Whenever my mates and I go out for a ride there is this standing joke about the ride not being over until Dirk has fallen. Whether it is because of a rut, a drop-off, mud or just simply taking the wrong line. I've cracked ribs on a few occasions, leaving me out of riding for a good few weeks. I've broken my wrist in a fall, and had the handlebars try and puncture my gut. But still I kept doing it, and if I don't do it for a while the yearning starts. I need to ride. I'll probably fall. Again.
MTB riding can get rough.
So when I decided to start off-road riding on a motorbike I knew I was letting myself in for more danger than I needed. OK, best thing is to do an offroad course and take it on slowly. I have no desire to fall with a 200Kg+ bike. My 11Kg MTB hurt me enough.
So this morning I'm thinking I need more gravel time to get used to it, and promptly decided to take the gravel road that runs parallel to Botha Ave in Centurion, from the SPCA up north to Nelmapius at the southern end. What I did not realise is that there's some earth/roadworks going on, and a lot of digging next to the railway line. All the freshly dugout earth makes for a nice loose ride, not? Well as it happens I'm turning a corner and realize I need to cross over all this loose earth. Immediately I tense up, having flashbacks to all the MTB falls while cornering loose earth and sand.
"OK", I'm thinking, "just remember the training, weight one the outside peg. Don't be a hero, just relax." As I took the turn across the loose earth I could feel the front wheel going sideways. It was like slow motion, and I could feel the handlebars going down lower. Maybe it just happened really slowly, who knows? Anyway, I realized the wheel is just digging deeper into the loose earth and not slipping on top of it, and in that split second I become confident that this fall is not going to make it all the way to the ground.
Well, I don't know what saved me, if the was the Karoo 3's or the training or just the natural ability I have. No, definately not the last one! Anyway, I made the corner with the biggest smile I've ever had, continued up the gravel road and then came back for more.
Exhilaration!
What a ride! Now I'm sitting at the office replaying the ride in my head and enjoying it over and over. I know I might not be so lucky next time, but I'll worry about that later. For now I had an awesome 30 minutes of gravel, I can think of no better way to start the day.
MTB riding can get rough.
So when I decided to start off-road riding on a motorbike I knew I was letting myself in for more danger than I needed. OK, best thing is to do an offroad course and take it on slowly. I have no desire to fall with a 200Kg+ bike. My 11Kg MTB hurt me enough.
So this morning I'm thinking I need more gravel time to get used to it, and promptly decided to take the gravel road that runs parallel to Botha Ave in Centurion, from the SPCA up north to Nelmapius at the southern end. What I did not realise is that there's some earth/roadworks going on, and a lot of digging next to the railway line. All the freshly dugout earth makes for a nice loose ride, not? Well as it happens I'm turning a corner and realize I need to cross over all this loose earth. Immediately I tense up, having flashbacks to all the MTB falls while cornering loose earth and sand.
"OK", I'm thinking, "just remember the training, weight one the outside peg. Don't be a hero, just relax." As I took the turn across the loose earth I could feel the front wheel going sideways. It was like slow motion, and I could feel the handlebars going down lower. Maybe it just happened really slowly, who knows? Anyway, I realized the wheel is just digging deeper into the loose earth and not slipping on top of it, and in that split second I become confident that this fall is not going to make it all the way to the ground.
Well, I don't know what saved me, if the was the Karoo 3's or the training or just the natural ability I have. No, definately not the last one! Anyway, I made the corner with the biggest smile I've ever had, continued up the gravel road and then came back for more.
Exhilaration!
What a ride! Now I'm sitting at the office replaying the ride in my head and enjoying it over and over. I know I might not be so lucky next time, but I'll worry about that later. For now I had an awesome 30 minutes of gravel, I can think of no better way to start the day.
