Yay for mojo...Jo! Get it?! Mojojo? I crack myself up.

When I read the title of your thread it immediately attracted me, cause that's how I've described my descending in my own brain this year ... like I've lost a little bit of my descending mojo. For me it's "just a little" and I'm not really sure why. For the most part I am very good at the descents, which helps make up for my lack of climbing ability. People pass me on climbs and I pass them on descents (sometimes). Half the time they're not even pedaling and I just don't even get that mentality! That's when it's "easy" to pedal and gain some speed (if you have a gear, depending on your speed).

My friend, who is a much better climber than me, calls me a descending animal. If I can't pedal, I'm often in a tucked position with butt out of the saddle to make the most of the aerodynamics. I am typically pretty fearless on descents, but since I took December off from riding and started riding again in January, sometimes I just don't feel quite as confident in my descending as I used to. I didn't crash or anything, but I think maybe that's part of it. I really don't WANT to crash ... and have heard enough stories about crashes and seen the results ... so I can only assume that something hit home and put a little fear of crashing in me. I still hear the words of a non-cycling friend, who heard about the speeds I descend sometimes saying, "Aren't you afraid of crashing?" Well ... now that I have THAT stuck in my brain I do!

I did get a lighter bike a couple of months ago, and lighter means less sturdy on descents, but my "slightly less mojo" started before I got that bike. There have been times this year that I just crushed a big descent, and times that I found myself backing off and slowing down. I definitely hate the wind. If it's windy, I am WAY more cautious. And if the road is particularly bumpy and/or unfamiliar ... but that should be normal for everyone. I don't know, maybe it's a good thing that I'm being a little more cautious over all. Maybe it's God tapping on my shoulder saying, "Slow down a bit Jen. I need you on earth a while longer!"

Funny side story ... Hubby and I were talking with some friends about descending, after he did Ride Around the Bear (Big Bear, CA) where it's like 11,000 feet of climbing, all in the front and a SUPER long descent at the end. A friend asked, "What a bout brakes? Do you go through a lot?" (Wondering if he burns out his brakes and has to replace them in the middle of a descent, I guess!) His reply was, "Oh, I don't take breaks." (Getting brake confused with break). Finally I jumped in and clarified, "He doesn't use his brakes!" Then he finally figured out what she was asking and confirmed, "Oh! Brakes! Yeah, I don't use brakes." To which she was horrified, of course! Thinking of it like a car, that has to keep it's speed down. But of course he does use brakes when necessary, but we're talking a long descent with fairly mild turns, so there really wouldn't be a lot of need to slow yourself down, especially when he was trying to break the time record on this ride, which ... he did.