Matt Bingham misses the warm temps and hot adrenalin rush of downhill racing in the summer.
Here is his honest take on getting in shape, (or out of it), riding with the proper equipment, and enduring the long winter months without his beloved DH bike.
“I’m a driver, I’m a winner; things are gonna change I can feel it”
Beck - Loser
By Matt Bingham
 These
are the dark days for a mountain biker. Cold, dark, snow covered
trails. And now thanks to global warming – inconsistent. Even if you
are hard-core enough to ride in the snow (used to be, but that passed)
the conditions are usually too soft to really have anything that
resembles fun. Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter. There’s lots to
do, snowboarding, and...well, there’s snowboarding. Bring on the dry
trails, and fix my bike while you’re at it.
What better time to plan my upcoming downhill racing series and training. Get in shape, eat right have an actual plan instead of whatever feels right at the time –this usually dwindles after a few races for me. I then take an “oh well there’s next year” approach after not doing so well. What with kids, family and beer and BBQ other things seem to get in the way of riding.
So this is my year you see. I will do great things. I will get in shape. I will lose weight. I will be committed to doing well in the Ontario Downhill Mountain Bike Racing Series--or so I keep telling myself. Yet as of today I haven’t sat on a bike since October. And let’s just say I’ve managed to break a fashionable – and in my opinion structurally unstable – chair. You see, I’ve been meaning well, but when push comes to shove, my mind always wins over my body.
I’ve taken a few spins on my trainer and things feel good. I’m not breathing too hard and managing to stay on for an hour at a time.
It’s amazing what quitting smoking will do. I’ve quit now for about 9 months, and I really am now finally noticing a difference. Before I quit when I would first do any sort of exercise after a winter of relative inactivity I would be really huffing and puffing. It feels good to not have to go through that. I’ve hooked up my Xbox so I can play games while on the bike and that seems to really help with the boredom of it--much more exciting than watch the paneling in my basement fly by. I think I just might be able to do this. I’ve been riding for a long time and 2 years ago after being introduced to undisclosed “secret DH trail” I was hooked. After that I went to Blue Mountain for a ride and that sealed the deal. Until that point I had ridden a hard tail. Someone that I was riding with at Blue let me borrow his Norco dual suspension bike and that did it. I had to get one. So I found a bike and committed myself to do some DH racing the next year.
My first year was a real learning experience. I went through probably over $1G in parts and untold headaches. My first race at Kelso was the worst. I had a nasty crash over a big rocky drop, and although I walked away, I managed to crack my rim, totally destroy my rear derailleur, and derailleur hanger –all in a matter of .5 seconds. I spent the rest of the day and night trying to get a fix. Finally, at just after midnight the great guys at Spokes N Slopes saved me. And then came race day and I wrecked something again. But I managed to race and won 7th in my division. For me it was great, and it was all worth it. From there on in it was love-hate. Constant mechanicals and crashes were really putting the zap on me. But after the last race I couldn’t wait for the next year and it seemed to take forever for it to start.
So last year I somehow managed to get sponsored by Cycle Solutions. I think they took pity on me. And my results were similar, but I didn’t wreck nearly as much and managed to finish all my races with nothing really broken. It felt great! Although the thing that held me back quite a bit I felt was my lack of fitness and abundance of belly. While there is work to be done in other areas I hope that this will help in my efforts.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Downhill Mountain Bike Racing, here’s a brief – and oversimplified – synopsis. In Ontario it consists of a 1 to 2 minute run of going as fast as you can down a rough and challenging trail. Yes, while it might seem like a short time to ride a bike it is very intense. And it’s not just the 1 run either. It’s the practice runs that can take their toll. Imagine spending a
few hours riding as fast as you can over and over down a rough trail with tons of obstacles that are just itching to break your bones - or worse- wreck your bike. At the same time your heart is pounding out of your chest with maximum exertion. (Well, maybe that’s just me). Oh and not to mention you’re probably wearing some heavy protective equipment: Full-face helmet, goggles, gloves, leg armor, elbow pads, body armor. And if you tend to wipe out quite a bit like I do, some padded shorts. Although not all of this is mandatory, I’d suggest it for everyone. Some folks don’t wear everything and to each his own. But it’s that one time you decide not to wear it when
the track is gonna kick you in the ass, or face or whatever. THIS DOES NOT FAIL! Case in point(s): Last year I decided that I didn’t need my goggles during my race run, and well wouldn’t you know it I did an endo right into a pointy tree trunk. I was lucky I got away with a cut eyebrow. But a little further down and I could have had a nice big ol’ sliver in me eye. Lovely. And also there was my race run at Camp Fortune where I didn’t wear my padded shorts and fell on some jagged rocks and that did it. I did not finished and also missed the race the next day. OK maybe I was really hung over as well, but still.
Why the hell would you want to do this? It’s expensive, it’s dangerous, and Ontario –let’s face it is not a DH Mecca. You need mountains, not damn hills! Well you make due with what ya got. It’s better than nothing. And it’s actually not as bad as you’d think.
Sure the runs are short, but they are fun. I got into mountain biking for the thrill of it. And that’s what DH provides 100%. I’ll take it any way I can get it. And as for the danger of it, it’s probably about as dangerous as many other sports if not less, due to the safety
aspects involved as previously mentioned. Most riders are aware of their skill level and ride accordingly. There are “go-arounds” as well.
These are easier runs that virtually anyone can do.
Maybe I’ll see you at the races.
|
