mtn bike clinic report: White Ranch, CO

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-11, Ride-A-Lot penned:

[snip good cleat-fitting info]

> ... When you've found an ideal cleat position, trace lines
> around the cleats so you can easily replace a worn cleat
> and reposition a loose one.

As luck would have it, since I already have cleats of the
same brand that work well for me positionally, I should
be able to skip straight to this step. Thank you for
pointing this out -- somehow I missed this probably-
obvious short cut.

Now they just need to hurry up and arrive ... does supergo
send a second email when the product ships, or does it just
magically show up? Anyone know?

--
monique

 

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-11, Zilla penned:
>
> According to "Bike Chick" of Bicycling Mag., the
> "unofficial" way to fit cleats is to lie on your stomach
> on your bed with your feet dangling off the bed. This
> gives them their "natural" angle. You should then mount
> your cleats so you mimic this angle when your clipped to
> the bike.
>

That actually makes a surprising amount of sense.

--
monique

 

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-11, Shawn Curry penned:
>
> To avoid the terror part, but learn switchbacks, go to
> Apex park (if you haven't yet). http://www.co.jefferson.c-
> o.us/ext/dpt/comm_res/openspac/apex.htm Lots of
> switchbacks, no cliffs.

Never been there -- it's amazing how many trails are right
under my nose, or, well, less than an hour away. I'll have
to check it out. It may take me a while, though -- I'm leery
of trying new trails while this mound of scabs on my forearm
is healing.

--
monique

 

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-11, BB penned:
> On Mon, 10 May 2004 23:48:07 -0600, Monique Y.
> Mudama wrote:
>>
>> You know, thinking about it, I don't recall if she
>> originally said it while going uphill or what.
>
> It really is important going uphill, unless the obstacle
> is some really grabby sandstone or something. The back
> wheel will spin furiously while it slips to the side, and
> all momentum si gone.

Yup. I experienced this first-hand on Sunday.

>> I've been really lucky so far in the going-over-the-bars
>> category -- the only time I've come close was this
>> clinic Sunday
>
> Just a matter of time!

No doubt, but I'm not trying to rush it!

--
monique

 

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-12, Paladin penned:
> "Monique Y. Mudama" <[email protected]> wrote in
> message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Tonya Laffey, pro racer, taught this clinic. Read more
>> about her and her team here: http://www.mtbchick.com/
>>
>> I heard about the clinic from the Singletrack Sistahs
>> group. More info here: http://www.singletracksistahs.com/
>
> Is there a camp for bruthas?

I don't know =/ I rarely see male-specific sport-related
camps. I saw that Winter Park was offering men's ski clinics
this past season, but it looks like they didn't do so hot.
The guy at the optics store today mentioned some general mtb
camps, but I don't recall the name of the group.

Hey, me, I wasn't necessarily looking for a gender-specific
camp; it just turns out that some of the resources available
to me are geared toward women. It *was* kind of a neat
change being by far the most aggressive and skilled of the
students in this class ... the first time I've ever ridden
with anyone who wasn't way better than me.

> It's amazing how much air you can get if you let yourself
> go vertical.

It turns out that my big challenge is looking ahead, rather
than down at my oh-so-fascinating wheel. I gained several
inches just by looking up.

> You mighta been trying too hard, but hey, you were out
> hammering it and that's what counts.

Yeah. Also, I knew that if I didn't clear that section, I'd
always be afraid of it. This way, I can remember it as the
challenging section that I beat, rather than the challenging
section that beat me.

> I rode 18 miles with a cut up arm and broken ribs. As we
> got within earshot of Adam's house, he yells out "Road
> Rash!" and his lovely, well-trained wife runs out with a
> bottle of alcohol and a rough wash cloth, giving me the
> treatment.

Beautiful!

>> After we were all done there, I called Eric, but the
>> reception wasn't so great. So I pretty much just told him
>> to buy some gauze and hydrogen peroxide and that I'd be
>> home in an hour. Then I drove home as quickly as I could.
>>
> Others sometimes don't understand.

Eric understands ... he just wasn't sure if I was going to
arrive home with all of my limbs intact. I guess I could
have upped my level of effort in communicating the damage,
or lack thereof.

Speaking of understanding, today was pretty interesting. I
had four doc appts -- seeing a nurse for a shot, getting
fillings at the dentist, my weekly chiro, and physical
therapy. Three out of the four places, I was greeted with
dismay and concern. The fact that I shrugged it off just
weirded them out. My dental assistant person said, "Well,
guess you won't be riding for a while," and when I said, "Of
course I'll ride this weekend, assuming it doesn't rain" she
just ... looked at me. Like I was an alien.

Walk into the chiro office, though, and the receptionist,
Jessica, sees my arm and immediately asks, "Mountain
biking?" I grin and say, "Yeah, how'd you know?" She raises
up both arms to show off her scars. "We all do it."

Now, *that* is cool.

(My dad would also appreciate it if I wore elbow pads. I
said I'd consider it. He said, well, please be careful out
there. I said I am ... most of the time.)

> good story. And that repair stand is terrific, better than
> my Park PRS-5.

It's definitely on my list, but I still need to get the
roof rack for my bike, and I just bought some really sweet
Rudy Project sunglasses (ER forthcoming once I actually
ride with 'em).

--
monique

 

[Monique Y. Muda]

On 2004-05-11, gabrielle penned:
> On Tue, 11 May 2004 00:07:24 -0600, Monique Y.
> Mudama wrote:
>
>> With as much experience as you have, I'd imagine they'd
>> be a lot less scary to you, because you can probably keep
>> your balance at a standstill much longer than my newbie
>> self can.
>
> Ha! Not even. I'm still trying to master a track stand.

Yeah, me too, but that doesn't mean you don't have better
balance than I do =P

Speaking of balance, I'm doing some phys. therapy for my
knees, and I was assigned a new one today: either stand
with one foot on something squooshy, or stand with one foot
on the ground, but with your eyes closed. Hold position for
30 seconds.

It's amazing how quickly I lose my balance as soon as I
close my eyes! I really think this exercise will help me
out, though. Better balance and stabilizing muscles are
*always* a good thing.

>> Troy said that, when he was learning clipless, he got
>> next to a telephone pole and held onto the pole while
>> clipping in and out for an hour. Eric has suggested
>> finding some grass to ride in and braking to a complete
>> stop, then unclipping. Both sound like good suggestions,
>> but I haven't tried them thus far.
>
> The owner of the LBS suggested I come in & put my bike on
> a trainer there for a while. She said she wouldn't let me
> leave until I was comfortable with it.

Yup, I was told that, too, when buying my bike, but their
definition of comfortable was different than mine =P
Seriously, there's a huge difference between clipping out
when coming to a planned, gradual stop and clipping out
suddenly or, god forbid, uphill. Then again, you're using
cages, so you're probably used to *some* form of action
before stepping down already.

--
monique