Mountain Bike Mania

by Matt Christopher

  But Danny was still in the world of the lonely latchkey child, the brainiac who spent his afternoons studying alone. Will suddenly felt sorry for him. Danny would have loved mountain biking, too, if he ever tried it — Will was sure of that. But he wasn’t so sure he could convince Danny. He plopped his book bag down on the table and sat down across from his old friend.

  “Danny,” he began, “how’s it going?”

  “Okay, I guess,” Danny replied with a shrug. “Everybody’s been talking about you today, you know.”

  “Really?” Will shifted in his seat. The idea that he was the subject of people’s conversations made him a little uncomfortable. “What are they saying?”

  “They’re saying you’re a poser and a wannabe. Some of them, anyway.”

  “Who?” Will wanted to know, hurt that anyone would think that way about him.

  “Oh, no,” Danny said, shaking his head. “I’m not gonna get into the middle of this. You asked me what people were saying.” He peered at Will through his thick glasses. “A few people also said you were okay.”

  “Who! Who?” Will had to know.

  Danny drummed his fingers on the table. “No one. I made the whole thing up,” Danny said. “What do you care what people think, anyway?”

  “You made the whole thing up?” Will repeated, stunned.

  “Maybe yes, maybe no,” Danny said cryptically. “So what is all this about, anyway? Are you ‘acting out’ or something?”

  “What do you mean?” Will asked. “I don’t get you.”

  “I mean,” Danny said, rolling his eyes, “on Saturday afternoon the two of us are nearly killed by a marauding pack of maniacs on mountain bikes, and instead of fighting back or swearing revenge or at least being mildly annoyed, you go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a murder weapon of your own and join the Ace Diamond Fan Club. Does that strike you as weird, or is it just me?”

  “Whew,” Will said, blowing out a deep breath. “Jeez, Danny, chill out. I thought you would have gotten over it by now.”

  “Oh, okay, so I’m the one who’s acting strangely.” Danny’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I should have realized.”

  “Look,” Will said, trying to get through to his friend, “it’s just that I knew, when those bikes came flying down the trail — I knew I wanted to do that.”

  Danny seemed dumbstruck. “Really? Why?” This time, his voice was incredulous.

  “It has to be the greatest feeling,” Will said dreamily. “Total speed and freedom, nature — I don’t know, everything!”

  “You’re not telling me you’ve already gone down a mountain,” Danny said.

  “No, not yet,” Will admitted. “But —”

  “Then you don’t know anything,” Danny insisted. “You’re only imagining. And while you’re doing it, imagine the terrified hikers you’ll be passing on your way down. Imagine hitting one of them.”

  “Cut it out, Danny. You know I would never hit anybody.”

  “Well, either you would or you wouldn’t,” Danny insisted. “If you wouldn’t, then quit thinking you’re going to fly down the mountain. ‘Cause you can’t do that and be careful, too.”

  “I think you can.” Will held his ground. “I’ll bet I can.”

  Just then, the librarian came over to shush them, and they both opened their books and started doing homework.

  Will’s reverie was broken. Suddenly there was a downside to his new hobby. He hadn’t realized just how upset Danny was about the incident on Saturday. Unless he could make Danny see how great mountain biking was, it might come between the two of them. Will might even wind up losing his best, oldest friend. And he sure didn’t want that to happen.

  On Friday at two-thirty the club met outside the gym doors. Everyone was in a great mood. There was no school the next day, and they had all weekend to do their homework. This afternoon was strictly for fun!

  Will, like the rest of them, had left his book bag in his locker, knowing that the school would remain open all afternoon and evening, as it did every Friday.

  He would retrieve his bag later. All he carried now were a few granola bars crammed into his pockets and his two trusty water bottles, which fit neatly into holders on the sides of his bike frame.

  Even though he’d been in the club for only a few days, he felt totally at home with the other bikers. Everyone had welcomed him warmly from the first moment. Even Ace, who had some reason to be angry at Will for buying “his” bike, was being super-friendly. Will wondered why anyone would ever have a problem with Ace.

