Four Fall Ride Tips
More Fun this Fall!
It may be the New Englander in me, but Fall is my favorite season. Schedules from travel and family visits slow, routines start to normalize, and the air turns crisp as deciduous leaves take on their characteristic reds, yellows, and oranges. Moisture returns to the soil to make what was old new again. Rides are shorter as daylight hours wane and you might find yourself hopping off your bike to check out mushrooms popping up alongside your favorite trails. As we start to prepare for winter, here are a few tips to help you enjoy your fall rides before you most likely take a break when the snow hits.
Make Fall about Fun!
Remove the fitness focus and what are you left with? Pure fun and play. We’ve had a rough go of it the past two+ years and I don’t know a single person who couldn’t use more play in their life. If the fitness monster has snatched the fun away from your riding it’s time to delete Strava and go ride for the pure joy of it! Feel stressed because you “can’t keep up with your friends?” If your friends care that you’re .38 seconds slower, they are not your friends! Trust me. Make one ride each week about pure fun! Try a new line, practice a new skill, turn the phone off, like, completely off, and just go ride your bike! Upon return, there’s no data to crunch, no times to compare, there’s simply one question to ask, “Was that fun?”
Make the Old New!
If you’re fortunate enough to have trail access somewhat close to your home, do you find you ride the same loop(s) over and over and over again? Most of us are creatures of habit and once we find our comfort zone we stay put. In addition to the simple excitement of something “new,” new trails challenge your brain to focus, find the best line, and anticipate what’s around the next corner. Think you don’t have any new trails close by? Here are three suggestions:
Switch Directions: Go up a trail you normally descend (use caution and good judgement here regarding time of day and directionality of trail!)
Make the turn: Take that one right fork you always pass up and wonder, “where does that go?” Stop wondering and go check it out!
Turn to Strava. Strava recently released a feature that will make a route for you. You select the type of activity, distance, and surface type and it will give you a few suggestions. Again, use caution with this as it could be throwing you under the bus, or put you on roads that aren’t safe for riding, but it will definitely make you think about new, close to home options.
3. Walk Your Bike More!
Sessioning is bike lingo for deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is the process of working at something with the intention to improve. There’s a big difference between going for a bike ride and practicing riding your bike. If you slow down, try a section of trail repeatedly, you will improve. But if everytime you come to that one rock garden or drop, you hop off your bike because you’ve decided “I just can’t ride that” then you’re correct, you’re not going to ride that rock garden or drop. “Walk your bike more” means be OK with trying a section of trail, two, three, or four times. Break it down into little chunks, or make it a game! I play B-I-K-E a lot with kids. We try to make it up a section of trail and they get a letter for each time a foot touches the ground. They may even win a scandinavian swimmer if they make it up the whole trail without spelling B-I-K-E ;) Try walking your bike more, and see what it does for your riding skills :)
4. Give Flat Pedals 12 Tries!
Or, at least 3. If you are still riding clipless pedals, and have never spent the time to get comfortable on flat pedals, fall is the perfect time to try. There are pros and cons to both flat and clipless pedals and I like to go back and forth depending on the type of ride I’m doing. If you feel like you don’t know how to ride a bike when on flats, it’s time you visit your local bike shop and get yourself a decent pair of flat pedals and mountain bike shoes. You will learn to stay connected to and maneuver the bike with greater control and consistency. Then you have the power to decide if you want to ride flat pedals, or clip in!
This fall, I encourage you to try one, or all of these tips! Focus on the pure joy of a ride rather than the fitness, try a new route to shake up your old routine, and session a section of trail to work on your skills and progress rather than simply trying to get to the end! I hope you find these tips useful. I’d love to hear which one resonates with you the most, or what you end up putting into practice out on the trail:)