What the hell just happened?

[Chuck W]

Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your throat,
asking yourself that question? Happened to me yesterday. I'm out on the
trails in my local woodland park, where the folks that run the place have
just finished a series of controlled burns to clear out underbrush (which
means nothing smaller than baby green trees is left). Up over a small rise
I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I
know it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise,
only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.

Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed on a mountain
bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny hop a little bit. When I
say a little bit, I mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything higher than six or
seven inches. So here I am careening at this foot-tall plus monster, way to
fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even
touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got off the
see what I broke. The landing was so smooth ,something had to be broken.
Nothing.

I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a rabid
dog to chase me down the trails or something.

-Chuck Wiley

 

[mojo deluxe]

"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your throat,
> asking yourself that question? Happened to me yesterday. I'm out on the
> trails in my local woodland park, where the folks that run the place have
> just finished a series of controlled burns to clear out underbrush (which
> means nothing smaller than baby green trees is left). Up over a small
rise
> I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and
I
> know it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the
rise,
> only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
> path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed on a mountain
> bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny hop a little bit. When I
> say a little bit, I mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping
a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything higher than six or
> seven inches. So here I am careening at this foot-tall plus monster, way
to
> fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all
I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even
> touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got off the
> see what I broke. The landing was so smooth ,something had to be broken.
> Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a rabid
> dog to chase me down the trails or something.
>
Fear is a great motivator. Nice job, Chuck.

 

[Shawn Curry]

Chuck W wrote:
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your throat,
> asking yourself that question? Happened to me yesterday. I'm out on the
> trails in my local woodland park, where the folks that run the place have
> just finished a series of controlled burns to clear out underbrush (which
> means nothing smaller than baby green trees is left). Up over a small rise
> I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I
> know it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise,
> only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
> path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed on a mountain
> bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny hop a little bit. When I
> say a little bit, I mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything higher than six or
> seven inches. So here I am careening at this foot-tall plus monster, way to
> fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even
> touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got off the
> see what I broke. The landing was so smooth ,something had to be broken.
> Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a rabid
> dog to chase me down the trails or something.

Grace under pressure. Way to go!

Shawn

 

[tcmedara]

Chuck W <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your
> throat, asking yourself that question? Happened to me yesterday.
> I'm out on the trails in my local woodland park, where the folks that
> run the place have just finished a series of controlled burns to
> clear out underbrush (which means nothing smaller than baby green
> trees is left). Up over a small rise I go, plenty of speed because
> I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I know it cuts to a
> lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise, only to
> find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
> path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed on a
> mountain bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny hop a little
> bit. When I say a little bit, I mean I can reliably get up onto a
> curb without bumping a wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried
> anything higher than six or seven inches. So here I am careening at
> this foot-tall plus monster, way to fast to bump over it. I squat,
> lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm worth, hoping to at least
> wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even touch the log. I was
> so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got off the see what I
> broke. The landing was so smooth ,something had to be broken.
> Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a
> rabid dog to chase me down the trails or something.
>
> -Chuck Wiley

Great story. The irony is that if you try the same thing intentionally
you'll wind up with a classic OTB manuever. At least that's what always
happens to me when I try to think my way through something. It's always
nice when the brain gets disengaged and the body takes over.

Tom

 

[Westie]

tcmedara wrote:
<snip chuck's story>
>> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a
>> rabid dog to chase me down the trails or something.
>>
>> -Chuck Wiley
> It's always nice when the brain gets disengaged and the
> body takes over.

Yeah. I find that 90% of the time I think too hard about what I'm doing,
over-analyse, tense up in anticipation, and crash. Then that other 10% of
the time I'm relaxed enough I can do stuff I thought was impossible for me.
Sometimes thinking is a *****.
--
Westie
--They say you only use 10% of your brain, maybe I should burn out that
other 90% - Shaun; any ideas?--
(Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.)

 

[Michael Dart]

In news:[email protected],
Chuck W <[email protected]> typed:
<snip>
> lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise, only to
> find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
> path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.
>
<snip>

Do or die.

