Mountain Biker Babe

I met a guy who is trying to start up a mountain biking tour company and he needed some people to ride the trails with him as the guide so he could get feedback before he starts taking on real customers. I was able to give him some feedback and I got a free day of mountain biking. Not a bad deal.

It was pretty intense. I've done some "Minnesota" mountain biking before, but never on an actual mountain and never changing altitude so quickly. Let's be honest. I'm used to flat paved roads in the Twin Cities area. Rarely have I done any off-roading. This was the most fantastic way to start. We drove to the peak of Doi Suthep and descended nearly 3000 feet. Strangely, I would have felt 110% more comfortable biking up the mountain rather than down. I'm not afraid of the physical endurance; it's about being mentally ready for some tricky trails. Going downhill means you're going fast, and you have to keep momentum so your front tire doesn't stick in the rocks or roots or mud.

I got my first fall out of the way right away in the first two kilometers. The top of the mountain was wet since we were in a cloud and I took a turn too fast. I was a little shaken up, but nothing more than a scratch. When I caught up with Jess he pulled some pine needles out of my neck. Now it just looks like I have a hickey. That's what happens when you fall throat-first. I did have some other bad luck with my bike. My chain broke and Jess (the guide) didn't have the proper tool to fix it (better he learns this now). Amazingly, he offered me his bike and said he would ride mine without a chain the rest of the way. Think about that... Luckily we were near a village and there were some off-road motor bikers who had a shop with some tools and offered to help us fix it. They repaired the chain using nothing but a pliers and the blunt end of an ax. And they offered us food while we waited.

The views were amazing. It was hard to focus on the trail when you've got mountains, rice fields, the view of the city, all on a clear day. We'd come around a bend and in a clearing I caught myself gasping more than once. The really cool thing about the work Jess has done is that he has been on all the trails on this mountain, and knows them like the back of his hand. These trails are 400 years old and the Hmong villagers originally paved them for trading. Here's the cool part: He is the first person ever to map these trails using his GPS. Talk about having an edge on the competition. Very few people know about the advanced trails he's been on. He tried to get more information from the villagers, but they just say "You want to know where to go? You must go figure it out." So he did.

My second fall was pretty gnarly. I wish I could have seen it from a different angle than I already did. I do know my tire caught something and I went over the handle bars into the rocks. Pretty sweet, eh? I got a nice battle wound from it too. (Everyone's got to show off a wound once in awhile). The back wheel was completely disconnected from the bike after the fall. Even Jess and the other riders were impressed with that. I guess when I fall, I only go hardcore. No broken bones thank goodness, but I'm looking forward to seeing the sizes and colors from the bruises I'll have. Despite the falls, it was such a fun time, and I learned so much in just one 4 hour ride. He invited me back to do the same thing next Sunday. I'm looking forward to it. Julie, does this count for doing something brave like you said? I've added more pictures to the link on the left.