| Remember those little caplets that would turn | | | | needed. Upon arrival Mark also had a bike |
| into “dinosaurs” when dropped in | | | | fork pressed firmly into his thigh. * * * |
| water? I know of a person who is sort of | | | | At the end of the bike ride we went down a |
| like that (though he didn't have the shape of | | | | final steep section. We lost enough altitude |
| a dinosaur after the expansion, and I don't | | | | going down this final slope that we were able |
| think it was just water that caused this | | | | to zoom down it. This section was long |
| transformation). His name is Mark. Before | | | | enough to convince us that we could totally |
| about the age of 15 Mark was like the little | | | | handle flying down it. If it were steeper, I |
| caplet. He was small for his age. He had | | | | think we would have slowed down more. But, |
| glasses that were about half an inch thick | | | | on this particular hill we just leaned in |
| and his hair always seemed to be rather | | | | close to our bikes and felt the air go past |
| disheveled and a little greasy. In the | | | | us faster and faster. Due to our speed we |
| middle of his teen-age years Mark remade | | | | spread out a bit, so that if someone fell |
| himself, apparently as a sheer act of will. | | | | there would at least be the possibility that |
| He became incredibly strong, capable, | | | | the person behind them could avoid hitting |
| cleanly, and still amazingly nice. Once | | | | them. Mark was the final one to come down |
| Mark committed to something, he refused to | | | | the hill and we were able to watch him |
| betray that commitment. It was this trait | | | | flicker between the trees on his descent. He |
| that allowed him to change his appearance so | | | | was going fast. Then, Mark and his bike |
| much. However, in Mark this trait also | | | | charged behind one particular tree. When he |
| created a level of honor found in only a | | | | appeared on the other side of the tree he |
| rare few. Betrayal was not an option | | | | was no longer riding his bike. He was |
| for Mark. He stood up for what he believed. | | | | sprinting with all his might and leaning |
| * * * Mountain biking was an excellent | | | | forward like someone who couldn't quite keep |
| pastime on the ranch. There were steep | | | | up with their speed. * * * As it worked |
| slopes that made it hard and eventually gave | | | | out Mark had hit a deep pothole in the path. |
| one a sense of accomplishment. There were | | | | This particular pothole was so deep that it |
| also forests to obscure one's totally | | | | was able to violently and completely stop |
| embarrassing falls. To make things more | | | | his fast moving front tire. However, the |
| exciting we would start our rides from many | | | | pothole did not stop Mark or the rest of |
| different places on the ranch. Due to the | | | | Mark's bike. This resulted in Mark and the |
| size of the ranch, this meant getting places | | | | back end of the mountain bike gracefully |
| on the ranch with the bikes but without | | | | pivoting around the axle in the middle of |
| riding the bikes. Such an enterprise often | | | | the front tire. Mark pivoted towards the |
| entailed stuffing the bikes into the back of | | | | ground at the same speed he had been biking. |
| our 1992 ford explorer. As much as I liked | | | | While he was looking straight ahead at the |
| this car it was not quite optimal for bike | | | | seemingly vertical earth coming at him Mark |
| transportation. Since there were three of us | | | | was somehow able to do a series of extremely |
| we could put down only one of the back | | | | helpful actions. Mark was able to get is feet |
| seats. We took off the wheels and seats of | | | | out of the clips that held them to the |
| the bikes and stuffed them into the awkwardly | | | | pedals of the bike. Then he was able to get |
| shaped space that wrapped around the one | | | | his feet up to the height of his armpits and |
| backseat. For some unfortunate reason Mark | | | | over the handlebars of the bike (before |
| always seemed to be the one who sat in the | | | | these same handlebars collided with the |
| back next to the bikes. As we bounced across | | | | ground). From this awkward fetal position |
| the ranch the bikes tended to become rather | | | | Mark was able to break into a full sprint. A |
| rambunctious. They would honestly leap a foot | | | | sprint so fast that few could have sustained |
| or two into the air when we went over hills | | | | in the best of circumstances. This sprint |
| and come crashing down slightly after the | | | | turned out to be just fast enough to prevent |
| explorer itself did. It could be argued that | | | | him from performing a painfully unexpected |
| this was, in large part, a result of the | | | | cartwheel. I am not a completely ignorant |
| driving style employed. However, right now | | | | man. I have watched the Olympics and the |
| we are focusing on the funny situation in the | | | | world cup. However, this is honestly one of |
| back seat, not about the driver or on | | | | the most impressive physical acts that I |
| determining blame. The fact that the bikes | | | | have ever seen. It is so impressive partly |
| leapt into the air and moved towards Mark | | | | because he did it completely without |
| with ruthless force was regrettable. | | | | warning, and partly because it would have |
| However, the real kicker was that when the | | | | hurt so much if he didn't pull it off. * * * |
| heap of metal landed it would lock together. | | | | Mark slowed down at the bottom of the hill |
| One piece of twisted metal would loop over | | | | with his bike far behind him. He stopped |
| the next and so forth. This locking prevented | | | | and leaned forward, placing his hands |
| Mark from pushing away the attacking bikes | | | | on his knees. After looking up the hill at |
| and over time resulted in a continual loss | | | | the bikes he looked at us and panted |
| of space to the bikes tireless invasion. By | | | | “Looks like I got back at the bike for |
| the time we arrived at our trail-head Mark | | | | the car ride”.Thad Guy is a writer |
| had about half the personal space that he | | | | from northern New Mexico. |
| stated with and about ¾ of what he | | | | |