(upbeat music)
- Today we're taking our friend
for his very first mountain bike ride,
and it's gonna be a damn good ride.
- Come with us to the Comox Valley
on Vancouver Island for a day to remember.
- [Jason] Yep.
Oh!
(upbeat music)
- Welcome to the beautiful Comox Valley,
home to some of the finest mountain biking
in all of Vancouver Island.
From Mount Washington Bike Park to Cumberland and beyond,
here, you'll truly find a little something for everyone.
Over 80 kilometers of incredible trails
offer a mountain biker of any skill
to have a memorable and worthwhile experience.
From fast and flowy singletrack
to rocky and rugged downhills to you name it,
the Comox Valley should be
on every mountain biker's bucket list.
Honestly, I'd be surprised if you didn't already know
because it feels like everyone and their dog
has come to ride here.
Well, except for one person.
This is Dave, you might recognize him.
We've made a lot of videos over the last 10 years.
Humiliating ourselves on camera for the sake of comedy.
But despite many years of friendship,
we've never managed to get the kid on a bike.
That all changes today because Dave
is going on his very first mountain bike ride
and g'dang is Dave sure spoiled 'cause he gets to learn
in the legendary bicycle loving village
of Cumberland, British Columbia.
No, Dave, it's Cumberland, not cucumber land, geez.
Cumberland makes up just a small part
of the Comox Valley here on Vancouver Island.
It's neighboring communities.
Courtney and Comox stretch from the mountains
to farmlands to beaches.
It's cool, calm and laid back
and an incredible place to settle down in...
Oh, snap, is that what I think it is?
(electric guitar playing)
- Incoming out of me from the rear.
I'll take this one. Do a barrel roll!
- Good luck.
(laser gun blasts)
- You did it.
- Don't worry, folks, he's fine.
Where was I?
Oh, yeah, the Comox Valley is freakin' spectacular
and the mountain biking rules.
- What if I'm scared?
- Don't worry, Dave, mountain biking is easy.
All you got to do is pull up your shorts
put on a shirt, pull up your socks, another sock,
tie your shoes.
Oops, forgot knee pads.
Glasses, gloves, bike.
Look at you, looking like a mountain biker.
Learn how to ride in a straight line.
Get lost, keep going.
Still lost, keep climbing, keep struggling.
Keep struggling.
Decide that there's no shame in walking.
Run out of water, run out of food.
Become desperate, ride downhill, and hold on tight.
Keep those pedals level, elbows out.
Too far back, too far forward.
Eyes on the trail.
Walk this, walk that.
Maybe just lie down.
I guess mountain biking is kind of tough,
but we got nothing but time,
so let's slow things down and hone those skills.
There are over 200 trails in Cumberland
that are built and maintained by UROC,
the United Riders of Cumberland.
If you find yourself in the area,
drop a donation and help support the trails.
Today, I've loaned Dave my Trek Fuel EXe.
It'll make the climb easier and let him focus
on technique without getting fatigued, or so I hope.
- [Jason] Are you ready?
- I'm ready, ready to give'r.
- [Jason] We're here at Cumberland.
We're here on the trails.
I'm gonna let you go first and you just do you, man.
- Dave's riding partner is this guy, Jason.
He'll be there each step of the way to help him out.
- [Dave] Feel free to give me pointers along the way,
'cause I do not know what I'm doing.
- With a little electric boost,
Dave made short work of the climb.
In fact, he left Jason behind in his dust.
Plus it was awesome to see other riders share their stoke
for his first day out on the bike.
- [Jason] Sobo No Michi climb trail.
Go whatever pace feels comfortable.
- [Jason] Oh, yeah, switchback.
Oh, he's done it.
First switchback.
Dude, you're a natural.
- Yes, Dave wide entry.
Don't hit Jason on the way out.
Oh, he's done it.
- So we're about halfway up the climb.
And Jason, Jason just went to take a quick pee.
I think he's really struggling
to keep up with me, to be honest.
- You're crushing the climb.
That's not pee.
It's sweat from my eyeballs.
- [Jason] Yeah, you could stand now, you're good.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
- There's still a few kinks to work out here.
- [Jason] Whoa, dab, his first dab.
- [Dave] My first dab.
- [Jason] Yes, dude.
Yeah, whoa, I dabbed, too.
Look how beautiful this is.
- [Dave] Oh, yeah, she's a beaut.
- [Jason] We're here Dave.
Dave, we're here.
- We're here? - [Jason] We're here.
You made it.
Your first climb. - We did it.
