June 15th - Whistler
Today I once again went for a guided tour. This time there were three of us and I was considered the "experienced" one due to going down a couple of times the day before. This turned out to be quite inaccurate as both of the other cyclists had done a fair amount of cross country riding. As it was I was last next to the following guide. Since I was right in front of one of the guide it ended up being like a one on one lesson as he made suggestions most times we stopped. I was super stoked as every time he mentioned something and I started doing it upped the fun level substantially.
The mighty mtber
One of the best things was when he challenged me not to pedal for a good chunk of one run...as you may have guessed I was braking a lot and then would pedal to get back momentum. That run was great as I looked in front of me more which allowed me to brake early and feel comfortable through the curves. The runs after that had better flow though will need to do a lot more before I actually feel comfortable on those big burly bikes.
I did end up digging it once and then was chastised for not taking the right line ("Carissa, which one of these looks easier"..."um, not the one i chose").
By the end of the half day of guided tour I was tempted to continue for the full day (which would have been two guides and another girl) but my arms were begging for a brea
k. It would have been good fun but not worth hurting myself cause I'm exhausted and leaving with a bad taste. As it was I had a fabulous time in Whistler and understand why it is such a mecca for mtbing. The great thing about it is that it is still fun for beginners and women!! I'm sure it helped that I was with guides and that's their job but in general all the other cyclists were nice.
Also, during the ride we came down to see a black bear and cub grazing on grass about 30 feet from the track. We stopped to take photos and then road past them as they munched on lunch...quite a surreal feeling. I've seen many a black bear but never that close and on a bike.
Even the wildlife is judging my technique
The only bad part of the trip was the crap hockey games.
I was thinking about the ceaseless rain and you riding solo in the wet and windy. About day two and the pitter-patter on the outside of the tent would have had me packing, booking a flight.
ReplyDeleteAnd so . . . MTB. My rule is keep both wheels on the road surface. I don't seek to do anything "technical" (This the guy who used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.)
In other news -- Moma Doe brought her new fawn into the pasture this morning. Thursday I came home to find "Remington" waiting in my barn. Remington is a 1 yr old gelding paint. (That's a horse.) He'd wandered off, and by the time he got to my place was ready to be back in the barn with water, shelter, and some supervision.
I like black bears, have a hard time thinking they might be aggressive.
Ride on! Ride on, Woman!