Female MTBer sympathy please!!

miss notax

I need some sympathy ladies....

Did my usual ride last night and it was a nice big group - all blokes apart from me. Was doing ok (beating some of chaps uphill, last the rest of the time!) but had a stupid off and whacked my elbow on tarmac which changed my already slightly bad mood into a complete 'arrrgh - can't do anything' type mood.

Anyway, got up and carried on (I don't like to make a fuss!) and ended up at a big old sand pit with steep sides that people like playing on.... I've ridden it once before, and it's one of those things that you just have do go for - any hesitation or braking and you're off the bike. Anyway I didn't go first, and ended up waiting at the top with all the boys below and - good grief - talk about testosterone overload :twisted: Loads of helpful 'it's really easy comments....' :? Had a half-hearted go and came off, and then thought %*^*%&^ and rode around the edge and down the path

I'm usually a pretty tough cookie and can fall into mud and msh myself and laugh it off and get back on the bike. But yesterday it all really got to me - it was so BLOKEY.

Anyway, still feeling very sorry for myself and am regretting ordering myself a new bike frame with money that I don't have when I am clearly a bit of a sh!t rider

Yes - self indulgent post I realise. This is obviously my 5 year feel-sorry-for-myself day

Mrs Toast

I feel your pain, I was a bit of a whimpering mess riding The Monkey Trail for the first time at the weekend – actually walked down most of the link section, thinking, “I am never, ever going to be able to ride this”. Managed to whack my elbow, my knee and handlebars on three different trees. Realised that I have serious problems on tight downhill corners.

I did manage to defeat Evil Root Number Two though! \o/

You just have to focus on the positive – you didn’t ride it this time, but you have ridden it before. You know you can do it, and you’ll do it again – you just had an off day. Think about what you did do rather than what you didn’t, and ask yourself if you could have done that a year or two ago. At least you did give it a go – most the obstacles I ‘can’t’ ride are ones that I’ve never attempted, or only attempted once.

miss notax

Thanks Mrs Toast

Sorry to hear about your ride at the weekend. I like to think of myself as bit of a MTB trail walking expert after all these years

Yep, just an off day, and you're right - 2 years ago I wouldn't have been able to the ride at all..!

I rarely have whingy days so that's it over and done with for now! Definitely need to get more girlies riding though, attempting tricky bits whilst being watched by 8 blokes who are much better riders than me is my idea of hell (and most ladies to be honest!). On a good day I would have blasted down there and shown them all how it's done, but - alas - not yesterday!!

Hey ho. Off to track down some chocolate - that'll make everything better

Satu

Mrs Toast wrote:

Realised that I have serious problems on tight downhill corners.

Yeah, the Monkey did that to me, too!

It is hard when you're the only girl in a group of blokes (especially, I think, if one of them's your boyfriend) -- seems like a lot of extra pressure to show that we can do well and keep up! And so an off day becomes even worse...

I'm sure next time will be better -- especially with shiny new bike bits!

Mrs Toast

Ha, the husband occasionally calls me Zoolander because of my turning issues!

If you fancy trying more of the Monkey but want to avoid the link section for the time being (which along with the original Monkey section are the hardest bits of the trail) you can carry on along FtD, but go left down the hill at the end of section 8 instead of right, and cross the railway/road. The later sections are lovely!

I did my first group ride on Saturday, and I was really worried about holding people up/embarrassing myself, but it was actually really encouraging. Although admittedly, seeing small girls happily ride stuff you recoil at is a good incentive to WFTU!

bartimaeus

If it's not too far you could try meeting up with the 'Trail Belles' http://www.trailbelles.co.uk/ to get away from that 'all bloke' atmosphere. Here's what Trailbelle posted on our Kingley Vale Mountain Bikers site.... Kingley Vale and Stoughton are about 30 miles from Southampton, over towards Chichester.

I'm organising a women's social MTB ride on Sunday 20th September starting from Stoughton. The plan is to cover reasonably hilly 30-35k making sure no-one gets left behind.

Nothing wrong with riding with blokes but many women seem to get into mountainbiking through their partners and end up doing most of their riding with their other halves, myself included. So this would be an opportunity to ride with other people and have a laugh with other MTB girls. :-))

Let me know if anyone's interested, even if you can't make this date. "

Satu

Mrs Toast wrote:

If you fancy trying more of the Monkey but want to avoid the link section for the time being (which along with the original Monkey section are the hardest bits of the trail) you can carry on along FtD, but go left down the hill at the end of section 8 instead of right, and cross the railway/road. The later sections are lovely!

That's good to know! I will have to have another go at it, once we've got our LEJOG out of the way -- my trail bike is sulking in the shed at the moment.

The new final section of the Dog more than makes up for everything, though.

silentman

girls , ladies just keep riding (practising) and enjoynig. It will come to you

Dubzy

Much respect Ladies. Hell, I had a silent sob having to shave in cold water on my Turkish holidays - this testosterone isn't all it's cracked up to be

Keep at it - technique not yor sex will prevail.

Dubzy

missgroover

Just read this thread even though it's been up a while and can sympathise and empathise with all comments - I have bad days where I am useless and other days where I can ride anything. Hormones play a big part with me however! :x

I noticed some of you are from Birmingham/Leamington way - me too - hello and fancy meeting up one day or evening somewhere???