Leave in the mist but well kitted up for the chill.
Stop for roadside coffee to warm up.
Ride 100km on tar
Arrive at 7:45 and nosh a huge breakfast at the hotel and plan the day's riding.
Put Garmin on bike and attempt to navigate out town - Two Strikes, almost out.
Follow route into the middle of some houses - ask local to push bike up bank to avoid a hill start.
Ride into a single track descent of -23%, slide for about half in a semi controlled fashion then wait for @onegiantride to come back and take bike the rest of the way.
Settle adenalin.
Find correct route and head out along river on path.
Proceed to experience the following.
- Technical single track ascents avoiding boulders and ditches
- Pushing and lifting bike over log bridge too narrow to ride
- Rapidly learn to use 1st gear to descend gnarly descents
- Find out how to use back brake
- Cross ride paddies with a little help from locals
- See @onegiantride fall worse than me
- Ride loose sand
- Ride up and down massive boulder outcrops following a 8 ton six wheeler going somewhere
- Eventually graduate to 2nd gear on some of the descents
- Race the rain
- Buy warm cokes from village shop
- Cross streams
- Spray painted with sand from @onegiantride's wheel trying to help him up a bank
- Re-use all the old paddling muscles lifting bikes over bridges and bracing against handlebars on descents
- Count bruises on shins
- Learn how to hill start
- Find gears are suddenly easier when back on tar
- Avoid chickens, children, zebu, rickshaws, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters....
All in one day.
Graduate to Rookie Rider 202
Hot shower - count the bruises
Drink copious amounts of tea
Eat huge dinner
Sleep
Mountain biking skills
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