ACK! so i'm NOT a MTB-er

[caligurl]

hmmmm ok.... so i'm not a mountainbiker :(

perhaps you've read of my mishaps on the road bike... none of which have ever caused me to cry! and i've ALWAYS gotten back on the bike and ridden...

uhm... not so last night... nope... we ended up riding the MTBs cuz of the overnight rainstorm trashing the roads to the point they weren't passable on a road bike... we went over to a friend's house to show him our new baby's.. and he decided to come along and show us some places to ride... and what do i do? i crashed!!!! i went over the handlebars :eek: and i IMMEDIATELY started bawling like a baby and saying over and over again between sobs: "i want to go home!" "i want to go home!"

i have fallen over once last week.... no problem.. i even laughed... and last night i even fell over HARD on the rocks... sat there stunned.. but got up... (i wasn't happy though :mad: ) continued on... and that's when we came to the short little downhill.... i don't know what happened.. it was steep... too steep for a newbie... i think i hit my breaks.... i went flying.... landed on.. i don't know what? my hands? then the bike had the audacity to come flipping on top of me! i put up my hand (hands?) to fend it off and thought it was going to break my fingers :mad:

after hubby got to me and got the bike off me (he was behind me and got smacked in his tail bone either stopping or at some point trying to get to me)... he got the bike off me and i kept trying to grab my bike (cuz i kept saying "i want to go home".. duh!) he kept telling me "nevermind the bike" and wouldn't let me take it :rolleyes: finally after he checked me over well enough he let me have my bike... i headed up the hill (walking) and he said "walk it" DUH! :rolleyes: ... he said he was going ahead to tell KC we were going home (he's an experience mtb-er... and was way ahead of us!) i was mumbling, crying, sobbing and walking my bike out of the desert... back to the road.. at one point i did even laugh at myself cuz i sounded like a 2-year old.. but i was still crying and sobbing! "i'm NEW" "i can't do this stuff..." etc etc.. i'm glad hubby and kc were too far back to hear my tantrum!

when they finally caught up.. i was still walking and KC said he was sorry for taking me on the course... (too hard for a beginner)

hubby asked if i wanted to ride.. "NO" i did start riding again before i got to the highway... but i was darned close! then KC took us on dirt roads.. MUCH better! i even started having fun again! phew!

my poor legs and arms though :o just under my left knee a HUGE bruise coming on... same leg.. just above the knee.. smaller bruise... right knee.. smaller bruise.. right arm.. bruising and a bit of gravel scratches.. and my left palm from the first fall over :( :(

i don't like getting hurt..... :( :( :(

[bikerchick68]

ugh... I feel for you... and this is exactly why I switched to road biking... the mtn bike trails were so danged technical and I was so new I crashed and bled, and crashed and bled... and my ex-DH was NOT so nice about ti... :rolleyes: :mad:

sorry you got banged up...

[caligurl]

ya... kc realized too late that it was too hard for me.... i know he felt bad for taking us (me) out there! he did say there are a lot of dirt road areas and he'll show them to us!

i do have fun riding on the dirt roads i've found and on the side of the road in the desert!

i'm just a baby! :rolleyes:

even last night when hubby couldn't sit from hitting his tailbone... he said he didn't want to whine cuz "you crashed".. but i was doing a bit of whining too while icing my leg!

[KSH]

Sounds rough lady!

That is why I do not want to mountain bike... I like the roads and staying on my bike... thank you!

I hope you heal up and that you get back on your road bike again... soon!

[Trekhawk]

Caligurl - you are definitely not a baby. That sounds like a horror crash to me.

Take it easy and hope you heal quickly.

Look forward to hearing more of your adventure stories with hopefully a happier and pain free outcome. :)

[caligurl]

thank you for saying that!

i posted about it at another cycling forum.. and they are being pretty brutal :( :( :(

i've always said i'm a sissy.... (that i REALLY am!) and prissy too! :p

i'm only going to do what "I" am comfortable doing! and if that's tooling around on dirt roads.. so be it! but i have no doubt as i get more comfortable.. i will take on bigger challenges! i just need to work up to them!

i DON'T think i'll ever do a lot of that wild downhill stuff though! i AM to chicken for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Irulan]

most mtb-ers go over the bars sooner or later, consider it an initiation :D There are even OTB Club socks.
The bigger question would be, were you having fun up until that point? Did you enjoy being out in the woods? Did you like the quiet, the lack of traffic?

