So- I went out to the Brant Tract today- it's a series of trails that the local clubs have been worklng on the trails all summer. They advertised a bike day just to get people to come out and get involved.
So I went.
It took me almost two hours to drive there.
It was a nice sunny day- until I got about a mile from the place.
Then the sky opened and the rain fell...
But- I got out in the rain and dragged out my bike..
and I look around and these guys are all really serious - and I'm looking at my poor little bike- not sure if I should really be here-
and along comes one of the regulars and asks if I'd like to go out- and I said sure- and off we went.
Single track mostly - it had rained the previous two days so it was muddy! And I'm riding my old hybrid commuter bike- with the crappy side pull brakes- but hey- I had FENDERS! so I didn't have to keep wiping mud out of my eyes!
First part of the rail I'm dyin'- really winded- no idea of technique- flying around trees and over roots and periodically invoking the God of your choice...
second part- My body is settling down, legs are stronger, body is getting in a groove - learning to tuck a bit here- weight back there...
trying to remember all the stuff that I'd read-
made most of the hills- occasionally shaved a tree a bit close...
I decided to wear the new cycling shoes I'd recently won on Ebay- they are bike/hike shoes with a neoprene sock liner- and mud spikes.Except I didn't put the mud spikes on...ooops.
Am I glad I wore them! My feet never came off the pedals ( no clips) and it was the shoes that held me upright on the trail a few times!!!
The guy I was with actually was surprised I'd never done this before, said I did really well- made me feel great!
At one point I actually figured I might make it through the day without wiping out- but no -
I was cresting a hill, the gear slipped, I started sliding backward, jammed my elbow into a tree and hung there supported by one leg which was rigidly braced into the slickest slimiest mud.
Gradually my foot just slipped back, my elbow fell and the bike toppled over onto me.And the handlebars jammed into my thigh. Ow.
Blooded.
Eventually I came back in, covered with mud, slightly bruised, a little scraped- and ecstatic!
So- I learned some things today:
Mud spikes are your friends.
Don't coast with one pedal up and one pedal down....especially when there are big mama roots lurking on the path...
Riding a frame that is too big for you does matter in the woods.
Lets just say that me and the cross bar became <ahem> intimately acquainted....
(I can hardly wait for my new 16 inch frame to arrive!!!)
Mountain biking is awesome!
Best part- my knee is not hurting at all.
I did some yoga stretches afterward, drove home- another two hours- and I wasn't stiff or sore at all.
Yeah.
Life is good.
I gotta say- it was the best time I've had in recent memory. It was the first time in two years that I was so completely focused that I totally did not think about how miserable my life has been the last two years...
Kimba
