What a bummer that last night's No Chick Left Behind session got rained out at the last minute. Mother Nature and her timing. Grrr! So, let's plan to meet at Sylvan again next week. We have a bit more basic stuff to cover and Sylvan is a great venue for that. So, plan to meet at Sylvan Island Wed and/or Thur 4/13 & 4/14, ride starts at 5:30PM.

A recap of our first session:
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 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 your 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!
Hope to see you next week and 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.

Don't forget about the first mtn bike race of the season in our area THIS SUNDAY -- the Sylvan Island Stampede! Races start at 9 AM.