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gtluke

The Moped
Probably an ignorant noob question here but why is it OK to run a race on muddy trails?

These really aren't trials. They were built specifically for the race and are on private property. So there isn't anyone to be upset about the trail damage, as we pretty much are the only trail users during the race.
It's why the BSA camp works out so well for a spring race.
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I just take opposition to painting a picture that doesn't exist, which really only happened the first week.

Well I can tell you that TONS of work went into the ST#1 course. I mean I posted that video to specifically show people "this is what the course is....its packed snow"..which tends to be unpredictable. I will say that I was hoping we would get a warm/cold cycle or two that would firm up the snow...but it never happened. Only thing we couldn't predict was how fast it would get blown apart by regular bikes...which ended up being about 1/4 of the open class race. But I also know that whatever we were going to do from then on....My motivation was "I do not want to watch people running again, so whatever it takes for that not to happen, im game"

This has been a great learning experience and im so happy that we actually did it and I think now we have a formula for next year to make even better...plus easier for the crew. We had several discussions offline about using the snowblower and many people thought it was a waste of time...myself included..I had no idea if it would help or not, but whatever...as I said...worst case, were were shoveling, which everyone was doing already. I have to give mad props to Norm and Jake and whoever else went out for that first day of shoveling...When norm sent me the first pic I think my response was: "you are a bloody madman! this will take 1000 years"...But Norm was all in...dressed in his purple snowsuit...so whatever it takes, let do it! You are a great motivator Norm...not many people can convince me to shovel snow. You set a great example in the past few weeks.
 

rick81721

Lothar
These really aren't trials. They were built specifically for the race and are on private property. So there isn't anyone to be upset about the trail damage, as we pretty much are the only trail users during the race.
It's why the BSA camp works out so well for a spring race.

thanks - I figured there was a good explaination
 

Mountain Bike Mike

Well-Known Member
Kevin was the obvious #1... I wonder who was the #2...

Dude - Roses up the ass is not Utopia, they have thorns... What kind of sadistic shit are you into?

Even though I did not take part in the series, I was truly amazed at the effort you guys put in to make it happen. From my outside view, it really shows how tight your club is - That's really cool! NICE WORK!
 

Mountain Bike Mike

Well-Known Member
Thread Poach...

After reading Utah's recent entry about his son's first birthday and his Mom coming to visit and the latest threads on ChrisRU's Time bending blog, I feel motivated to steal this thread for the sake of sharing discussions and stories about children and the things they do that make us laugh. I know for me, the rule in our house has always been - If it's funny it's OK. That said, I can definitely conjure up some pretty good stories that had Stef and I looking at each other across the room in amazement, speechless and trying not to laugh at something so wrong our kids did but was soooooo funny.

For example - Did you ever see those toddler bouncers? Looks like a kid flavored catapult or sling shot? We refer it as the "Jump'n Jump'n". Some hang in the doorway, some are free standing - A pillar style... All three of my son's used it. They would get in there and jump like hell - they would jump so long, they would eventually wear themselves out... I found great entertainment watching the boys jump to sleep. They would bounce and then slow down, you'd see the eyes start to close, the head tilt, then WHAM - back at it for another minute or two and then they would start fading again, then WHAM - back at it. I wanted to laugh so loud but didn't want to make noise to break the pattern. Then eventually the bouncer would win and the kid would pass out. I know I've recorded this a couple times.

To add some icing - imaging what happens when you don't realize when the kid has been bouncing in a dirty diaper... It manages to make its way out one way or another...

last minute edit for those who prefer to read the pictures instead of the content

https://www.google.com/search?q=bab...&q=baby+bouncers+and+jumpers&revid=1768328752
 
Last edited:

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
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Arwen's Mom

Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains
Because of this post http://www.mtbnj.com/forum/index.php?threads/moon-shadows-are-evil.19292/page-53#post-569663
I decided to try and steal this too and talk about "improving and motivation". Well, NOT JUST that post, but this subject comes up here and there on this forum, and has come up in conversations while riding. One time someone wrote on this subject and offended me enough (it was Norm's "people who do 16 are slow remark") that I wrote a huge post about it, but before I posted it up I emailed to my buddies to "proof read"
They said dont bother. But I feel it is something that I need to discuss. I cant be the only one on here, or in the biking community, that gets discouraged by being dropped, or told you are not trying hard enough, or you are too slow, blah blah blah when you are giving it all you got, and have for quite a while.

You can NOT improve for ever. There has to be a point when you have become the best you will ever be and need to be happy with that. And every one has a different "best" point. And not everyone is "wired" or "constructed" in a way to be as fast or good as you. For example: you can train a pitbull or a Pomeranian to be racing dogs. Best training, best food, but they will never beat a well trained greyhound in a race.

