It's the thrill. It's the speed. It's even the fear. Lyndon Wesson experienced all three the first time he careened down a hill on a mountain bike, and he was sold.
"It was the exhilaration," Wesson says, explaining that magic moment six years ago. "I went down that first hill and knew then what I would be doing for the rest of my life."
Mountain biking is big and growing.
"Mountain biking is very challenging," Wesson says. "I love the exercise, the solitude and the excitement."
Wesson is a hairstylist and got involved in the sport as a fluke.
"I live downtown and bought a bike to go back and forth to CCB [Community College of Baltimore]. I went to the bike shop to buy a bike rack, and the guy who works there invited me to go out on a group ride." The rest is history.
It's not just the adrenalin rush but also spending time alone in nature that appeals to him.
"As a hairstylist, I come into contact with a lot of people," says Wesson, who is married and has a family. "But when I'm on my mountain bike, it's just me and nature," he says. And, "I recently turned 40, and I feel like mountain biking keeps me in shape."
One of his favorite locations to indulge in the sport is the Avalon area of Patapsco Valley State Park, where he took that first ride.
"There are a lot of single tracks there, it's close and it's very scenic," he says. "It is very challenging -- there are a lot of rocky sections. The trails are long, and you can go a long way from your starting point."
The Avalon area of Patapsco Valley State Park is between Elkridge and Catonsville.
Wesson also likes to visit ski resorts in the spring, summer and fall for downhill mountain biking.
There are plenty of good mountain-biking locations nearby and some a few hours drive away, says Joe Surkiewicz, a Baltimore resident and free-lance writer who finds and writes about the trails.
In his latest book, the 261-page "Mountain Bike! The Mid-Atlantic States, A Guide to the Classic Trails" (Menasha Ridge Press, 1998), Surkiewicz lists trails for different skill levels.
He did not start out as a mountain biker.
"I've been a road rider since the early '70s, probably since the first big oil crisis," he says. "I had read about this weird California sport of riding bikes with big, knobby tires, and I was interested."
So he bought a mountain bike.
"The appeal is there is instant gratification," Surkiewicz says. "You see this little trail, and you get on this bike with big fat tires and go on it."
Mountain biking "can be a very skill-intensive sport," he says, "but it doesn't have to be. There are different levels, like the NCR Trail, which is flat. The B&A; Trail is paved. Both of these are easy."
The Northern Central Railroad Trail is in northern Baltimore County and can be at accessed at Paper Mill Road east of York Road and at a number of different locations. The B&A; Trail can be accessed at Marley Station Mall and other locations.
"Then there is the in-between trail, like the Loch Raven jeep trails," he says. Finally, there are trails in Frederick County that are considered "totally gonzo."
The book covers trails in different parts of Maryland (including the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland), Washington, parts of Virginia and the Carolinas. Surkiewicz is currently working on a book that will cover trails near the Baltimore area, like Loch Raven and Robert E. Lee Park.
The sprawling area surrounding the Loch Raven Reservoir is in Northern Baltimore County. Warren Road and Dulaney Valley Road both run through the area. Robert E. Lee Park is in Baltimore County north of Lake Avenue and east of Falls Road.
If you are starting from square one and aren't sure what a mountain bike is, Surkiewicz explains:
"Think of the newspaper boys' bikes in the '40s and '50s," he says. "They are very stable, very heavy, with low gears and with very good brakes. With today's technology, that 50-pound bike is now a 20-pound bike. They used to all be made of steel. Now they can be made of aluminum, carbon fiber and other exotic materials." In addition, most mountain bikes have suspensions with shock absorbers and index shifting.
You generally get what you pay for. "Someone who is seriously interested in taking up mountain biking as a hobby should expect to spend at least $500. You get a lighter bike, and they don't break as much. You do not want to be out on a trail and have your bike break."
Besides reading some of the many books on mountain biking, someone interested in the sport might consider hitting the Internet to find convenient trails.
One such Web site is run by Chad Schneider, 23, a student at the University of Maryland, College Park. He created the Web page about four years ago, and it gets about 50 hits a day.
"I was interested in experimenting with a Web page, and I love mountain biking," Schneider says. "So I decided to put the two of them together."
The site asks people to send in information about their favorite mountain-biking trails from all over the world. "People have sent in their favorite trails from Australia, Canada, all over," he says.
One of his favorite local places -- a favorite of many a Baltimore-area mountain biker -- is Patapsco Valley State Park, with its dirt trails and hills.
"There are a bunch of different areas in Patapsco State Park," Schneider says. "There are also places within a two-hour drive from here, such as Gambrill State Park [six miles northwest of Frederick] and Schaeffer Farm Trail [to the south and southwest of Gaithersburg]."
Schneider has been riding mountain bikes since he was about 14 years old. "In the last five years, I would say it has become more popular," he says. "You can see it in the parking lots. All of the bikes on cars."
Schneider's Web site is members.xoom.com/liv2play /MTB.Resource.html.
And please, when hitting the trails, don't forget your mountain-biking etiquette. Surkiewicz's book gives some pointers from the International Mountain Biking Association Rules of the Trails:
* Ride on open trails only. Respect trail and road closures, avoid possible trespass on private land, obtain permits and authorization as may be required. Federal and state wilderness areas are closed to cyclists.
* Leave no trace. Be sure to pack out as least as much as you pack in.
* Control your bicycle! Inattention for even a second can cause disaster. Excessive speed can maim or threaten people; there is no excuse for it!
* Always yield the trail. Make known your approach well in advance.
* Never spook animals. All animals are startled by an unannounced approach, a sudden movement or a loud noise.
* Plan ahead. Know your equipment, your ability and the area in which you are riding -- and plan accordingly. Be self-sufficient at all times. Wear a helmet, keep your machine in good condition and carry necessary supplies for changes in weather or other conditions.
Riding in company
So mountain biking is not your thing. You prefer road bikes, or maybe you enjoy both.
If you are looking for organized rides, here are a couple, for mountain or road bikers.
* The Great Baltimore Neighborhood Bike Ride runs through the neighborhoods of northern Baltimore, and it takes place June 6. Enjoy a 13- or a 20-mile route that begins on the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. The ride will pass Memorial Stadium, Lake Montebello and Sherwood Gardens. There will be a rest stop at Evergreen House. Mechanical and medical assistance will be available. Cost is $20 for adults; $13 for children 12 and under. Call 410-253-5782.
* Cycle Across Maryland, the largest local bike tour in the area, is self-supporting, with luggage transported for you, and mechanical and medical assistance provided. It runs July 24 through July 30 in Western Maryland. The shorter Mini-CAM is July 24-27.
An option on the CAM tour is to spend a day mountain biking at White Tail ski resort July 29.
CAM's cost for adults is $220 until July 7, and $245 thereafter. Mini-CAM is $170 for adults until July 7 and $195 thereafter.
The CAM family plan, for a maximum of four, is $740 until July 7, $840 thereafter.
The Mini-CAM family plan is $525 until July 7, $625 thereafter.
For more information, call 410-653-8288 or 888-CAM-RIDE, or go online to www.cyclexmd.org.