This time I was prepared with my new skillz. I was sizing up turns, getting up out of my saddle, speeding up and changing gears like a champ. Then I almost hit a tree, which made me want to puke.
Alright, so I need to take it slow. I was so excited to actually have some feedback that I totally got overly zealous and almost domed myself. Allow me to explain. I was riding really well. I loved going through the turns up out of my seat and tilting my bike so much that I forgot to really pay attention to my speed. I was leading so I didn't have Michael as a gauge, and actually I could hear him right behind me so I figured I was finally giving him a riding partner that he could proud of, but that wasn't the case. The case, as it turns out, is I'm not ready to go so fast.
At my optimal speed I was flying through the trail and started to go up this slight incline. The incline curved to the left, and unfortunately for me there was a tree right in the crest of the turn. I was going way too fast to turn and stay on the trail, so instead I ran a little off the trail into the outside of the beginning of the curve, which stopped me about half foot shy of slamming the tree. Luckily for me, there was a family of hikers coming towards us so we had to get off the trail anyway. I nodded as they passed. Sure, no problem. I totally don't mind getting off the trail for you. I'm nice like that.
As the hikers moved forward, I informed Michael that I needed a second. It's funny how almost getting hurt can mess with your head the same or more than if you actually got hurt. It took about 3 minutes for the nausea to subside, and we were off. Michael took the lead for the rest of the day, since I obviously lacked the proper speed management techniques required, and we rode on.
(and thanks to Michael for proofreading this post, since I might have been a little buzzed when writing it)
-A
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