There is a definite skill set for mtb that is not part of the road ride skill set. Many roadies forget this. Many folks taking new mtbers out forget to teach them about correct body positioning, brake skills and so on. It's no fun to thrash on the trails - if you were having fun up until your crash, analyze what went wrong and try and learn from it.

Personally I'll take the trail over the road any day.

check my bike stuff link for mountain bike skills tips.

Irulan

[AutumnBreez]

I can't seem to walk without crashing- This has always been a challenge for me. Feet too big all my life and the balance of a ball. Took forever to convince myself of clipping into clipless pedals for road cycling. I did it and love the pavement/asphalt. Just Lov'n it!! But MTB with cliffs, large rocks, medium- small rocks ...FORGET IT! Regular gravel, yes, I will ride as long as the holes are not too deep to get out of easily. I don't even attempt jumping street curves, did that too many times without success to just accept my abilities and keep my body in one piece for my true love of road cycling!!!!

[caligurl]

actually... no... it was too hard even before that! from the time i fell over cuz of the rocks... i did a bit of walking... got back on some... got part way up a hill... THEN could finally ride.. then that little hill.. the whole area, once we got off the highway was way too rocky and way too hard for m!

i WAS however, haveing fun once we got onto the dirt roads again!

i think maybe KC wasn't thinking that i'd only had the MTB for a week.. and i've only ridden it 3-4 times before yesterday! :eek: :eek:

i DO think i will enjoy trails and fire roads... KC mentioned big bear and riding up there... telling hubby if i got bored with the fire roads that i could try some single tracks... but for now i would want them to be easy.. for a beginner!

i LOVED last week when i was out riding and riding in the desert vice on the road... going throught the washes... around the bushes (errrr.. throught the bushes even!) but that was all easier stuff! even the area across the street from our house.. uphill.. was FUN! it's rockier in some aread than others.. but not like yesterday! i kept going up.. coming down.. going up in another area.. coming down... had a BLAST!!!! (even fell over once.. laughed and got back up!) i was loving seeing how far up the hill i could go before i got stopped!

but yesterday.. no... i wasn't having fun... :( thus.. the little tantrum.. cuz i had already been thinking to myself "i don't want to do this.. i want to go home"... )

i need to ease into it more slowly! i may never do hard stuff.. and that's ok! (or at least that's what i keep telling myself!)

p.s.... i wasn't in the woods.. i live in the desert.. and we left the highway and were riding out in the desert... up into some hilly areas... with a LOT of rocks!!!!! i guess they do a lot of MTB/dirt bike stuff around there.. we were supposed to make a big look that went around and hooked back up with another road.. til i turned around and headed "home")

[Adventure Girl]

Poor Cali!!! I consider myself a mountain biker who also road rides. I have fallen countless times on my mountain bike -- probably more than 50 times. The falls have included clipless tipovers, low side skids, earth/sky/earth/sky roll-overs, a face plant in a race, and a handful of endos. But I've never fallen on my road bike (knock on wood!), and I am PETRIFIED of a road fall.

I hope (physically) you're ok. And I hope (mentally) you don't get freaked out! I think the mistake was to bite off more than you were ready for. Take baby steps. Do a 4 foot drop in comfortably before you attempt a 10 foot drop. Challenge yourself, but stay within your limits.

And here's one "silver lining" to those bruises... I fall so often and almost always have some sort of damage showing on my legs. So when I spazz out and hit my shin on the coffee table, or skin my knee from trippping while walking down the street, everyone just assumes it was some sort of biking incident. So most people don't know just how clumsy I am.... :p

[Crankin]

Caligurl, you sound like me. I like being out on the trails, in nature, etc. But i find mtb so draining and scary. I know if i practiced more, it might come easier, but I am not a very daring person. Everything around here is pretty much single track, rocky, big ups and downs. Part of me says keep trying and another part of me says this is crazy for someone my age. I don't mind the small crashes, I've had plenty of bruises, but thankfully, I've never gone over the bars; either dumb luck or I am listening to my husband say "get your a-- off the seat, or I'm walking down the hill. I do feel guilty about the $1500 mtb I bought. On the other hand, my husband doesn't use his very much either.

