I don't mind falling, well not that much. I dont even mind getting hurt (I have walked 8kms on a broken ankle before). But tearing my cycling pants I really really dislike!
On thursday night 7 of us got together to do a Dark n Dirty ride. With a brave trail meister, a sweeper, 2 newbies, 1 nearly newbie we had a Dark n Dirty group. I left my light at home and had to buy a super cheap Pic n Pay special headlamp. The usual warning was given about first one to climb off their bike without meaning to gets to write the report.
Off we went into the dark... and the brave trail meister got lost, with a sudden stop he started looking around for the path. While everyone was trying to help find the path nobody saw me half fall off onto my knee.
So once the path was found we went peddalling off into the dark. But on the wrong path. This time I was seen to land on my knee. It wasn't so obvious as nobody really suggested I write the report. The brave trail meister realised he had the wrong route, and stopped to find the right route - over I went onto my knee again - my knee by now was sore from three gentle falls onto it - even the blood streaming down my leg didn't really let onto anyone that I had fallen.
So off the brave trail meister went - on the route he was originally looking for - and he fell badly, upended the bike, feet in the air, bike light disconnected and everything. "Oops" he says.
Down past cornwall hill we went. My not-so-super-bright light made it a ride of note - 30km (yeah brakes on) down a vertical slope when you cannot see the angles makes it a lot of fun!
Our super trail meister gave us a running commentary of what each hill was called (but I have forgotten most of them) so I sort of got to know which hill was which. With 3 pretty much newbies in the group we had to do the 'sprint to the light - it is only about 200m away' which is actually a 2km sprint but catches the newbies every time!
I now know which hill is the mine shaft - not nearly as bad as it sounds, the python - which we did as fast as we could, Look Ma no Brakaes - where I went straight over the handle bars, bike following until my foot slipped out of the shoe - by now I was getting tired of falling.
Then on the last simple little single track back to Moo Mall I fell again, smashed onto my elbow and shoulder BUT my shorts caught onto the sadle and ripped a hole the size and shape of Zimbabwe in my shorts. (Carine took a rude photo of my bum as proof - and there is far too much bum showing for a civilized race report).
So let me repeat, I dont mind falling (though 5 times in one night was a bit much), I dont mind getting hurt (blood running down my leg is fine), but I really object to getting my cycling shorts torn!
Showing posts with label Dark and Dirty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dark and Dirty. Show all posts
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Night Riding
Night riding is all about feel. You see nothing, but feel everything. I remember my first night ride when we went out up the long hill past the shebeen, to the top of the downhill they call the mineshaft. Apt name that! I like riding uphill because the anticipation of the downhill rush makes up for the effort. What goes up must come down! At the top you pass by a bright streetlamp that shines in your face, visually focusing your mind on your immediate goal, that of getting to the top, pushing as hard as you can. Feel your heartbeat climbing, feel the burn. Breath. Know it’s good for you, it’s about fitness, health and happiness. It’s about personal motivation. Mind over laziness.
A trick is to divide the hill in half and each half again in halves. Or, is that thirds and thirds of thirds, then putting the effort in to do just that part. Count out the pedal turns. Deal with the other parts later. Focus. Feel your body responding to the call. Breathing. Heart. Head. To the top and over.
And that’s when the rush starts. With the drop your bike accelerates. Your night vision lacks because of that darn light, so it’s darker than dark, and you know that any rock, or pothole, or discarded old shoe will send you tumbling, and now you can just make out a bend in the road, which is gravel, so don’t skid, don’t lock-up the breaks, turn gently, easy through the turn. And before you know it you’re doing 50km in the dark on a gravel road you’ve never been on before and you know this is madness. A depression you can’t see makes your bike dip, and you feel it. You follow it through, just managing to stay on top. What else can you do? Your adrenaline heightens your senses and you feel the wind in your face with your skin cold from the uphill sweat. The roar of your tyres in the dust and the smell of the rhinos from the game park next door makes it wild, and you feel it all, the exhilarating rush of Dark and Dirty.
