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A passion for crashing
The other day, I went out for a nice after-work singletrack ride. I’ve found that it is a great way to clear out the cobwebs from a long day at work, and I highly recommend it to you all, by the way. On my merry little way, I noticed that the trails were a bit damp, something that reminded me of the previous day’s downpour. Not to worry, I thought, as the trail system drains very quickly, made up mostly of sandy, silty dirt. The soil was collecting on my tires a bit and was getting tossed up in the air around me in small bits by my tires. I am always amused when that happens, and I kept right on pedalling and having fun. And that’s right about when it happened.
I got that rude awakening that we have all received at one time or another. The trail went around a tight 90 degree turn to the left. I dove into it with a good head of steam and the dirt-packed front tire started that dreaded slide that is a precursor to, well, doom. At that point in time, I always find I enter a time warp. How else can I explain the slow motion feel that I get when I am about to be introduced to Mother Earth in a violent manner?
That feeling you get just before the impact is such a great moment! I had a physics teacher in college that put it this way: “It’s not the state of being out of control that kills you, it’s the sudden deceleration that does the damage.” He sure was right about that. I just wish the price of being out of control for that one glorious moment wasn’t quite so high. It seems like you are flying, free from the usual state of gravitational pull, and it is quite exhilarating. Then the bill comes and it’s time to pay.
Thankfully, the price tag on my day’s crash wasn’t too high. Just a slide on the left leg and forearm in some greasy earth and bruise here and there. Nothing that a hot shower at the end of the ride couldn’t cure. It was fun, actually, and I look forward to the next on the edge flirtation with disaster. Maybe I’m crazy, but I think that it’s part of the mountain biking experience, whether you are a pro downhill rider or are just plunking along on some twisty single track like me. Try embracing that part of the ride and you just might be having more fun than you thought possible on your trails.
Crashing can even be looked at as a positive experience in another way: you learn what you can and can’t do; you find out what skills you need to sharpen; you can even make better choices in equipment based on crash experiences. A crash should always teach you something.
What did I learn from my bail? Well, I learned that I should be running a different tire combination when the trails are damp. I also learned that people stare at you funny when you are covered in dirt riding home from the trails. That’s okay. I know that I’m having fun getting that way. I can’t wait to do it again!
1. Posted by Oliver | 7:07 am, 6 June 2006
Well said! That moment right before impact is magical somehow isn’t it?
As a kid, my dad took me downhill skiing all the time. I grew up on it. Sometimes, after a few good days, he would say “I haven’t taken a spill for a while. It’s got me a bit worried.”
Now, having grown up in Austria, my dad was/is a phenomenal skier. Before the most recent explosion of shaped skis and amazing modern equipment, there seemed to be a more visible discrepancy between expert and intermediate skiers on the hill. My dad always stood out on the hill as one guy who _really_ knew what he was doing.
So naturally, his comment puzzled me. I needed some explanation:
“If you don’t fall every once it a while you can forget how to do it properly…(more puzzled looks from me)….in a way that won’t get you hurt badly. You also get to thinking your better than you are. That’s a bad combination.”
I’ve taken that advice with me through many sports, but it seems to apply more to mountain biking. Falling down and hurting yourself a bit is a good thing.
Leave it too long and you’ll miss some valuable lessons, and you may be building a debt you don’t want to pay all at once…
Of course you don’t go out there to crash, but when you do, definitely look at it’s positive aspects. They are there—and easier to see if you don’t hurt yourself too badly, of course :)
Plus there’s the ultra-cool time warp effect!