|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hey Gene,
Over the past month I haven’t had as much time to ride as I would like
(because I’m working on another goal – to become a published novelist
- woot!) so my improvements have been small, but I am riding better. A
few notes from my recent rides:
On my first ride after camp, I focused on body position and vision for
the descent. Normally my Wed night ride buddy is ahead of me, but this
time I passed her and when I turned around to check on her she was
nowhere in sight. She said that I took off about twice as fast as I
normally do, but the great thing is, I felt completely smooth and in
control. I used to think I was looking ahead all the time, but now
that I focus on it, I see that that was not the case – now when I do,
it makes a huge difference.
This weekend I was on some unfamiliar trail and came across a spot
where the trail zigzags down into a deep ravine then immediately
zigzags back out of it. This was a great place to practice both
climbing and descending switchbacks.
I have always thought I was a decent descender because I could force
myself to white-knuckle my way through stuff, but I never had fun that
way. And I realize that I would always push my bike out in front of
me, like we were two kids going into a haunted house and I was trying
to make my bike go first. This weekend while I was practicing the
skills you showed us I was amazed at how SMOOTH I felt. I wasn’t
pushing my bike out in front of me I was in position and looking
ahead and everything just worked. No skidding, no stiff arms, no
terror.
The climb was more of a struggle – there was one moderate switchback
then two really steep ones. I am proud to say that I eventually rode
all three of them. Whenever I didn’t make one I realized that I had
stopped with my eyes on the trail right in front of me. When I would
remember to “look to victory” I would make it. It’s so interesting
that when I would stop, I would THINK I was stopping because I had run
out of steam and momentum, but that wasn’t the case – I had just
convinced myself I was out of steam … when I looked to victory, I
had enough left to get there.
I spend some time on drills every time I ride and I can see that the
new skills are starting to burn in. I haven’t been on some of my
favorites recently but can’t wait to get out and see how they feel.
Jennifer Lesher, Oct. 2010
