Off to the Alps on Saturday!

miss notax

Yes, even though I can barely ride across the New Forest without falling off or injuring myself several times over, I am off to Verbier on Saturday for a weeks mtbing with a group of friends :shock:

When I booked this it seemed like AGES away, and I thought I had LOADS of time to practise and get better, and now it's well and truly crept up on me! Everyone else is ranging from good to very flipping good, and I am definitely the 'less able' member of the group :oops: I am trying to go out there with an open mind, and to hopefully improve MY riding - regardless of what everyone else is doing!! It hard not to feel a teeny bit worried though.....

My technical skills arn't as good as the other guys - although I am daft enough to give most things a go irrespective of this. I am also not as fit, but i'm hoping that this will quickly improve across the week! I've also been doing loads of spinning classes etc and I am starting to see my fitness increasing.

So, any useful tips to survive the week?!!

(apart from don't fall off, don't talk to strangers etc )

Thanks!!

nicklouse

There will be some guides out there who are also trained to train people on their bike handling skills as well as showing the trails. Take advantage of them.

bluechair84

I'm getting my girlfriend into riding atm and have picked up on a few things that as a beginner she finds hard to get the hang of;
Attack position - get your ass back behind the seat while your going down steep and shake it like you mean it! Dangle your centre of gravity over the back of the saddle with your arms stretched out, push the front of the bike far away from you, try to touch the saddle with your tummy - this is extreme for nearly all situations but get used to the feeling of moving your butt behind the saddle. It might sound ridiculous but if you just stand over the saddle then little bumps can knock you forward and make you less stable. The attack position is really a safety position and little and often is good on descents.
Lay off the front brake until you need it, more on the rear and easy on the front. A fist full of front brake can shatter your confidence.
Change down gears early, read the terrain and prepare a good cadence before a climb, not on it.
These are all pretty basic - I don't know what your level is so here are some other things to try;
With level pedals, try to tilt the bike underneath you, 75deg over to the left, then right, left then right. Get used to pushing the bike about beneath you and keeping your body a serene temple that is floating above a hard worked bike. You can often slide past obstable by leaning the bike over rather than steering around it. As you are going straight for longer, you're more stable. When you hit little bomb holes try to keep your body steady again and work the bike by pushing it away from you to go down and pullig up the otherside - not sitting and praying.
Although I said get your weight back to make you more stable on descents, as you advance you should try to move your weight forward again over the front wheel to get more traction and better control - but this will seem un-natural at first and counter intuitive but you'll find you can steer around things much easier if you are forward. Some bike manufacturers build their bikes with a centre of gravity forward bias to give you better steering response.
Lastly, look at your bike. I jumped on a brand new demo Trek just last week and it spat me off again with a shed load of bruises because I wasn't used to skinny XC tyres. Try a beafier front tyre to give you more grip, bump absorbtion and slacker angles which will improve your confidence.

If non of those help, let a little air out of the other lads tyres - just a little mind - to give you another month of free exercise and training ;-)

Eat Bananas too

miss notax

Thanks nicklouse and bluechair84 - very, very helpful advice

I'm hoping that the guides (also the company owners) will have been doing this for long enough to make sure that i'm a) having fun, and b) pushed out of my comfort zone enough to feel like i'm achieving something but not turned into a gibbering wreck!

Fingers crossed :?

bluechair84

Ah...

I miss that fine line with my girl from time to time... I haven't convinced her that mountain biking is the sport of th gods yet... It's the bruises that she hates the most so take mya dvice gently!!

Plus I'm jealous, Been my ambition tog et out there for years but I haven't the pennies. Have an awesome time!

miss notax

Thanks

My boyfriend and I are not the only ones who can have *discussions* half way up / down tracks then!! Usually along the lines of 'you ^*%&%)(* - how the hell do you expect me do to THAT :shock: '

I'll let you know how it goes!

indysmith

sarah75 wrote:

My boyfriend and I are not the only ones who can have *discussions* half way up / down tracks then!! Usually along the lines of 'you ^*%&%)(* - how the hell do you expect me do to THAT :shock: '

*Cringe* That sounds all to familiar!
I think Nick and Blue have covered mostly everything - My only advice would be just to not think about what you're doing too much - try to relax into the bike (and in some sense the trail) the best you can, and make it a part of you; this way you'll react to it in a natural way, and you might find yourself doing some of the things that Bluechair recommended without even trying!

bluechair84

Exactly, you'll get these things naturally and no-one will have to tell you how to do it if you ride for long enough.
And I think you're gonna have to get back to us and tell me how to teach my girl! What do I tell her!?!?

leonr

I just got back from the Alps and I thought it was great.

If it helps, I havent even done any downhill at all.

There were a few things that I noticed straight away which at first seemed a little annoying. Holding the brakes on seems to cook them and they go spongy. On the 2nd day I started to build my confidence and just "let it go" and take the bumps and terrain the best I could, I would then pulse both brakes every few moments to keep the bike in some sort of controlled manner!

I also found out that you should not get stuck in ruts/grooves of mud, cos its hard to get out of them without flying!

Those littles bumps in the ground (where other bikes have been braking?) shake you to bits.

I felt like I needed all my fingers wrapped around the handles to control the bike, especially with all the bumps, but then you have to take a few fingers off to brake!


I did a red trail on the 2nd day, and just checked behind me and let the faster guys past and did it in my own time.


That was my expereince anyway!


Have fun!

miss notax

Thanks guys

Leonr - really good to hear about your experiences, thanks! I guess it's the unknown as much as anything else - going mtbing in the Alps sounds much more scary than the New Forest! I'm in the same boat with minimal downhill experience, so it's good to hear that you had a fab time.

My bikes being serviced and I collect it tomorrow, out for a ride tomorrow night, and then packing it all up (or watching Chris do it :oops: ) ready for Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and i'll let you all know how I get on

miss notax

Just had to add - I had THE BEST EVER mtb ride on Wednesday so if i'm not ready now then I won't ever be! I rode up hills that I havn't managed before and stayed on my bike for some really technical bits, and am still feeling very pleased with myself

So - bring on the Alps 8)