- With the main climb out of the way,
it was all downhill from here.
But first, one last pep talk from Jason.
- [Jason] First descent.
- Here we go.
- [Jason] Here we go.
Remember, standing
- Standing.
- [Jason] Level pedals.
- Level pedals.
- [Jason] Little bit more back break than front.
- Yeah.
- [Jason] And have fun.
♪ One, two, three, four ♪
(upbeat music)
Level pedals.
- Yeah. - [Jason] Yeah, there you go.
Yes, dude.
Oh, big corner.
Whoa!
- A little tense and a little sketchy,
but so far so good.
I think I even see a little smile.
- [Jason] Dude, you're already going faster, way faster.
- Dave was getting more and more comfortable
on every turn, but hopefully the confidence
doesn't get to his head.
And hopefully all these cameras don't freak him out.
- [Jason] Dave, slow down,
- [Jason] Slow down.
Yep, look where you want to go.
Yep, oh, whoa!
Oh, my God.
(dramatic music)
- It was at this moment that he knew he (beep) up.
- [Jason] Are you okay?
- [Dave] I think so, I think my butthole's
gonna be a bit bleedy.
- [Jason] Okay, we'll keep going.
- Reconstructive surgery on the B hole
was certainly in question,
but Dave insisted we move forward.
- [Jason] Oh, slow down.
(laughing)
Good brake modulation.
Remember to try being in pushup position.
Yes!
Boom, nice one.
- When we first dropped in at the top of this, I was like,
oh, my legs are kind of immediately sort of engaged
and sore from standing.
And then the second time we dropped,
all of a sudden it just didn't feel like a problem.
- [Jason] Nice.
I think the next trail's called Thirsty Beaver.
- Isn't that a black?
- Yes.
- Oh no.
(both laughing) Oh, no.
Oh, God, Dave's first black diamond.
(upbeat music)
Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's look at this.
Let's look at this.
Oh, you got...
I think you do have this.
- Yeah.
- It's little moments like these
that make it all worthwhile.
Setting forth a challenge,
setting a goal and smashing the heck out of it.
- [Jason] Yes, modulate.
Whoa!
(upbeat music)
Yes, oh, ride in the middle of it.
Nice, dude.
- [Dave] I had to like turn off the part of my brain
that was like, this is dangerous.
- [Jason] Whoa, what was that?
- [Dave] I almost ran into the tree.
(upbeat music continues)
So I'm gonna try to avoid that by walking.
- [Host] No shame in walking,
but little did Dave know
he was about to fight his toughest battle yet, fatigue.
- [Jason] Nice, Dave.
Oh, just a little off line, you good?
- [Dave] Yeah, I'm good.
- [Jason] Oh.
Whoa!
Oh, we're in the zone now.
- We're in the opposite of the zone.
We're in the shit.
- Dave got a little frustrated.
Was he about to snap?
- Whoa, it looks technical off the head.
Right over it, dude, just pedal, yes.
Oh!
- [Dave] I'm good.
- [Host] He may have been tired,
but Dave wasn't about to be busted by a little rock.
- [Jason] Yes, Dave, take two.
- [Host] He knew he could do it.
- [Jason] Oh, dude, oh, my God, I'm so excited.
That was awesome.
- He was doing it.
He was really doing it.
He pushed through the fatigue
and charged through the mountain.
This was it, Dave was becoming a mountain biker.
- [Jason] Yahoo, keep rolling.
Yes, dude.
Nice.
- I think I speak for Dave
when I say that this was the best day of his life.
Birthdays, weddings, graduations,
all of life's precious moments pale in comparison
to this moment right here.
He will forever remember this day in the Comox Valley
when his best friends changed his life.
That's how good mountain biking is.
The only thing that could ruin such an epic day
was a huge unexpected crash.
- [Jason] Just follow of the line.
Good job, keep it rolling.
Oh, so close.
- [Dave] I'll do it again.
- [Jason] You'll do it again?
Hell, yeah.
(upbeat music)
Yes, Dave.
Good momentum, remember?
You're good, stay back in line,
nice.
- [Host] His tires grip the loose ground below.
Could this be it...
Could Dave conquer one final crux move?
- [Jason] Whoa!
- Oh, my God, good job. - [Dave] Thank you.
- [Jason] That's a big first ride move.
- After a long day in the woods,
there's only one thing left to do, tacos.
(upbeat music)
- It's safe to say,
Dave came, Dave saw, and Dave conquered.
There's no better way to celebrate
than with an ice cold paloma.
(upbeat music fading)