Interesting article about progression and it's risks

[PhilipV]

The risk/reward ratio and how it changes is definitely something I've been conscious of the last two years, and the remarks about Enduro being dangerous is definitely spot on for something like the Ezelduro (and others probably too, but Ezel is the only one else I have experienced.)

 

https://www.outsideonline.com/2270296/stop-progression

 

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[Flippa]

That last line sums it up:

 

Moments before he fell he posted a selfie to Instagram. The caption: “Free climbed 1st flatiron.”

[Stevief]

Very interesting read, and i must be honest that i myself have become obsessed with Strava on technical DH sections.  Time to go back to basics and ride at 80% and enjoy .  Its not worth it.

[Headshot]

I tried to take it a bit easier yesterday and I probably did but only one of my segment times was slower than I expected - in fact the others were pretty much up there. I didn't feel like I was taking risks however - and my HR was far lower than usual at the end of DH segments. 

 

I am not sure what this means, but there must be something to take away from it. 

[intern]

If you ask me, Strava is for King of the MOUNTAINS. Uphill. Or even long flat sections. And being stupid for Instagram or social media of any sort is just exactly that. Stay away from it people,it is bad for you in almost every way.

 

(confession: my SM includes the hub and also LinkedIn although I hate LinkedIn as much as you should).

[intern]

That last line sums it up:

 

Moments before he fell he posted a selfie to Instagram. The caption: “Free climbed 1st flatiron.”

From the article about the young fellow:

 

"It's a terrible way for such a young man to go, but I know that if there is any way he wanted to go, it would have been like this," Kelly said. "He died in a place he loved, doing what he loved."

 

Sorry, but I have no interest in dying doing what I love. Doing what I love is supposed to be fun, not terrifying and ending in serious injury or death. There's no fun without reasonable safety.

[Duane_Bosch]

If you ask me, Strava is for King of the MOUNTAINS. Uphill. 

Luckily you weren't asked.

[Odinson]

I'm sure the author gets the nervous ****s just from thinking about a game of lawn bowls. 

 

For mountain bikers who are more interested in going down the mountain than up, progression is to be pursued and leads to more enjoyment of the sport. It's fun to chase that high of clearing an intimidating double, nailing a long manual or just that feeling of being absolutely pinned on the trail. 

[ByronH]

This..

 

Counterintuitively, skill—progression—only increases risk.    

 

The better you become... the more risks you are willing to take... thus actually increasing your chances of death and injury rather than decreasing it...

 

eye opening article... how long till we see the first live feed of someone dying on Hardline or Rampage?

[anybody seen george?]

Thing is, I have seen a lot of guys riding on trails that require a skillset they are not yet comfortable with and I am guilty of this too as I am sure most of us are or were at some stage.

 

It important to ride within your limits and then inside a controlled environment push them till they become your new limit.

 

But it is important to define what your limit is.

For me it is single black routes. I have ridden a double black just once before and decided it is not for me. I am not willing to push my luck that far after some of the crashes I have had on even silly little blue routes.

 

So aspire to ride your limit not somebody else's.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Thing is, I have seen a lot of guys riding on trails that require a skillset they are not yet comfortable with and I am guilty of this too as I am sure most of us are or were at some stage.

 

It important to ride within your limits and then inside a controlled environment push them till they become your new limit.

 

But it is important to define what your limit is.

For me it is single black routes. I have ridden a double black just once before and decided it is not for me. I am not willing to push my luck that far after some of the crashes I have had on even silly little blue routes.

 

So aspire to ride your limit not somebody else's.

Honestly, the potential of having a nasty fall on those blue & green routes is far higher than on the black routes due to the sheer speed you are carrying, and how badly it can hurt if you hit the ground at those speeds.

 

Black trails & double blacks - you do slowly, until you get more and more comfortable, but you never reach the speeds that you would on a green / blue trail.

