Gravity

There are probably better ways to reduce my ignorance.

But for some reason, I had it in my head that the low gears on my mountain bike would enable me to ride up any trail, regardless of its steepness. I was well aware of my limitations in technical skill, and wouldn't dream of trying to ride over anything that required balance, precise steering, or good vision. But I figured as long as the road was wide and fairly flat, the angle wouldn't matter.

So, with my britches full of such ill-informed optimism, I took the new bike up to Green Mountain and confidently headed up the fire road. I am pleased to say that no injuries occurred, but my education commenced almost immediately.

Lessons learned:

1. Do not listen to people who may not fully understand your limitations.
   
   When asking around about "beginner trails", I was told by a couple of different people that Green Mountain was probably the easiest non-boring trail there is around here. Well, I learned that I am not yet ready for "non-boring".
   
   I will say that I have one friend with good judgment. Kim Clemens warned me that GM might be a tad challenging, and even recommended an alternate path. But because I wasn't sure I could follow his directions to the trailhead, I ignored his advice and went on over to Green Mountain, anyway.
   
   
2. Having really low gears is not the only factor affecting the ability to ascend.
   
   Who knew that loose gravel and sand would make such a difference? I still think I might have been able to make the climb if the surface was paved, but the crumbly nature of the route meant that I felt I needed to hold a certain minimum speed to keep from getting bogged down and falling over. I worked like a maniac trying to hold that speed, but because the fire road goes straight up without respite, I was only able to make it about a mile before my heart and lungs simply refused to cooperate.
   
   I'm sure I'll get better at this, too, but when barely moving forward, I found that I was also afraid I wouldn't be able to unclip from my pedal before falling over. Fortunately, I did not topple during this process, but I definitely wasn't comfortable with my steep-incline dismount skill level. And then after stopping, I bet I stood there straddling the bike and panting for a full three minutes before I was able to even think about how I was going to get back down the mountain.
   
   
3. Using the brakes effectively on a scrabble-sloped steep descent isn't exactly easy, either.
   
   The good news is that my brakes seem to have survived the ordeal, but they were definitely hot and unhappy as I clamped onto them to control my downhill speed. Even so, it was a bit of a scary descent.
   

There were probably other lessons as well, but they can all be summarized under the "restrain your optimism, ya pinhead!" category. I may be able to master mountain biking someday, but I'm going to have to take it slow. REALLY slow. I need to get many more rides under my belt before I go up to Green Mountain again.

Anyway, I did make it off the fire road safely, and ended up riding for another hour or so on the bike paths and nearby roads. I found the (paved) climb up Dinosaur Ridge to be delightful, and really enjoyed the views from the bike path near 6th Avenue. I got a decent amount of exercise, and got a better feel for shifting and pedaling on the new bike. And I learned a few things. Overall, that's a positive thing, right?

Next up: Hiking Pike's Peak. Have a great day!