[caligurl]

lol! yes.. too much too soon!

physically i'm banged up.. but thank goodness will heal!

mentally... ya.. i was NOT getting back on that bike! well.. at least not til i got to pavement! after walking and whining a while.. i did get back on in the desert.. gingerlly! by the time i rode some on the highway and we turned off on the dirt road.. i was ok again!... at least ok for that type of riding! i will wait a long while until i try something like that area again!

and ya.. crashing on the road freaks me out too! my road "crashes" have all been skids on sand.. but they still freak me out.. but not like last night!????

[caligurl]

I do feel guilty about the $1500 mtb I bought. On the other hand, my husband doesn't use his very much either.

that's why i only bought a $300 bike to start! :D :D :D :D i fugure if i take to it.. i can always upgrade down the road!!!!!!!!!!!!

ya.. i don't think i'm too daring either! i need to stick to the easier FUN (for me) stuff!

[Ionic]

Ouch! I know exactly how you feel. My first time ever on a mountain bike my husband made me go clipless and on a tight single track trail. I fell so many times, including over the bars. But, if you keep at it you'll learn to love the sport. You should try and easy trail and if there are hills you are unsure of, just get off your bike and walk them.

Also, have you checked if there are any girl rides/groups you can join. I know here they have no drop girl rides and they are nice to start with. Also, they have a womens mountain biking worshop every year for beginner/intermediates where they teach you the skills you need to mountain bike and will help you along tough areas so you don't get hurt. They'll help you with any skills you're having troubles with and break some of your fears on the trail. I've never participated, but I've heard a lot of good things about it and hope to participate next year. You should definitely try looking in to some of those things in your area.

[Jo-n-NY]

Oh Caligirl, I feel so bad for you and I don't think I would have acted any different if it were me. Although it is not often I have taken a spill or two on my road bike, as I call it, quite gracefully. Going over those steeper hill on a mtn bike scares me to death. I just mtn bike not be be left out. I give you much credit for all that you have accomplished on a mtn bike so far. Now you know your limits for now.

~ JoAnn

[amg]

most mtb-ers go over the bars sooner or later, consider it an initiation :D There are even OTB Club socks.
Irulan

I need some of those socks to cheer me up...I had my first big endo in a long time at the beginning of the month and I'm still not back on the trail. I'm going to put my big ugly mtb flats on my road bike so I can at least ride somewhere.

caligurl, just take mtbing at your own pace. When I first started, I was afraid of going down hills...two years later I was trying my first downhill race. So you might surprise yourself. You'll find out what kind of mountain biking is for you, not everyone has to be hardcore. The important thing is that you enjoy what you're doing. I also second Ionic's suggestion of a skills clinic and a girls group ride. Apart from being fun, they're a good, low pressure way of learning trail riding skills.

And at the end of it, every one has a bad day. I had a crying fit out of sheer frustration in the middle of the trail on one ride because I couldn't make myself ride one section. A few weeks later, I rode it. Don't let frustration stop you from trying again.

Good luck, and let us know how things go!

[singletrackmind]

Wow. You should be impressed with yourself, not beating yourself up so. They took you onto too tough a trail and you tried to troop it out. Sure, it didn't end the best and there was emotion but so what? Sometimes it's darned frustrating and scary to take on that kind of challenge without any chance to build the skill you need to tackle the job. That kind of emotion is bound to surface at some point and it did, no need for you to feel apologetic or weak about that. Even winners cry-like the Frenchman who won the stage on Bastille day during the tour. Sometimes we get so many feelings we just can't swallow all of them down and they come bubbling out. I've been impressed thus far with your week-long efforts and I remain so-keep up the great work!
Keep riding the trails you feel comfortable with and throw in new stuff as you feel more balanced and comfortable on the bike. Who gets on a mountain bike and can do it all instantly? Who can expect themselves to? I have a feeling you'll do just fine over time. Look how far you've come in such a short time! Have fun!
You can do this!

