During the past year, I have ridden very little. In fact it was
probably only about half a dozen times since Cal MUni weekend last
year. The MUni bug had gone elsewhere, I had lost my edge and the urge
to ride – my MUni gathered dust in the garage amongst the other
dust-gathering denizens.
Brake problems and a LBS screw up on my frame added to the internal
confusion. Also, during the year, a badly stretched Achilles tendon,
and painful muscle spasms in my back pretty much put the nails in the
coffin.
Still, in hopes of a resurrection, during the past week, I tried a
return to MUni. A new Magura brake, a patched flat and a repaired
frame, brought me out. I wondered if I still “had what it took” to be
one of the proud, the few – a mountain unicyclist or MUnieer.
I have now ridden 4 times in the last week going up into my old haunts
trying to establish a long lost relationship with my MUni. I am once
again, one with the machine.🙂
With the back problems, I decided to stay away from drops and go for
rolling everything. Rides have been over rocky terrain on inclines. I
wanted to work on skills – I rode down, hiked back up and re-road
sections. Thoughts of mountain lions and snakes passed quickly to a
focus of a true rider working lines on the trails - concentration,
problem solving, positive self-talk, and a desire to complete the
lines.
My skills came back fairly quickly, though my endurance still remains a
weakness. A recent ride found me even locking up my brake on the top
of a rock and hopping while locked up, then re-evaluating the line
before continuing to navigate the rock strewn descent. Surprised, this
was a first, never having hopped while locked. I later went over to my
“brake tester”, a 50 yard 48 percent dirt slope that was once a fire
road, but rain has channeled out most of it lengthwise and weeds have
returned to win-out over the long passed movement of a bulldozer. The
irregular descent path varies to less than 1 foot wide with a 1 foot
deep channel on either side and pockmarked with tall weeds. The brakes
held high and mighty as brake squeal reached a double high C. Hands
were raised at the bottom in self adulation – “YESSSSSSSS!”
I then kissed my Death Gripper handle with curved CF brake lever 😉 –
Scott Wallis is a Saint.
Rides have been about one hour with the last one about 1.5 hours.
During that ride, endurance failed with rising temperatures and a ever
continuing rocky terrain as I got lost. A double dose of prescription
muscle relaxer and Advil, may have been contributing factors. That
necessitated a never before ride out the bottom of the trail calling
for my wife with sag wagon to return to the top of the trail to pick up
my van.
Questions still remain. Cal MUni weekend is 1 month away. I still
need to figure out if I am into the long distance rides. Is MUni for
me, just a means of exercise and reprieve from the daily grind, or do I
still “have it” to do the multi – hour rides and end with a smile on my
face? Will my back hold up, or will I have to skip the first MUni
weekend ever.
Cheers.
--
teachndad
Rod Wylie (No longer riding, much🙁 )'MountainUnicyclingLA.com'
(http://www.mountainunicyclingla.com)
'Greater Los Angeles Area Trails - Images'
(http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Greater-Los-Angeles-Trails)
'UnicycleRoundupLA.com/' (http://unicycleroundupla.com/)
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