The Gospel According to Mountain Biking.

In a spontaneous moment driving through Colorado, I stopped at a ski resort and signed up for a mountain biking lesson. I’d done something similar years before, but that time we rode casually down the gradual wide CAT roads to the bottom. This time, I was taken into the trees to a small twisty trail where I had to navigate rocks, roots, and hairpin-turns. I lived to write this, but what stuck with me along with the aches and pains was something my instructor said before we began a particularly difficult patch: “Keep your head up, and pick a good line.” 

When making your way down a mountain, there are countless things over which you must ride: rocks, roots, holes, branches. The turns are sudden, the incline, at times, excessively steep. Keeping your head up means looking ahead. If you ride with your head down, you will focus on the rock at your wheel and not the turn up ahead. It’s hard to lift your head and look ahead, but each time I managed it, I rode smoothly down the trail. When I didn’t, I struggled and, yes, fell.

On the trails, there were different ways to go. On the left side, it could look smooth but a root or two might jut out to test you. On the right, there could be exposed rocks from a recent downpour. And in the middle, there might be a small gravel stretch that, if you hit it, would get you down effortlessly. You’d make it down whatever line you picked, but not all routes were equal. There were better lines, and the trick was to pick a good one and go.

As is my nature, I sat at the bottom of the mountain thinking about the life lessons to be found in mountain biking. His advice was easy to apply to my life. I could remember many times when I focused on the rocks and roots and did not keep my head up. I was so focused on the immediate challenge I did not look ahead. I also have many scars, bumps and bruises from not picking the best lines. I’ve made it down, but the line I chose was often more difficult than it had to be. 

Maybe my recent lesson will help me navigate what trail I have left more successfully. Maybe I’ll keep my head up and look ahead and pick good lines. I sure hope so.