PS. If you are on a bike and in the dirt you are too so a mountain biker! You just happen to be a beginning one, is all.

[Irulan]

I think as mtbers we get a lot more used to falling, whethers it's a slow motion tip over into a bush or something a little more intense. You WILL go down. You learn to not be freaked about it most of the time.

I think if you come from a road background, it's more terrifying because you fall less on the road, but when you do, it' usually at high speed and involves major road rash and sliding across asphalt, possibly vehicles.. As a mountain biker, you get used to a)laughing at yourself and b) dusting yourself back off and getting on the bike.

Irulan

[SadieKate]

. . . it's more terrifying because you fall less on the road, but when you do, it' usually at high speed and involves major road rash and sliding across asphalt, possibly vehicles.. As a mountain biker, you get used to a)laughing at yourself and b) dusting yourself back off and getting on the bike. Totally agree, if you can't learn to do (a) and (b) you're going to have a tough time out there. My worst injury came from a road crash. I'll take a multitude of dirt crashes anytime to a fall on the road.

Besides you'll find that your bike handling skills on the road will shoot way up for learning to ride the dirt. Go find yourself a coach for a few hours. There is nothing like having an expert give you pointers on the basics. Seems rudimentary, but braking, cornering, everything is very different.

[caligurl]

that's why i love this board! everyone is always so supportive!

i'm not sure about groups around here... i'll see what i can find.... but we live in the middle of BFE... not even any road bike clubs nearby :(

the guy that took us out is a mtb-er and was giving some tips (but i got system overload kinda like when hubby first got me on the road and would give me my "lessons")

i know there is some big-shot mtb-er who lives nearby... he was on a road ride this sunday (tinker somebody).. but something tells me if i can't keep up with KC.. i won't be able to keep up with tinker! lol!

maybe i can find a one day workshop in big bear????? which is still quite a drive!.. in the mean time.. i'll get back out there and do my dirt road thing.. and climb around the neighborhood (still rocks.. hills... sand... cacti.... but not as hard an area)

[Irulan]

I was dowhilling at a resort last year, the guys had gone way ahead and I was with my good girlfried who was behind me on the trail. I hear this "wham! thump! and the breaking of branches...

Des? Des? Are you ok?
Silence.
I start hiking up the trail.
and then the giggling starts. Lots of giggling.
She's landed in bushes totally unhurt, but completely tangled.
I have to give her a yank to get her out of the bushes.
It takes two of us to pull the bike,undamaged out of the bushes.
We are laughing so hard our stomachs hurt.

:D

[caligurl]

:D :D :D :D

that's cute!!!!!!! killer bush! :eek: :D

[Irulan]

I think you just missed the Big Bear women's weekend, I read about it on another forum.

Tinker somethingerother, (juarez)OMG, that guy is one of the all time world champions!!

[Adventure Girl]

i know there is some big-shot mtb-er who lives nearby... he was on a road ride this sunday (tinker somebody).. but something tells me if i can't keep up with KC.. i won't be able to keep up with tinker! lol!Tinker Juarez? Awesome!
http://www.fattirefotos.com/2004events/seaotter04/Images/SOC04777C9787_RT16.jpg

[SadieKate]

Tinker and Ned: when I grow up I want to be like them! The guys never stop! Gives hope to us aging baby boomers.

[Irulan]

Big Bear Women's Weekend (http://www.teambigbear.com/event_detail.php?event_id=119)

[Adventure Girl]

At the 24-hours of Adrenalin in 2002, one of my team's goals was to beat Tinker. We were a 5-man team. He was solo! We beat him by one lap! :D

[caligurl]

yes... that's him! can't miss the dreadlocks! (well... unless there is another MTB rider with the name tinker that has dreadlocks!)

we didn't ride the road ride they did.. cuz they were going a shorter distance than we wanted... starting in the park and going a shorter distance... but we rode from home all the way into the park and met them (hubby's friends and tinker and his friends) as they were waiting at the bottom for the whole group to meet back up...

i guess he did the ride in an AWESOME time.. blew everyone away! lol! hubby joked to me that i didn't want to talk to tinker about my bike being pretty or cute! :rolleyes:

[Irulan]

if you go to the women's lounge at MTBR.
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=94

there are lots of so-cal gals that ride there, take groups out and so on.

