Strava This!

What a rat's nest!

Mountain Biking

A big day!  This weekend was the area mtb festival, Ride The Keweenaw.  This morning we met at MTU trails for a clinic in basic mtg skills.  We worked on:

• Moving fore and aft over the bike.
• Moving the bike back and forth under you.
• Attack position: elbows up, bent low, knees out, feet level.
• Windshield wipers: attack position, move the bike back and forth with your arms.
• Load and release: attack position, just before obstacle push down handlebars, let it pop up and over.
• Bonus question, uphill obstacle: load and release, then shift body forward for rear wheel.

I've ridden for several years, but never had organized instruction in the basics.  I learned a lot.  For instance, isolating the body from the bike means that the head is less jostled.  Moving the head is what makes you disoriented and start to lose control.  It makes sense with all the inner ear/balance stuff.

Kirsten's group.

Shootim

Another graze.

A lovely afternoon for working with the horses.  Shootim worked briefly from the ground, then we went through his paces under saddle.  Wearing the shank snaffle bit again, we worked on his parts yielding, then went on to collection.  Shootim is starting to get it, but is not yet able to hold position.  I caught myself doing it wrong.  I was focusing too much on the bit, bringing Shootim back, without adequately driving him forward with seat and legs.  At least I can recognize it now.  When Shootim collects up under himself, you can feel his back arch.  It's really cool.

More mountain biking

A last ride for the day.

We joined the last Saturday ride for Ride The Keweenaw at Swedetown.  Arriving late, we took a shortcut and caught up with a group that was just right for us.  I even got to use my bonus question skill on an big, undercut tree root on an uphill!  It was as far as we've gone and a good bit faster.  Near the end, I stopped with leg cramps in both quads.  I expected to walk up the road, but after resting and stretching for a few minutes, I could continue down the singletrack.  The poor ride leaders went back to look for me - on the road!  Oops, sorry guys.  They were fine when they returned, though.  Afterwords, there was a cookout, yum.  There was even a drawing for prizes.  I didn't win anything.

Later, I was sitting and writing this blog entry.  I hadn't stretched.  Can you guess?  Cramps, ye-ouch! Both legs, hamstrings and one of my quads.  How do you stretch that out?  Three bottles of water later and I could stop making animal noises and go back to work.  I'm typing this standing up.