The Mountain Biking Clinic held near Marpi Pool on Saturday showed that mountain bikers still have a lot of things to learn no matter how long they have been in the said sport.
Held for the first time on Saipan, the mountain biking clinic was attended by 28 people, some were just starting to get into the sport and some had been mountain biking for years.
And as the clinic went ahead, not only the beginners but also those who had been doing the sports for a number of years encountered things they never heard before.
Some biking stuffs that were usually taken for granted even by longtime bikers were given emphasis.
Heather Kennedy had been biking for two years but it was only during the clinic when she got tips she never learned before about balancing and dismounting.
Joshua Burger a road biker for nine years and had done nine Tagaman events, also got the chance to learn how to control the bike when riding downhill and uphill. He also learned only during the clinic how to bike through a lot of steeples.
The success of the Mountain Bike Clinic, Russ Quinn said also indicated that NMITF is growing and getting stronger. Most of those who attended he said has become new members.
As the NMITF which now has 40 members started getting active, Quinn said they realized there are a lot of people who want to come out and try but a little bit afraid.
Quinn said that he, Eli Torgeson and Tyce Mister talked this over and decided to come up with something they can share aspiring bikers and habitués the skills and the tricks in biking.
Four instructional topics were given to the participants.
Equipment, maintenance and repair were taught to the participants by Ely Torgeson in Booth 1.
Tyce Mister taught balancing, avoiding obstacles in Booth 2, Nate Hawley and Mieko Carey shared techniques in descending or biking downhill and Quinn gave tips on ascending or biking uphill.
Each participant spent half an hour on each topic for a total of two hours of instruction.
Telling the participants that “Nobody is as concerned about how smoothly your bike is working as you are,” Torgeson shared many Websites on mountain bike maintenance.
He briefed them about keeping the bike fit and what inspect before riding a bike. He gave the participants tips how to maintain the bike especially after muddy rides.
Torgeson also taught some basic things in repairing the bike, and reminded the participants what to bring on a ride.
Climbing
Quinn discussed that climbing in mountain biking in inevitable especially on Saipan. Riders in most cases, will spend at least 70 percent of their time climbing and the rest, on flats and downhill.
He said it is a misconception that one has to “superfit” in able to bike uphill. Any bike riders can go uphill as long as the body position is right.
Quinn said there are little adjustments riders can make to become better climbers. He shares the following “pearls” to think about while riding a bike.
When to gear down—The most common error most riders make is to down shift too soon. While you want to keep your cadence high you don’t want to spin so fast that you loose both control and momentum. Work the gears. By shifting one at a time, you carry the momentum into the hill. Changing the chain ring becomes more difficult the harder you pedal. You need to read the hill in advance to know which of the three chain rings you want to be in. The back gears are easier to change even on steep climbs to that is where you want to make adjustments.
Body position—Stay in your seat. If you stand up and pedal, it tires your legs out quicker as you not only supporting your body but working the hill. Lean forward. This creates a low center of gravity and helps prevent that feeling of falling over backwards. Sit on front of the seat. On Really though sections, move your body forward to the horn of the seat. This changes the angle of your pedaling power.
