As I navigate this life change called retirement, I’ve come to realize that taking action can often be more challenging than simply wanting to achieve a goal. I learned this lesson within just two minutes on the MoMBA trails when my skill level and coordination didn’t align with the technical abilities needed to safely negotiate the trails. I wouldn’t recommend MoMBA as a starting point for anyone tackling true mountain bike trails for the first time. This advice is especially for those of us who don’t bounce back up easily after a fall. Oh, and I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a first aid kit on hand! In a previous post, I mentioned the importance of having a guide, and to be fair, he didn’t choose this trail as our first option. We initially intended to ride at John Bryan State Park Mountain Biking Area, located outside of Yellow Springs, Ohio, but it was closed due to the heavy rain the area had experienced in the days prior. prior.

I was excited as we made our way to the trailhead, which was misleading at best. It gave me the impression that everything would be easy, but within two minutes, I realized that wouldn’t be the case today. I say this with a smile on my face. Coming around the first downhill turn while crossing a bridge, I made the mistake of hitting my brakes, which sent me sliding off into the creek below. Fortunately, it was only a four-foot drop, and I emerged with just a scraped left knee and an abrasion on my right leg. I was relieved that there were no broken bones and that my bike was okay. So, my first lesson learned that day was to avoid hitting my brakes on bridges.

After dusting myself off, I continued down the trail, trying to enjoy the beauty of the scenery as I encountered new facets of this trail. Between dodging trees, more bridges, tree roots, branches and just about everything you would expect cutting through the woods I managed to get a few more cuts, bumps and bruises. While my guide was worried that I wasn’t enjoying myself (I was), I was concentrating on finishing the trail without ending up in the hospital or, worse, “killing myself.” I took this picture halfway through the trail … yes; I was smiling on the inside.

The second half of MoMBA was even more of a challenge. This is where I thought about taking the shortcut back to the truck but being an ex-Marine I refused to surrender. I have confidence going uphill but admit that my downhill skills are lacking, so without shame; I did walk the bike through one or two areas where frankly, I would have hurt myself. It took us almost two hours to make it through all the trails and even though I haven’t mastered MoMBA the lessons learned also can be applied to most activities I will do in the future. John Bryan State Park Mountain Biking Area finally opened a few days later. This park is absolutely beautiful and somewhere I will visit again. I felt the trails are friendlier than those at MoMBA and is a great place to learn your skills. If the circumstances allow you to ride John Bryan first, please do. I also learned a few things here; like expect the unexpected. I still don’t know how I crashed on an open, flat section … lucky for me the ground was still soft from all the rain. Always have a tight grip on your handle bars, with soft tires and the front shocks you tend to bounce when you hit something. Splitting trees without hitting one is a lesson my left shoulder will be happy about when I master it. The most important lessons I have learned is not to be too confident and if you find yourself in a situation that you’re not sure about… don’t do it. Mountain Biking is something that I will enjoy for many years and can’t wait until I hit the Michigan trails this summer.