The last thing you want to do on your first ride is scare yourself. You’ll have a miserable time and ruin what has the potential to be a love affair with a sport that offers a lot of fun. So choose your route carefully. All trail centres will have a colour grading system to show which trails are suitable for beginners.

Start out with nice gentle trails to give yourself a chance to get acquainted with the bike and the feeling of riding off road. There’s plenty of time for the gnarly trails once you improve a little bit.