endo of destruction
So, I endoed for the first time ever last night. For those of you who don't know, this involves flying over the bars while biking, normally caused by one of two things. The first involves going downhill and locking up your brakes by trying to slow down too much, at which point the back of the bike comes up and you go flying. This is what happened to me last week when I miraculously jumped over the bars and landed on my feet, much to my surprise. The second easy way to endo is by having your front wheel hit something which causes it to stop dead, at which time your momentum throws you over the bars. This is what I did last night, not nearly as fun and rather painful to be truthful. Luckily I missed all the big and exciting rocks. After getting myself untangled from the bike, Johnathan told me that he was going to warn me about that section but didn't want to freak me out. He pointed to all the rocks around where I fell telling me who had hit what over the years. I guess the guys all learned to ride in this area and hence had intimate knowledge of how to kill yourself on the trail.
This brings up another lesson I learned last night, which is that trying to keep up with three guys who have about 25 years of biking between the three of them is an easy way to get destroyed. But oh what beautiful destruction it was. Johnathan and I were discussing this, and we both agree that riding stuff that is just past your limit and trying to keep up with people that are better than you is the fastest way to increase your skill level. I find this rather entertaining, as that is exactly how I got to be the climber I am today. It is not without it's share of grief and pain, but it really gives you both the experience and the motivation to improve at the same time.
So last night we went to a new area for me yet again, know as the Wrandees, which is in Long Lake provincial park. It starts from that small parking lot just before the start of St Margaret's Bay Rd that there are always cars in with people walking dogs and such. It was kind of entertaining because we met two guys from Ontario who were on their way out, and I guess our trails are totally different from what they are used to. Something to the effect of 'really technical and unrelenting, non-stop rocks and roots'. Looking on the bright side, I think that this and riding with the guys will really help me to get better, and hopefully go over the bars less, which my body is loudly telling me this morning would be a damned good thing.
This brings up another lesson I learned last night, which is that trying to keep up with three guys who have about 25 years of biking between the three of them is an easy way to get destroyed. But oh what beautiful destruction it was. Johnathan and I were discussing this, and we both agree that riding stuff that is just past your limit and trying to keep up with people that are better than you is the fastest way to increase your skill level. I find this rather entertaining, as that is exactly how I got to be the climber I am today. It is not without it's share of grief and pain, but it really gives you both the experience and the motivation to improve at the same time.
So last night we went to a new area for me yet again, know as the Wrandees, which is in Long Lake provincial park. It starts from that small parking lot just before the start of St Margaret's Bay Rd that there are always cars in with people walking dogs and such. It was kind of entertaining because we met two guys from Ontario who were on their way out, and I guess our trails are totally different from what they are used to. Something to the effect of 'really technical and unrelenting, non-stop rocks and roots'. Looking on the bright side, I think that this and riding with the guys will really help me to get better, and hopefully go over the bars less, which my body is loudly telling me this morning would be a damned good thing.