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05/12/2008
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Let
it Rain!
Recharge the ride in the off season
Words by Mark Steinebach
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With the end of the summer comes the end of easy biking days in Shangri-La
- at least for a large segment of the mountain biking brother and sisterhood.
Bikes are packed up or posted up for sale as soon as the leaves begin to turn.
Just hang out at Whistler Bike Park on any late season weekend and you will
be tripping over big bikes sporting For Sale signs. I certainly understand the
motivation: lack of money for school, onset of typical west coast weather and
minds that are turning to other seasonal pursuits. For me, the end of the summer
and the impending weather change is all good.
The author enjoying warm days & buff trails at B&K on
the Sunshine Coast. Photo ~ Jesse Wildeman
I was riding at Vedder Mountain recently when it struck me how many riders view
our sport as seasonal. Odd really when you consider that we don't suffer the extreme
weather most of Canada has to endure. On a typical Sunday afternoon in July the
trails of Vedder Mountain will see scores of riders. The parking areas are usually
teeming with vehicles and there is always a gaggle of groms scoping for a free
shuttle. Now all is quiet. On this particular day I would ride up three times
and only encounter one lonely vehicle; four brothers from Washington State who
had come to sample Vedder’s wares.
Summer riding has that easy feeling about it. Everything co-operates; from the
nature of the woodwork to the traction on the trail. You can ride with light gear
and even lose your shirt. There is no doubt that the sun feels good and the way
that it filters through the forest canopy gives the trail a magical appearance.
The trails are buff, traction is never an issue and there is no mud to wash of
your bike after a ride. And for those who don’t mind risking Beaver Fever,
there isn’t anything better than a cool, refreshing drink from a mountain
stream when it's scorching. Yes, summer is heaven for riders. But is it hell the
rest of the year?
Summer = endless, warm days of easy, high-flying fun. Photo
~ Glen Hafey
When those first rains come I have to make a conscious decision to not be deterred.
I resolve to continue on with my riding. On this day at Vedder there has been
some fresh rain overnight that has turned the ride up into an energy sapping slog.
I remind myself to not sweat the fact that the slower pace. I will still get where
I am going and I am not pressed by a schedule. With the rain comes a solitude
that lets me hear the sounds of the forest, the wind, the blood rushing in my
ears and my own rhythmic breathing.
When gravity takes over, trails I know intimately seem like strangers. Speed must
be adjusted. Weighting is different. Traction is no longer a given. My riding
has gotten sloppy during the ease of summer and the timing and muscle-memory that
I have acquired over that time is not working well today. I walk back up to try
a well known line that I have taken for granted for months but simply cannot ride
clean today. A long stretch of skinnies reveals a forgotten slickness that is
only unveiled following a good dousing. I am well onto the highest parts of this
challenge before it becomes abundantly clear to me that the techniques employed
to ride this stuff last week, will not work well today. I get out unscathed, feeling
my gut twist with the adrenalin surge that only a little fear can bring. I move
on, humbled and more attentive. Along the way, I stop and feast on some succulent
late season black berries that the bears haven’t managed to devour yet.
This is another reward for being here. Who needs a Power Bar?
Black Mamba is a challenge when dry….when soaked it will
make you fill your trousers. Photo ~ Kevin Wildeman
At the bottom I have the sense that God has provided me new challenges without
changing the setting. I will spend the next eight months riding four or five days
a week and I will enjoy every minute of it. The change that weather brings to
the trail and my ride keeps things fresh and exciting. There will be a few snow
rides where I will have to trust my equipment, instincts and skill while getting
to leave tracks that will often remain undisturbed until I return. There will
be days where the sky will open up on me, trying as it will to break my spirit
and drive me off the mountain.
Giving back some love to our playground. Photo ~ Mark Steinebach
These are the days that inspire me to pay penance to the trail with rake and shovel.
And there will be days when the sun blazes brighter than it has in long while,
reminding me that the easy riding of summer is just around another corner.
The author enjoys a little post-ride
nap with improvised head-rest and visor. Photo ~ Jesse Wildeman
In the end, forsaking my bike completely for my skis during the winter and
being relegated solely to the ease that is summer riding would be cheating myself.
While my brother in Toronto can only look at his bike in December, mine get
worked with regularity and I am thankful for where I get to live and ride.
by Mark Steinebach
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