One of my goals for 2012 is to compete in a Mountain Bike Triathlon! For something different! For Fun!
A swim is a swim is a swim is a swim. Well, you get the drift. It doesn't matter if it is a Tri or a MB Tri....the swim is a swim is a swim.
I always get a kick when I run on a trail. Running in the dirt gives me a feeling of freedom!
Please, don't get me wrong. I LOVE road cycling! It is my favorite part of triathlon. If I had to give up any one of the three parts, it would NOT be cycling!
Look, I'm not really that good at mountain biking. But I like being out in nature and I never have to worry about cars when I'm biking out on the trail. Okay, so every once in a while I have to swerve to avoid a bunny.
Those bunnies are probably out there when I road bike, but I don't see them. I also don't see hawks while I'm road biking. I see them ALL the time from my mountain bike.
I've gone down harder on my mountain bike than I have on my road bike. Unless there is a lot of gravel strewn about, the road tends to stay pretty stable. The trail can change from hard pack to sandy to granite and back so quickly it makes for a challenge to stay upright sometimes.
Today was my first day to clip in on my mountain bike. I've been mountain biking for about two years and in all that time I never really had the courage to clip in. But this year I am living boldly!
This year I boldly signed up for the mountain bike triathlon at Wildflower. I figured I could celebrate Wildflower's 30th by competing in the mountain bike triathlon. I use the word competing loosely. Then, I boldly declared that I would be riding in Wildflower's MB tri clipped in.
Okay, well, I will have the option of being clipped in or not. My pedals are platform on one side and clips on the other side.
Today when we started out on our ride, I told my guy and his friend that I wanted to just ride the fire road at Sycamore Canyon Park and practice with my new pedals. They must not have heard me because I ended up following them on single-track and up and down hills.
It was nerve-racking thinking about whether I could make it up a hill, and if I didn't think I could make it, I had to unclip and use the other side of the pedal. I unclipped a couple of times when I shouldn't have and it slowed me down so much that I ended up having to push my bike up the hill.
I only laid my bike down once. Luckily, I unclipped really quickly and was able to jump clear and land on my feet.
The guys FINALLY got tired of listening to me swear and we rode over to the old Air Force Base land and rode the fire road around the bunkers! I stayed clipped in the entire 4-mile loop. Yeah!
It was a glorious day in Southern California. Temps in the low 80s while we were riding. The peaks with snow on them are San Gorgonio on the left and San Jacinto on the right. I have hiked to the top of both of those mountains. Uhm, I wonder how hard it would be to mountain bike to the top of them. Just kidding...I am not doing that - This year!
By Wildflower I think I will be able to stay clipped in because until then
I am just going to be training and trying!
Very good! Long time ago when I rode I used to use my clips. I found it scary.
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