Death drops - I'm getting better. I rode the appropriately named Farewell Trail on Monday. The downhill portion drops 1,700 ft in a series of switchbacks over 3 miles. The 8" wide trail (labeled advanced on the maps) was either overgrown with manzanita so it was hard to see where you were going or had no undergrowth at all so you could see where you would land (waaaaay down there). I rode by far the great majority of it -- at least until one of the manzanita reached out and tried to shove me over the edge. At the point the mental "death drop" blinders I had on failed. I was able to get back on my bike after a little walk and finish off. From all the descriptions I'd been given by people who know me and my phobias, I rode a huge amount more than anyone predicted.

So, I'm doing better with my mental blinders but sometimes I wonder if a sports pyschologist would help. I've gotten to the point sometimes where I'm shaking with adrenaline over easy stuff others with less skill are zooming over. It's really frustrating.

What is it in our brains that wires us this way? I blame it on my parents mostly but there also must be something hardwired wrong.