08-24-2020, 08:50 AM
Finally did my first DH race! Snowshoe put on a "Pedals & Pints" and I had to be out of the house for showings all weekend so I figured why not. It was supposed to be a relatively chill race (pretty rowdy but short black line into a flowy blue line) but the rain made it VERY interesting the whole way down. Trails were an absolute mess all day Saturday for practice. They weren't too bad for the race run as some of it got packed down but still super sketchy in a lot of spots. Mud caked tires don't really stop on mud and especially on wet roots. Coming in too hot was a guaranteed wreck. Played it safe, only went about 75% and had to dive off the trail twice to let 2 faster riders go by. Still managed to not get last and was within a minute of most of my group on a 7+ minute course. Did really well on the steep stuff but was absolutely gassed halfway down which is also where it flattened out and actually required some pedaling. My heart was pounding before I even took the initial drop in so that didn't help either. Was an absolute blast though. Highly recommend it next year if you're looking to take the DH plunge.
![[Image: 9faDfcx.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/9faDfcx.jpg)
Was hoping to get a cool shot coming off one of the drops or flying through one of the rock gardens but I caught the photographer at the berms. Oh well still cool, at least you can't see I'm absolutely dead here.
The BEST part though was watching little dude finally start pedaling. He made a friend while I was practicing and they were hitting a little pump track by the lift. We just brought the balance bike so I grabbed him a 20" rental and promised him some riding armor he really wanted if he could learn to ride it. He was hesitant at first and wanted to ditch the pedals for what was easy but I knew if he just got the start down he'd be golden. He already bombs down hills on his balance bike with 0 fear and coasts for days. So we practiced that on Saturday before the lightening shut everything down. Was trying not to be too bummed the weather was being a pain and when I came back from my early Sunday run I caught him looping around the gravel road by the lift and taking off. Easily the best moment of the weekend and that alone made the trip worth it.
![[Image: 118382265_10158768550001810_386814567088...e=5F6AD1E8]](https://scontent.fric1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/118382265_10158768550001810_386814567088699401_o.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Cb5UMfF2FJEAX_DGqgx&_nc_ht=scontent.fric1-2.fna&oh=9fa49af531f989f982615347b633263d&oe=5F6AD1E8)
Now I gotta find him one of these because the Target bike just isn't going to do. The fat tires and gears really help a ton. Kinda sucks there's a nation-wide shortage going down and I just sold my trail bike but gotta keep the momentum going. If I gotta drive a couple hours to pick one up or pay wayyyy too much for Commencal Clash (only thing I really found in stock that doesn't suck) it's gonna happen.
![[Image: 20CLASH20_2000.jpg]](https://www.commencalusa.com/Files/106799/Img/23/20CLASH20_2000.jpg)
Way too much bike for him at the moment but considering I do live 10 minutes from some great green trails, perfect riding weather is here and especially since I just sold my last bike for about what I paid for: I'm half tempted to just pull the $1,900 trigger if it comes to it. Going to check the local shops first but I don't have high hopes here.
Was hoping to get a cool shot coming off one of the drops or flying through one of the rock gardens but I caught the photographer at the berms. Oh well still cool, at least you can't see I'm absolutely dead here.
The BEST part though was watching little dude finally start pedaling. He made a friend while I was practicing and they were hitting a little pump track by the lift. We just brought the balance bike so I grabbed him a 20" rental and promised him some riding armor he really wanted if he could learn to ride it. He was hesitant at first and wanted to ditch the pedals for what was easy but I knew if he just got the start down he'd be golden. He already bombs down hills on his balance bike with 0 fear and coasts for days. So we practiced that on Saturday before the lightening shut everything down. Was trying not to be too bummed the weather was being a pain and when I came back from my early Sunday run I caught him looping around the gravel road by the lift and taking off. Easily the best moment of the weekend and that alone made the trip worth it.
Now I gotta find him one of these because the Target bike just isn't going to do. The fat tires and gears really help a ton. Kinda sucks there's a nation-wide shortage going down and I just sold my trail bike but gotta keep the momentum going. If I gotta drive a couple hours to pick one up or pay wayyyy too much for Commencal Clash (only thing I really found in stock that doesn't suck) it's gonna happen.
Way too much bike for him at the moment but considering I do live 10 minutes from some great green trails, perfect riding weather is here and especially since I just sold my last bike for about what I paid for: I'm half tempted to just pull the $1,900 trigger if it comes to it. Going to check the local shops first but I don't have high hopes here.