[caligurl]

OMG! i'm such an idiot! so now that i know his last name... HE"S FREAKING FAMOUS!!!!!!!!!!!! i shoulda gotten my picture taken with him!!!!!!!!! i'm such an idiot!!!!!!!! lol!

welllllllll he did say every wednesday and every sunday they do that same ride! hmmmmmm guess we'll have to meet up and i can be a star-gazed fan and ask for a picture! :) :) :) :)

[SadieKate]

Until you can get some coaching (actually even with the coaching), I highly recommend Nedly's video.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0966056922/qid=1124380835/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl27/104-3197162-9824703?v=glance&s=video&n=507846

It really helps explain body positioning for basic maneuevers and various techiniques that will help in the learning process. As roadies, we tend to sit in one spot and pedal. For example, a roadie almost always pushes her butt back on the seat to climb. On the dirt, you may need to put the tip of the saddle "where the sun don't shine" to get up a steep hill. It's the opposite of the habits you've built up over your thousands and thousands of road miles.

[caligurl]

i'll check it out, irulan... the biggest obstacle is where we live.. we have to drive so danged far to get to anything!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

big bear is over an hour... palm springs is about an hour (but they are elitist "racer wannabes" anyways)... redlands almost an hour and a half.. and it gets worse from there.... :( :( :(

and even up here.. it's guys.. guys... guys.. i passed one female on the road one day... and then a couple (who didn't speak to me when i said hi :( as i passed)... two of hubby's friends wives ride.. but they are really really really recreational... so my best bet around here is to ride with hubby's friends and try to keep up best i can (that's on the road)... as for MTB... again.. guys.. i don't know of any females in the area :(

BUT... i will see what i can find at the MTB forum.... i would be willing to drive for a few lessons! lol!

[caligurl]

Big Bear Women's Weekend (http://www.teambigbear.com/event_detail.php?event_id=119)

*POUT*

that woulda been perfect for me!

[LBTC]

Wow!

Well, Cali, I checked this thread as I wanted to see how you're feeling....if you're up to MTBing again or still feeling shell-shocked. I can't believe the turn this thread made!!

First of all, I'm really glad that you're still trying and still interested and your'e not ready to give up! You go, girl! Mountain biking does involve some spills sometimes, and it can also be emotional. I've had tears in my eyes a number of times, even without a fall! Most of the falls, though, there's a giggle at some point, and if I'm pretty quiet, well, something hurts. heh. It takes time to get there - time riding, trying, pushing, holding back, doing what your body and your mind are ready for (sometimes just a tiny bit more) on that particular day. Remind yourself that that rock garden/hill/obstacle/stunt will be there another day, and maybe that day you'll try it.

But, OMG, Tinker???? The man is all muscle and dreadlocks and he's soooooo fast and soooooo good and soooooo nice!! I was going to say how his wife is a MTBer too, but a little online reading reveals that they split up a few years ago! Guess I haven't kept up with the times! It also looks like he won't be racing the 24 hour of adrenaline world solo championship at whistler this year, so I can't act like a crazed fan. darn it. Cali, I'm counting on you to do some schmoozing with this famous guy and tell us wannabe's all about it! :o

Namaste,
~T~

[caligurl]

i actually haven't been back on the mtb since last monday... BUT... that's cuz i had a big road ride this weekend i had to get ready for... had to climb some and get some miles in on tues - thurs! yesterday was just a really short recovery ride... we were supposed to meet up with those guys to ride in the national park again... (more relaxed pace)... not sure if tinker was going to be there.. but i told hubby is he was.. that we WOULD get a pic of me and him together!!! lol! he laughed at me when i called and left him a voice mail at his work that basically said: "OMG... tinker is famous!" and all gushy! he was like... "i told you he was".. but duh.. i didn't believe him! :rolleyes:

i think i was kinda shell-shocked still... rolling over to the road bike.. cuz the hill we practice on regularly is straight... but i was a bit uneasy going down it :( i was better by this weekend on the few downhills we had (we kept going up up up.. but not nearly the down down down :eek: )

we will probably ride the mtb's tonight or tomorrow.. but on easier stuff i'm comfy with!!

