Paul Hickey: MTB craze never really grabbed me

Columnist Paul Hickey admits to never having ridden a mountain bike - on a mountain bike trail. But he's been to the Waipa car park plenty of times.

Happy Auckland Anniversary Day!

As you read this I am enjoying my first work commitment-free day since Christmas Day.

As we edge towards the end of the summer holidays, how is the stress level mums and dads? The staggered start to the school year begins tomorrow with seven of our Rotorua schools ringing the bell for the first time.

But some students don't head back until the end of next week - and then for everyone it's another long weekend.

For all the starting dates at all our local schools, check out my webpage at www.thehits.co.nz/paul.

I have a confession to make. It's not a big one, but living here in Rotorua it probably puts me on the outside of what is considered the cool or hip thing to do, although I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I have never ridden a mountain bike. No hold on; let me clarify that. I have never ridden a mountain bike on dirt, or anything that resembles a 'track'.

I have hopped on my son's MTB twice, but both times there has been plenty of concrete and tar seal underneath the rubber.

I have been out to the Waipa MTB car park area many times in the capacity of the guy talking on the microphone, but I've never ventured into the 'world famous Redwood tracks' area.

I'm not sure why I've never really latched onto the craze that is mountain biking.

When I was growing up (way before there was even such a thing as mountain bikes), I used to love being on the bike.

I had a Motogard Series 700 BMX and there was a great little BMX track on the edge of Te Ana Place in Lynmore which is now covered in houses.

My mates and I would regularly ride through the Redwoods, and spend plenty of time at the really rad BMX track that was on the right hand side towards the top of Nursery Rd.

As we all got a bit older, the road cycling craze took over and I got a road racing bike, but a car that pulled out in front of me on Te Ngae Rd wrote off my bike and quite a bit of skin. Perhaps that is where my love affair with pedal power ended?

There are many great MTB events staged here every year, and the UCI Worlds a few years back nearly convinced me to have a try.

There are more big ones on the way over the coming weeks too, and I'll be checking some of them out.

Will it convince me to join in the craze? Maybe ... but probably not.

This week is a pretty historic one at the radio station. Not just for those of us who work there now, but for all those who have been before us. But times change and bold new frontiers await. This time next week ...

-Paul Hickey is the host of the locally based 9am-3pm show on The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM. Follow on Facebook at The Hits Rotorua and on Twitter @paulhickeynz.