Mountain Biking in the Tao

By Mark Tracey

Mountain Biking in the Tao is the seminal work on Taoist philosophy and how it applies to mountain biking and life. Inspired by years of riding and meditation it gives the best possible advice on how to properly ride your mountain bike.

Relax, be who you are, then go ride in the Tao on the trail nearest your own home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 24, 2007
• ISBN: 9780595601936

Mark Tracey

Mark Tracey is an emeritus professor of engineering at the University of Hertfordshire with an applied research interest in new winemaking technologies and processes. He collaborates with small-scale Italian producers in researching new-generation, low-volume oenology tools and also makes his own experimental wines.

Book preview

One

The ride you last spoke of

is not the ultimate trail,

for the ultimate mountain bike ride

is indescribable;

it cannot be put into words.

The ride that is discussed

is merely a perception of the mind;

it is not the eternal ride.

It is the un-wanting rider

who rides the hidden trail,

for the ever-wanting rider

merely rides a trail,

and then tells a story

to describe it.

Both the named ride

and the un-named ride

have the very same trailhead,

the essence of all that is.

Two

Just like the cycle of life,

so too does the single-track

wind through obstacles

while climbing peaks and

gliding down them.

Hills become valleys;

trees become stumps;

life results in death.

They depend upon one another.

So too

does the Master Mountain Biker

ride without riding.

He just lets it all happen,

flowing with what comes natural.

He rides his bike,

yet it is not his.

He reacts to the stumps,

rocks and roots in the trail,

yet expects nothing.

Glorious moments continually come,

yet they are immediately released

for the next.

That is why he rides the trail that never ends.

Three

If you ride only to win,

you will lose touch with your inner strength.

If you aim for victory,

you begin to want what others have.

The Master Mountain Biker rides thoughtlessly,

nourishing the center of her being.

She mystifies those who know how to ride,

because she seeks no mountaintops.

When she rides without riding,

she is upon the ultimate trail …

Four

The Master Rider may appear weak,

yet he rides the supreme single-track endlessly.

His stamina lasts as long as any trail.

His style is calm …

… his lights are dim …

… he unites all single-tracks into one endless trail.

The ultimate single-track has existed before time.

Five

The ultimate single-track

treats all riders the same.

The wisest of riders

treats all others

with respect,

be they slow or fast,

crooked or respectable,

leader or follower.

The supreme ride

can be compared to a lung.

It empties, then fills,

feeling like it will explode.

The more it expands and contracts,

the more it gives to and