DH race practice Sunday 13th January

So my plan for last weekend was to practice DH riding at the Forest of Dean as I have been brought entry to the 661 Mini DH race on the 27th January as a Christmas present from my brother. 

I've ridden (or pushed) down all the tracks at FOD bar the lower section of Corkscrew which is one of the tracks the race may run on, so needed to make sure I could ride it.

Saturday night Darrel decided to make some adjustments to the old Super 8.  My nerves started to creep in, that little feeling of apprehension was stiring in my stomach but a glass of wine quench it before it gathered momentum. 

Darrel fine tuning my bike

I went to bed fully expecting my normal 3am wake up, so didn't really sort all my cycling kit out as I thought I could do that in the early hours when I found myself unable to sleep.  So was a bit unprepared when the alarm went off at 7am.

After a quick muck out of the stable and doing the horses 'early shift', we picked up a friend and headed to FOD, I was still unable to eat but more excited than apprehensive.  Arrived at the Cannop Cycle Centre and as Darrel unloaded the bikes I was doing my legging it to the toilets (at least this habit gets me out of having to unload the bikes). 

Having pushed up we used the top 100m section of Ski run to warm up on before heading over to Corkscrew.  I've ridden the top section a few times before, but always from the perspective of just getting down.  Darrel followed me while we did a slow run looking for the features that I was hesitant on.  A set of root steps down and a berm corner with roots on the outside were the bits that I over braked for.   After a few runs I was hitting the smoother line into the root steps and not even braking too much (though I'm coming in much slower than most riders).  The berm corner just needed commitment, to hit the roots on the outside and trust speed to carry the bike round, commitment that I really lack.  My first attempt I nearly bottled it but pushed myself and got round, realising the corner was much easier taking this line gave me the confidence to keep trying it and each time I was riding smoother.

One of my runs down the top section.



With the top section mastered, it was down to the lower section.  The drop off the forestry road is pretty straight forward steep, but with a nasty hole wearing into the track, which each time I caught it made me shreek but isn't really as bad as my reaction makes it appear.  The run through the trees is again straight forward, with one section where there is a chicken run to avoid 3 steep root steps on the faster racing line.  This line is rollable but definately easier if you can jump.  On my first 2 runs I took the chicken line, but as Darrel pointed out to me, this option might not be available on race day. 

Having had a good look at the roots and watching a few bikes roll them helped, but my heart was thumping knowing I was going to have to give them a try.  It started as a really half hearted attempt, but this was going to end in tears unless I committed so forced myself to put in a couple of much needed pedal strokes and down the bike went.  I swore (a lot) then realising I'd made it cheered. 

I rode down the steps a couple more times, once taking the wrong line but surviving.  Sunday finished with my confidence built back up.  I have to thank Darrel,  Terri-Anne and Brian for showing me how to ride it and shouting encouragement.  I really had no option to wimp out with an audience.

So I now know I can get down Corkscrew, all that left is to see what track the race is on.

My run down corkscrew.

Nerves of cotton wool - part 2

I can see this becoming a Blog Theme for me.

So how did I get on at the weekend?

I've done a blog about my practise, but from the nerves perspective.  Girl did good!

• I did wake up in the early hours but fell back to sleep until the alarm got me up!
• I did rush to the loo but that might have been because of the large can of relentless I drank on the way to the forest of dean!  

How did I get on once riding;

Well, started off on an easy section to get me relaxed and my muscles warmed up.  Once relaxed I hit the main trail and loved it.

I had 2 moments of apprehension, one about doing the drop off the forestry road which I didn't understand as I've ridden steeper.   This was me putting pressure on myself about what was on the track further down as I'd not walked it.  Once ridden I was fine about it.

The other moment was at some root steps that looked a lot worst than they rode.  Committing to a line and trusting the bike are issues I am starting to get over.  Having a few people around watching took away my option of wimping out so I had to man up an ride the roots, and did. 

Now I know these roots are nothing compared to other DH tracks, but for me it was a massive step, last year I would never of even considered them a ridable line. 

Now as I'm starting to ride the more technical stuff, my speed is picking up on the less technical bits of track and as a result it means I have to concentrate more and look further ahead to give myself time to prepare.

I've put last Sundays bad ride behind me, we all have bad days, not dwelling on them is the best advice I can give to anyone.  Sunday was a nice no pressure day just me and Darrel playing on our bikes.  There is no-way the 27th January will be like this, race day with an audience who want to see crashes!

