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Following on from my previous blog about how the pleasures of riding downhill are hard to enjoy, at least for me, if I haven’t slogged my way UP the hill first: well I have to add that when I even talk about riding downhill I am a total lightweight.
There is no other word for it, I am a chicken! It’s the thought of that one tiny mistake, or even no mistake at all in the case of those inexplicable falls, which will lead to wipeout, and potential injury, pain, worry for wife and the bike ending up on the hook for a few months, and some extremity in plaster. Plus the fact I KNOW my technique sucks, and that pure statistics dictate that sooner or later I WILL have a fall if I do anything risky… My descent is usually a sensible, slowish, snail’s-pace, enjoy-the-view kind of affair. Yeah, I know, it’s a false sense of security, and uncertain riding is also a cause of falls, but it’s like my fear of flying - you can throw the “facts” at me all you like, it won’t change the fact I am a big girl’s blouse!
This fear of mine hasn’t been helped any by a blog I came across recently detailing one rider’s crash experience (photos not for the squeamish!) and a lively debate/picture-swapping session called …accidents about to happen over on the forums at Singletrackworld.com.
There are some pretty spectacular pics on the latter site, but they do nothing for my general MTB-cowardice levels. It’s a bit like watching all those Discovery Channel “plane crash” documentaries in order to get over my fear of flying…
Anyone got any recommendations for a “low-risk cyclist”…?!
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Posted on February 21st, 2007 by markowe
Filed under: MTB Serbia (All)
Markowe, nothing wrong with knowing your own limits mate (thanks for showing the pic of my arm on your site, hope it didnt put you off your lunch :o) Its a hard one, balancing speed vs safety on a mountain bike but its a risk that gets more difficult to balance as your riding skills evolve. I’ve had about 5 big bails in the last 5 years and ended up in the A&E 3 times and i know i’m going to be back there again at some point. For me, i feel like i’ve reached a crux in my ability level so t continue to get that buzz i’m going to have to visit those boundaries every time i go out. I also think there is a massive genetic link between those with a self preservation attitude and those who put fear to the back of their mind. Cycle as you want to cycle my friend, at the end, cycling touches the soul of each individual in a different way.
All the best mate. I’ll add your link to the active brits biking blog.
http://www.activebrits.com
http://activebrits.blogspot.com
http://activebritsbiking.blogspot.com
http://activebritstravel.blogspot.com
http://balanced-control-freak.blogspot.com
Cheers mate!
I suppose you get desensitized to the rush, and need to keep pushing the limits to get more (don’t want to get into drug comparisons, but maybe there is one). No doubt there IS a correlation between how far you push it, and the risk level, too, but I am also pretty sure playing it safe is no guarantee you will protect yourself!
So maybe I will push it just that LITTLE bit more next time out, and who knows, maybe even have some nice colourful pictures for the blog soon!
Keep up the good work with the blog and wish you a great season with all the adrenaline, and none of the A&E!