  Following Gail’s schedule, they rode out to Slide Mountain. The ski resort was a good eight miles out of town, and they had to be careful of traffic. But once they were there, they registered, paid the small entry fee, and got ready for their ride uphill.

  “I hope you’re ready for this, Will,” Gail said. “It’s hard work. Just ride alongside me or just ahead of me. I’ll give you some pointers if you’re in trouble.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about me,” Will said confidently. “I’ll be fine.”

  Famous last words. After five minutes of exhausting pedaling, Will had to stop to catch his breath. Gail called out for the others to meet at the trail head, then came back to check on Will.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Will gasped. “But this is harder than I thought.” He stared longingly up at the ski lift and noticed that plenty of riders had their bikes hanging on the lift as they rode comfortably to the top.

  Gail noticed his longing look. “Forget it,” she said. “We only use those when we go on the advanced trails. We’re doing the bunny slope today.”

  “Oh.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” he assured her, his breath finally back to normal. “I don’t know what the trouble is. Maybe I’m not shifting right or something.”

  “No, it isn’t that,” Gail said. “You’re, like, not getting up and over the bike enough.”

  “Huh?”

  “You have to lean more forward to keep your momentum going,” she advised, demonstrating. “Go ahead — I’ll follow you. Just remember to stay forward on the bike.”

  Will tried it, and sure enough, he was able to get the bike going and keep it going, all the way up to the trail head. Still, he was huffing and puffing by the time he made it. The others were waiting for him there, applauding him as he pedaled the last few yards.

  Will flushed with embarrassment. He stunk at mountain biking!

  “Hey, don’t feel bad,” Candy said, smiling. “It’s hard going uphill.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it!” Will said, managing a laugh. “Now I know why there aren’t a hundred kids in this club.”

  “Hey, don’t knock mountain biking,” Ace warned him sternly. “It isn’t for everybody. That’s just the point. Who wants a huge crowd on the trail, anyway? Not me!” He clapped Will on the shoulder. “You got up here okay,” he told him. “Not bad for a first time. Proud of you, kid.”

  Will grinned from ear to ear. “Thanks,” he said, feeling a lump of pride in his throat. Looking out at the snowcapped mountains in the distance and feeling the fresh wind in his face, Will took a moment to bask in the new friendships he’d made.

  Will took a few long drinks of water and ate a granola bar. After a few minutes, Gail checked her watch, looked at the sun getting lower in the sky, and said, “Okay, guys. It’s time to go down!”

  “Ya-hoo!” Ace and Steven yelled. “Ya-hoooooo!”

  The sound chilled Will. That yell was identical to the one he and Danny had heard from the maniac bikers on the mountain. He looked at Ace and Steven and wondered if it were possible.…

  “Let’s go!” Mitch called. “Come on, Will!”

  “Just remember to feather your brakes,” Gail reminded him. “It will help you keep an even pace. And use your feet to steady you whenever you have any sense of trouble.”

  “Okay,” Will said, nodding and concentrating as he sh
oved off.

  “Above all, watch out for hikers, horses, et cetera,” Gail called out to him. “You never know who’s out there, and we sure don’t want anybody getting hurt.”

  They went single file, spaced out at safe intervals, so they wouldn’t risk collisions. There were boulders, and tree roots, and dips in the terrain to watch out for. Will found himself applying the brakes a lot. It wasn’t scary, but he wasn’t ready to go too fast — not on his first downhill run.

  Far ahead, he could hear Ace and Steve, and the others, too, whooping it up as they careened down the trail. But Will didn’t try to catch up with them. He found himself being ultra-careful, and it surprised him. Dimly he wondered if it could have anything to do with the near-accident he and Danny had had.

  At first, most of Will’s attention was focused on staying on the bike and not falling. He bounced over rocks and ruts, felt the jarring sensations shoot up his arms. His leg muscles burned with the effort of keeping his pace steady.

  Gradually he grew more confident. He realized that if he let his arms go limp instead of holding them stiff, they’d absorb the shocks better. He feathered his brakes less often and let his pace increase. Finally he became aware of the wind rushing up at him and the trees whooshing by on either side. The sensation of full flight was totally awesome!

