On Thursday I went to my first meetup – a girls only downhill biking skills clinic at the Burnaby Mountain Bike park. I had a fantastic night, and it did my meagre technical skills a world of good. Starting with the very basics, we worked through body position and balance to wheel lifts, track stands, ratcheting, and controlled rolling down rocks. The whole group was tremendously supportive and our instructors were patient and encouraging. They both had the knack of explaining techniques in a way that made perfect sense, which resulted in a few “ah-ha!” moments for me as I finally nailed the reasons behind some very long-term frustrations. I’m so grateful that they were willing to give up their evening to provide such helpful and thoughtful coaching.

As for me, I still have a very long way to go to become a competent downhill biker. But at least I now feel like I have a solid foundation on which to start building.