#16 New Hobby Alert!

So, after my initial ride on a borrowed mountain bike I decided to go all in. (This is my “diamond year”, and I’m not holding back!) Bike to Work Scheme and some online shopping got me kitted out with an ebike (360kWh), shoes, pads, helmet and waterproofs.

Now the bike I’m normally on has no suspension, no knobbly bits on the tyres, and no battery. My regular ride is between my house and the gym; a flat ten-minute route about three times a week (when I’m at home), and I only started cycling about 7 years ago. Getting to know (and trust) my new toy is a learning curve in itself.

I signed up for a ladies intro to Bike Park Wales. Fortunately my bike arrived in time, but so did the weather. I turned up wearing more layers than an onion, and felt the need to explain that, despite looking like I should know what I’m doing (kit and age), I was a complete novice. The day was excellent, the small group of us were as persistent as the rain, the coaching was gentle and patient, and I didn’t feel too bad about being at the back the whole time. The up-lift bus made life easier – only downhill riding, and I didn’t need to think about which gear to use as well as everything else.

Since then I’ve had a few more rides out, some with a friend, and others on my own. I’m sure the people who live in the flats looking onto the local park will eventually get used to seeing me balancing against lamp-posts and pedalling slowly around at lunchtimes on my wfh days. (I can recommend Roxybike Coaching for her online sessions.)

Having decided that mountain biking is my project for the year social media has sent me plenty of encouragement. So many reels to watch, so many products to buy, so many biking adventures to have. Also, some women’s groups to join (at 30/70 the ratio is better than in engineering, but still not good). In need of encouragement, motivation and company, I put my trepidation aside and turned up at Glyncorrwg on a damp Sunday morning.

Advertised on the “MTB Divas” Facebook page as “come and meet us” with the opportunity to ride with others on a green (or a blue) route. I’d been tempted because the green route meant they really were open to very new riders. I turned up and worked out who I was meeting, grabbed a coffee and started chatting. They were very friendly and quite normal; I didn’t feel out of place, and I did feel welcomed. We talked about the routes and my mtb experience (all five rides!), and I decided to switch to the blue route.

I donned my onion layers and as we headed out the subtitles on my face gave away my apprehension and nerves. I took my place just in front of the tail rider. The first part was along flat and tarmacked tracks following the Afan river. The rain held off, so when the flat track ended I just had the climb to contend with. No up-lift bus here! I have always got confused about the terms “higher and lower” gears. (Yes, I’m an engineer, but a low gear is a high ratio.) So I had to stop and ask when I was given advance warning to change. I stopped a few times, was pleased I have an ebike, and gradually got to grips with my gears and the three levels of power from the battery (making mistakes is a great way to learn). I even had to remove one of my layers to stay cool.

A few of the downhill bits took a bit of time and encouragement, as did some of the berms. Concentrating on my position on the bike, shifting gears, feet position, looking ahead (not down), considering what line to take, and wondering what’s coming next kept my brain busy, and my body was pretty involved too.

The café at the end of the ride was a welcome view; a chance to rest, refuel and reflect. I definitely made the right choices today – the group, the route, the clothes, and eventually the gears. On the drive home I felt like I’d had a day in the fresh air, and as I passed where I’d usually join the motorway if I’d been surfing I thought about the differences in these two hobbies I’ve recently acquired. The damp and windswept, chilly and then warmed feelings have similarities. I have no salt to wash out of my hair, but muddy kit to hose down and dry. Both male dominated sports, with a community of welcoming and encouraging women, and with increasing inclusion. Both sports challenge the body and the brain together, and I hope that the two sports are fairly complementary. I’m not certain I could manage them in the same day maybe just in the same weekend for now.