Blood, sweat and dirt: New documentary highlights mountain biking on the Navajo Nation
From AZDailySun.com
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Somewhere on the Navajo Nation, a line of mountain bikers coast over burnt dirt and stone. The branches of juniper trees whip their arms and the clear sky warms their backs, but they pay no mind.
Cool air passes through the straps of their helmets and gives them life. They pedal faster and faster down the trail, across the land and toward the end. With each click of their gears, each beat of their hearts, they come closer together—a family, a tribe, a culture. In moments like these, in both speed and silence, they feel free.
This experience is common and unmatched among mountain bikers, but for many years it was hard to attain for those who lived on the reservation.
Navajo Nation is 27,000 square miles large, and there’s not a single bike shop on it. That doesn’t mean people don’t ride, but if someone’s on a remote trail and their tire pops, they’re out a bike. In spite of this lack of resources, there is a group of Diné riders that is providing services and creating new mountain biking programs to help young people get in touch with the land and their heritage in unexpected ways.
Photo by Tobias Bjerknes on Unsplash
