Lil W.B. and I have been riding Red Bug for three straight days. He used to hate this trail because it was hard, but now he likes it because its hard. Go figure. The first day we rode out there I noticed I was grinning and then it hit me, I love roots. Say what you want (pro or con) about the newly groomed trails in town, no human can come up with obstacles better than Ma nature.
There are some sections out there that you think of way before you get to them. That nagging doubt creeps in: what if I don't get over that step up? When you clean one of those roots, logs or wash outs you feel like you have done something special. Flowing clay and berms will never give you that kind of pay off (not that there is anything wrong with that).
If you can come up with a better feeling than clearing a tough part of trail and hearing a guy behind you tank it, I am all ears. After all mountain biking is not supposed to be a clean, smooth, activity. What drew me to this sport most of all was that I fell, almost every time I rode, for my first year. I will never forget the time I made it clean over the three tough climbs on the old Cadillac trail. I love all the new trail improvements, but I miss the feeling of a new tree or log crossing the trail after a storm, and committing to trying to get over it with no idea how it would turn out.
This weekend you have a chance to race on one of the last all natural, no silicone, trails in town. Sure the other ones are curvy, compliant, and their hair is perfect, but I always like a girl that fights back. Red Bug is the woman that will make you pay before you get the kiss.
I can't race this weekend, but I will be out there yelling at all my friends and laughing at the slobs learning what "skill" actually means.
W.B.Z.N.
