6 Tips On What To Do When Rides Just Can't Seem To Add Up

Johnny Cash Middle FingerThis past weekend, a group of us headed up to Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina to get some tech riding in. The area is about 3 1/2 hours from Atlanta and features arguably the best riding on the east coast and some of my favorite riding out of anywhere I have been to date.

Saturday we hit up the hardest trail in the area (Farlow Gap) and Sunday we headed off to Pilot Rock for some crazy fast rock downhill. On the Laurel Mountain climb up to Pilot, I should have known it was going to be a rough day in the saddle when, on the climb, a thick tree branch swung into my front wheel, grabbed tension off of a spoke and flung itself to hit me square in the face. It was the beginning of one of the roughest days I have had in the saddle that didn’t result in a serious injury.

4 wrecks, 4 mechanicals and a host of other issues later…I proved that I can still cuss and throw 5 year old temper-tantrum with the best of them as what was supposed to me a flawless day in the saddle went to shit in a hurry. Now…the screaming and getting pissed of that I did is the exact wrong way to handle days on the trail that result in this and typically just make it worse. So…in the light of showing how I did it wrong…here is the advice I should have taken that would have resulted in a better day…

6 Tips To Get The Ride Back On Track

There are going to be those days that seem like they have everything stacked against them. At every turn, all flow goes away and you are presented with a new obstacle that isn’t a rock or root to tackle. Here are some zen tips to get rolling and hopefully get all of the pedal strokes back in line before you give your friends the middle finger for trying to make it better.

  1. Take A Deep Breath – The absolute worst thing you can do when days don’t add up on the bike is to get super frustrated and start to rush into the rest of the ride pissed off. By doing this, you are just going to continue to make things worse as you hit the trail with enough adrenaline and anger to take on a bear. When things just seem to continually go wrong, it is better to take a deep breath in…and try to regain composure for a second.
  2. Do A Quick Once Over of the Bike – Wrecks breed wrecks and mechanicals breed mechanicals. Before you go tearing off into the woods looking for that flow that you have lost, really take a good look over the bike and make sure everything is in working order. If you catch potential issues before they happen, you can prevent another frustrated moment trail side. The most common areas to check would be your tires (pressure and bead) and your shifting (derailleurs and chain).
  3. Slow It Down A Notch – The first thing I want to end up doing after multiple unscheduled dismounts and encounters with the ground is drop the hammer. However, I obviously am having issues or I wouldn’t have been on the ground multiple times to begin with. When you are trying to find your flow, do tip 1 and then build speed back up. By building up instead of hitting the gas, you might be able to get back into the swing of things and get the ride on track.
  4. Take A Quick Break – Sometimes it is better to just sit on the side of the trail and regroup. When you wreck or experience mechanicals on the trail, you instantly peak your heart rate and throw your body into temporary survival mode. It can be hard to get things back to normal so taking a quick break to regroup can go a long way in getting the ride back to a manageable level. This is especially true if you are finding a sequence of wrecks.
  5. Ride The Trail…Don’t Play Catch Up – One of the temptations (especially on technical trails) is to try to ride against your fellow riders instead of riding the trail. Everyone has different skill levels and sections where they are faster or slower than the riders around them. If you forget to ride your ride and try to catch up to other riders in your group (or try to speed up not to hold riders up), you are going to multiply your problems quickly. Pro race car drivers will always tell you, “you are racing the track…not the other riders”. You should be doing the same thing. (of course…if you are holding people up…get off to the side and let them by)
  6. Go To A Happy Place – Just as in Happy Gilmore, take a second and get your mind in a happy place. If you are in a good mood…you will ride better. Pissed off riders just get more pissed off.

By taking some pretty easy steps, you can salvage cursed rides and regain the flow you lost on the trail. Admittedly…this is one of those advice pieces that is often easier said than done when you are in the moment as I proved this weekend.

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