1

There are ten “Trail Rules” throughout the book. They’re things that can apply to both riding and life, and my favorite is Trail Rule #8: Sometimes you don’t realize you’re on the wrong trail until the right one crosses your path. All three books in the series have rules like this.

2

Mike is very much like me on a bike. I don’t mountain bike and my biggest fear when I find myself near trees is that they’re going to decapitate me.

3

Mike wearing spandex shorts in the first riding scenes is completely based on my ignorance. My friend who rides kindly informed me that real riders wear padded cargo-type shorts.

4

While the ski resort in the first book is real, I made up all the trails in this book.

5

I did a lot of research on mountain biking to make sure I had the terminology, equipment, and other stuff correct.

6

The Ethics class Mike and Brianna have together is based on an Ethics class I took my sophomore year of high school. Many of the questions and discussions are pulled from my memories of that class.

7

I’m a heavy outliner but I had to change the entire second half of the book when Mike decided she didn’t like her boyfriend anymore.

8

I watched the entire Bourne Identity movie to make sure the explosion I referenced in Chapter 7 was accurate.

9

While I’ve never competed in a bike race, I’ve run a number of 5Ks, including several mud runs. The Pow Cross is based on my experiences there – especially the costumes.

10

I have a short story that tells how Alex and Kurt, two friends Mike makes on the trails, started dating. It comes out this summer in an anthology!

This list originally appeared on Jean Book Nerd.