It felt so good to get out there on my mountain bike again for a ride. We had just started getting back into riding after a long lazy winter, and after my Tuesday ride I felt so pumped and complete! I was excited to get more of those endorphins flowing! We started pedaling up the first incline, a pretty gradual but challenging up hill that we used to be able to ride without a rest. I kept my focus on pumping and moving forward, my mind filled with dreams and thoughts about the new restaurant we are working on building. I almost made it to the top, but my will gave waay and I ended up stopping for a rest in the shade to catch my breath, a big improvement from two days ago when I made 4 stops up the same hill.
I am feeling pretty good about myself at this point, and ready to tackle the rest of the ride. We get to the top and get ready to make the rolling downhill ride to the Lake, where we will need to climb back out again. The rains have left the trail rutted and rocky, making the downhill a lot more technically difficult than I am comfortable with, but I am determined. I am chanting “trust the bike, trust God, you can do this” over and over as we start our descent.
I get about half way down and there’s the slope of death. I call it this because it has gotten me before. In the best of conditions it is difficult, but I have been able to conquer it in the past by keeping my eyes focused softly ahead to where I want to go, instead of straight down and looking into the ruts.
I have learned the hard way that my bike will go where I look. Look at the rock you don’t want to hit and 10/10 times you will hit the rock. Yup, my aim is that good. I am sad to say the hill got me, but not big time, just a gentle fall over to the side, with a little bruising on my elbow and knee. Humbling message to walk this part.
I get back on the bike and catch up with James, he is so sweet he makes me feel better by saying he also almost succumbed to the hill too. I decide to follow him the rest of the way, looking at his line (where his tires go) as a guide for my own path.
In theory this would have been a great plan, but we are talking about looking ahead here, one of the 17 laws of teamwork I was just reading about. Seeing more and before- the big picture, all the stuff I am working on living.
So my looking ahead only extended to James who was riding about 20 ft in front of me. I saw him navigate a muddy groove, it looked like he jumped up a little to make it through, but this processed in my mind a little too late for me to take action.
I followed his line, whizzing down the hill at a pretty swift speed, and suddenly I found myself bouncing on the trail. My front tire locked into that muddy groove and sent me and the bike flying over the handlebars to land with the thud of my head thwacking on the ground.
I was at that moment unable to find the strength to lift the bike off of me and get up. I could feel James stopping and looking back at me, I said “I’m ok I’m ok” as I lay there stunned for a minute, and did an quick inventory of my body to make sure there was nothing seriously hurt. With his help, I got up and looked at my muddy mess. My pride was bruised, along with a few body parts, but it could have been worse.
My thoughts as I was walking my bike up the hill after my spill were “what is the lesson here?” In riding in these conditions I was venturing into unknown territory, and since I was following a strong leader, I neglected using my own brain to look ahead. Had I remembered what I was learning, to look at the big picture, I would have slowed down and listened to my intuition that told me I was going too fast.