One of the holy grails of mountain biking is 'The Flow'. This is a state of mind, a state of being or maybe a moment in time where everything comes together. The bike knows which way to go so all you need to do is relax, let it do it's thing and occasionally add a bit of extra input to make it all go faster.
I'm still not fast and I'm still getting left behind on the descents, but at least I'm keeping the backs in view now. Luckily in my riding group we wait at the end of each trail for everyone to catch up, and have a laugh whilst we're doing it.
Good mates, flash bikes, great trails, belly laughs and a cold beer at the end of it. How good can a Sunday get?
Incidentally the picture above was taken by Miff, who we bumped into on the trails. Her blog Singletrack Minds sums up the feeling of singletrack better than anything else I've read. Give it a look - just be aware that you might have an unbeatable urge to stop what you're doing and go and ride your bike.
My flow has very definitely not been flowing for the last few months. When I'm on a trail I ping from rock to root in a gripped state of semi-terror, waiting all the while for the wheels to wash out and the ground to reach up for me. The concept of 'look where you want to go' has been subverted into 'stare fixedly at what you want to miss', with inevitable results. I nana-brake into and out of every corner, feathering the levers and upsetting the balance of the bike. And worst of all my friends disappear down the trail ahead of me, leaving me to chase forlornly and hope to catch them on the uphills (which is cheating in anything but cross-country racing).
I went for help at the weekend. Roadie Rob is the go-to guy if you want to up your riding game - be it mountain bike, jump bike, BMX or (god forbid) road bikes. Rob reminded me of a few things & showed me a few more, and within half an hour I was feeling a lot faster and more comfortable. I still have a lot of work to do but I could start to feel the Flow flirting with my mind. It's a strange sensation - it almost feels like you're cheating, cutting the corners or flattening out the climbs.
On Sunday a bunch of us headed out to Daisy Hill. It was a beautiful Queensland winter day - 23 degrees, sunny with a clear cloudless blue sky and a slight bite to the wind.
OK maybe the odd cloud, but nothing to grumble about 
Good mates, flash bikes, great trails, belly laughs and a cold beer at the end of it. How good can a Sunday get?
Incidentally the picture above was taken by Miff, who we bumped into on the trails. Her blog Singletrack Minds sums up the feeling of singletrack better than anything else I've read. Give it a look - just be aware that you might have an unbeatable urge to stop what you're doing and go and ride your bike.
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