ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
Staring down the Bars By Shawn McDonald
We have all come to the that inevitable fork in the road where the challenge in front of us seems beyond the scope of our comfort or skill level. What lies at the end of the bars in that moment is the challenge, the fear, and through failure or success, the growth we experience as riders. Sometimes the challenge may be as simple as clearing a tech section of trail without dabbing or as menacing as your first sizable drop on a DH trail.
Whatever the difficulty you face on the trail in front of you, the mental reward is rarely affected by the difficulty of the challenge. There are moments on the trail where failure has no consequence other than having to make another attempt. Other times my failures have led to broken bones and time off the bike. Those incremental gains we receive to our confidence become the badges of our skill progression as riders.
The simple euphoria of accomplishment keeps me coming back for more, trying to satiate the beast that is my desire to ride further, harder, faster, and to conquer the next beast. Next time you stop on the trail to assess the challenge STARING AT YOU DOWN THE BARS, remember to savor the moment.
Whatever the difficulty you face on the trail in front of you, the mental reward is rarely affected by the difficulty of the challenge. There are moments on the trail where failure has no consequence other than having to make another attempt. Other times my failures have led to broken bones and time off the bike. Those incremental gains we receive to our confidence become the badges of our skill progression as riders.
The simple euphoria of accomplishment keeps me coming back for more, trying to satiate the beast that is my desire to ride further, harder, faster, and to conquer the next beast. Next time you stop on the trail to assess the challenge STARING AT YOU DOWN THE BARS, remember to savor the moment.
