This one time... at bike camp...

I really couldn't do much better for myself than a weekend trip to the beach followed up by a four-day visit to the mountains.

The weekend before last My Fair Maiden and I hung out at Rehoboth Beach. If we weren't on the beach we were enjoying our favorite beers at Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats. Then Monday I was back at work for my new 12 - 9 p.m. shift, Tuesday morning we loaded my Element with bike gear and my Iron Horse Yakuza Kumicho downhill bike, and shortly thereafter I was on my way to Shaums March's four-day downhill/freeride mountain bike camp at Snowshoe, West Virginia! The only thing I was worried about was driving alone with no cell phone reception (I unfortunately watched the W.V.-based horror movie, "Wrong Turn," a couple months ago, against my better judgment.) The drive was uneventful.

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This bike camp trip was the first vacation I've had of more than three workdays at once since 1997, and it's the first time I've ever been to any sort of recreational camp since elementary school. I'm so glad I went, because 1) I needed time off, and 2) I needed to focus on my biking.

I highly recommend the camp because not only was it informational, it was fun and very reasonably-priced ($450, and that included all food and lodging!) The camp was lead by professional mountain bikers Shaums March, Kelli Sherbinin, Gale Dahlager, and Kyle Ritchie. They covered basic bike set-up (i.e. best location for brake levers), body positioning on the bike, cornering, braking, ratcheting, slow-speed maneuvering, lunges, drops, jumps, steep inclines, choosing lines, and more.

I got the most out of the cornering and braking lessons, as my cornering was bad (I frequently overshot turns) and my braking skills needed help, as well. Now I can literally stop the bike on a dime, and not crash! I'm riding with much more control, although my mind doesn't always seem to know that--I was told that my skills exceeded my self-confidence. I wish there was a switch to turn off my old bad habits and turn on my new riding knowledge. (That switch's name is practice, practice, practice, I know.)

The most difficult part of the camp for me was the fact that I'm out of shape. A sedentary office worker who does not exercise more than a couple times a week does not excel at riding a bike for extended periods of time for three days straight. Gale saved me by giving me some Sport Legs to prevent the burning and impending soreness in my legs. Sport Legs literally worked like a charm--I did not experience burning or soreness at all! Normally, I wouldn't be able to walk by Thursday with all that riding.

There was not a drop of rain when I was there, there was no fog (save for on the valley below in the mornings--a beautiful sight), and the sunsets were grand (and best viewed from the Foxfire Grill with a Hunk 'o Hunk barbecue burger in hand.) I can't wait to return for the Mayhem in the Mountains DH race next month. (This time, My Fair Maiden will join me to enjoy the scenery with me!)

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Thanks to Mad March Racing camps and coaching for the instruction, Snowshoe for hosting the camp and making lodging and food so inexpensive, and to my sponsors (Iron Horse Bikes, deity components, Six Six One protection, Maxxis tires, Hayes Disc Brakes, Thule Car Racks, Monster Energy drinks, and Azonic apparel) for hooking me up with quality gear that kept me riding safe, energized, and happy.