Since going to the seminar at Rays with Hans Ray, The milkman has wanted to smooth the flow and increase the technical difficulty of Blue Mound, and this is another stage of that project. As he mentioned, this is ridable so there is no reroute, please don't make one. In Moab, about 10 miles of the Whole Enchalada is worse than this. In many parts of the US, this obstacle would be on Blue trails.
If you are not comfortable with Rock Gardens, this one will be a good opportunity for you to gain skills in a short garden.
And now it's time for.. Vibrato's "How to ride this Rock Garden."(yes I'm aware how often I crash... Thanks for clearing that up... HA!)
1. Enter at a moderate speed so you don't have to pedal through it, it's down hill so you don't have to be going very fast at the top. This garden is at a slight slope so you should be able to stay off the brakes once you enter it. If you need to brake, BE CAREFUL! A little front brake when the front wheel is going up a rock will throw you over the bars faster than you can say Doh!! and rocks hurt.
2. Full attack position, pedals level, butt behind the seat, arms SLIGHTLY bent, knees bent enough to get your butt back.
3. (Mentally, This is the hard one) Do not try to pick your specific lines! Instead, try to let the let the bike "float" under you while "aiming" the bike in a direction. I think there are too many rocks here to pick a line between them all, you'll never make it. Stay back, stay loose, the bike is gonna kick and bounce, let it do that without doing it yourself by using your arms and legs to absorb the rocks and guide the bike around and through the bigger rocks. Did I mention STAY BACK on the bike.
If you do not know what the attack position is, have someone with a little more experience show you and have them critique your attack position to be sure it is correct for this obstacle!
When learning this technique, many people have a tendency to not get as far back on the bike as they think they are, instead they tend to be back a little and too high in the saddle. If you enter this obstacle tall in the saddle you will go over the handlebars head 1st. This obstacle is rideable by most everyone IF you take the time to learn the techniques involved. Good Luck!!
If anyone who wants to try this with spotters, post up here and we"ll try to set up a "skills" learning session. I crash way too much to be a know it all, but there are some really good riders in this club who we can tap into for suggestions.
Yes- You too can be a big time, hard core, Mountain Biker!! I believe in you.
-Vibrato
Believe in yourself? Well sure, of course. But be aware that "believing in myself" has been the root cause of most of my injuries.
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"I feel sorry for people who don't do this." -Badfish41- after bombing the Hermosa's at Levis Trow.
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Originally Posted by Vibrato