I'm sure there will be more posts on nerves as I venture away from the Forest of Dean to try other DH tracks, and in June there's Morzine.
  

Nerves of cotton wool

A bit about me and DH 

So having read my previous blogs so far you would have worked out I get very psyched at the thought of riding a DH run.

I’ve found myself wondering about why this happens a came up with the following excuses;

• Watching Darrel do a few uplifts and races when we first got together is partly to blame, I could barely walk down the tracks let along ever imagine riding them.  So made a decision DH was not for me and stuck to it (well for 10 years I did)
• Having the wrong bike didn’t help, my first MTB’s were XC style bikes with steep head angles, short travel and v brakes.  These bikes were not confidence inspiring on any of the steep technical bits that Darrel would try and take me down, and it put me off a bit.
• I’m a bit of a control freak; DH to me has an element of ‘lack of control’, one silly mistake and because of gravity and speed you keep going with no say in the matter.  So unless I can control the situation I tend to feel very out of my comfort zone.
• Also it’s a world I’d said I’d never enter (never ever say never).

I psyche myself up, and do a really good job of it, and to make matters worse I don't know what I'm apprehensive of.  It's not falling off or getting hurt, I've had my fair share of falls from the horse for that not to be an issue and 98% of the time I get down tracks without a fall and each run I always improve on my time and confidence. 

I normally relax when i get on the bike and start riding my biggest problem is before hand, it starts during the night, I wake up with the realisation that I'm going to be riding DH that day and then I can't get to sleep again.

Once awake I relax, loading the bikes and sorting out my gear I'm fine but can't eat... food is the last thing on my mind and if I make myself have something to eat then I tend to feel sick. 

Once I start to unload the bikes I end up legging it to the loos.

On my first ride I feel stiff and totally out of place, over braking, not moving around on the bike and fixated on the ground my front wheels on. 

Now for the last few weeks, other than my apprehension I've had some really good rides on the bike, Darrel had his knee op which put him out of action but I still managed to get out and have fun. 

I even arranged to meet up with Jo Page, a really talented rider and sessioned Sheep Skull one of the DH tracks at the Forest of Dean with her.  I've never sessioned a track before and really enjoyed it, Jo is  a lovely person and got me looking at the track as a series of opportunities to gain speed and not brake. Rather than my normal looking at a track as a series of obstacles to be avoided.  Breaking the track up into small sections really helped me concentrate on the bit I was riding without having to worry about anything I perceived as scary further down, and by the time we'd moved down the track I was riding the top section with minimum braking and just really enjoying myself.  MASSIVE THANKS TO JO.

Jo also questioned me about my apprehension, having seem my facebook post at 4am!!! She had got me thinking what is my problem.  It does hold me back so needed to be resolved.  I spent a fair bit of time thinking it over the Christmas and after a disappointing ride on Sunday I think I have my reasons.

I was really looking forward to riding on Sunday, the back to work blues had hit me, the weather had been terrible over Xmas so we only managed 1 ride and we were going to ride the Climachx a trail we hadn't ridden for over a year due to logging and it was a trail I really liked. 

The ride started off OK, I was feeling good on the climbs and enjoyed the first single track sections, but I didn't feel as relaxed on the bike as normal and put this down to the really saturated ground.  But on the final descent I just couldn't get myself going, and having slipped and knocked my legs a couple of times I could feel my nerve going.  I was getting worked up with myself and once that happened I was fixating on the ground immediately in front of the bike and not seeing the track as a whole.  BANG, there's part of my problem. 

It's actually 2 problems. 

Firstly when I get upset and un-nerved I fixated on the ground I'm covering and therefore not allowing time to prepare for the next trail feature, putting myself on the wrong lines and therefore making the trail harder to ride, upsetting and un-nerving myself even more. 

The reason I get upset in the first place is going to be harder to sort out.  It's letting myself down!
I'd rather push my bike over an obstacle than try to ride something and fail!  Stupid I know I as surely pushing is failing to ride it, but I think I'd rather fail from the onset than fail trying.  I'm hoping that more sessioning tracks might over come this problem, only time will tell. 

So this Sunday I'm off to do some more DH, this could be interesting as snow is forecast!  And yes it's friday evening, I'm apprehensive and excited already.  But this time I'm just going to session it Like Jo did, break it up into nice manageable lumps and see how I get down.

Beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP

So this blog starts at pretty much the place my first blog did...

