9.8m/s/s Beat Me Up

[Graphics]

but it was AWESOME. thanks for the ride. i feel a gazillion bruises just waiting to rear their heads. so you can expect some pics in a day or so. :D

i had a great time though. thanks for helping me roll over some of those logs. that's what you call baby steps. :p

[9.8m/s/s]

Sorry about that- forgot how intimadating that trail is. In my defense, it did take a beating this winter:devil. Next time we shall find a ride without a technical cliffline descent. :confused: (Gotta admit it was a great view though).

And by the way- you did awesome. Just trust your bike to roll and you'll soon be riding stuff like that in your sleep.

Something I forgot to mention while we were on the ride- riding anything technical is all about where you look. Always look 25-30 feet ahead and you will roll over the baby head rocks like they aren't even there. It's really hard not to look at your front tire when things get tricky, but as soon as you refocus they almost all go away. I've fallen many times, but almost never because of something I ignored. It's always the one I steer myself into while staring at it and trying to figure out how to go around it.

And for logs- rather than seeing it as the concept of a log, only think about the top half. Then it becomes a raised speed bump, and the bigger the log, the shallower that speed bump.

Great Ride.

[Graphics]

note to self (and anyone riding with him)...when he says "ok that was probably the hardest part, this part gets easier"...he's LIEING. :D

it IS a great view...and i'm glad we rode where we did. i'd much rather be home beaten and bruised than feeling like i handn't ridden at all. i consider these bruises a right of passage...although that theory that we discussed about getting all the crashing out today so i don't do it any more...yea we'll see. :fat:

yea...NOOB lesson 3: crashes usually occur while trying to stop mid way and get off the bike. :rolleyes: best to stay on, commit and ride through. but that's a WHOLE lot easier said when typing than when riding. :p

[splat]

Details ? where and what did you ride ? and rember if you don't crash at least once your not having enough fun.

[Graphics]

we rode a trail system in Hamden, CT. 9.8m/s/s can tell ya where exactly.

it was pretty technical for ME. i'm certain i slowed him down a bit...but i was trying to go easy on him since it was his first ride back. :D

there were mini boulders, lots of logs, clusters of little rocks and roots, tight turns through narrow trees...oh and occassionally there were mild paths. :har:

i'm drinking wine to ease the throbbing :rolleyes:

hahaha...kidding. but i WILL say this...my body is shaping up to look like the terrain...some big bruises, clusters of little ones and a handful or so of medium size ones. next time i go in it'll be like camoflauge. :D

but FUN as hell :rad:


edit: oh i crashed 2x so does that mean i had a blast?

[9.8m/s/s]

We did a loop on the north side of West Rock. Big climb up to the top of the ridgeline, some abandoned pavement riding then a huge technical cliffline descent, topped off with some Middlesex-ish weaving mt laural singletrack. Really fun area.

edit- Also noticed that I had a nice welt on my leg when I got home but couldn't remember how I did it. That is how you spell fun ride.

[Graphics]

as promised. although i'm a little disappointed in the arm bruise...i think it hasn't fully developed yet. :D

nothing says sexy than a woman's bruised legs huh? :rolleyes:

[leebo]

Some body armor will help with that. Knee/shin and elbow/forearm. They help with the thorns too. And the trees jumping in the middle of the trail, and the sudden dismounts. I ride with armor on all my rides on dirt.

[antonio]

Wow! All of that is from one ride?

It's awesome that you had fun. Still, I recommend a few more outings on easier trails. Becoming more familiar with your bike (shifting your weight around while off the saddle, rolling over things smoothly, improving your balance to avoid the silly little "falls"), can help prevent those small annoying bruises.

But then again, I'm a wuss sometimes. ;0)

Good luck!
Ant

[antonio]

By the way, I mentioned these in another thread, but in case you missed it, I really recommend these videos. The instructors are pretty knowledgeable, and the tips are easy to follow. Plus I think it's cool that they're women:

http://westcoaststyle.net/video.php

[Graphics]

Some body armor will help with that. Knee/shin and elbow/forearm. They help with the thorns too. And the trees jumping in the middle of the trail, and the sudden dismounts. I ride with armor on all my rides on dirt.

i DID have some knee/shin guards that 9.8m/s/s brought along. can ya imagine if i hadn't!! :(


Wow! All of that is from one ride?

It's awesome that you had fun. Still, I recommend a few more outings on easier trails. Becoming more familiar with your bike (shifting your weight around while off the saddle, rolling over things smoothly, improving your balance to avoid the silly little "falls"), can help prevent those small annoying bruises.

But then again, I'm a wuss sometimes. ;0)

Good luck!
Ant

i agree...and for the most part the two trails in Branford are gonna be really good for that. but it WAS a lotta fun experiencing a technical trail. and just seeing what i could do from what i couldn't. hell...just rollin over a couple of logs was a HUGE achievement for me. :D

i will say it's a tough balance to find someone to ride with. i personally like having someone like 9.8m/s/s because i feel more confident knowing that he can help me through things and push me to try things that i wouldn't normally do on my own. however, it sucks to be the one to hold someone back in a ride as well.

but as 9.8m/s/s says...i'll be rollin over those things in my sleep in no time. :p

i will definitely get that DVD...it looks pretty cool.

[antonio]

Great attitude - you're going to do really well. And don't worry about holding people back. What's awesome about most mountain bikers is that we really enjoy bringing new people into the sport, and don't think about who is holding who back.

Ant