Oct 09 2008
First Accounts:Mountain Biking–Tiger Mountain Part II
Riding along the trails at high speeds, we had just started our descent to the bottom of tiger mountain. We had been riding a couple miles, but things were about to take a harrowing turn. Coming around a corner and off some 3 foot jumps made out of roots, we struggled to maintain a solid control on the trail in the semi-wet conditions.
As I approached one particularly tight right corner, I pulled in my back brake lever to lockup as I laid the bike over around the corner, which allowed only a couple feet between tight trees. Upon coming out of the corner, the bike skidded harder to the left than expected, sending me towards the bank on my right. Over-correcting and adjusting to the skid, I lost control and veered towards the left edge of the trail, where a steep drop on my left was. Forced to choose between the edge and my safety, I jumped from the bike and slid across the trail.
My friend ahead of me heard my shout that I was down and stopped to see if everything was okay. The rest of the ride was fun, but a severely bruised elbow made it less pleasant than it could be. I was grateful that I sustained no serious injury, though, and I live to ride again!