At sometime around 2pm I found myself sat on my Yeti on the starting mound counting down the beeps in my head, 5,4,3,2,1 green lights GO

I was off, I really can’t remember much, and my memory of the first race run was ticking off the sections of the track in my head;  

Nasty root that I keep slipping on cleared, (probably with a swear word)

First forestry road crossed safely breath,  

Drop down wimp track to side off 1^st drop off and 2^nd forestry road cleared,

 Why are my lungs hurting? breath, 

Camera flash, exit woods, jumps, lungs really hurting..

(At some point in the run I do remember not keeping my weight back and having a ‘moment’ but can’t recall where, can just remember the feeling)

Cleared last forestry road crossing, hear Lauren, Catherine and the other girls cheering... must remember to breath, crossed finish line...  Breathed...

I was down in one peace, I hadn’t fallen off and had got probably the slowest time of the day but hey I’d done it.  The other girls congratulated me, we all giddily chatted about our runs then it was my turn to cheer Darrel on. 

A leisurely relax at the van with Darrel slugging coke and talking about our runs, watched a few other competitors runs then it was back up the top again to do the 2^nd competitive run.  This run Darrel went with his class and went down before me so was ordered to wait at the finish with Chocolate, a sure way to inspire me to get the end. 

The organisers of this event were brilliant, happy to let the girls sort out our own running order I was thankfully at the rear as the slowest.  This time not half as scared and looking forward to hopefully improving on my time.  As each girl left we cheered each other on, until it was just me sat on the mound again.  Now the 2^nd run was a lot nicer, I even pedalled and definitely felt smoother, more relaxed and I was sure faster so you can imagine my shock to be told I was 7 seconds slower, but to be honest the time was irrelevant I’d achieved something that 2 years ago I would never have considered and more surprisingly I LOVED IT.

So here is my summary of my first DH race.

I need to work out a way to deal with my nerves, I hype myself up for no reason and yes I was really sat on the start line trembling and quivering.  Waking up at 3am after having restless DH dreams and not being able to get back to sleep didn’t help either.  

Next time I need to remember to breathe on my first run, the first 2 sections I only took a breath at the forestry roads and felt like my lungs would burst further down.

DH girls are some of the most supportive people I have ever met, I’ve raced XC, Cyclo cross (twice and never again) and road TTs, and taken part in MTB Marathons. But all females taking part in these events could learn loads from DH girls who are amazing.  At the start I was too intimidated to speak the more seasoned female racers, they looked rather pro.. But what a mistake, they are the friendliest group ever giving tips on line choice, advice on position and welcoming to newbie’s like me.

DH may be scary but it’s really good fun, and addictive.

Everyone was really nice, from the male competitors to marshals no one took the piss of my crap riding (well I didn’t hear anyone).  The events at the Forest of Dean have a lovely laid back relaxed atmosphere, but with an undercurrent buzz of excitement and in my case a rather large dose of fear. 

And yes I will race DH again...

Opppsssss I just entered a DH race

So we got home from Morzine  at 2am on Tuesday  17^th July, after what I could only call the best weeks riding of my life.  Steep was no longer scary and even roots weren’t as evil.  On the Wednesday Darrel was already planning our next biking adventure, an uplift day in the UK.  Darrel wanted to book at Forest of Dean as they have a variety of trails but I wanted Cwmcarn as I knew I could get down it in a fashion.  It was looking into this that I discovered the Dean Trail Volunteers and their summer DH series.  The last race was on a new trail that hadn’t even opened yet.  I was curious; the pictures released on their face book page were of a nice trail with rideable jumps and no roots.  So after 2 weeks and still on a post Morzine high I entered a DH race.  It was really on a whim, even I couldn’t tell anyone why if they asked me. 

The following weekend I decided to take the Super 8 and just push up.  I didn’t have Darrel to lead me down (injured) so it was going to be ‘just me myself and I, riding an unknown trail without the safety net or support of Darrel.  This might have not been a good idea, after doing a first over cautious run, my next attempted was with a little too much gusto and I crashed...  Not badly hurt, but heading straight to the shop to by a better fitting fullface lid and nursing a broke little finger, Oh and I broke my camera so had no video of my crash.

 

 

The next week we booked an uplift so I could practice some more and get used to my new lid, which was uneventful until the rear brake on the super 8 came back to haunt me... this time it seized.  So I was left to practice on the Yeti having only managed 2 runs on the super 8.

This also meant no Super 8 downhill bike for race day L