Mountain biking

Liz_in_Calgary said:

So, I put my name in for a mountain bike "race" event at
work. I like riding my bike, not all that fast but I do
enjoy it.

So, one of the rules is you have to have a helmet. I get
one. Nice shiny styrofoam thing. Quite dashing.

Its the preride tonight - Due to construction you have to go
(ride) up a hill just to get to the starting gate... not to
be discouraged, as I am looking forward to this ride - take
off and am surpised that the ride isn't more groomed - doh -
its a mountain bike ride... ok... so its uphill and then its
downhill, and sometimes both at the same time, over little
wooden planks, over bigger wooden planks, nice scenery, at
the summitt of the ride i am beginning to feel very hot -
lord knows I didn't bust my ass doing any great feats up
hill... so I stop and wipe my forehead - theres blood... a
nose bleed.... never happened since I was a kid. I admit to
being a little ticked and anxious.

Sometimes those hills are just too steep I walk down some of
them, those corners look wicked.

The end is in sight - but there is a really steep steep hill
up - not the only one walking. Some people have passed me
at least a couple of times. I did ride the bike up and down
the last little hill. It was great to be finished!

They made me talk to some perimedic type guy... he was
cranky. Made me answer a bunch of questions - name? where
are you? Someone on the sidelines said I should give up
riding my bike. I felt like hitting her. The people I was
with asked if I needed a lift down to my car - no, so I
jumped on the bike and headed off - without helmet - it was
so nice to feel the wind in my hair - something like flying.

Back home I needed some sustanance, half a small pizza and a
couple of nice cool drinks. Wondering if I should attempt
another ride this time without the anxiety of driving in
rush hour traffic, have something to eat before, and making
sure that my body is well hydrated, as well as getting alift
to the starting point.

Mountain biking is definatly not for the fraidy cats, or
people who like their rides on pavement. Gosh I wish they
would let those of us who do take things slow to ditch the
helmet.

take care
Liz

Sure was fun wasn't it? I'm a road biker 99% of the time. There are a
couple of off-road races that I participate in every year. Because of
my MTB inexperience I expect to crash. At these races there is always
an ambulance ready. And good thing too. People crashing all over the
course, broken legs, collar bones, arms and lovely face plants. I
myself once did a 180 over-the-bars face plant and another time flew
head first into a tree which cracked my shiny new 120 buck helmet and
knocked me out cold. You know what, when I ride road, I never wear a
helmet. Don't feel I need to. But off-road, well I don't think I'd be
here commenting if I hadn't been wearing one. Off-road is killer
dangerous, but fun if you don't die.

On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 03:49:42 GMT in rec.bicycles.rides,

Liz_in_Calgary said:

Gosh I wish they
would let those of us who do take things slow to ditch the
helmet.

Not wearing one is a sign that you don't have much to protect.

you could be right, but to go and do something that you know
is going to cause pain and break things and god knows what
else is just lunacy. Maybe I learned how to protect myself
before helmets gave one a feeling of invincibility.

take care
Liz

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:12:46 -0800, in rec.bicycles.rides
[email hidden] (Dennis P. Harris) wrote :

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 03:49:42 GMT in rec.bicycles.rides,

Liz_in_Calgary said:

Gosh I wish they
would let those of us who do take things slow to ditch the
helmet.

Not wearing one is a sign that you don't have much to protect.