Fountain of Youth Found

This past weekend they had the first official opening of the lake jump at the Griffen Bike Park.  It was also just a couple of days before my 58th birthday so I was thinking birthday present to self.  However, the day was one of endless rain showers so I pretty much talked myself out of it.  Just then I got a text from Mike telling me he was getting ready to go.  Well, can’t say no to that so to the park we went.

You would think a group of hard-core mountain bikers would be in line for the jump, but not so much.  It was kids, early twenty somethings, and a couple of middle age types with life jackets on and in line for the jump.  Lots of people there to watch as well.  Mike and I both surveyed the jump, watched a few other brave souls go before we got a life jacket, and got the courage up to join in.  They had bikes strapped with “noodle floats” attached so you just had to fetch the next one out of the lake and get in line.

I walked the bike up the hill and asked the first guy I saw what the trick was to making the jump without doing anything horrible to oneself.  His answer was to just relax, keep the knees and arms bent and just push the bike away at the top of the ascent. 

Now inline I see a kid maybe 12 years old behind me.  Asked him if he had ever done this, his answer was a flat no.  Told him me neither. At this point I and the 12 year old were clearly equals.  Feeling every bit like a 12 year old rookie I have to admit I was nervous.  No other cycling experience I’ve had prepared me for this.  Soon I received the go ahead to proceed down the hill toward the ramp.  Keep saying to myself on the way down I can’t believe I’m doing this …

Well I hit the ramp at decent speed, went up the ramp and proceeded to get maybe 15 feet into the air before pushing the bike down and flying over the top of it and into the water.  Wow, that was actually not the terrifying ordeal I thought it might be.  It was actually really fun. 


Concerned you’re growing old, well if you want to be 12 again, I know just the place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rev3 Knoxville & the JumboTron

Image
Rev3 put on a good show at Knoxville Olympic Distance Triathlon May 9th (.9 mile swim, 25.8 mile ride, 6.2 mile run). I drove down Saturday and got there just before packet pickup and the transition area closed. Having visited the Worlds Fair way back when I immediately recognized the park downtown, very nice place. Liked having all the personalization like your name on your race number and your transition spot. Race morning I stayed in the room till the last minute so as to not be cold hanging around for the start. Got my stuff set, put on the wetsuit and still had to wait a long time for the last wave to go. The swim was 400 meters or so back into the current in the Tennessee River, take a right turn around a large buoy then a straight shot to the dock at the end. All went smooth till the end where I tried to pull myself out of the water without any steps. A volunteer grabbed my arm and pulled me straight up onto the dock. It was like the hand of God reaching down. Needless
Read more

Top 10 Tips for a Sprint Triathlon

Talked to a friend doing her first triathlon and what few tips I could offer in a few minutes at the side of the pool yesterday.  Thinking about it a bit more here is my top 10 tips for a sprint triathlon: 1       Relax in the swim and just enjoy it.  If it’s a pool swim or a wetsuit swim you have nothing to worry about.  In a pool if you get tight just stop for a second, stand up or grab the lane line.  In an open water swim with a wetsuit just stop and let the suit hold you up and float.  Biggest problem with the swim is just getting overly worked up about it.  By the way, get a wetsuit made specifically for triathlon that fits you.  Worth their weight in gold they are. 2       Practice transitions several times before the race.  The key to good transition from swim to bike and bike to run is simplicity.  Do as little as possible with an absolute minimum of equipment.  Run from the swim to the bike don’t just jog.  Have your helmet and sunglasses on top of the handlebars an
Read more

A Visit with ISU Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab

Image
This year the Forward Motion Athletics triathlon team is being sponsored by the Indiana State University Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation Clinic.  We have had the pleasure of visiting a couple of times already this year.  The first visit to the clinic was focused on using foam rollers and specific exercises to reduce and repair overuse injuries.   Very worthwhile visit and they also spent some time with each of us in testing for strengths and weaknesses.  Needless to say I have a few weaknesses they gave me some tips on improving. The second visit was a bit more interesting, especially for me.  The first part was to introduce resistance band exercises and show us how to use them.  We also did some knee and back strengthening work.  Now the fun part began.  After the clinic they asked if anyone needed some specific work, and they were offering to do some Graston Technique on us if we wanted to.  I’ve read and heard a fair amount about Graston, but have never had it don
Read more