Christian Sellars

Pedal Montclair: What do you ride?

Christian: A bright orange, high-pivoting, jockey-wheeled Commencal Supreme SX. It looks like a praying mantis and rides like a Cadillac. It's also very forgiving which is useful when my kids lead me down trails I have no business being on. Most days I ride a Pivot Mach 4SL which is fun, fast and rolls over everything.

Pedal Montclair: Favorite places to ride? Why?

Christian: Mountain Creek Bike Park because it's where my boys are happiest and nothing feels better than seeing my children smile. I also love Kingdom Trails in Vermont which has awesome flow trails and Highland Bike Park in New Hampshire which is a great place to learn new skills. I also enjoy riding local trails in Cedar Grove, Hilltop and Mills as a coach for the Essex Offroad team which is part of the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA). The team is open to middle & high schoolers and practices twice a week from November through June. It is the best thing that my family has done since coming to America five years ago.

Pedal Montclair: Where would you go on your ultimate biking trip?

Christian: Our first MTB trip as a family was to Utah, where we did the White Rim trail over a week which was an incredible experience. I would love to go back. We'd also planned a trip to Madeira that got postponed during COVID, but I'm hoping that will happen soon.

Pedal Montclair: Advice to any newcomers?

Christian: If you're in a family with middle or high school kids, find out more about NICA. It's the best way of getting kids on bikes and the benefits of participating are massive. Biking has been a godsend for our family, giving us something we can do together which is exhilarating, super-healthy and plugs us into wonderful community of friendly and caring people.

Pedal Montclair: Who's your favorite rider?

Christian: Greg Minnaar because he doesn’t stop!