  It was heart-pounding, second-splitting action, all right. It was about the most exciting thing he’d ever done! As he neared the bottom, he could see that they were all waiting for him, cheering him on, waving and laughing.

  Once again, though, they were laughing with him, not at him. “Hey, you made it!” Ace shouted, applauding and whistling. “Whoo-hoo!”

  “Yeah, Will!” Steve Barrad shouted, giving Will the mountain biker’s handshake. Mitch and the others followed suit, giving Will multiple slaps on the back till he cried out for mercy.

  It was only on the way back to town that Will thought about Danny again. Ace, riding beside him, noticed the look on his face. “What’s up, kid?” he asked. “Something bothering you?”

  “Nah, not really,” Will said.

  “Don’t jive me,” Ace said, looking him right in the eyes as they rode side by side. “What’s going on? Tell me.”

  Will sighed. “It’s my best friend, Danny. He hates mountain biking. I wish I could get him to try it.”

  “He hates mountain biking?” Ace repeated. “Will, forget about him, man. Just dump him. He’s a loser.”

  “He’s not a loser,” Will protested, startled by Ace’s curt dismissal of Danny.

  “Whatever,” Ace responded, clearly unconvinced. “Tell me one thing. Has he ever tried it? Huh? Has he ever even been on a mountain bike?”

  “I don’t think so,” Will had to admit.

  “I rest my case,” Ace said. “Do what you want, but I’ll tell you, if it were me, I wouldn’t bother with anyone who doesn’t like mountain biking. Mountain biking, that’s what I’m all about. You don’t like it, you don’t like me.” He looked sideways at Will. “And I got a feeling mountain biking is gonna be you, too. Am I right?”

  Will nodded. “Yeah,” he said, looking ahead at the road. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  But inside, Will knew he didn’t mean it. He liked mountain biking a lot — even loved it — but it wasn’t “what he was all about.”

  If only he could find a way to get Danny interested in the club! But he knew it was impossible.

  Glancing over at Ace, he felt certain that Danny and Ace would never hit it off. Not in a million years.

  6

  That night, Will didn’t sleep well. He kept dreaming he was on his mountain bike, going down a sloping trail at full speed. Suddenly there stood Danny, right in front of him! Danny opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Instead, from behind him, Will heard a maniacal voice yelling, “Ya-hoo!” He woke up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding.

  On Saturday morning, he called Danny first thing and invited him to go hiking again. But Danny wasn’t exactly overjoyed to hear from him.

  “I thought you’d be out mountain biking with your new pals,” he said.

  “Hey, new friends are great, but old friends are greater,” Will assured him.

  “Yeah, well…” Danny’s voice trailed off.

  “So, how about it? Should we get a good hike in?” Will asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Danny said. “I don’t really feel like it today. You go ahead, though.”

  “I can’t go by myself,” Will said sourly. “You sure?”

  “Yeah,” Danny said. “I don’t know why. I guess nearly getting killed last week, then having you turn into one of the killers, turned me off to it.”

  “Oh, come off it, Danny,” Will said in frustration. “It wasn’t that close. We got out of the way okay, didn’t we?”

  “Just barely,” Danny said. “Hiking’s not what it used to be. Not since the mountain bikers took over the trails.”

  This was going nowhere, Will could tell. “Okay, see ya,” he said, and hung up quickly. Danny’s rejection had stung him badly. What had he done to deserve that?

  Sure, he’d taken up mountain biking. If Danny was really his friend, he’d be happy for him! And so what if Will had made friends with the kids in the club? It was only natural, wasn’t it, to be friends with people you had things in common with?

  Well, if Danny didn’t want to be his friend, that was his tough luck, Will decided. He hadn’t done anything to offend him, and if Danny was going to be like that, let him.

  Will got dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen, where his parents were eating breakfast.

  “Hi, sleepyhead!” his mom greeted him. “It’s nine o’clock already. We decided to eat without you!”

  “It’s okay,” Will assured her, plopping down into a chair.

  “What’s up with you today, son?” his dad asked, putting down his newspaper.

