Speeding down the rocky Marshall Canyon Trail in La Verne, freshman Caleb Cheng experiences ups and downs both emotionally and physically as he rides his Pivot Firebird mountain bike, eyes focused on the road ahead.
With each practice, Cheng embraces the thrill of mountain biking. The sport involves riding bicycles off-road, usually on rough terrain like mountain trails and rocks. When first starting out, he was filled with fear, but it was that very danger he grew to love.
“I always get a huge adrenaline rush going down courses,” Cheng said. “You’re going really fast down a mountain and it’s dangerous, but there’s a lot of excitement and thrill.”
However, one wrong turn can lead to serious injury, so much precision and skill is required when maneuvering these trails. For safety, Cheng wears a helmet, chest guard and knee pads. On his bike, a Fox 38 Factory suspension fork eases the bumpiness during rough terrain. Alongside safety gear, he upholds a motto to himself in the face of challenges.
“I tell myself ‘If you’re not crashing, you’re not riding fast enough,’ which helps me push myself. Riding fast is fun, and if I don’t feel that, then I know I’m not having as much fun as I could be,” Cheng said.
Cheng usually spends every weekend at the Marshall Canyon Trail in La Verne biking with his parents and occasionally goes up to other trails such as Sky Park in Skyforest, Snow Valley in Running Springs and Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake. With consistent practice, his skills have developed, and he has experienced great improvement in both speed and technique. His dedication drives him to spend ample time perfecting tricks like drops and whips.
“Every time I ride, I get a little better every time. And when I go out and achieve my goals, it makes me really happy and want to go again,” Cheng said.
In contrast to the adrenaline rush, mountain biking offers Cheng peace when taking in breathtaking scenery of forests and mountains that can only be appreciated from the trails.
“It’s always really pretty, and sometimes I have to remind myself to just stop and look,” Cheng said. “I feel grateful to be able to do what I love and also be surrounded by beautiful nature.”
Mountain biking was an activity Cheng picked up during the COVID-19 lockdown when his sister bought bikes for his entire family in hopes of serving as a way to bond with one another and reconnect with nature. Since then, his passion for it has quickly grown, and it has become what he looks forward to every week.
Cheng’s devotion to the sport has also carried over to his time away from the mountains. The moment he opens his YouTube and Instagram feeds, he is flooded with content from other mountain bikers. Around his friends, he expresses much enthusiasm about the sport and even encourages them to try it themselves.
“He shows me a lot of mountain biking videos, and you can just feel how much he likes it,” freshman Myles McAuley, Cheng’s friend, said. “I think it has shaped him in the way that he is more energetic, persistent and enjoys risk-taking.”
Mountain biking is currently a hobby for Cheng, but he hopes to pursue the sport more seriously in the future, with aspirations of competing in World Cup races. Until then, he will keep honing his skills, exploring new trails and pushing his limits.
“Mountain biking is one of the things that he really has a passion for. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him have that much interest, motivation and drive to do anything,” Joy Cheng, Cheng’s sister, said. “It’s inspiring as his sister to see him care about something so much.”
