Excited & Nervous

[Catrin]

This is a small milestone for me, or will be by the end of tomorrow afternoon It has been 4 weeks since the women's clinic, and I finally get to hit a trail tomorrow! It is considered the easiest trail in the park, and I did ride it during the clinic. I've been able to do parking lot drills a few times in the past week, but really, I think that actually being on the trail will help me far more than riding on pavement. I have spent some time riding on the grass, basically just riding to build strength with the added resistance from grass.

I know where I want to ride and where I want to go. I think I've better control of my brakes this time, and I've promised myself that this is not a time trial. If I need to go slower than I would like then I will, and there is no shame to walking bits that make me nervous. I am really looking forward to the middle part of the trail where I had no problems the last time

At this point I will ride solo, but if I come across someone who is amenable to the idea, I will ask someone to ride with me at least once down the trail. Depending on how I feel/do, once I've done one loop I will repeat it until I get tired. I intend on taking a victory photo of my bike when I get to the top of the trail the first time

My co-workers obviously think I am nuts, but that is ok. They thought that anyway

[indysteel]

Good luck and have fun! I'm already given you my suggestions in an email, so I'll leave it at that. I'm glad that they didn't much rain there overnight. I thought of you as I drove to work in some light rain.

[Catrin]

Good luck and have fun! I'm already given you my suggestions in an email, so I'll leave it at that. I'm glad that they didn't much rain there overnight. I thought of you as I drove to work in some light rain.

Yes, and thanks for the suggestions. A couple of mountain bike friends aren't comfortable with the idea of my going solo, but I HAVE to get off of pavement sometime They want to ride with me but our schedules are just too different. I will let you know how it goes.

[indysteel]

Yeah; it's probably not ideal, but just use your best judgment. I've ridden the trail a few times by myself while Brian was off doing something else, but there are usually people in the area. On a Saturday morning, you likely won't be alone, so that's good.

You might post something to HMBA's forum that say "Hey, I'm a new rider and will be out there by myself tomorrow out of necessity. Is there anybody out there who might be willing to make a lap of Pine Loop with me?"

[limewave]

Have a great time! I was nervous riding solo too, but once I got out there, realized I liked it better than riding in a group--no pressure! Have fun and be safe.

[Catrin]

I had fun It is obvious I need a lot of work, but that is only to be expected. Since I rode solo I chose to walk two sections of Pine Loop that has a steep drop-off. I did ride them during the Clinic, but I fell on those sections a lot and was nervous. I will try those sections again when I am not alone.

For those familiar with Brown County State Park, I rode Pine up from the parking lot, up the North Tower Connector until the section that gets steep and has big roots, turned around & went back to pick up the downhill shortcut back to the parking lot. Then I did it again

I actually had very few real falls, much better than last time. I did stop a lot, and just took my time. It was hot and sweat was just pouring off me. The second time through I tried to ride a little more of the two scary sections before I walked, made much better time the second time through.

I found out what happens when you get fatigued. I didn't actually NOTICE that I was tired, but noticed the second time down the down-hill shortcut that it felt like I had much less control of the bike and was having to stop much more frequently. I did walk a portion of that trail, and it is quite easy - I was just overly fatigued & I think that was the safest way to deal with that. I didn't want crash from being so tired that it affected my reaction time.

I had fun, learned a lot, and am looking forward to the next time! I also have a better idea just what I need to practice...