Self loathing is really the way to go. Every run should be a battle with your demons that want you to die. In the words of fight club, "It is only after we have lost everything, that we are free to do anything". Rumor has it that Sam Hill was a Hutu'ist genocidal collaborator and his self loathing alone willed himself to the top of the podium.
Sam Hill has it easy. Anyone ever looked at the kid? He's a shy, geeky little kid who had nothing to lose. He obviously doesn't know what girls are for yet as he spends every waking minute on the bike. Hand that kid a redhead and a beer and you'll never see him on the Podium again, he'll be at the strip club trying to poke bike parts into G-strings...
:biggrin:
I also just realized that I always capitalize "Podium." Like it's the damn Holy Grail!
As far as all this nerves crap go, and I've said this before, here's my "method:" It's just bike riding. For me, racing is just a chance to run a really kick-ass trail that's not usually open to the public(atleast around here, anyway). And it's a FAST trail. I just try to get to the bottom on the first run. I look around, maybe even jog back up a few sketchy sections and bounce through them again. If I miss my line, back up I go and try the one I intended on hitting, or to try a smoother line I saw while rodeo'ing through the one I was on. Next run I link it all together. Next run I focus on not crashing at all and committing to my line choice. Next run I try not crashing...faster. Once I've got my lines linked and I know my etrance and exit points, I back off, go pee, and focus on laughing, being sm,ooth, and pumping stuff. Ever notice that when you're pumping things here and there you can't HELP but smile? It's actually RIDING your bike, not just hanging on till the bottom arrives. And my rule: If I'm not smiling at the bottom, I don't go back up until I access why. It's not worth getting hurt over if it's not fun. There's 10 people on the planet fast enough for the podiums and I'll never be one of them! And I'm fine with that! I know what girls are for AND I'm riding bikes!
Best advice for this dude is to follow your [denjen's] a$$ down every run.
Denjen knows that mountain better than most people know there own peckers.
Honestly, for the 'Shoe, follow denjen and the guys he rides with. They take the time to show you the features and terrain. Listen to them VERY carefully. So when you do ride it, you just do it.
Wanna get hurt really bad? Stay on the bike when you should have bailed.
There is a time and a place for everything. Sometimes, when the consequences of a crash are dire you do everything you ****ing can to hang on to the bars. Other times you gotta take the graceful tumble over the awkward stack.
Yeah that came out wrong, I have to hold back from posting after drinking, I come off like an serious ass:biggrin:
But I agree there's a time to lay the bike over, I still think people can ride out of much more than they believe, sometime it helps, sometimes it doesn't I suppose.
Back on topic, One of few times I got nervous at a race was when someone asked me if I was nervous. All the sudden I got nervous.
So for me it's best to forgot nerves exist in the first place. Nervous? what hell does that mean. I'm just going to ride!
Sam Hill has it easy. Anyone ever looked at the kid? He's a shy, geeky little kid who had nothing to lose. He obviously doesn't know what girls are for yet as he spends every waking minute on the bike.
Stop worrying and ride...Fear does not exist. How can you fear something that has not happened yet? You can't fear something as it happens...and fearing something that has happened, has already happened, therefore, fear does not exist.
Fear the "Shoe" crowed after a day of riding. Then and only then should you feal a strong sense of apprehension!
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