[ditchdiver56]

Ok, so this morning I was all psyched about riding one of my favorite spots. Lots of single track, lots of technical, lots of downhill stuff. Stuff you bring the "good bike" to ride. I was all ready to conquer some of the more technical parts that I had failed at before, and had grand dreams of even hitting the drop that I'd never attempted. As a warm up I there are a few small jumps at the trail head that I like to hit to build my confidence. As I was rolling up to the first one, I had planned on hitting it faster and better than ever before, but while in mid-air something went wrong. Maybe it was because I was riding clipless today where I usually ride flats. Maybe I was jittery because it had been a while since I've gotten some airtime. Maybe I was trying to show off. Whatever the reason, I performed and inadvertant x-up and cased the landing. Minimal damage, a few scratches, a strained feeling under my jaw, but my ego was crushed. My confidence level shattered. The rest of the ride sucked, and I found myself taking shortcuts to make the ride shorter. I couldn't wait to get home. That stupid crash effected my whole ride.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Ditch

 

[Tom]

This happens to me all the time, I call it "losing my flow". I find that If I crash on a section of trail and just keep going, I have trouble doing little things that I am normally fine at. The best solution I've found is to go back and ride the hundred feet before I crashed and try whatever it was that made me crash, then I can continue on with more confidence and better style. Note that it often takes me four or five tries to get past the place where I crashed the first time since my confidence is pretty low that point, but when I finally do, the momentum of my victory will carry me over the next obstacle, and I'll have enough positive mental muscle to usually have an altogether awesome ride.

Also, I find that if I encounter an obstacle that I know I have no chance of navigating, I make sure to laugh about it rather than brood about my lack of skills. My friends and I get a kick out of calling this maneuver "weenie cross".

cheers,
Tom

 

[KuNgFuDeViL]

It has happened to me before but I never let it get to me too long. I will be more cautious on my ride for awhile, but after a bit I always seem to forget about it. The thing that gets to me the most is the thought in the back of my mind that someone might have seen me take a spill. Just try to forget about it and keep on pushing, I am always trying to conquer parts of trails I haven't been able to in the past.