Why do so many here feel it is wrong to accept certain things about yourself and your riding abilities? I am NOT saying they (me) should stop trying to improve! But there comes a point when I have to be happy where I am at because if I keep trying over and over, and dont succeed, I will get discouraged and say F it. I would rather continue to TRY MY BEST and accept little achievements and LOVE what I am doing. That is far better for the biking community than "you suck, you are slow, try harder, you still suck" and have the biking community lose another member because they dont "match up" to what YOU think they should be able to do.

Wanna grow the sport? remember how much you sucked when you first got on a bike. And accept the fact that some people will never be as good as you, and thats ok too.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
I cant be the only one on here, or in the biking community

Wanna grow the sport? remember how much you sucked when you first got on a bike. And accept the fact that some people will never be as good as you, and thats ok too.

If we are talking bike community than let's keep the bigger picture in mind. Within this community there are people that do not view it as sport. I don't believe you are the only one.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Why do so many here feel it is wrong to accept certain things about yourself and your riding abilities? I am NOT saying they (me) should stop trying to improve! But there comes a point when I have to be happy where I am at because if I keep trying over and over, and dont succeed, I will get discouraged and say F it. I would rather continue to TRY MY BEST and accept little achievements and LOVE what I am doing. That is far better for the biking community than "you suck, you are slow, try harder, you still suck" and have the biking community lose another member because they dont "match up" to what YOU think they should be able to do.

Yes everyone has a limit and yes there will always be faster people, smoother people, people who can do things on a bike you never thought possible. That being said, you probably have far more room to expand than you think, the advances just become smaller as you move along. If you don't want to push yourself, that is fine because pushing yourself means falling short at some point whether it is falling on the mtb or coming up short on your best time for a climb or something. But for something that is your passion I can't see just accepting that you are or have been the best you will ever be. Sure, many of us can see when we are past our peak but that doesn't mean you can't progress. Learn wheelies, learn to bunny hop logs, learn to ride a skinny, something.

I just read in my thread that you mention tossing the bikes aside, again. I am not sure if i am one of the people who discourages but in the end, who cares what they say, you should never stop doing something like riding when you can easily remove yourself from the discouraging feedback but just riding by yourself or ignoring what is online.

From the disgraced but a good quote nonetheless.

“If you're not getting better you're getting worse”
Joe Paterno (the disgraced)
 

Mitch

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I thought we ride bikes to enjoy the outdoors and nature.. Some people RACE and some people RIDE.. Some do BOTH. But you can do what ever you enjoy..Nothing bad about that, period!

From the disgraced but a good quote nonetheless. ;)

"Shut up and ride"
Jill AM
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I would rather continue to TRY MY BEST and accept little achievements and LOVE what I am doing. That is far better for the biking community than "you suck, you are slow, try harder, you still suck" and have the biking community lose another member because they dont "match up" to what YOU think they should be able to do.

Wanna grow the sport? remember how much you sucked when you first got on a bike. And accept the fact that some people will never be as good as you, and thats ok too.

I don't believe anyone is saying you suck.
You may have percieved what you read to mean this, however its not true. But even if you are correct and it is true...does it really matter. If you LOVE what you do then what other people thing really doesn't matter.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Wanna grow the sport? remember how much you sucked when you first got on a bike. And accept the fact that some people will never be as good as you, and thats ok too.

I don't believe anyone is saying you suck.
You may have percieved what you read to mean this, however its not true. But even if you are correct and it is true...does it really matter. If you LOVE what you do then what other people thing really doesn't matter.

i'm with 100% iggy here. totally platonic.

why does it matter what other people think of you on the internet. i learned a LONG time ago that people tend to say things on message boards that there is absolutely NO WAY they say in real life. like never. it happens less here b/c our little section of the interverse™ is relatively small. a lot of people know each other which keeps people in check. except @stb222, of course.

just ride and have fun, whether you're racing or JRA. does it matter? you're on a bike...and not a Somalian Pirate jacked to the gills on Khat toting a machine gun and robbing an oil tanker. to feed your kids.
 

mandi

Well-Known Member
So I feel like you either want to ride bikes for the sake of riding bikes, or you want to ride bikes to get better. I think tons of people just ride to ride. They are happy with just pedaling along and not pushing themselves towards progressing further. I think about the people who go on the tow path and ride for an hour and they are just wanting to be out there, riding. They don't look at the time, or their speed, they just don't care about that stuff. Some days I like to be that guy too. That's totally fine to do forever, but you have to be okay with that if that's what you're doing.

If you want to get better, you can. I don't believe that you hit a point right now where you can't grow more as a cyclist. Every year I grow, even if it's hard to see sometimes. But getting faster doesn't come easy, you have to work really really hard to get where you want to be. Some times even that isn't enough.

“It never gets easier, you just go faster.” -Greg LeMond

I remind myself of this all the time. I ride and I think, "shit, this was so much easier last year. Did I get that slow?" Then I go home and upload my file and realize I'm actually riding faster, it's just become the new normal. You can do that same effort you thought was so hard, and it's your new tempo.

Bottom line is that if you set your mind to something, you can do it. You just need to want it bad enough.
 
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