"No Chick Left Behind" skills session #1 complete, #2 is tonight -- Thursday 04-07-11

[Bexter]

Our first No Chick Left Behind session was amazing!!! Wanna know why?! Because of all who participated! We had a total of 15 people show up and it was so much fun! Thanks to all who participated and thanks to my fellow FORC ladies for your help! We are going to do it again tonight provided the rain holds off. The soil at Sylvan Island is very resilient and drains quickly. So, even if it rains at 1 PM today and stops, we may likely be able to meet at 5:30 (depending on how much rain falls). So, if you have plans to come out tonight and even if we receive rain, please check this thread before you head out to make sure we are having the class. I will post sometime between 4 and 4:30 if weather makes it questionable.



A recap of last night's session:

• We talked about shifting and then went out and practiced shifting so that everyone got comfortable knowing which shifter on the handlebar controlled what and the direction needed in order to make pedalling more difficult / easier.
• We talked about braking -- feathering, using a combination of the rear and front brakes, and the goal of NOT skidding which really reduces a rider's ability to control the bike (kind of like a car in a slide situation). We practiced braking going down a hill.
• We talked about fore and aft positioning on the bike, how your weight distribution on the bike impacts the ability to lift the front / rear wheels depending upon where you place your body, and losing grip with your back wheel when standing to climb a hill (if your weight is too far forward on the bike). We talked about shifting your body position relative to yuor bike when going down and up hills and the impact it has.
• We talked about pedal position when riding over obstacles (keeping them even), going around corners (keeping the pedal that is on the INSIDE of the turn UP).
• We talked about getting off the saddle when going through gnarly areas because you have more control of your bike while standing (you aren't an extension of the bike then and the bike can move independent of you).
• We talked about front wheelies in order to get your front wheel up to go over an obstacle either by keeping your pedals even and pulling up on the handle bars or by pulling up on the handle bars at the same time that you downstroke a pedal.
• We learned how to go over a log. Key factors were 1) getting your front wheel up to get over the log, 2) being aware of forward momentum and how it continues to propel you and the back wheel over an obstacle) and 3) timing (when to pull the front end up in anticipating of going over an obstacle).
• We learned about use of momentum and proper gear selection to climb a small hill (hard gear to pedal and get speed BEFORE the hill, then a shift down just before the hill and finally appreciating the momentum that helps to carry you up the hill). We also talked about use of momentum in getting through rough areas... we didn't get to practice this but we will!!!
• We had fun!

We will be meeting again tonight at 5:30 at Sylvan Island, weather permitting. Hope to see you there. Spread the word! All that is needed is a person who has interest in learning how to mtn bike, a bicycle and helmet, water, enthusiasm.

NCLB 2011-04-06 18.&.jpg

[Bexter]

I have been watching the KWQC live doppler all afternoon and I think we might be able to get in our NCLB session tonight before the rain hits. The green blob is coming this way but it looks it will skirt South of our area for a while. Yay green blob! Yea, I know, I'm a dork! So, Sylvan Island it is, 5:30 tonight. If it does rain, tonight's session is cancelled and we will reconvene next week at Sylvan Island.

[Bexter]

Looks like timing was not on our side tonight. It's sprinkling now and starting to accumulate to the point the sidewalks are looking wet. And, I know real rain is on the doppler and heading our way. Dang! Stay tuned for next week's NCLB ride information.