: Ups and Downs

By: g | No Comments » |

Ups and downs – we all go through them.

Climbing/descending, fit/unfit, day/night�it’s everywhere. Some of the most dramatic ups and downs don’t come at the local DH course. They’re emotional. As simple as good/bad. Witness the early morning winter ride.

It starts the night before – you can’t set that alarm without being pretty bummed – especially when it’s for 5 am! Then you’ve really gotta work really hard on ignoring the reality of doona-suck – more so if you wake up at 2, 3 and 4am, staring at the leds! (Tip from a former breakfast radio presenter – if you’re ‘core about it, put the alarm clock on the other side of the room.)

Beeb*beeb*beeb*�what’s not to hate there!!

The object is to be on your feet before you realise what’s going on – sad but true. If you give it even so much as a thought, the little guy in your head will go to work on you and the only thing that will move is your hand as you toss the clock (or something at the clock if you took the earlier tip). Later you’ll feel like crap. Guilt-out!

Good news, once you’ve made the shift from horizontal to vertical the hardest of the tough bits are out of the way. Let’s call it mental climbing, and as always, there’s a descent just around the corner. Up and into some breakfast – food good! Time for a ride – this is also good.

Ok, outside. It’s winter – that sucks!! (Another mind-climb). On the bike and (once the right bits are numb) early morning’s great!! There’s no-one around, you own the whole bloody world�weeeeeeeee!

Hook up with the posse at the local meet – it’s all good jawing at 6am as the frost settles in on the bonnets and windscreens of the doona-bound fools.

Then it’s time to ride�

Inevitably there’s a climb (of both kinds). It hurts going up, doubly so because your mind will wander back to your warm doona and you’ll have to mentally climb out of that funk while you do the real thing.

But again, what goes up� Time to rail. Face it, there’s NO point getting up at 5am without good reason – we’re not going to climb some smelly little hill if there isn’t some serious payback on the other side. This is why we’re here.

The fog’s gone from the glasses in the first 20 meters – just in time to lean it into the first big turn. Yeah! Wind-chill’s a factor, but adrenaline will trump it, and as you and the crew stand around at the bottom, in a self induced cloud of heavy breath condensation – no-one cares how cold their teeth are getting from the idiot-grin!

Gradually the ups and downs become less dramatic as your body warms to another ride and the sun rises on another day – then you’re home, another ride tucked away and the game-face on for whatever the next eight hours hold for you. Of course as the blood returns by the most painful route to your near frostbitten toes, there’s a final Bad that you’d probably overlooked.

Once that’s over though you’ll be cool – only 9am, and you’ve been for a killer ride already – you’re way ahead!

 

Tags:DH,downhill


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