Cycology Mountain Bike Coaching

I didn't know so many great bikes were selling so cheap these days!

JUMP ENVY
The way we approach mountain biking mentally has a huge bearing on the outcomes of our riding ability. To progress in a healthy way, we have to fall in love with the process. That’s the beautiful thing about mountain biking: you get to enjoy the act of it. This applies particularly to features like jumps and drops.
An old proverb states: “A tranquil mind gives health to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Anyone who’s overcommitted to a jump or a drop and been smoked on the landing should see the wisdom in this. You see, a calm and tranquil mind is not anxious about getting more. Essentially, when we jump bigger features than we’re ready for—or when we hit them at speeds that are too fast—that's envy. We are wanting what we don’t yet have the ability to manage.
Another proverb states: “An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.”
Why can’t we jump as big as we want to? Because we’re not responsible with the distance we’ve already gained. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that the level of fear we feel in the air is close to overcoming our ability to maneuver the bike. Natural reactions to fear are fight, flight (run away), or freeze. None of these are beneficial while dropping altitude en route to a landing.
An old friend of mine, a big wall mountain climber, once told me: “There are old climbers and there are bold climbers, but there are no old bold climbers.” Mountain biking is a microcosm of this scenario. Too much vertical gain results in more gravity than we are able to reckon with. When we are pressing the edges of our abilities we are transitioning from an internal to an external locus of control.
In mountain biking, even on the biggest stages, the ramifications of failure are seldom death. However, injury, pain, reinforced negative thinking, a season-ending or delaying injury, or damage to our expensive gear are virtually guaranteed.
Here’s a proverb you can trust: “Patience leads to abundant understanding, but impatience leads to stupid mistakes.”
What’s the solution to growing on jumps? It’s probably not watching more YouTube videos. Honestly, the solution may not be found in hiring a mountain biking technique coach (ehem). It’s in your perspective on what you already have. It’s in your spirit.
The core of satisfaction and success is to enjoy the ride. Enjoy the jumps you’re jumping. Enjoy the way the bike and your body feel at your current level.
See the truth: to jump any mountain bike at all depends on literally millions of things to be in perfect synchronicity, from weather, to wealth, to politics, to physique.
So, as you are soaring through the air—whether it’s two inches or 20 feet—relish the feeling. When you calibrate your awareness, you’ll find your footing: “Whoever has something, more will be given; he will have an abundance. But whoever lacks something, even the little he has will be taken away.”
Increase your level of comfort on your current jumps until you are landing them deep before seeking out bigger jumps.
Fall in love with the process. Recognize and be supremely grateful for what you have. Laugh your way over the jumps you’re on. Smile. Giggle. High-five yourself if there are no bros or ladies around. Practice gratitude by recognizing what you have. Then, from a place of gratitude (not greed), you’ll find success.
And here’s the kicker (pun intended): you’ll always be satisfied instead of being constantly frustrated.

What a RAD clinic with these guys doing Cornering 101 at Hawes today! By the end of 4 hours we were seeing strong riding: DRIVING the bike instead of riding on it.

Our cornering clinics come in three parts: 101, 202, and 303.
Today, in 101, our group learned to use their mass, gravity, and intelligent pressure inputs to the bike to overcome the most common and costly errors in cornering form.

Want to know more? Sign up for Cornering 101 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/483845403627 on January 15, so you'll be eligible to continue the learning with Cornering 202 in the afternoon. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/487580675927

😃🤤🥲
Knowledge + Action = SKILLZ.

Book a one-on-one coaching session here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/471468022547