Three steps back, four steps forward
So last night was a small night ride with Doug, Chris and Jerry. Really nothing to report other than the fact that I didn't realize I could ride around Tijeras Creek at night. This is going to open up a lot of night riding for me this winter I think. Also I finally went through "the gate" near Chiquita Ridge. I had seen this gate locked many times and figured that meant I couldn't ride back there. Guess I was wrong.
The post topic deals with my recent attempts to try new things on the bike. I've been trying to get out of the saddle more lately and trying to ride in bigger gears. I'm trying to stay in the middle ring as much as possible and when a small hill comes up, I try to get out of the saddle and get a nice fluid motion going to get to the top. It's interesting to try and I'm hoping I can get better at shifting in the front as my bike doesn't handle that as well as shifting in the back.
The second area I've been trying to grow in is my downhill abilities. I want to be able to ride more confidently and that means taking more risks and learning how to ride smarter going downhill. I need to increase my comfort level descending.
Lately that has taken the form of braking less. Seems simple, but from everything I read about braking and being safe going downhill, less reliance on the brakes is actually better. The idea is that you should brake in bursts in safe spots to control speed and then open up on other sections. I'm still trying to ween myself off dragging the brakes on every descent. It's not easy because I don't fully trust my own abilities or my bike.
I'm looking to start doing some training on the bike regarding handling only. Instead of relying on 20-30 mile rides to increase my ability, I'm thinking of spending some time in a small park just practicing turning and skidding and random skills. That should help to increase confidence as well.
I want to be less embarrassed when I go on rides with better riders by not walking the bike as much and being able to handle more technical sections.
Let's hope I can stay out of the ER. Haha.
The post topic deals with my recent attempts to try new things on the bike. I've been trying to get out of the saddle more lately and trying to ride in bigger gears. I'm trying to stay in the middle ring as much as possible and when a small hill comes up, I try to get out of the saddle and get a nice fluid motion going to get to the top. It's interesting to try and I'm hoping I can get better at shifting in the front as my bike doesn't handle that as well as shifting in the back.
The second area I've been trying to grow in is my downhill abilities. I want to be able to ride more confidently and that means taking more risks and learning how to ride smarter going downhill. I need to increase my comfort level descending.
Lately that has taken the form of braking less. Seems simple, but from everything I read about braking and being safe going downhill, less reliance on the brakes is actually better. The idea is that you should brake in bursts in safe spots to control speed and then open up on other sections. I'm still trying to ween myself off dragging the brakes on every descent. It's not easy because I don't fully trust my own abilities or my bike.
I'm looking to start doing some training on the bike regarding handling only. Instead of relying on 20-30 mile rides to increase my ability, I'm thinking of spending some time in a small park just practicing turning and skidding and random skills. That should help to increase confidence as well.
I want to be less embarrassed when I go on rides with better riders by not walking the bike as much and being able to handle more technical sections.
Let's hope I can stay out of the ER. Haha.
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