Adrenaline-craving juniors take on the ‘endless possibilities’ of adventurous mountain biking 

Most MVHS students bike for the sake of getting from point A to point B on a day-to-day basis. Before and after school, students do not think much about their bikes other than a more environmentally friendly alternative to driving to school or just another way to simplify their commute. Others bike together as a symbol of friendship and togetherness. For juniors Alan Dai and Jonathan La Plain, biking is more than just a way to get to school or a fun way to hang out. It's an extreme lifestyle.

As self-declared "thrill-seekers", the daredevil mountain biking duo spends their weekends biking through the county parks of the Santa Cruz Mountains, cruising down winding roads and narrow trails in what would otherwise seem utterly suicidal to the average biker. Their reason: it's impractical. Recalling a previous experience on the infamously steep Montebello Road in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, La Plain describes the thrill of speeding down an average grade of 6.9 percent "unexplainable with words [and that] you'll  have to try it for yourself." Both Dai and La Plain ride heavy-duty mountain bikes due to the amount of "abuse" they claim to have dealt during their biking trips, the former owning a 2010 Cannondale F5 and the latter a heavily modified 2009 Diamondback Response.

Through their experiences with biking along jagged cliffs and hilly ridges, the two have seen that they've picked up techniques and reflexes that they say that conventional sports just don't seem to offer. Some of these include building skill-sets, balance, control, and mechanics skills.

"In regular sports, you just chase around a ball around a field. The thing about [mountain biking] is that there are so many possibilities. There's all these upgrades for your bike. There's so many trails, and there's like endless possibilities out there," Dai said. "Well, with mountain biking, you sort of develop a bond with your bike because you spend so much time with it."

Along with all the extra care the two put into their bikes comes a great deal of knowledge. To cut costs and labor fees, the two repair their own bikes. As for any fanatical zealot of any hobby, with the care as they put into their bikes comes the silly adventures they do while riding them. 

"A really cool thing to do," Dai said, "is to take a Gorrilapod™ [a type of portable tripod] and some tape and attach a camera to the handlebars of your bike and basically you can go back and watch [the ride down a hill]."

Dai and La Plain both regularly hit the trails surrounding Cupertino on a regular basis, including the Fremont Older Open Space Reserve on Regnart Road and Montebello Road, which boasts an exhilarating descent. La Plain plans on taking part in some biking competitions in the future, hoping to gain new experience on different circuits and trails. For Dai, biking more recreational and is a way for him to drop the stresses of school. 

"Mountain biking is basically my way to escape from society and going into the hills and just getting out there and having a blast [with just] me and my bike and the trail," said Dai.

Both, however, agree that mountain biking's strenuous aerobic exercise helps them stay fit for the school year.

"You don't think of anything else, just the moment," said La Plain.