So Friday tends to be my de facto mtb day, but this particular Friday one thing and another got in the way and I was unable to do any riding at all. I tried to fill a bit of the void by opening up the iphoto and fingering through some pics from last year. While roaming through the local canyons and across the hillsides I came upon some old wood ramps and stunts, abandoned by some ancient, youthful builders, but apparently not forgotten.

Unlike so many other activities, cycling does not require much in the way of special infrastructure, we use existing roads, we use existing trails. These things maintain a sense of permanence because they are widely used beyond the world of cycling. So it was rather surreal coming upon these structures arrayed on a hillside overlooking the city, much as ancient civilizations might build temples in prominent locations. Clearly the siting of the ruins were not random, as the built features often took advantage of existing natural elements such as trees or slope contours.

I will not put the creators of these mounds and ramps on the same footing as the builders of the temples at Chichen Itza, at the Parthenon in Athens, or Angor Wat, but I have no doubt as to their devotion as adherents to this particular form of mountain biking. I can easily picture them soaring across gaps, or flying from the edges of ramps with the city spread below their wheels, adrenaline pumping through their veins, and shouts of defiance breaking from their dry throats; at this time, in this place, we are rulers of the world. Slideshow of images here.