For my first ride, we ventured a few miles down the road. Karel taught me the basics of riding a mountain bike on very easy trails. There were no obstacles to overcome but instead, I learned how to move my weight, adjust the gears and go over curbs. It was a very fun and enlightening session.
A little over a month later (December 24th), I went for my first official mountain bike ride at Dupont State Forest. This ride was much more technical with rocks, roots, gravel, water crossings, climbs and descends. Karel took his time explaining line choices and helping me build my confidence going over more technical obstacles. We would stop and discuss the more challenging sections and although I would try, there were many obstacles that I could not get over. As the ride continued, I could feel myself getting tired from this new activity. Karel was impressed with what I was able to do (although I felt like I complete beginner) and he felt like I was ready for a more technical course - Pleasant Ridge.
The Pleasant Ridge trail system is only 20-minutes away and one of Karel's favorite "local" places to mountain bike. With several loops within the main loop (~5.8 miles) to choose from, Karel once again took his time with me as we practiced going over tree limbs, roots and rocks as well as body positioning on turns, descends and climbs. I picked up a lot of new skills really quickly It really helped having Karel show me what to do and talk me through the steps. After my second ride, I mentioned to Karel that I would like to do an event on Feb 26th - 6-hours on the ridge. It was a local, small event and it would be on a course that I could practice on. Karel was excited for us to do our first mountain bike event together but we both knew I had a lot of work to do to prepare for this event.
For the next seven weeks (along with swimming, running, trainer riding and road biking), I went to Pleasant Ridge at least once a week to practice. With each time, I got a little better. Sometimes I would fall, struggle and get frustrated but sometimes I would succeed. When I did succeed, I would cheer out loud and say "Yes! I did it!" After several rides, I was able to confidently do the Sassy's Pass loop as well as the short and long loop (in both directions). When I returned back to Dupont two weeks before the event, I found myself with a lot more confidence to try harder obstacles.
At night before bed, I would watch videos of mountain bike skills and watch races/events. When I had a little free time, I would even practice skills (like unclipping and clipping in with either foot) outside our house.
Knowing that the race course would include a section of the trail that I had never been on before, eleven days out from the event, Karel felt like I was ready to try the JFA upper loop - I called this the "black diamond" loop as it had a lot of technical rock features which required good speed, body position, line choice and confidence. For this ride, I struggled on every feature but one. I felt like a failure. I almost passed on riding the next day but I knew I had to go back and conquer my fears. I spent four hours on the course and made sure to master as many obstacles as I could. There was one that I continued to struggle with until my last loop when I successfully got over rock after rock after rock. There was one root section on a hill that I could not get over as I just couldn't get the right speed and strength after two previous rocks. Karel told me not to get upset when I can't clear an obstacle as there are times when the best riders in the world have to unclip.
On the week of the event (Tuesday), we did a recon of the course and I didn't make it over any obstacle on the upper loop. I don't know if it was fear, fatigue or a combination of both but I did not ride well that evening. We went back on Friday for one last recon and I succeed without any falls (and only one unclipping for the root section). It was a great confidence builder going into the event.
It was fun going through the motions and emotions of "race week" as it's been a while since I've raced. With the triathlon race season kicking off in a few months, it was helpful to practice race week workouts, pre-race nutrition/hydration and preparing gear, equipment and sport nutrition. It doesn't matter how many times I pack for a race, it always feels overwhelming.
Although I have great endurance from long distance racing, my skills are a work in progress. But I am willing to learn and I am having fun - even when I make mistakes.
The reason why I wanted to write part I of this race report is to help others who may be in a similar situation as myself.
When you do something for the first time or if you are new to a sport, there will be things that you struggle with. Although this is a normal part of developing, it's very easy to become frustrated after making mistakes. When you can't handle your frustration (or anger), there is a good chance that you will quit. If you see yourself as a failure, it's difficult to have fun.
I selected 6-hours on the Ridge as my first mountain bike event for a few reasons:
-I could practice on the course - it was familiar to me.
-It was time-based and not mileage based.
-It was a loop course so I could stop/rest at anytime.
-It was local, which minimized stress/planning/travel.
-It was a small event.
In learning how to mountain bike, I've had to really work on my self-talk. It's so easy to be hard on myself but an important skill is to learn to move on and not dwell on the past. When you have high expectations or you desire perfection, the risk of getting frustrated, disappointed and upset increases. This rigid thinking sets you up for failure because there's no way that you can predict what will happen on race day.
Frustration is not as bad as it seems. It can actually be a great motivator to get over (literally) the obstacle that is blocking your path. But if your frustration causes a negative emotional spiral, this can morph into anger - which affects your ability to make good decisions.
I'm proud of myself for finishing my first MTB event and not giving up. This journey has not been easy but it's been also been extremely rewarding, eye-opening and motivating to feel like a beginner again.