Hill Bombing - Now with Pictures!
For a day without significant crash stories - and I am still sore Monday - I worked hard.
A tiny bit of background, I was supposed to be assisting at the Flygurlz Clinics, they had more than enough team members so they didn't need me. One of the clinics was supposed to be a Downhill but the people backed out leaving the team with an instructor and hill time but no one to take the clinic, and more over most of the team were coaching, or racing. Having waited until the last minute to find out if I was assisting I hadn't registered for the race and neither had Kathryn. She and her fiancée, Ted, had an extra bike, extra armour, and space to bring all of it and me.
Opportunity Knocked.
Neither of us are particularly experienced riders, nor would we sign up for the clinic if it weren't just the two of us - but it was, so we did.
On the road at 7:30 and on the hill at 10:30 we started in Progression Park.
(the pictures are kinda of a post-day recreation - Kathryn, Ted and I went back to document)
Michelle (Waechter) was our coach, she is in the black tank in front of me.
Kathryn and I - going up!
Progression Park is a section of the hill that has what can be easily described at an oversized skateboard park. dirt table tops, docks and drop offs, (and a bunch of other stuff we didn't use). She sent us off a drop first, and I totally just rolled over it, so she had us TRY to fall backwards. I say try in two extendable ways; there was no way and no how I could have, and after dozens and dozens of attempts I didn't, I barely got the wheel off the ground. She also had us practice pre-loading.
(Preloading)
Trying with all my might to lift that front wheel.
After doing that for a while she sent us back up and off the drops, which I actually got into the air a teensy bit - Whoohoo ME!
We flew down one trail called Happy Valley (big wide open snakey decent on rutted gravel) and joined the rest of the team for lunch, and I tried but couldn't really eat, too nervous, too hot, too lots of things.
Back up the gondola ride, and practice some more at Progression Park, Kathryn was having a hard time breathing (asthma) so they mostly watched me. Back down Happy Valley and my arms were getting shakey, then the front brake cable came loose and dragged against the knobbiness of the tire and eventually stopped my front wheel.
Up again and to a different trail, The Ridge. Not at all open, very much single track but all steep downs.
I kept trying to/wanting to pedal and when I wasn't finding air I found myself going way too fast to make the corners. I started getting frustrated. Tired, hot and sore.
We got down it and took a break.
After a couple bottles of water I realized I was seriously dehydrated and hence the shakies.
Our lessons were over, but our lift pass was good 'til 7pm, and Ted had to stay on the hill until then anyway (he was there on Patrol Duty) so he came up with us and took some pictures while we showed off our new skills... which is where the pictures I've already posted came from.
Then we took another trail down, Side Winder I think it was called. I was doing awesome, then I looked down:
...and all I remember thinking was 'I can't throw up in a full face helmet!!!'
The trail was awesome, but up to this point it was all I could see we had been riding through trees, no view down the hill, and apparently I like my views at low speed.
I got back on, in position and just let the bike take me down. I was on a full suspension for this run and let me tell you how happy I was when I missed the intended trail and ended up in a water run rut and though at first I wanted to stop, actually, I tried to stop and when I found I couldn't I rode it out and coasted all the way to the lift.
They went for another run and I insisted that I spend time pedaling so I toured the grounds on the tank of a bike I was riding and met back with Ted and Kathryn to wash down the bikes.
Ted thought we deserved ice-cream.
Time to tear down the bikes, and call it a day.