Who is the Dartmoor Mountain Biker?

My name is Chris Jones, I'm a mountain biker who lives on the southernmost flanks of Dartmoor. I've been many things in my life - Soldier, Teacher, Father, Husband, Surfer - but bikes were there at the start, they cropped up in the middle, and they're a staple part of my current life too. I'm a Level 3 Bike Mechanic, a Level 3 Mountain Bike Coach, and an MBCUK Tutor, training people to become Trail Leaders. I earn my living through bikes, including guiding rides on Dartmoor, I get to see and experience some quite incredible things, so thought there might be a few folk out there who'd want to share in that with me.

I was actually told I'd never ride again, after some injuries I sustained in the military left me struggling to walk. After a couple of years of trying to figure out who I was now, I wound up getting into kayak surfing, by combining two of my previous pastimes. I didn't realise it at the time, but surfing became a real crutch for me, keeping my developing mental health problems in check. It wasn't until I was forced to cut back on surfing that my mental health took a real spiral dive. I was fortunate enough to have the support of Help for Heroes though, with the charity doing what they could to keep me surfing.

It was enough to get me to a World Championships, but that event just reinforced my understanding that surfing was no longer an activity I could continue to do independently. A neurological condition that caused random blackouts meant it was no longer safe for me to be out on my own, and the physical effort of getting to and from the water, on legs no longer intended for walking on sand, it all added up to a search for something new. Enter electrically assisted bikes. I rode my first ebike back in 2010, persuaded by a fantastic Occupational Therapist. It really opened my eyes to things I thought I'd lost, but I quickly became frustrated by the lack of range and the inability to take my bike offroad. By the end of 2011, I left my first foray into ebikes behind. Cue the middle of 2017 and I was reawakened to ebikes, or more specifically eMTBs. I picked up my first proper electrically assisted mountain bike in July of that year, with my first ride turning into a 38km epic! I was just so excited to be out on Dartmoor, on my own, that I got utterly carried away, but this was it, I knew I was back.

I quickly got about obtaining my Tech Trail Leader (Level 2) and started working on my Level 3, whilst at the same time exploring what me and my new steed could achieve. My 2017 Trek Powerfly 9 really did me proud, taking me all over the South of Dartmoor, most often on my own and often for many hours at a time. I also got back to riding other trails in my local area, trails I'd not ridden for years. Some welcomed me, with a sense of familiarity, others seemed somehow strange, but with every kilometer covered I could see improvements in my fitness and skills. I was fortunate to have the support of an outstanding GP, who helped me to experiment with different medications as I tried to manage the pains in my legs. She's been with me on one of my H4H endurance events, so understood my mentality and knew that I needed to do this, with help or without. I shall be forever grateful that she chose to help me to do it with support. As I improved my riding, my pain management, and my overall management of my neurological condition, I started getting ambitious. I was able to train for and ultimately compete in The Mountain of Hell 2018, with Help for Heroes. It was the first time they had ever allowed an eMTB entry. The race is one of the longest downhill mountain bike races in the world, held in Les Deux Alpes, a fantastic French Alpine village.

Despite this being the pinnacle of my riding to date, pre or post injuries, it took a real toll on my legs. I had to resort to a swig of morpheine at the end, which left me rather zoned out for the presentations back in the village! I have little recollection of the ceremony, though I know my friends and team mates guided me to and from the stage (I was so shot that they couldn't get me, on my crutches, onto the stage, so they just propped me up in front of it!), and I came around in the minibus about 2 hours later. This was the beginning of my understanding that I was not going to be a hard-charging downhill hero anymore, much as I might wish to be. I have, since then, made many more milestones that I didn't expect to (including a few more eMTB first), and I still like to get a little rowdy on the bike when I can. However, as long as I can continue to get out and ride, encouraging as many new people to get on a bike as I can, I know I'm going to have a smile on my face for many years to come. Dartmoor plays a big part in that and, I hope, will continue to for many years to come...

 Thanks so much for reading my blog, I'm looking forward to more posts to come throughout 2021. I hope you'll be with me on that journey!