"I made it up in the easiest gear possible, and I remember thinking, 'Holy crap, that rocks,' " he said. "I thought it was the coolest thing ever."

Many years later, Bishop is still riding a Trek mountain bike and staring down hills - only now he is getting paid to do it. Bishop and other pros like him converge on Deer Valley this weekend for the fourth stop of the National Mountain Bike Series.

Even though bike-riding is their career now, the pros will tell you the initial spirit that captured Bishop - find a hill and forge a new path with your bike - still exists in the sport today.

Bike enthusiasts experimented on trails with modified road bikes in the 1970s, and the first mass-produced mountain bikes were marketed in the early 1980s. But it wasn't until a few years later, with the rise in popularity of adventure sports, that mountain biking experienced its greatest boom and captured the public's imagination.

"It really was one of the first true adventure sports," said Tom Spiegel, the director of Team Big Bear, which oversees the races. "To get on your bike and race 30 or 40 miles on trails was an adventure and something new to do with a bike."

The sport became more accepted with its inclusion in the 1996 Olympics, but it still maintains its unique character as a grungy, rebellious offspring to its rather proper parent, road biking.

"You have to have a certain amount of edginess to ride on the dirt," Spiegel said. "On a road bike, if you're going down Parleys Summit, there is the potential of popping a tire, but that's about it. On a mountain bike, there is a potential that anything can happen."

Road rash, bruises, mud puddles - the tougher and dirtier mountain biking gets, the more bikers seem to revel in it.

"Roadies clean their bikes with Q-tips," Bishop said, probably only half-joking. "Mountain bikers don't mind getting dirty. I remember being the punk kid who'd go on road rides and being the one not afraid to pop a wheelie. It's definitely a different culture."

Mountain biking still harks back to its independent beginning, even at the top levels. Road races are often controlled by teams, with certain members designated as the workhorses who fetch water bottles for the leaders or even give up their bikes if there is a mechanical problem and the team mechanic can't come to the rescue in time.

Mountain biking has teams as well, but there isn't a leader. Riders work for themselves. Tech zones, where riders can get assistance, exist on the course, but if riders have a mechanical problem elsewhere, it's up to them to fix it or get to the tech zone.

"There is definitely a big difference," said 2004 Olympian Todd Wells, who races in both bike disciplines. "If you're having a bad day on the road, you've got a team to . . . help you out; mountain biking is like doing a time trial - you're on your own."

When leaders crash in road races, as Lance Armstrong did several years ago in the Tour de France, the peloton - the big bulk of riders for much of the race - often slows, allowing the leader to get back into the race.

Such honor doesn't exist in mountain biking. For example when two-time NORBA (National Off-Road Bicycle Association) champion Shonny Vanlandingham flatted within sight of the finish line at the national championships last year. She was leading at the time, and the untimely flat allowed three riders to finish ahead of her. It was a disappointing finish, but she didn't complain; after all, that is mountain biking.

Mountain-bike races, even the national events such as the one at Deer Valley, are usually low-key affairs, too. Often, juniors and experts are racing at the same time and on the same course as the pros in mountain biking. Having to work their way around less experienced riders during races can make it a difficult day on the pros and there have been some grumblings about the scheduling this year. But the mingling and visibility are seen as a valuable marketing tool for the sport.

"It's always been more of a laid-back sport," said USA Cycling marketing director Andy Lee. "Even at the World Cup races, the athletes are accessible. There is a close connection to fans, and that's important."

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Contact Lya Wodraska at lwodraska@sltrib.com or 801-257-8907. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

National Mountain Bike Series

Deer Valley

Pro schedule:

Today - Marathon, 10 a.m.

Friday - Super D final, 5:30 p.m.; mountain cross final, 5:45 p.m.

Saturday - Men's cross-country, noon; women's cross-country, 12:15 p.m.

Sunday - Men's and women's downhill finals, noon; women's short track, 2:30 p.m.; men's short track, 3 p.m.