I've just got home after a very strange afternoon followed by a 4 hour drive (it's 00.50 here).
I went to some new trails today with a couple of friends, one of who'd been several times. Quite demanding XC/AM with fantastic rock gardens and lots of other technical bits to keep a rider alert....
Anyway, during the ride it became very clear to me that I've lost some of the 'bottle' (bravery) that I used to have and aged 47 I've slowed down on the technical sections. It was wet today and a little slippery and I fell off on the first rock garden. The only reason it happened was due to lack of speed and too much thought. I climbed off the bike and walked it down the next two and felt a little ashamed of myself but I just lacked confidence, which was a new and unpleasant feeling for me. I've never been ashamed to admit when I'm scared, and the man who says he's never afraid is either certifiably insane, or a fool. Anyway, it came as a bit of a rude awakening and, for some reason, I felt I wanted to share my disappointment in myself!!
Later in the ride we had to make a detour due to logging activity and this meant heading down a steep logging track with a broken surface of small rocks and peat..... We all set off down together, me in front and it was a great descent although I started to feather the brakes at 28mph (so the Garmin has just told me). My pal came past me as if I was stationary and turned into a gentle right hander which pushed his front tyre and he ran wide into the bend and straight into a deep rutted edge, made worse by recent prolonged and heavy rain.
Anyway, he came off heavily, a really nasty crash that left him motionless initially. I stopped with him and our other pal went back up the fire track to slow other riders coming down. My first aid kit was really useful (it sits there for months just taking up space and gathering dust but we needed it today) I did the basic checks to make sure he was compus mentus and cleaned up a bad gash to his scalp which covered what looked to be a compression fracture.
Another rider stopped (thanks Phil Jones) who had local knowledge and talked an ambulance into us. Anyway, my buddy looks as if he's also fractured his sternum and a vertibrae in his neck and is now faced with a stretch in hospital.
I'm waffling a bit, very tired and a bit low. Strange day today, a definite passion but tinged with some sadness.
Ride safe, don't go without a first aid kit and always wear a helmet. It almost certainly saved my friend's life today.
I went to some new trails today with a couple of friends, one of who'd been several times. Quite demanding XC/AM with fantastic rock gardens and lots of other technical bits to keep a rider alert....
Anyway, during the ride it became very clear to me that I've lost some of the 'bottle' (bravery) that I used to have and aged 47 I've slowed down on the technical sections. It was wet today and a little slippery and I fell off on the first rock garden. The only reason it happened was due to lack of speed and too much thought. I climbed off the bike and walked it down the next two and felt a little ashamed of myself but I just lacked confidence, which was a new and unpleasant feeling for me. I've never been ashamed to admit when I'm scared, and the man who says he's never afraid is either certifiably insane, or a fool. Anyway, it came as a bit of a rude awakening and, for some reason, I felt I wanted to share my disappointment in myself!!
Later in the ride we had to make a detour due to logging activity and this meant heading down a steep logging track with a broken surface of small rocks and peat..... We all set off down together, me in front and it was a great descent although I started to feather the brakes at 28mph (so the Garmin has just told me). My pal came past me as if I was stationary and turned into a gentle right hander which pushed his front tyre and he ran wide into the bend and straight into a deep rutted edge, made worse by recent prolonged and heavy rain.
Anyway, he came off heavily, a really nasty crash that left him motionless initially. I stopped with him and our other pal went back up the fire track to slow other riders coming down. My first aid kit was really useful (it sits there for months just taking up space and gathering dust but we needed it today) I did the basic checks to make sure he was compus mentus and cleaned up a bad gash to his scalp which covered what looked to be a compression fracture.
Another rider stopped (thanks Phil Jones) who had local knowledge and talked an ambulance into us. Anyway, my buddy looks as if he's also fractured his sternum and a vertibrae in his neck and is now faced with a stretch in hospital.
I'm waffling a bit, very tired and a bit low. Strange day today, a definite passion but tinged with some sadness.
Ride safe, don't go without a first aid kit and always wear a helmet. It almost certainly saved my friend's life today.