Demo, Once Again!

Left to Right: Josh, Dan, Eric, Scott, Russ

Well, we hit it again. And it was sweet. The weather was a little cool but the trail was in perfect condition. The park was also very busy but definitely not crowded. Lots and lots of nice bikes and friendly riders out there.

Stats:
5 men
1 truck
20 bungee cords and straps
about 14 miles
1 broken back
1 cramped quad
1 bruised quad
4 beers consumed in the parking lot after (thanks, Dan!)
etc...

Highlights:
Good ride. Great company. Scott, Dan, Josh, Russ, and Eric had a blast carving up the single track. Braille Trail was clean and well-maintained. Some sections had been cleaned up and some jumps and logs smoothed over. There is a new huge stunt across the Braille Trail towards the top. Actually, a huge tree fell across the trail after the last wind storm and someone built it up into a huge ramp. The backside of it seemed steep and tall (about 3-4 feet) so none of us tried it. I think it was all psychological. Next time it will seem smaller and we'll hit it. It is unclear if we should just roll it or manual down the other side. Dropping off is an option for the bigger bikes, but most of us don't have those types of machines.

By the way, I think I am getting the idea behind having the seat lowered on the downhills. First, I think lowing it just gets the damn thing out of the way for overall maneuverability. Second, it makes it easier to get behind the seat and down over the rear wheel. Dan was kind enough to help shave a couple inches off of my (and Scott's) seatpost. I am hoping to test it out next month at the next Demo trip. I'm going to hit that huge log and I think I will not be the only one!

Josh was the only 'virgin' in the group, but he carved up the trail on his Prophet like he'd been there ten times already.

Dan was trying out some new components on his bike: stem, bash guard, and a new angle on the bars. All were an improvement to the downhill ride. He also converted to the full-face helmet--the green flame Specialized Deviant, just like mine. He has fine taste I should say. Immediately he felt the cold weather benefits of that type of helmet. I recommend the full face to anyone for warmth and increased confidence and safety. The Deviant is very light, for what it is. There is a carbon version but it is $200 more! Not really worth it, in my opinion.

Russ continues breaking in the Yeti 575. A sweet ride but is on its way to the shop for some drive train adjustments. Russ is getting used to the 'clipless' pedals on his new bike. This definitely takes some getting used to. I think getting comfortable with the clipless style pedals is a sort of rite-of-passage for serious bikers. Demo is a tough place to do that! Props to Russ. (Side note: the term 'clipless' seems like a misnomer to me, since 'clip' is exactly the noise it makes every time you 'clip in'! I can't imagine anything less clipless.)

Ok, Scott, I hope you don't mind but here it goes! First I would just like to say that Scott is one of the most skilled riders I have had the pleasure of riding with. But today was his day to eat dirt. I won't mention his more embarrassing crash, where he wheelied and went right over flat on his back with all of the accompanying red-faced gasping for air. I would hate to mention that. (BTW--I did the same exact thing 2 months ago! So I can make fun.) But I will mention how lucky I was to be behind him on the best crash I have ever seen! Scott leaped over a log jump (that probably should have been rolled over) and ended up on the ground about 10 feet later. He walked away with nary a scratch or bruise. A lesser man would have limped away in tears. I just could not believe how he attacked that jump with such enthusiasm and cojones. The sound of his huge FOX 36 absorbing the impact of the log was powerful. You'll land it next time, Scott. Now you've got about a month to visualize a smoother, and non-dodobird-like, landing. Props to you for having the stones to try it first!

Time to wax reflective...

Some topics that come to my mind after this ride are taking chances and friends. As I have said before, friends just magnify the joy of any given ride. They seem to feel just as lucky you do to be there. They keep you company. They push you sometimes to do better or go faster. They have skills, knowledge, tools, or food that you can learn and use when you need it. But good friends will never push you to go too far just so they can see you take a huge risk that could hurt you. This is important to me in this age of Cops, reality TV, Jackass, and a general lack of empathy.

As for taking chances, I noticed something on the Trailhead website. Lars always seems to say "take chances." I'm not sure how responsible that is, but I will say that the chances I take today seemed like impossibilities last summer. I can take drops with ease that were once terrifying. There are still plenty of things I will not do out of fear of broken limbs and pain, but my comfort zone has really expanded. This is directly related to the time I have spent on a given trail, thus learning its every turn and stone, and to my overall skill. Also, my window of possible lines grows when I take small chances here and there, thus increasing my confidence. I find that I can often follow a line with ease that I was afraid of before. Was it mental when I thought I could not do it, or was it a realistic perception of my own abilities? Who knows?

One thing is sure--When one is truly doubtful, it is always better to stay safe to ride another day. I would never fault one of my friends for being cautious.

I think the triad of risk/confidence/skill is key to improving skill and increasing the thrill. The three should be thought of as a circle, not as a line. They feed off of each other. It sounds about right to me. Who knows? One thing I DO know is that I am hitting that big log next time!