seeformiles
09-11-2006, 09:09 PM
Went to the Whistler Sugoi Dirt camp this weekend, after four months of riding on the Shore. First day I did dirt jump training with Canadian Downhill champ Lorraine Blancher, hitting a couple of laps of b-line and Heart of Darkness in-between times. I was riding my big hardtail so I got shook up pretty good; that combined with a badly positioned brake lever meant that I started to get cramps and tendonitis in the afternoon - at its worst as we hit A-Line (my first time). I got quite a few nice airs but had to stop (off the trail of course) a few times so that I could wait for my hands to work again. I skipped the big drops this time round as I was having trouble holding the bars by this point.
Next morning I dropped down a class as I was hopped up on painkillers and had my wrist strapped for support - the drop turned out to be totally worth it as part of it involved a session on skinnies with Wade Simmons! The skinnies themselves were fairly straightforward (not that I was perfect by any means) but Wade's totally potitive attitude was a joy in itself to experience. In the afternoon went to hit A River Runs Through It with Wade and a whole bunch of other riders and was just about at the trailhead when I snapped my derailleur hanger (obviously fatigued from months of punishment); a couple of helpful souls lent a hand to try and single-speed her but my chain was skipping up and down at the merest hint of an incline so I decided to turn back rather than hold the group up any further.
So, a weekend of highs and lows. I'm going to have to rest for a while now and let my poor thumb tendons recover, but I've got the Whistler air bug now. I WILL be buying a full suss, I WILL be back next year, I WILL be hitting jumps from now on, and I WILL dominate A-Line... eventually.
Next morning I dropped down a class as I was hopped up on painkillers and had my wrist strapped for support - the drop turned out to be totally worth it as part of it involved a session on skinnies with Wade Simmons! The skinnies themselves were fairly straightforward (not that I was perfect by any means) but Wade's totally potitive attitude was a joy in itself to experience. In the afternoon went to hit A River Runs Through It with Wade and a whole bunch of other riders and was just about at the trailhead when I snapped my derailleur hanger (obviously fatigued from months of punishment); a couple of helpful souls lent a hand to try and single-speed her but my chain was skipping up and down at the merest hint of an incline so I decided to turn back rather than hold the group up any further.
So, a weekend of highs and lows. I'm going to have to rest for a while now and let my poor thumb tendons recover, but I've got the Whistler air bug now. I WILL be buying a full suss, I WILL be back next year, I WILL be hitting jumps from now on, and I WILL dominate A-Line... eventually.