Unified

No Matter How We Ride, We Are Unified

New three-part film series “Unified” showcases different styles of mountain biking, all in one broad community.

From the outside, mountain biking may look like one single sport: a person, a bike with knobby tires, a trail. What could be that different? But from within the sport, there are so many ways to ride. There are the downhillers who push heavy bikes to the top of rowdy trails and fly over jumps with style and speed, and the freeriders who find creative and mind-blowing routes down natural terrain.

Then there’s the cross-country riders who cruise uphill and log many miles over rolling mountains. Don’t forget about the enduro riders, who bomb descents like downhillers but still manage the climbs. On top of that, there are gravel grinders, cross bikers, slopestylers, single speeders, bikepackers, and more. The list goes on. Everyone has a different style, a unique taste, at varying speeds.

But what brings these people together? What makes them the same? As mountain bikers, we are all part of one dirt-obsessed community—we are here for the love of the sport, for the appreciation of nature, and for the culture of being around others who like riding a bike as much as we do. Sure, we choose different ways to up and down the trails we cherish, but we’re still out there enjoying the flow of it just the same.

In this new film series, “Unified,” made by Mountain Grown Media, we celebrate three different riders, with three distinct perspectives on how to navigate on two wheels. They dig trails, find creative approaches, and push themselves to their physical edge. We look at why they ride, what pushes them as individuals, and also how they come together as part of the greater mountain bike community.

Through these episodes, you’ll get to know brothers Cody and Henry Wilkins, trail builders extraordinaire and talented downhill mountain bikers; cross-country specialist and sufferfest master Jeremy Benson; and enduro athlete and wildlife biologist Ashli Lewis.

“It feels so good to have that power to maneuver yourself that way,” says Lewis. “You’re dancing on the dirt. Everything is going together harmoniously. It feels good to have the wind in your hair and go as fast as possible.”