Friday, October 12, 2012

Rookie Rider 101 - Part Three

There's just so much to share in this Idiot's guide to motorbiking so the lessons continue:
Leave in the mist but well kitted up for the chill.
Stop for roadside coffee to warm up.
Ride 100km on tar
Arrive at 7:45 and nosh a huge breakfast at the hotel and plan the day's riding.

  • Put Garmin on bike and attempt to navigate out town - Two Strikes, almost out.
  • Follow route into the middle of some houses - ask local to push bike up bank to avoid a hill start.
  • Ride into a single track descent of -23%, slide for about half in a semi controlled fashion then wait for @onegiantride to come back and take bike the rest of the way.
  • Settle adenalin.
  • Find correct route and head out along river on path.

Proceed to experience the following.

  • Technical single track ascents avoiding boulders and ditches
  • Pushing and lifting bike over log bridge too narrow to ride
  • Rapidly learn to use 1st gear to descend gnarly descents
  • Find out how to use back brake
  • Cross ride paddies with a little help from locals
  • See @onegiantride fall worse than me
  • Ride loose sand
  • Ride up and down massive boulder outcrops following a 8 ton six wheeler going somewhere
  • Eventually graduate to 2nd gear on some of the descents
  • Race the rain
  • Buy warm cokes from village shop
  • Cross streams
  • Spray painted with sand from @onegiantride's wheel trying to help him up a bank
  • Re-use all the old paddling muscles lifting bikes over bridges and bracing against handlebars on descents
  • Count bruises on shins
  • Learn how to hill start
  • Find gears are suddenly easier when back on tar
  • Avoid chickens, children, zebu, rickshaws, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters....
All in one day.
Graduate to Rookie Rider 202

Hot shower - count the bruises
Drink copious amounts of tea
Eat huge dinner
Sleep
Mountain biking skills

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1 comment:

  1. Go Rookie Go! Sounds more like a "crash" course than 101.
    Yay biker chick!

    ReplyDelete