MTB Pioneer Wende Cragg on the Early Days of Trail Riding

We're re-sharing one of our favorite episodes from 2022, so be sure to listen in case you missed it! Check back soon for more fresh episodes.

Wende Cragg has been a part of mountain biking since the beginning of the sport in California in the 1970s, racing and photographing the early Repack races down Mt. Tam. She was inducted into the mountain bike hall of fame in 1989 and curates the Rolling Dinosaur Archive which chronicles the birth of mountain biking.

• Tell us a bit about your introduction to mountain biking. Was it love at first ride?
• Which aspects of riding a bicycle off road were most appealing to you? How would you describe the feeling of those first rides?
• What was your motivation for taking photographs in the early days of mountain biking?
• What was it like connecting with riders in Crested Butte who were sorta discovering mountain biking in parallel with you and your friends in the Bay Area?How was their idea of mountain biking different from the one being developed in California?
• Were you surprised to see mountain bikers banned from riding on Mt. Tam in the early 80s? How did you react?
• Did you get frustrated with the early bikes? Do you think today’s mountain bikes make the sport more appealing or accessible? How do electric mountain bikes fit in?
• What do you hope people get out of seeing and experiencing the Rolling Dinosaur Archive?
• With so many styles of riding within mountain biking today, which interpretation do you think gets closest to that original ethos?

Photo: Rolling Dinosaur Archive

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Search the Singletracks podcast archive for interviews with more mountain bike pioneers including Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Kelly, and Tom Ritchey.