bike is ever ridden off-road, any child looking at
one will get the impression that it is used to tear up wildlife
habitat, and that this is okay.

Paradox

        Mountain bikers claim to want just what we all want -- the experience
of nature in all her pristine glory. However, the very fact that they
ride on a bike denies them that experience! They move too fast to
truly experience what they are seeing. They have to pay attention to
their "driving", to avoid crashing. They are insulated from feeling
the ground by distance, tires, and expensive suspension systems. And
they (in common with other trail users, of course, although to a much
greater degree) destroy nature in the very act of "appreciating" it.