A trick is to divide the hill in half and each half again in halves. Or, is that thirds and thirds of thirds, then putting the effort in to do just that part. Count out the pedal turns. Deal with the other parts later. Focus. Feel your body responding to the call. Breathing. Heart. Head. To the top and over.
And that’s when the rush starts. With the drop your bike accelerates. Your night vision lacks because of that darn light, so it’s darker than dark, and you know that any rock, or pothole, or discarded old shoe will send you tumbling, and now you can just make out a bend in the road, which is gravel, so don’t skid, don’t lock-up the breaks, turn gently, easy through the turn. And before you know it you’re doing 50km in the dark on a gravel road you’ve never been on before and you know this is madness. A depression you can’t see makes your bike dip, and you feel it. You follow it through, just managing to stay on top. What else can you do? Your adrenaline heightens your senses and you feel the wind in your face with your skin cold from the uphill sweat. The roar of your tyres in the dust and the smell of the rhinos from the game park next door makes it wild, and you feel it all, the exhilarating rush of Dark and Dirty.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Dark and Dirty - Ride Report
Last Thursday was Dark and Dirty night - as every thurday night is! I got lumped with doing a race report, which I thought was rather unfair. I was not the first to fall, I was not the last to fall, and I only fell twice! - You would think that the first time a guy is wearing cycling shoes would count for something. So anyway this is the story of my falls - at the DnD intro ride.
Everyone met up as usual at the Mall - Team Lickety Split was there in numbers - 66% of the team is pretty good to get on a regular basis. I spent a good amount of time practising clipping and unclipping - "just in case"! Off we went into the darkness - with 5 newbies (of which only 1 fell!)
This might have been my first intro ride as we went to places I hadn't been to before. Riding up and down the slopes of the park was fun. The first fall happened here (no not mine the other guy) who did a backward sommersault going up the one embankment, Nando was right behind him and pulled out of the assault on the embankment, I was behind Nando and also changed direction directly into Nando's path. Almost fall one but we didn't!
So off we went out of the park into the further darkness, single file out the gate was going well until Jacques stopped right in front of me, half in and half out of the gate, I hit his wheel, stopped (suddenly) and had my first fall (not my fault - it was Jacques fault :) )
So off we went properly into the darkness, up and down, down and up then onto the single tracks somewhere south of Pretoria! We went along the single track with the 'red rock', which for once I did see. Then it was onto "he who is first shall be last" and we reversed the queue. I enjoy doing the red rock road in the dark - ghost ride style - so pulled out of someone's way who was shining a bright light from behind me, at the time I had clipped in my right foot but not the left, then fell right, this was my second fall.
Anyway it was off home, at the Spur a long discussion was had on who should write the ride report, until I accidently said "but I only fell twice" and so I won the job!!
Everyone met up as usual at the Mall - Team Lickety Split was there in numbers - 66% of the team is pretty good to get on a regular basis. I spent a good amount of time practising clipping and unclipping - "just in case"! Off we went into the darkness - with 5 newbies (of which only 1 fell!)
This might have been my first intro ride as we went to places I hadn't been to before. Riding up and down the slopes of the park was fun. The first fall happened here (no not mine the other guy) who did a backward sommersault going up the one embankment, Nando was right behind him and pulled out of the assault on the embankment, I was behind Nando and also changed direction directly into Nando's path. Almost fall one but we didn't!
So off we went out of the park into the further darkness, single file out the gate was going well until Jacques stopped right in front of me, half in and half out of the gate, I hit his wheel, stopped (suddenly) and had my first fall (not my fault - it was Jacques fault :) )
So off we went properly into the darkness, up and down, down and up then onto the single tracks somewhere south of Pretoria! We went along the single track with the 'red rock', which for once I did see. Then it was onto "he who is first shall be last" and we reversed the queue. I enjoy doing the red rock road in the dark - ghost ride style - so pulled out of someone's way who was shining a bright light from behind me, at the time I had clipped in my right foot but not the left, then fell right, this was my second fall.
Anyway it was off home, at the Spur a long discussion was had on who should write the ride report, until I accidently said "but I only fell twice" and so I won the job!!
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