As I sploshed through puddles cringing at the feel of cold water dribbling down my socks, and I grappled at the brakes like a fumbling teenager, rotors squealing in horror and gears tutting at me with every change, I thought to myself; why do we hate riding in the wet? And more than that; why do we ride differently?
Me and my new riding partner had been cycling through puddles for at least half an hour by the time I had ask myself this question. My feet were already saturated with muddy water and my shoes made a squelching cry for help every time I pressed down on the pedals. So what was the point in avoiding the next half-an-hour stretch of puddles? It made no sense to, and yet, my brain insisted on steering me away from them, performing ridiculous manoeuvres that would have me whipped by unnaturally long grass at the side of the trail or skiing sideways towards a tree to avoid them.
The month is May. From my last blog you may have noted that rainfall has been high and riding in a short sleeved jersey through beams of sunlight breaking through trees on dusty dry trails is a distant memory. But, does this mean we are doomed to have crap riding sessions every time the weather is crap? No, is the answer to that, but it took me nearly an hour of riding through it to remember this.
I watched my riding buddy speed off on his new big-wheeled rigid single-speed and found myself cursing his name under my breath. Still weak from a hard road ride two days ago, I knew I was going to struggle to keep up with him, however, it didn’t help that I was riding like an amateur and avoiding puddles like an old lady on her way to the shops in her best dress. Things had to change, I thought. And so it began.
I powered straight through the middle of a puddle; heroic I thought. Nothing bad happened, so I did it to the next one. Yuk, that one was cold, but I’m still alive. Let’s try that again… and again… oh, that one was quite deep…and again… and, oh hello, I can see my buddy again! Yes, it’s amazing isn’t it?! Riding the fastest line through a trail, not avoiding puddles and constantly looking at what’s going on under your bike rather than what’s coming up ahead is actually quicker. I should have been a rocket scientist, me.
So what’s my point? You’ve probably got the end of this blog and either thought that this is obvious stuff and that I’m a “big girl” (or something more offensive), or you can relate to it. If the latter, it’s not because you’re rubbish (well, I don’t think so anyway), but maybe you understand that sometimes a rider can shy away from the mountain bike during bad weather and forget what it’s like to get muddy. Or maybe you’ve trained on the road bike and forgotten how to ride your first true love; the mountain bike. Or maybe you understand that a faint memory of your Mum telling you off for jumping in a puddle and getting your new shoes wet and muddy still haunts you now. Either way, it’s time to throw it aside and get filthy (steady boys)! Let me tell you, it’s quite a lot of fun. Unleash the inner kid in you and, especially if you’re racing, you’ll find yourself riding the right line and not fanny around trying to avoid things that your brain tells you are slower. Puddles are your friend, go and make some new ones! J
No comments:
Post a Comment