A Point of Clarification

As I was talking over this ride with Dad I was talking him through what we might encounter while on a trail (stumps, roots, rough roads, drop-offs), when he commented, "Hmmm, sounds technical."

Yes, technical compared to road biking but not nearly as much as other disciplines within mountain biking.

In the back of my mind I've always known that there are different types of mountain biking, but have never really thought about how to classify different types of riding styles.

Lucky for us, Wikipedia is there to save the day.

On the Mountain Bike page it details out all the major disciplines you find in mountain biking.

Our Epic Ride will fall squarely under the Cross Country style of riding. No tricks, no über-technical downhill/uphill, no major obstacles; just a long well-planned journey that happens to be on a semi-technical trail.

We won't be doing any freeriding, downhill, or trials.