Chicken Heads and Hero Dirt: Endless Biking goes to China
September 2012
I had the opportunity to teach mountain biking in China with Endless Biking. Our title sponsor, Shimano, had invited us to take part in a mountain bike festival, and they wanted us to share our knowledge with some of the locals. It was an amazing experience that I'll never forget, and something I think the entire Endless Biking team - Darren Butler, Kelli Sherbinin and Jordan Drinovz - would agree.
In a small rural part on China just North of Beijing is the resort community of Chongli. The best way to imagine this part of China is by picturing the hotels of Whistler and multiplying by five... except everything is half finished. Within this area there are a number of popular ski resorts frequented by Beijing locals throughout the winter. One resort in particular had started work on creating a bike park, the first ever in the country.
The trails were being built by a Vancouver Island local, Doug Sharpe. By the time we made our way to the airport, only one trail had been completed. This, no doubt, made the whole Endless Biking team very nervous. We were quite literally flying halfway around the world to ride one trail for four days. This was a long distance to go for just one trail. But the tickets were booked, and we were going. Flying is never a great experience for me. I have a 50% chance of flying with some sort of luggage fiasco. Due to my previous mis-adventures, I travel with the mantra, 'what can go wrong will go wrong.' I was especially mindful of this when it came to flying to Asia with a 40lbs bike. I walked onto the plane with my riding shoes on, riding pack stuffed with clothing and my helmet in hand. True to my style of travel, I got the last seat left on standby and my luggage didn't come out the other end; but, miraculously, my bike did, and that's what really mattered. We arrived in Chongli fairly late, quickly unpacked and went to bed. The next morning we woke up, put our bikes together and grabbed breakfast while we waited for the chairlift to open. After everything - the hurrying, the waiting, the traffic - we were at the top and about to drop in. This was the moment of truth. Was this trip going to be a bust, or could this one trail really be worth it? |
Who could have imagined? Doug had created an amazing hand-built berm trail on the other side of the world. This was nothing like riding on the North Shore. The forest was made up of mostly birch trees, which are almost non-existent back home.
Everything had lined up to create one of those magical moments in Mountain Biking. The sun was shining through the deciduous canopy and the black soil was spattered with fallen yellow leaves. Every time you would lay into a berm the tires would link up in a way that goes beyond hero dirt. To validate the ecstasy of each corner, dirt would roost up your back, instantly putting a smile on your face much like a faceshot does for a skier.
Everything had lined up to create one of those magical moments in Mountain Biking. The sun was shining through the deciduous canopy and the black soil was spattered with fallen yellow leaves. Every time you would lay into a berm the tires would link up in a way that goes beyond hero dirt. To validate the ecstasy of each corner, dirt would roost up your back, instantly putting a smile on your face much like a faceshot does for a skier.
What I love about living and riding on the North Shore of Vancouver is the community. The trails are what bring us together, but it's the people that make it all worth while. For me, that's the reason I do it. Mountain Biking is universal, both in language and in lifestyle.
As an instructor, language is everything. How we word something can affect how it's interpreted, and subsequently how it's executed to an end result. My initial concern with teaching in China was the language barrier. Only a third of our students could speak english, another third had very little and the final third had absolutely zero experience with speaking English. This meant we were relying heavily on translators.
We taught our material and, as the translators repeated our instructions, we hoped for the best. We kept our translators close at hand for the the first two days, but by the final day something very unique happened: words became unnecessary. When a rider needed to get their elbows out we just pointed at them and stuck our elbows out. Suddenly it didn't matter what language we spoke, we were now talking mountain bikes.
The political landscape of China is unique and many of the stories of the People's Republic are true or based on some truth. The stereotypes exist for a reason, but the mountain bikers of China are a counter-culture that Chairman Mao never saw coming. Influence from not just the Western world but the entire globe is very restricted in China. Although Facebook and Twitter are blocked by the government, PinkBike and the NSMB are not. The mountain bikers of China were unlike many of their other countrymen; nevertheless, they hadn't assimilated with western beliefs and culture, they were simply mountain bikers. For that reason alone, they were our friends, on and off the trails.
As an instructor, language is everything. How we word something can affect how it's interpreted, and subsequently how it's executed to an end result. My initial concern with teaching in China was the language barrier. Only a third of our students could speak english, another third had very little and the final third had absolutely zero experience with speaking English. This meant we were relying heavily on translators.
We taught our material and, as the translators repeated our instructions, we hoped for the best. We kept our translators close at hand for the the first two days, but by the final day something very unique happened: words became unnecessary. When a rider needed to get their elbows out we just pointed at them and stuck our elbows out. Suddenly it didn't matter what language we spoke, we were now talking mountain bikes.
The political landscape of China is unique and many of the stories of the People's Republic are true or based on some truth. The stereotypes exist for a reason, but the mountain bikers of China are a counter-culture that Chairman Mao never saw coming. Influence from not just the Western world but the entire globe is very restricted in China. Although Facebook and Twitter are blocked by the government, PinkBike and the NSMB are not. The mountain bikers of China were unlike many of their other countrymen; nevertheless, they hadn't assimilated with western beliefs and culture, they were simply mountain bikers. For that reason alone, they were our friends, on and off the trails.
No narrative about a trip to China is complete without mentioning the food. During the day we taught and guided the locals through the world of mountain biking but at night it was there turn to teach. It seemed like some meals required a lesson about each dish. Although everything looked different it was delicious. One of my favourite parts about travelling is the food, and every night provided a unique flavour of the local cuisine. I've always enjoyed being forced out of my comfort zone, and sitting at another culture's dinner table is one of the best ways to do that.
Chicken soup is a little bit different in this part of the world. When you're served chicken soup, then that means there is an entire chicken in the soup. The night previous, we had tried chicken feet which turned out to be better than expected. Probably one of the funniest moments of the entire trip was when Jordan announced, at the final night's dinner that he was ready to eat the chicken head. The entire table turned to see Jordan with his chopsticks in hand holding the chicken head. "I'm not going back to North Van without eating the head!" Once the laughter had subsided, one of our new friends explained that nobody eats the chicken head but he could if he really wanted to.
Chicken soup is a little bit different in this part of the world. When you're served chicken soup, then that means there is an entire chicken in the soup. The night previous, we had tried chicken feet which turned out to be better than expected. Probably one of the funniest moments of the entire trip was when Jordan announced, at the final night's dinner that he was ready to eat the chicken head. The entire table turned to see Jordan with his chopsticks in hand holding the chicken head. "I'm not going back to North Van without eating the head!" Once the laughter had subsided, one of our new friends explained that nobody eats the chicken head but he could if he really wanted to.
The trip was fun, insightful and beyond successful. We were not only welcomed with open arms but treated with the utmost respect. Normally we travel to experience new worlds, cultures and lifestyles, but we're often just gazing into what is a small sample of a community. On this trip the Endless Biking team were fully immersed into the mountain bike culture of China, instantly adopted by everyone there as if we were old friends. I feel very lucky to have been given this opportunity, no words can describe the gratitude I have for Shimano and Endless Biking for making this happen. On the final day, while on a bus tour in Beijing with the entire Endless Biking team, Darren described to us the full circle of his career. When he began as a pro mountain biker, he made the choice to give up travelling in order to commit to his career path. I made a very similar choice and for all of us to now have the opportunity to travel because of our bikes is a huge validation that what we do for a living is what we are meant to do. To follow a dream is one thing but to have that dream take you around the world is beyond amazing.