By Fiona Ricker
When Stephen Sidwell turned 16, he wanted his own set of wheels more than anything. Fortunately for his parents, he only had two in mind, not four.
“I wanted a mountain bike instead – and I got it,” Sidwell said.
Sidwell, 24, is a geology major from Modesto, Calif. He is also an avid mountain biker.
Until he turned 16, he had participated in cycling quite a bit, but always on the road.
Off-road is an entirely different experience, Sidwell said.
Nature is part of the draw. He also enjoys hiking, but mountain biking puts a different spin on tranquil spring days.
“It’s the feeling of rushing through the trees, or blasting through a meadow. It makes the trail a completely different challenge than hiking,” he said.
A mountain bike covers distance in much less time than hiking, and can access more places.
Of course, it’s also a little more intense. For this reason, some areas are off limits to mountain bikes, or times are restricted.
At Mill Creek Canyon near Salt Lake City, mountain bikes are only allowed on even days.
“We were there on an odd day,” Sidwell remembered.
Some rangers strolled by and spotted the cyclists, leaving them with a hundred dollar fine and a renewed commitment to not bike on hiking days.
“We were so close to getting out — only about half a mile from the border. It was the first and last time I did that,” Sidwell said.
While opportunity for injury can present itself rather forcefully when one is hurtling down a rock-filled path on a bicycle, Sidwell doesn’t want to build up mountain biking’s “bad dude” image.
“It’s dangerous like anything else. You have to know your limits and stay within them,” he said.
His love of bikes carries over into his work repairing bicycles for Outdoors Unlimited.
“He’s one of the most knowledgeable bike mechanics in the shop,” said Blaine Freestone, 26, an accounting major from Littleton, Colo., who works with Sidwell.
Sidwell enjoys sharing the exhilaration of off-roading with others. He’s a teacher’s assistant for a mountain biking class, and also takes his friends at times.
Patience is one of his virtues, said Aubrey Adams, who has known Sidwell for two years.
“He’d stay back and make sure we understood, he uses so many different ways to teach,” said Adams, 21, an accounting major from Salt Lake City. “He wouldn’t let us quit.”
Winter finds Sidwell keeping in shape, readying himself for mountain bike season that piggybacks in on the warmer weather.
During the summer, he goes mountain biking several times a week.
“It’s something you have to practice, like everything else,” he said.
“It’s like dancing on your bike, you’re constantly shifting your weight here and there — that makes it challenging — you have to know when to do every little thing.”
He shares a minivan with his brother now, but the white Caravan can’t replace mountain biking.
“If I could go everyday, I would,” he said.