[Bike Goddess]

Tinker you say??? Well he road the SF/LA ride with us in June. Loved the idea of raising money for charity. And, I think some of the fun of the ride wore off on him too! :D :D :D

[LBTC]

Hi, Cali...

Your story got me thinking, and correlating other thoughts together.

I've been practicing Yoga on and off for several years, and read Yoga Journal very often, it's a great magazine. YJ often talks about the emotions that come up "on the mat" while doing a yoga practice. And I don't mean while meditating - I"m not that far advanced! :rolleyes: I had started to notice that there really is a sort of swell of emotion that happens while in certain poses, and the emotions are often unpredicatble. I'm usually wondering where the heck that came from!

Since I've grown to notice this during yoga, I've recently realized that the same thing happens in my kickboxing class. At some point during class I inevitably feel some strong emotion: anger, sorrow, elation....and then confusion because, again, I'm thinking "where the heck did that come from?"

As I think back on the process of learning to mountain bike, I realize now that this has gone on during rides since I started, but I just hadn't known there was an exercise / emotion connection. Early rides were often filled with frustration and anger and fear....which I naturally thought was simply my having trouble learning something new. But I am a pretty good MTBer with little fear of a lot of trail stuff, and I find myself still having some of those emotions!! Oh, yes, and I definitely feel them on the road bike, too!!

I think it's been healthy for me to see that connection, and to apply a yoga practice to dealing with the emotions that come up. That is....acknowledge the emotion, recognize that's how I feel, allow it to pass through me, and, if all else is well, continue with whatever I'm trying to do (finish that climb, make it over those rocks, finesse my way down a steep little drop, etc). And how do I tell whether what I'm feeling is my body's way of saying that maybe I can't handle this obstacle right now, or if it's just that emotional thing? Well, that is hard to describe. If the feeling is sudden and overwhelming and seems to demand my attention and not be directly related to a section I've just encountered, it's the emotional thing and I need to let it go. If I come upon a trail feature and feel uncomfortable about it, I try to compare it to what I've done before, what the risks are, how steady and strong I feel that day, and then decide whether to proceed. When I really really pay attention, the two are very different.

You see, your need to cry was not necessarily only about your current or future skills in Mountain Biking....it might have been a natural emotion that came up simply from pushing your body through a type of exercise that is very demanding of all of your faculties. It's perfectly natural! And I sure hope it doesn't stop you from trying again. I think you'll love the sport!

Big hugs,
Namaste,
~T~

[Geonz]

Or... it could be that all that 3-D stuff overloads the circuits. Personally, I really can't take in all that visual information when I"m riding. I can do two dimensions - forward, watch the road, move the legs.
Yes, I am pretty clinically uncoordinated :) You know, have fallen out of the chair trying to tie my shoes, coasted the car into the side of the house because a neighbor waved at me and somehow my foot came off the brake (waving back with my foot?? and of course that happens while the neighbor is watching...:o :o :o ) and countless otehr witty anecdotes...
Was talking to some ladies at a ride once and figured there were probably some definite personality types. MTB folks want & need change and stimulation - those present also liked, say, tennis and tennis played *hard.* Roadie types were more likely to be sort of hyperactive contemplatives. Or maybe it's whether you're drawn to endorphins or adrenalline.
The tiny bit I tried MTB was just not fun. Now, it's true that I could gut it out and get to the point where I'm "not afraid of the ball" and trying not to duck, but they keep changing where the ball is coming from and it's not a ball every time, sometimes it's a tree trunk :-) I figured I was likely to break several bones getting to that point, and it wasn't going to be enough fun to be worth it. Traffic is *much* less stressful to me than terrain.
Interesting ab out the emotions and yoga... sitting poses make me CRANKY and ready to cry, just like major PMS. And ... so did my experience on a road bike that I'm sure didn't really fit. 35 miles and I was the Queen Snapping Turtle. I don't think it was emotions as much as somethign in that posture that feels out of balance... but I think I'll pay attention to it.