Over 3 days i learned basic skills, all about increasing efficiency and speed as taught by Dylan and Jeff. Drills were explained and practiced on pavement then honed on the trail. Years ago i taught XC and tellmarking skiing, it has been a coon’s age since I was a student. Skills were introduced and we applied 3 things at a time. Remarkable: Vision, more than looking up; it is picking goals to ride to and looking beyond each goal. Can straighten out a trail and make a pedal wheelie root pass under the wheels. Turning is all about making the front wheel carve. Lots of weight transfer skills that keep a rider centered over the bottom bracket. I absorbed a good bit, some things I need to teach my body to do and when.
3 days were spent learning. Rides were part of the class on Phil’s trails.Check out Betterride.net for riding skills. I learned that wide bars are good, my 26.5 will be replaced by 28″ and less of a rise to lower my handlebars relative to my saddle height which will allow me to put more weight on the bars for more powerful turning.
This week was Bend’s big national road ride race event. Sat night a criterium was carved from downtown streets. I watched a bit of the mens’ race. Maybe 80 racers on incredible technical road bikes racing like handle bar to handle bar in a long line. Their bikes don’t sound like our mtn bikes. Race was a spectator meca.
Sat night I met up w/ Dylan and several clinic riders for an evening of beer drinking. I drank a pint @ 10 barrels and another @ (name) por house across the street. They kept on going and I drove out to Phil’s for bed.
Today was in the lower 90s and sunny. My desert burn and dryness is returning. Everything in my van is dried out. Tonight I set up my folding chair for a sit down in the cooler outside of the van. The chair was still wet from last Mon night downpour in Oakridge. 22% humidity.
Friday I parked in Newport Market parking lot for grocery shopping. A guy rides up on a cruiser and calls me by name. he recently read the DirtRag article and he wanted to say Hi. I ran into him the next 2 days. His name I finally learned is Todd and he is a math prof out in Humbolt cty in CA. He is a friend of Fuzzy whom I ran into again @ the Por house. I posed w/ Fuzzy for a photo. Fuzzy works for Niner who makes 29ers. Both were @ Phil’s today and both tried to get me to ride one. I said No because I do not want to perhaps be tempted to buy one that I am unwilling to afford. One of Todd’s son’s took a picture of Todd and me. He is to email me then I will reply w/ our pic and my geometry problem to figure out space dimensions in a circular house that I want to build.
I plan on leaving here Tues after I buy my new bar and install it for Hood River environs for several days. Then on into WA. I have started imaging a return route to Sedona for the winter. Too many places to ride between here and there but I am attempting to keep my route base line w/ few wiggles. I want to see the fall colors maybe in Durango: high aspen thickets golden against cloudless blue skies contrasted to deep greens of conifers.
Tomorrow I plan on a big ride @ Phils using my green skills. Hot and dry. My skin reddened after 19 days on the wet side.
Off to a hot bedroom under just a flannel sheet.
Badlands by Bruce. Workers’ anthem.