 

Importantly - I'm not talking about big jump lines like Darkfest etc. I'm talking technical stuff. Rocks, loose off camber gnar that has you wondering how you're gonna ever go faster than 15kph. 

[Patchelicious]

Luckily you weren't asked.

Intern,what do you think KOMs are for?

 

 

There!

[Capricorn]

I'm sure the author gets the nervous ****s just from thinking about a game of lawn bowls. 

 

For mountain bikers who are more interested in going down the mountain than up, progression is to be pursued and leads to more enjoyment of the sport. It's fun to chase that high of clearing an intimidating double, nailing a long manual or just that feeling of being absolutely pinned on the trail. 

I don't think he is saying that, more highlighting the fact we seem to pursue our challenges without intelligent regard for the potential consequences. It's not a call to fear, just a more conscious appreciation of what could possibly go wrong. Cedric Garcia is a good example: stupendously gifted cyclist, been around the blocks the theater of MTB has to offer, but boy oh boy, did he come close to dying twice in a very short space of time.

Another great example is that of that mega hottie, Emmeline ragdoll Ragot. One of the greatest female DH racers of all time, but she called it quits after realizing the potential for long term harm to the rest of her life.

Former world cup and world champ DH racers, Manon Carpenter walked away for pretty much the same reasons after she took two massive stacks during world cup events.

Even gwin walked away from MX cos he was breaking himself too much without the soothing balm of some sort of success.

 

here's the consideration for us joe ordinaries: they are professionals, with staggering levels of skill, and they train for the challenges like ppl possessed.Yet we glibly seem to take on the same challenges (going as fast as we can) without the same training, skill level or means to upskill, technical and financial support base for when things go sideways. hell, it's cool to run with as little protection as possible, because pads and full faces at local enduro racers are for pussies. Unspoken bro-code, but it sure is understood by everyone.

 

But yes, its all a choice. Let's just hope breaking ourselves doesn't make the choice to be more reasonable, for us.

 

edit: on nightshift. struggling to stay awake. be merciful on the efforts above

[ChrisF]

Different strokes for different folks ...

 

Where are you in your life ?

 

What gets your adrenaline flowing ?

 

WHO gets impacted if you are seriously injured ?

 

What are the results of not getting a salary, and serious medical bills, if you are seriously injured ?

 

 

As you progress in age, and in your career path the answers to these questions constantly vary ....

 

 

For now I am happy just to build up a sweat on the trail, and enjoy the wind through my helmet.  Every so often I do ride the burm coming down a single track.  For ME, that is good enough for NOW.  Few years back I took my share of risks in other sports, thankfully survived it all ....

 

 

That said - awesome to watch those that DO grab some air, and those that ride the lip of the burm .....

 

 

Rampage and the like ..... I do watch it, but we all know that cant end well ....

[Headshot]

This..

 

Counterintuitively, skill—progression—only increases risk.    

 

The better you become... the more risks you are willing to take... thus actually increasing your chances of death and injury rather than decreasing it...

 

eye opening article... how long till we see the first live feed of someone dying on Hardline or Rampage?

 

Except that he's actually wrong. He's conflating various issues.

 

Taking risks for the ultimate instabanger or gopro footage is one thing. Its not progression, its risk taking for the sake of social media recognition. Progression in our sport implies skill development and in so doing allows you to ride better and actually crash less. You still have to ride within your limits of course. 

 

Even a big media event like Darkfest has a skill progression element - a couple of local riders rode the big jumps and you could see how stoked the pros were with their achievements. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Except that he's actually wrong. He's conflating various issues.

 

Taking risks for the ultimate instabanger or gopro footage is one thing. Its not progression, its risk taking for the sake of social media recognition. Progression in our sport implies skill development and in so doing allows you to ride better and actually crash less. You still have to ride within your limits of course. 

 

Even a big media event like Darkfest has a skill progression element - a couple of local riders rode the big jumps and you could see how stoked the pros were with their achievements. 

On the money