By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
For students looking to find adventure in Waco, Baylor’s outdoor adventure and facilities department offers new mountain biking clinics and weekly trail rides for those of all riding levels.
Cody Schrank, associate director of outdoor adventure and facilities, said it has been a long road to establishing the mountain biking program. He said Campus Recreation first purchased mountain bikes in 2013 before beginning to offer weekly rides in 2015. Available resources for students interested in learning include $10 clinics, $6 bike rentals on Thursday nights and $20 bike rentals on weekends.
Each clinic and trail ride is led by two mountain biking tour guides who are Baylor students themselves. San Jose, Calif., senior Jake Janssen is one of them.
“There is no better feeling or reward than seeing people get uphill that they didn’t think was possible before they tried,” Janssen said. “I always surprise myself when riding. One time, [my friends and I] were on a ride, and since I had been mountain biking the longest, there was a big jump, and everyone looked right at me to see if I was going to do it … They all encouraged me to do it, and it was something that I wouldn’t have done alone or felt without the outlet of mountain biking.”
As for initial skill assessments, Schrank refers to these sessions as an important insurance policy since the bikes cost more than $1,000 each and the team members want to make safety a priority.
“We are not interested in renting bikes to anyone unless they know what they are doing,” Schrank said. “This is so that they don’t damage the bike or, more importantly, damage themselves. That is why safety is so important to us. Our ride assessment at the park is in the grass by the baseball fields and is beginner-friendly. During this time, we have attendees sign a waiver, instruct them on how the bike works and then conduct a clinic with drills to see how well they fare in a controlled and accident-free environment.”
To help distinguish which trails are for beginner, intermediate and advanced riders, the trails at Cameron Park are set up like a ski resort with green, blue and black classifications.
Janssen said he acknowledges the intimidation factor of riding on the trails for the first time, and it might take an extra push to get started.
“You know, it’s always going to be a little scary, but sometimes you just [have] to send it and go for it,” Janssen said. “A lot of times, people say that they are not good enough, but you don’t need to know much of anything about mountain biking to hop on the rides. While the physical landscape of Cameron Park might not be beginner-friendly, our clinics are.”
However, Schrank offered an alternative option for students who want to start mountain biking but prefer to begin riding on a different, less challenging landscape.
“I have been riding for so long that I have forgotten how intimidating it can be, so for those who are hesitant about mountain biking, a great thing about Waco is that we have river trails that run from Baylor to Cameron Park where there are flat, concrete paths,” Schrank said. “Also, this brings up another important tip, which is to start small. Don’t think that if you saw some videos of people flying down mountain trails online, that you can do that right off of the bat too. You want to get used to it at first and build up a little bit at a time.”
Schrank said he believes the mountain biking program gives Baylor students a chance to put their physical and mental health first by immersing themselves in nature.
“In central Texas, there are not a lot of areas that feel like an outdoor adventure, and Waco really offers that,” Schrank said. “Anyone can get into an adventure sport within 10 minutes of campus. It also offers other benefits, such as being good for physical exercise as well as catering to the mental component since mountain biking is about constantly reacting to the environment around you — like preparing for twists and turns. In a way, you always have to be thinking about your next move, similar to navigating life.”
