Forgetting how to ride

I posted this in the WBP forum, but there is only three of us there.  In an effort to stoke discussion with all fourteen of us, I'll post this here.

Ever drop in to a trail and then, BOOM.  HOW DO YOU RIDE A BIKE?!!?

I've been riding non-stop since May for the most part, so I wonder if it's just burnout.  But I dropped into a tough trail and almost right at the start I went OTB.  From there I rode like it was my first time. 

What a mind game this endeavor can be.

Haha i know the feeling. Sometimes when I'm walking up or down a long steep stair case I start to think about where I'm supposed to put my feet, and it all goes down hill from there lol.

Yep...sometimes I have what I call "high gravity days" or "low gravity days".

Glad I'm not alone!

I wonder why I have to walk a certain section some days, then on another day ride thru the same section like a boss. I guess it's all in the mind & how you are feeling that day. Some days the bike & I feel as one. Some other days I think I should have stayed home. Red, you are not alone.

any time I go out the front door, I will generally take a few minutes too clear my head, otherwise for sure I will eat shit again.

yep. there's days when it's the same route, same obstacles, same drops and I'll pause and freeze up like it's the first time I ever rode it. 

Those are the 'not feeling it' days and I usually take it easier and try out low speed alternate lines until I get my groove back. Try to session a feature, those kind of things.

No joke, every time I get on my bike I hate myself. I am literally the worst rider of my group of friends and every time I go out I get worse and they get better. I basically just ride alone now.

I hate mountain biking.

This sport is so mental it's crazy. My main sport is skiing and I never have this kind of issue, I can just auto pilot and never have to think or get sketched out, it's weird.

I've been getting better at backing down on off days to avoid crashing.

It can be a lot of factors for me. From the group you are riding with to how physically fresh you are feeling.

Just done 3 days riding in Whistler, double black trail riding, heli drops and climbing up to do the new LOTS alpine trail. I was riding great until the last day which should have been the easiest trail (LOTR) as its a blue.

I rode like an old woman. Too much drinking, not enough sleep and generally feeling drained got to me.

Riding after leg day sucks.

I know that feeling, and usually my (perceived) incompetence vanishes at least after day three of riding. I have done a lot of bikepark riding this season, and usually I feel not too good on my bike the first few runs. About two weeks ago I did a few one footers on tables at my local bikepark, last week I was in Austria and was happy to clear the tables on my second day, not even thinking about taking a foot off, and today at my favorite jump spot I felt like a wet sack of cement.

I think the ups and downs of applying the skill set necessary for riding mountain bikes is totally normal, and nothing to worry about. There are too many factors part of the whole thing, a bad night's sleep, some trouble at work or home, ot enough recuperation, who knows?

The big part for me this year was to realize that in the end even the rides where nothing seems to work out are good ones in the end, if I ride shitty that does not longer mean that I can not enjoy myself or the scenery or the company. There is no guarantee in life, so maybe tomorrow is a better day. I can ride for fun and do not have to ride for a paycheck.