'It is better to have tried and failed...'

miss notax
miss notax Posts: 2,572
edited August 2012 in MTB general
Hello :D

Well, we got back from the Mega yesterday and, to cut a long story short, Notax rode it (and got a great time 8) ) but I didn't :?

I did all the practice runs earlier in the week, but to be honest the riding was SO far out of my comfort some it was untrue. I have ridden in the Alps before, and have done various UK DH trails, but the rocky sections and really steep bits were not something that I could ride :(

Obviously I knew it would be a huge challenge and I was geared up for that, but when it came to the crunch having practiced the trail I knew I couldn't ride it / walk it with 400 of the Mega Challengers behind me. Added to that the other female entrants were all way above my standard of riding!!

I feel terrible about not riding it and agonised over whether to or not, but it was definitely the right decision to make. I like to think i'm a pretty good rider but i'm not a DH rider and this certainly required some big balls plus DH experience / skill. Total respect for everyone who did ride it though! :D

And before I get completely flamed for being a wimp, can I point out that it really is something that you only appreciate when you are actually looking down a massive near vertical drop contemplating how to ride it without falling off the side of a mountain. I had seen the videos etc - and believe me, it looks bloody different in real life!! It's certainly given my MTBing ego a rather brutal battering :(

I'm glad I went out and tried though, after all 'it's better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all'. If I hadn't given it a go I would always wonder if I COULD have ridden it. At least now I know :lol:

I'm sure Notax will come along and post about his conquering of the mountain :D
Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

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Comments

  • 1mancity2
    1mancity2 Posts: 2,355
    Well I think you deserve a big pat on the back for going and trying, How many riders go on about I can do this and that and never try anything, at least you had the desire to go and try.

    I would love to go and have a go, but you have, well done.
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  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    at least you will not be saying "what if".

    getting ready for next year?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
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  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    nicklouse wrote:
    getting ready for next year?

    Hmmm, yet to be decided :lol:

    The qualifier starts off on a black (Alpine) DH run..... I rode a very small part of it before getting off and walking but i'm not entirely sure it's the kind of track I actually WANT to be able to ride, if you see what I mean??! There's no way I would ever have attempted riding something like that before on previous trips to the Alps.

    On the plus side the company we went with http://www.summitdown.com/ were absolutely fabulous, I couldn't recommend them enough :D Their knowledge of the local area and the event was perfect, and apart from that they are bloody nice people too!! We will definitely be riding with them again (although possibly on sunny Italian singletrack rather than terrifying Alpine crazy races) :D
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    well done for giving it go. at least now when you do that tricky section on the local loop you'll now think easy! :-)

    Been watching some of the videos online, not sure Id be OK with the pressure of doing a hard section with loads of others riders trying to make their way through it too
  • Twelly
    Twelly Posts: 1,437
    Title of the thread says it perfectly really, better to try than wonder would could have been.

    Well done for doing as much as you did, I would have wimped out on the practice runs!
  • victoriac
    victoriac Posts: 56
    Well done for giving it a go, I wouldn't have even got into the lift at the bottom for the practise runs!
    Totally the right decision to make on the day - if you'd have gone for it, hurt yourself and couldn't ride for the rest of Summer you'd be so frustrated.
    And, on the plus side when you get back on your local trails that you know, you'll feel awesome again :D
  • Twelly
    Twelly Posts: 1,437
    Hang on, hang on...

    Everyone is being far too nice... I have been on these forums long enough to guess what the normal response would have been if Miss Notax wasn't one of those mythological 'girl' things....

    PUSSSAAAY. GO HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME!
    :D
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    That's more like it :lol::lol:

    (But in all seriousness thank you all very much for the kind words!! I am properly gutted and feel like I should be entering solo 24 hour races now to prove my MTBing prowess.... :roll: )
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • I watch that stuff on You Tube and it makes me feel anxious. You showed guts to just go and stand there looking down! I have a terrible fear of heights and have been known to freeze; star shaped at the side of a steep hill in the Yorkshire dales! *hangs head*

    Kudos!
  • Hob Nob
    Hob Nob Posts: 200
    Well done for giving it a go at least.

    If it's an consolation, the qualifier was a fair bit rougher this year than last.

    Personally I had a week of mixed experiences. I had a massive crash on Tuesday with someone else & ended up with my ribs considerably worse for wear, which made breathing really difficult. I was in the first wave down on the qualifiers so went crazy on the painkillers to try & make riding bearable.

    Considering I was a 4th row starter, I qualified 20th, which wasn't bad all things considered. I was expecting if healthy to be in the top 10, so I can't complain too much, as all I wanted post crash was to make the main race, which I did, so happy days.

    Full quali run if you want to see a birds eye view, apologies I can't remember if there is cursing on the fireroad up the top when lots of people overtake me because it felt like I was being stabbed in the ribs with a red hot poker :(

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT50cQnMJ84
  • poppit
    poppit Posts: 926
    I think there's a girlie doing it on the itv4 cycle show next Monday.
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  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    Thanks guys! I'm meeting my usual riding buddies tomorrow night and i'm not sure their response is going to be the same... :? :roll:

    Although, as everyone's said, i'm quite looking forward to taking on some of the bits of UK trails that have freaked me out before - because quite frankly I think it's going to look a doddle in comparisson :lol:

    I actually had a long chat with one of the film crew from the ITV4 Cycle Show as we went from the top of the qualifier to Alpe d'Huez (a long and tedious journey by cable car) - sounds like a fab show and i'm looking forward to seeing it.

