Whatever type of bicycling you prefer ” BMX, Mountain or Road bicycling, Marin is a great place to do it. The terrain popular with BMXers, as well as established biking trails, and paved bike pathways are all found throughout the County. It is quite well known that Marin County was the birthplace of Mountain biking. BMX and Mountain biking aside, the most popular form of biking nowadays is Road bicycling.

Beginning with some history, its interesting to know that well-known BMX biker Billy Savage lived and biked in Marin from 1976 to 1983, but BMX, as a category, isnt as common in Marin as the other types of biking.

Designed for stunts, tricks, and racing on hilly dirt BMX tracks, BMX bicycles have a have a single gear ratio with a freewheel and are built with smaller frames and wheels with wider, treaded tires. They have to be extremely sturdy machines because they take a beating during some extreme sporting events!

When BMX events were part of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China it was clear that BMX had finally arrived. There were events in four different venues, which was a first for the sport. Half of the first six medals in BMX racing ever awarded in the history of the Olympics went to U.S. cyclists.

Mountain biking is rough and tough going and a good day isnt complete without getting at least some mud in your teeth. The Web site www.klunkerz.com provides complete information about each of the individuals who participated in mountain biking in Marin during the 1970s to make it the world-class sport that it is today.

Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher and others converted cruisers and balloon-tire bicycles into machines that could weather any type of road conditions. Mountain biking pioneers did a lot of their biking on downhill trails they carved out around Mount Tamalpais in the 1970s.

Billy Savage recently directed a film about the early days of mountain biking in Marin called Klunkerz. In the process of making his film, what he found fascinating is that all the pioneers are very committed to the bicycle as transportation, and to the ecological and physical benefits of cycling to this day. They gave those old Klunkerz a new life, rescuing them out of trashcans and junkyards. They were reducing, reusing, and recycling long before it was hip to be green. They all continue to live this way in all aspects of their lives.

Road bicycling has become very popular in recent years as the county establishes more bike paths where serious road cyclists can do some serious biking. The Marin County Bicycling Coalition (www.marinbike.org) promotes safe bicycling for everyday transportation and recreation. Marin County is one of only four counties nationwide that are engaged in a federal Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program that promotes road bicycling, particularly commuting. The goal of The Marin County Bicycle Coalition is for 20% of trips in Marin County to be made by walking or bicycling.

All the latest about this and other initiatives underway under the umbrella of this ambitious organization may be found on the MCBC Web site. One of the Web pages has links to a marvelous array of information-packed pages, including:

* (More than) 50 Good Reasons to Bicycle

* Basic Cycling Essentials

* Bike Riding for Fun

* Bicycle Etiquette

* Commuting By Bike

* Bicycle Map of Marin (free when joining the Marin County Bicycling Coalition)

* Riding directions via the North-South Greenway from San Francisco to Petaluma

* Riding over the Golden Gate Bridge

Technorati Tags: cycling, exercise, fitness, health, marin county california, mountain biking, san francisco bay area travel, sports

Tags: cycling, exercise, fitness, health, marin county california, mountain biking, san francisco bay area travel, sports