Tag: <span>drops</span>

Learning to ride Video

We’re pleased to announce that Kat Sweet, professional coach, jumper, downhiller, and owner/founder of Sweetlines, will be our next featured MTBSN guest expert. She’ll be live in an MTBSN Business Hangouts Google video chat next Sunday, May 7, 9 pm CDT.

FEATURED TOPIC: How to Ride Drops (If there’s time, we’ll also consider questions about bunny hops, manuals, jumping, cornering, etc.)

REGISTER FREE HERE

QUESTIONS FOR KAT: Anyone will be able to submit questions for Kat during the live Q&A. If you can’t attend, submit your questions here.

Kat’s mission:

“… is to build confidence, create community, and promote stewardship through educational mountain biking programs that empower women and youth.”

LINKS FOR KAT SWEET & SWEETLINES:

REGISTER HERE FOR THE LIVE VIDEO CHAT ON MAY 7, 2017

Guest expert instructor Learning to ride

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOR99Vdg_0P/

Instagram post Video

Last week, I posted the question (to my MTB Geezer blog, my MTB Geezer Instagram feed, my MTB Geezer Twitter feed,  & my MTB Geezer Facebook page):

A big tree came down along a segment of our local mtb trail recently. We got it trimmed up a few weeks ago and last week, it occurred to me to try riding over the fat end where it hangs over a concrete block lip. So it’s a logover but it’s also a drop. Can you predict from these video stills whether or not I endoed?

Here’s my overly-detailed (5.5 minutes!) video analysis of my ride over that logover drop.

Instruction Learning to ride Video

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNt1X7kAZXZ/

Instagram post Learning to ride

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJqZqhnAFQj/

Instagram post Learning to ride Video

Instagram post Learning to ride Video

I crashed hard on my first attempt to ride the new 4-foot high skinny drop at Hillside MTB Park in Elk River, MN a month or so ago. I somehow had it in my head to not go too fast, that it was better to err on the slow side. And since I’m good at riding skinnies, riding it slow was not a problem, or so I thought. 22-second video:

Looking at the video, clearly visible in the slowmo segment, I not only approached the lip too slow but I didn’t use any ‘technique.’ My front wheel dropped immediately and OTB I went.

Fortunately, I was completely armored up: chest and spine protection, shoulder & elbow pads, hip and tailbone pads, knee and shin pads. Unfortunately, I was pretty shaky afterwards and decided to bail on my riding companions, L to R, Paul Hogan, Troy Sierakowski,  and Bradley Cyr:

L to R, Paul Hogan, Troy Sierakowski, and Bradley Cyr

I sustained some cracked ribs on my right side, which have pretty much healed since with no complications.

Here’s a video of Hillside’s DirtWirx trail steward Rich Omdahl riding the skinny drop on the day it was installed this past summer:

Learning to ride

South Wirth mapI rode the new South Wirth trail at Theodore Wirth MTB Park in Minneapolis on Monday afternoon. It’s a hoot. It’s crammed with flow features that can be rolled for intermediate level riders. But advanced level riders (or wannabes like me) will have a rollicking good time. There’s nothing like this trail in the metro area. It’s like having a slice of the intermediate/advanced flow trails at Cuyuna, Spirit Mountain and CAMBA , all packed into a very small area. Truly amazing. Props to MORC, MOCA, and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for making it happen (details below).

Here’s a 1 min 45 second video clip, taken with my GoPro in a chest harness. You’ll see when I got to the drops that I stopped and walked them, turned around and walked back, then rode them but not fast enough to clear them. I sorta rolled them and was lucky I didn’t crash. I’ll be back asap to try again.

Trails Video