  “Nothing much,” Will said with a shrug. “Could we go to the mall? I could use some biking shorts and a shirt or two.”

  “Uh-oh, here we go,” his dad said. “The money pit—”

  “Bob,” Will’s mom interrupted. “We haven’t spent any time with Will all week. I think going to the mall might be a nice idea.”

  Just then, the doorbell rang, and the conversation halted while Will ran to get it.

  He threw the door open, and there was Ace Diamond, his bike parked behind him on the walk.

  “Hey, kid,” he said. “Mitch told me where you lived. You want to go for a ride or something?”

  “Me?” Will asked, not quite believing that Ace Diamond — the Ace Diamond! — was standing on his doorstep.

  “You see anybody else around here?” Ace asked comically. “Yeah, you. I’m riding the coolest trail today, and I thought I’d show you what mountain biking’s really all about.”

  “Excellent!” Will said, giving Ace the handshake. Then he ran back inside to tell his parents to forget about the mall. He was going riding!

  His parents, though bewildered at his sudden change in energy and attitude, quickly gave their permission. They were sorry not to have the time with Will but thrilled that he was so excited about what he was doing.

  And so, five minutes later, Will and Ace were heading down one of the two-lane blacktop roads leading out of town into the neighboring hills. Montwood was surrounded by hills on three sides, and on the fourth, a sloping plateau led down toward the west. There, Shepard Lake and several others nestled against the slopes of the Coast Range. Beyond those forested mountains lay the Pacific Ocean, forty miles away.

  Everywhere you rode around Montwood, Will was discovering, there were dirt roads and mountain trails to bike on.

  “Wait till you see where we’re going!” Ace called out to him over his shoulder. As always, when they were on paved roads, they went single file. Still, whenever a long straightaway showed that there was no traffic coming, Ace would drop back to talk with him.

  “It’s right up ahead,” Ace told him, after they’
d been pedaling hard, mostly uphill, for about fifteen minutes. “Right… here!”

  In a flash, Ace peeled off the road onto a bumpy, narrow trail leading right through the woods. Will braked hard and nearly went over as he swerved onto the path and bounced over the ditch that cut through it. “Yikes!” he yelled. “Hey, wait for me!”

  Ace was off and riding now, taking air whenever an obstacle presented itself, as the trail wound up, down, up, and down again, like a BMX racecourse. “Ya-hoo!” Ace let out his trademark yell. After a moment’s hesitation, Will imitated it, trying like anything to keep up his speed and still not lose his balance.

  “Follow me — we’re goin’ down!” Ace shouted, and dipped down with the trail, suddenly disappearing from sight. Behind him, he threw something small that glinted in the sun. Will passed it, and saw that it was a gum wrapper.

  Will was shocked that Ace would just litter the trail like that, but he had no time to think about it. The trail dove steeply downward, and Will went with it, his feet down on the ground to steady and slow the suddenly careening bike. “Yaaah!” he yelled, paralyzed with fear as he struggled to control his bike.

  Ahead of him, Will saw Ace leap into the air with his bike, coming down ten feet later on the other side of a huge mud puddle.

  “Aaaahhh!” Will tried to brake, and when he saw that it was too late, he made a feeble attempt to jump the puddle. He came down smack in the middle of it!

  The next thing he heard was Ace’s roaring laughter. “Yeah! All right! You’re initiated, kid! Mudface, that’s you!”

  He gave Will the club handshake, and Will, who had been steaming with anger only a moment before, suddenly decided he didn’t want Ace to know how scared he’d been.

  “So, what do you think of it?” Ace asked. “This place rules, doesn’t it?”

  “It’s amazing,” Will said, not wanting to disagree. The trail had been fun but far too dangerous for a beginner like him, with its boulders and steep pitch, its roots and crevices and deep mud holes. He was surprised Ace had taken him here, knowing Will had been riding less than a week. “Does the club ever come here?”

  “Are you kidding?” Ace asked with a snort. “They would never come to a place like this! They’re attached to the school, right? So they have to worry about insurance and stuff, like if somebody got hurt and sued.”