April 2021
Like most people, I told myself over and over that I’d practice cornering to get REALLY fast at it.
Month after month passed and…crickets. There’s nothing like promising yourself something and falling flat on that promise. How much easier is it to hit the gym than it is to do the boring drills you know you need to do to be a better rider?
But being a better rider is what I strive for.
Better for me is smoother and more relaxed. And eventually, that will mean faster.
One lovely lady on Instagram tagged me in a post for the 2021 Slaydies Spring Challenge to improve bike skills. The idea was to “touch” your bike intentionally for 20 minutes every day for 30 days. All that riding was sure to make us confident, strong riders.
The additional perks were pretty good: a swag bag (I’m not sure what was in it, but how fun, for real?!) and a chance at two free hours of one-on-one coaching with pro rider Stef McDaniels.
Sign me up!
The cool thing was that it didn’t have to be the same skill for all 30 days, it just had to be intentional practice. (There were other requirements, but that was the basics of it.) Life, in general, has a way of, well, getting in the way. And serious kudos to all those badass ladies who made it all 30 days. Family, work, weather, all can wreak havoc and even 20 minutes can seem like a burden.
And riding should never feel like a burden.
I didn’t make it all 30 days, but the benefits were way worth the 25 I did. I’m riding smoother, my ultimate goal, and it’s translated to faster, and waaay more fun!
If you’ve ever been interested in a challenge, here’s been my daily journey:
Day 1: Super stoked to get started! Really, though, I had no idea what I was going to do. I’d found out about it three days before and hadn’t had time to research what I was going to work on. After a long debate (not really), I finally decided on cornering. Not a huge surprise since I’ve had some issues with rubber side UP in the past. My first 20 minutes was doing figure 8’s in the street in front of the house.
Day 2: Got off my tukis and watched a video or seven on how to corner. No wonder I locked up on every turn! I decided to try some switchback corners on a non-switchback Y, and…it didn’t work so well. I couldn’t relate to the videos I watched, and I couldn’t make my corners tight enough. At first, I thought it was because I didn’t have my trusty-dusty (read: sweaty, smelly) knee pads, but alas. It was a lack of knowledge.
I’m really selling it here… The point is, be prepared with what you want to accomplish and do the research. Be ready to screw up. It wouldn’t be a challenge if you did it right every time.
Day 3: Thought I figured a few things out, so I took it to the trail. It was the slowest, most awkward turning and cornering I’ve done! I was thinking too hard about all of it and hadn’t practiced enough to translate it to the trail just yet.
Day 4: Major breakthrough! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “lean the bike.” But there is a difference between leaning the bike and leaning the body.
I’ve known to lower my outside pedal for a while but putting it together with leaning the bike (not the body!) helped me feel more grounded and secure. Things start to feel more together.
Day 5: Took some time on AZ Moto to see what I’ve learned. The trail is fast, flowy, and with lots of turns. I’d never felt so grounded.
Pretty sure my family thought I was hysterical because I was laughing so much. Seriously, Daniel and Li’l Ripper were looking at me like I was out of my mind, I had so much fun!
Day 6: After yesterday’s trail ride, today’s drills seemed a little stagnant. I still did them, despite the cold and wind and fatigue from the miles before.
Being bored means you’re growing, but it still needs to be done. Back to correct body positioning (that I didn’t have until 5 days ago!).
Day 7: Cold, windy, rainy weather means I had to mix it up and worked on track stands, front-wheel push, and recap of cornering.
Day 8: The goal was to work on looking ahead and braking before the corner, instead of in the middle. Turns out that when I focus on one thing, I forget about the others! Further along the trail, I tried to focus on relaxing and paying attention to what I was doing. It might not have been my initial intention, but lessons were learned!
Day 9: Sometimes it takes going back to basics to learn how to do the more “complicated” stuff.
No matter the tire, I feel like I’m always washing out (or in danger of). So, I went back to light hands awareness. Light hands/heavy feet are extremely important when cornering, otherwise, you’ll wash out your front tire. There are a few drills on Singletracks.com that you can try. They helped a ton!
Day 10: Lots of wind. Didn’t feel like being out in the crappy weather. Into the wind, I worked on light hands. With the tailwind, I worked on getting my chest low to the bars.
Day 11: Tried on the windiest, slowest (to me), corner-ist trail near me I could find. It went, uh, okay.
Day 12: After watching some badass ladies showing off some cornering skills, I had the brilliant idea of setting up cones in the street. So far, I’d only been turning wherever and however direction I wanted. The cones acted as the apex and proved to be a bit more challenging than expected, but it helped me realize I needed footwork.
Day 13: Practice ride for Flagstaff Frenzy race. The Moto downhill is also part of the enduro race in the fall and is So. Much. Fun. Fast, flowy, berms, and few obstacles. It was a great trail to practice cornering on. I had a mini breakthrough and realized I lean the bike by the seat when I’m tired, instead of by the handlebars. This is a habit that will be hard to break.
Day 14: Body position, leaning (with the elbows/handlebars!), light hands. Trying to build that muscle memory.
Day 15: Everyone has a “good” side and a “bad” side. Just like Zoolander.
Day 16 & 17: More of the same, practicing in front of the house. Footwork. Leaning, light hands, grounding the body
Day 18: This is where things start to fall apart with my daily practice. It was a travel day for the Frenzy and we didn’t pull into camp until almost dark. By the time we were set up, it was cold and Daniel’s nagging back injury was giving him trouble. With everyone tired, cold, and cranky, we had dinner and went to bed. I’m disappointed I didn’t get my 20 minutes in.
Day 19: Pre-rode the racecourse. Staying present, staying loose, leaning, and grounding.
Day 20: RACE DAY!!! This course put my new skills to the test. I had a blast and rode my best race. I may not have placed, but I pushed hard and smoothly.
Day 21: Spent the day at the Fort Tuthill Bike Park. It was a lot more fun than in the past.
Day 22: Somehow forget to do my 20 minutes.
Day 23: Hit a local trail and practiced light hands.
Day 24: Missed again
Day 25: Decided to kick it up a notch and try some switchbacks. Since there aren’t any near me, I made my own. I’d love to say it worked, but sometimes you miss a gear.
Day 26: The Panorama trail certainly gave me a run for my money. It was loose and dry, so it was difficult to maintain traction. It was a great lesson in grounding the outside foot.
Day 27 & 28: Another miss then more of the same on local trails.
Day 29: Tried pointing my hips in the direction I wanted to go. Worked pretty well in conjunction with the leaning and grounding.
Day 30: I missed the LAST DAY! Ugh.
All in all, I missed five days. That’s a lot better than I expected. I didn’t walk away with a cool swag bag or get put into the drawing for free coaching, but I gained confidence, a skill I’d been putting off, and strength. The most surprising was the strength as a rider. Some days I only rode two miles, others four or more, but it was consistent riding.
It doesn’t have to be boring. That was my biggest concern. “How am I going to practice the same drills in front of the house for 30 days?” With the awareness of my body position new skills needed to be addressed. I learned how the basics affect everything and it’s perfectly okay to go back to them as a reminder now and then.
I encourage you to try a riding challenge or come up with one on your own. Confidence, strength, and skill are all to gain.
What skills do you need to work on? Consider an organized challenge like Stef McDaniels Slaydies Spring Challenge or Joanna Yates April 30 Days Challenge or come up with your own and do it with friends.
Let me know what worked for you!