Hey hey hey look who is posting like twice in the same decade! ok like almost in the same week. Wow I have been slacking but anyways. I have gotten out on my bike like twice in the last week as well! Holla! Both times I was rippin' at BC. The first ride, minus to the two almost major injury crashes, I was killing it! I don't know what was up but I felt dialed. I cleaned a bunch of obstacles I've never or hardly ever cleaned and I did it the first go! But there where those two crashes. One wasn't really my fault. I landed off this step up on the goat trail and my front tire sunk into a bunch of organic material and over the bars I went and my arm went between two logs. I felt it flex but thankfully just a scrap and no broken bones from that occurrence. The second crash I was slightly fatigued. So I will chalk it up that and lack of concentration. Take note young Jedi rippers, crashes happen when you are not paying attention! So focus when you are on the trail! Refer back to my post on training. Keep the rides short and sweet! So do as I say and not as I do.
Anyways, I was watching this guy in front of me or his bike actually and I was just coasting along and had my lead pedal slightly dropped and it caught a stump, that I didn't see, in the grass and sent my into and then over my handle bars. I am still paying for that. I thought I broke my rib but now I'm just sure it's really bruised! Rib vs. Stem. The stem won on this battle and it is still a little tender.
I also got a ride in yesterday as well. This one was short and sweet and I did something that I haven't done in a long, long while. I rode with clips! Yeah, I was reading leelikesbikes and he has put up like 3 or 4 post now about how much power he gained from going from clips to flats and then back to clips and I posted that up on MORC and started quite the battle on there. When the intent was to be informative to all those people trying to get better. I was not trying to start a clips vs. flats debate as IMO flats for fun and training and clips for racing. So anyways I tossed them on the bike and headed out. I will say I rode a lot more timid to begin with that is for sure. I don't know it was probably all in my head since I don't put my feet down very often anyways.
I was also riding crank bros egg beaters and I'm not sure where all this more control over the bike came from with clips. Maybe more control lifting it up and down because you are attached but moving it side to side I have way more control with my flats and 5.10's! Just turning my hips and applying force through my feet allow me to move the back end all over the place. With clips that same movement you just pivot until you unclip! Not so keen on that. As I got more use to the clips I did notice a slight edge in climbing, but it wasn't like I was blasting a climb that I had never done before but maybe doing it a bit easier. I am going to give it another ride or two before I really pass judgement but to be honest right now I wont be riding them that much. If I decided to race XC or maybe here and there to coach some techniques to my racers. I have the SPD's on the commuter now so I can rock those and I'll leave the egg beaters in the car for when I'm feeling like something different!
Hope you all are enjoying National Bike Month, this week is national ride your bike to work week and Friday is national ride your bike to work day!
I have the commuter tuned up, I was going to ride today but I couldn't pull the trigger. Hopefully tomorrow!
Keep it real!
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