    Well done Hob Nob - much braver than me! I don't know how you managed that with bust ribs!! Congrats :D
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    Hob Nob - great video - although totally proves beyond all doubt that the camera flattens the trail :D

    The black run from about 7.30 in your vid just scared the cr@p out of me, some bits were ok but the rocky part after about 9.30 is probably my MTBing worst nightmare :shock: There was also some rocky drops after that part followed by a tight-ish right hand corner which I didn't make once - lots of landing on my head in a heap :oops:

    I did enjoy the berms towards the bottom of the trail though - they were one of my favourite bits all week :D
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQKkpUH8 ... e=youtu.be

    Just seen this video by Trev - our amazing guide for the week :D
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    poppit wrote:
    I think there's a girlie doing it on the itv4 cycle show next Monday.
    There is.

    Monday ITV4 8pm
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 58,172
    Fair play to you for 'fessing up, though I'm sure Notax would have grassed you up if you hadn't :) At least you gave it a try and came away with no broken bones (better than I managed at CC last month :wink: )
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    Gonna watch Hob Nob's vid tonight - too long for work hours. Watched the start switch backs though and I have to say the run itself is fine - all those people around me? Forget it. I do not want to have to second guess other riders or second guess myself on a bike - I'll give any trail a go but not with people all around me!

    I am struggling to envisage the track (I havent thought it looked that bad in any video I have seen) but I respect your honest Miss Notax and sorry to hear maybe it wasnt the trip you had hoped for. Does this mean the Kona is for sale?
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • Lowride
    Lowride Posts: 214
    Looks awesome and I'm well aware that the camera flattens out trails. I heard Dan Atherton came 3rd, his first time but he is a pro DHer and 4X rider
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  • Roostoids
    Roostoids Posts: 128
    The video is outstanding thankyou mate.

    The guy at the start on the switchbacks flailing his legs everywhere looked like an accident waiting to happen!

    Were you frustrated behind the 2 guys thru 10-15minutes? Seemed like you were faster than them.

    Then the fella in blue kinda paced you thru the end....what was he doing on the final tarmac stretch. he wasnt pedalling?

    Again. Great vid
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  • snotty badger
    snotty badger Posts: 1,593
    miss notax wrote:

    (But in all seriousness thank you all very much for the kind words!! I am properly gutted and feel like I should be entering solo 24 hour races now to prove my MTBing prowess.... :roll: )

    On a rigid 29er single speed. I think you might need a stick on beard though.


    Fair play for having a crack though!
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  • Hob Nob
    Hob Nob Posts: 200
    Thanks.

    Yes, the 2 guys in front of me were holding me back, at first it wasn't really an issue, as I was in a lot of pain so was happy to cruise behind them until I was a bit more comfortable. I started to get a bit annoyed by the boardwalk section though, I probably should have been a bit more aggressive when trying to overtake earlier as I lost a lot of time to everyone else.

    I was chatting to the guy in blue after - he dropped his chain coming down that final chute just before the road, he was really hacked off!

    The top section for me was the best bit, albeit rough as hell this year, personally I think it's about right in terms of difficulty - it's not 'proper' DH as it's a bit tame, but it's tougher than trail. If you wanted proper DH, the Avalanche Cup track down to Oz from DMC1 is brutal by comparison. I would say it's almost World Cup worthy.
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    sorry to hear maybe it wasnt the trip you had hoped for. Does this mean the Kona is for sale?

    It was a great trip actually! Disappointed that I didn't do what I set out to do, but enjoyed the riding and rode some stuff that I wouldn't have imagined riding before. I also loved the atmosphere watching the Mega and the whole build-up :D

    Definitely keeping the Kona too - we do lots of uplift days here which the Kona is great for 8)
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    Well big up for having a go as the young uns would say..

    but you need to put some photo's up in hte photo section to show us all your trip now... Or it didn't happen :)
  • erinmills
    erinmills Posts: 12
    At least you tried.
    The effort is always worth something
  • YeehaaMcgee
    YeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    erinmills wrote:
    At least you tried.
    The effort is always worth something
    I like you, you seem to be the politest person anywhere near this forum :D
  • composite
    composite Posts: 29
    Well done for not trying to MTFU and coming home in an ambulance. :)
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    composite wrote:
    Well done for not trying to MTFU and coming home in an ambulance. :)

    The joy of being a girl - I can (reasonably!) happily ignore all the grrrr-testosterone-ness :lol:

    Sadly, wondering around Alpe d'Huez and seeing all the slings and body parts in plaster I could see lots of people that couldn't :wink::lol:
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    Well at least you went and had a look! I'd love to give it a go next year. You should just keep at it, try and ride more downhill and get on some more uplifts. That part of the video ater 7:30 that you said you couldn't ride would have scared me shitless a year or two ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to ride. It looks good fun to me now though!
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  • paul.skibum
    paul.skibum Posts: 4,068
    Just watched HobNob's video - nice one. Track looks great - top section is definitely pretty gnar with a lot of rock and rough sections - looks rideable although I still say with the number of people around you I would find it off putting. Lower section once you get out of the rocks looks lush but I but everything is burning by then - certainly sounds like it!

    Good job HobNob and I understand Notax's hesitattions at the top - definitely tricky and pretty gnarly.
    Closet jockey wheel pimp whore.
  • ilovedirt
    ilovedirt Posts: 5,798
    Good job HobNob and I understand Notax's hesitattions at the top - definitely tricky and pretty gnarly.
    Aye, given how the go pro has a tendency to flatten things out, it does look pretty damn tech!
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