I gots my Descending Mojo back!

[Jiffer]

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.

[Jiffer]

By the way, when I switched to compact handlebars, which hubby got me for my birthday last year, it made a big difference in my ability to be in my drops. I could actually reach the brakes and shifters and feel more confident. I started using them all the time after that.

I never thought about flexibility with being down low in the drops, but it makes sense. I guess I'm naturally pretty flexible. I never even realized it until I had three different people tell me I was! The guy that did my bike fit, who had me lay on my back to see how far he could push my leg toward my head ... and then a yoga instructor, when I tried yoga for the first time ... and then my massage therapist. It still kind of shocks me when someone tells me I'm very flexible. That's so cool that you are getting more flexible and seeing the results on the bike. Maybe I'll have time to do more yoga this summer. I only did it twice. Too much in my schedule to fit it in more.

[jobob]

By the way, when I switched to compact handlebars, which hubby got me for my birthday last year, it made a big difference in my ability to be in my drops. I could actually reach the brakes and shifters and feel more confident. I started using them all the time after that.

Good point. Early on I was planning to switch my handlebars to more compact ones as well, but at this point I don't think it'll be necessary, I'm pretty comfy in the drops right now with my current setup, and I can reach the brake levers easily.

It's really neat how it all seems to be falling into place for me, finally. MP can attest to the fact that just a few weeks ago I was seriously thinking of throwing in the towel on the whole Death Ride thing. She gave me a great pep talk and let me know it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't go for it this year, or if I scaled back on the training and only aimed for a few passes rather than all five.

That took a lot of pressure off me, and put me in a much better mindset. I had a couple of really fun rides after that, followed by a very successful very epic training ride. It really is mostly mental!

But good brake pads don't hurt either.

[kenyonchris]

OK. When we traveled to Ca. for our two rides we did there last month, I was, of course, not prepared gearwise for the climbs, which I guess is at least understandable, but the DESCENTS were hair raising. I chugged up the hills, heart rate monitor beeping alarmingly, cursing life and thinking that falling over would be far less painful. Then I got to the top and was terrified. I was passed by the fit, the unfit, the elderly, children on tricycles, and a man on a burro. Well, ok, no burros, but everyone else passed me. My hands hurt from holding the brakes, and my bike, I am sure, was ready to kill me (I projected my horse experience on to it and could hear myself yelling at my students to "LET GO OF HIS MOUTH!!"). I was grateful each time to get to the bottom of the descent and start another climb (until I got to the middle of that one...and so on).
So, of course, this is all coming from lack of experience here in Texas. There are no descents here. Oh, yeah. I can whizz down one of our little hills at 34-35 mph, but that was NOTHING in comparison to the crazy nuts grade descents I faced there.
We are going back in October for the gran fondo in Santa Rosa. I know I face humiliation of my lack of descending skills.