Mountain biking (MTB)... why do I do it? One minute I'm flying (kinda...) then the next I'm crashing and burning (not gonna lie, hehe).
Rides typically finish with me bruised, batted and battered with mud (not as tasty as tempura batter I'm sure) and/or with me trying to calm the farm as my heartrate is still peaking.
The respective causes for these two post-ride states are: 1) muddy tracks+unco rider and 2) desperately-hanging-on-for-my-life descents.
There are 10 stages to mountain bike rides:
1st stage: ESCAPE PLAN. Planning an awesome escape route out to some form of track... the further from Palmy the better! Though the agekiddy jumps and tracks along the river in the middle of Palmy still keep me (probably too) well entertained and challenged, hehe :P :)
2nd stage: HYPE STAGE- THE RIDE OUT. Beats in headphones to circle and pump the pedals along with. some bursts of singing or rapping along to irresistible choruses and usually a big geeky smile.
3rd stage: THE GRIND DEPRESSION. Realising that grinding through the trees and up massive hills to get to a view is always a grind and there is never a low enough gear.
4th stage: PEACE IN LACKING PEACE. Acceptance of the constant grind-induced burning legs & lungs to begin distracting myself with the beautiful nature I'm among.
5th stage: REALITY CHECK. Hitting a rocky section or muddy stretch and forced to stop being an airy-fairy nature watcher and focus on the grind again...shame, haha.
6th stage: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. Seeing the top approach. Happy dayz.
7th stage: THE MOUNTAIN TOP MOMENT. Arriving at the top and allowing a moment or two to breathe and be amazed is so refreshing!
8th stage: THE R18 SECTION. The peaceful view at the top, leaving me in awe of the crazy cool and massive creation, is quickly forgotten on my way down the trails. At many moments, I feel my life flash before my eyes as fast as the corner is approaching or I fly haphazardly of a jump that i hit so wrong, hahah, and try (...and often fail, haha...) to hold in expletives*. *Those who have ridden with me can say that I transition hilariously quickly from laughing hard to tourette-esque R18 language when a technical section is hit.
9th stage: THE BUZZ. Hitting the bottom of the track, the adrenaline has a chance to rush more freely to the happiness brain compartments and I loosen my vice grip off the handlebars, think yeeyah let's do it again!!! and settle into cruise+reminisce mode to head back up or home.
10th stage: PREPARING FOR THE NEXT 1st stage and FOOOOD... goldfish memory about all the lacklustre stages being fully-fledged the next trip is in mind...after the next meal is sussed of course :P :) Eva stomach Craig above all else, hehe.
You know what, MTB is so much like everyday and every year life too!
Look back at those stages... you make plans, travel the bumpy ride- ups and downs, reach some form of top and then celebrate then plan the next peak to head towards, right?
The ups and downs may be the rough bit but they are the bit that make the next lot more bearable.
There would be nothing much to laugh about or tell stories on if everything went right or if all obstacles are avoided! Life would be dead flat...
I love this quote from the band, 'For King and Country', in their song Wholehearted:
Truly God could have let all things be flat and smooth, but I am so so thankful He didn't!
The great adventure is really made in the unplanned parts and the challenges bring us out into the best mountaintops.
A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor :)
Cheesy as macaroni cheese I know... but man that cheese is so necessary to take in.
As Jesus said years ago, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world"- John 16: 33 The ups and downs aren't for eternity, but they do make now more interesting and force us to learn, reach out to others and find solid things in life to anchor in! Because of this promise I can enjoy the ups and downs in life... including in MTB rides!
The following 3 pics and their descriptions depict an all-too-common MTB experience wherein a perfectly good path is skipped off the edge of...
... tho from experience a lil' detour beats hitting a tree stump, pothole or rock whiles still ON a path!
This lil' detour freaked me out for a few seconds but left me smiling at my own silliness for many minutes to follow! Some would say I was lucky no-one was training with me that day... But I feel if someone was then at least that grin could have been on one more person's face that day ;)
...Didn't smile about having an extra dirty bike to wash though!
So am I a complete MTB amateur? YES! No denyng that, haha, too much evidence around :P
But am I always having a good time (except for stages 3, 5 and 8 and having to clean my bike)? YES!
So YES I love the ups and downs of MTB and will keep embarassing, muddying and approaching-a-heart-attack-ing myself by heading out on adventures on my bike! :) Sorry fellow bike park users... I hope amuse more than annoy y'all :P And YES in life the mountains placed before me will also be something I refuse to avoid but set out to adventure up. Join the club...? :) No membership fees or safety forms... just take a leap!
Don't avoid the mountains for too long, you'll forget the views available for you :)