....you did. WTG! ;^)

Mike

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

"Westie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> tcmedara wrote:
> <snip chuck's story>
> >> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a
> >> rabid dog to chase me down the trails or something.
> >>
> >> -Chuck Wiley
> > It's always nice when the brain gets disengaged and the
> > body takes over.
>
> Yeah. I find that 90% of the time I think too hard about what I'm doing,
> over-analyse, tense up in anticipation, and crash. Then that other 10% of
> the time I'm relaxed enough I can do stuff I thought was impossible for
me.
> Sometimes thinking is a *****.


Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that log there?!?!?!?"

> Westie
> --They say you only use 10% of your brain, maybe I should burn out that
> other 90% - Shaun; any ideas?--

I'd say you should maybe burn yours out to save weight. Me, I use the 90%,
and keep the other 10% as extra, for when i really need it.



Shaun aRe

 

[Chuck W]

<SNIP>
>
> Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that log there?!?!?!?"
>
<SNIP>
>
> Shaun aRe
>

I actually went back yesterday and looked to see why it was there (and to
measure it). It seems the base of the tree was mostly dead, bug-eaten wood,
and the "controlled burn" burned out enough to bring it down. Judging from
the drag marks, however, it did not originally fall where I found it. I
kinda like the look of it, so I rolled it further down the hill, to a spot
where it actually rests on the trail and won't catch anyone by surprise.
Incidentally, the log itself is 8 1/2", the total height where I found it:
~14".

-Chuck W

 

[JD]

"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your throat,
> asking yourself that question? Happened to me yesterday. I'm out on the
> trails in my local woodland park, where the folks that run the place have
> just finished a series of controlled burns to clear out underbrush (which
> means nothing smaller than baby green trees is left). Up over a small rise
> I go, plenty of speed because I've ridden this trail a hundred times, and I
> know it cuts to a lowering straight-away on the other side. I top the rise,
> only to find myself about 20 feet from an eight-inch log lying across the
> path, held several inches aloft by debris at the sides.
>
> Now's a good time to cover what little skill I've developed on a mountain
> bike. I can wheelie a little bit. I can bunny hop a little bit. When I
> say a little bit, I mean I can reliably get up onto a curb without bumping a
> wheel, but that's about it. Never even tried anything higher than six or
> seven inches. So here I am careening at this foot-tall plus monster, way to
> fast to bump over it. I squat, lift, and jerk, bunnyhop style, for all I'm
> worth, hoping to at least wreck without a log in the way. I didn't even
> touch the log. I was so surprised, I hit the brakes, stopped, got off the
> see what I broke. The landing was so smooth ,something had to be broken.
> Nothing.
>
> I'll probably never pull it off so sweet again. Now all I need is a rabid
> dog to chase me down the trails or something.
>
> -Chuck Wiley

Sometimes that's a daily manuever, in that form or another.

JD

 

[Jonesy]

"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Ever find yourself stopped in the middle of a trail, heart in your throat,
> asking yourself that question?

Not in the middle. Usually off to the side, lying on my back, with
the bike not visible from my current position.

[snip tale of accomplishment]

Do or do not, there is no "try". Funny, the things you can do
when:

1.) Nobody is watching.

2.) You're really not thinking about it.

Well done!
--
Jonesy

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

"Chuck W" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <SNIP>
> >
> > Hey, why has no one said "What kinda ******* put that log there?!?!?!?"
> >
> <SNIP>
> >
> > Shaun aRe
> >
>
> I actually went back yesterday and looked to see why it was there (and to
> measure it). It seems the base of the tree was mostly dead, bug-eaten
wood,
> and the "controlled burn" burned out enough to bring it down. Judging
from
> the drag marks, however, it did not originally fall where I found it. I
> kinda like the look of it, so I rolled it further down the hill, to a spot
> where it actually rests on the trail and won't catch anyone by surprise.
> Incidentally, the log itself is 8 1/2", the total height where I found it:
> ~14".

So, does look like someone dragged it there then. The bastards.

',;~}~


Shaun aRe