I need a lesson. If anyone can teach me how to listen to my inner instinct that I'm not quite ready to hit the big jump line that I've never done and not respond to peer pressure then sign me up. At 42 years old you'd think I'd have this figured out by now but I just don't seem to get it. Thought I was getting better at this as I often walk away when I'm not feeling it, but i still manage to get it wrong sometimes, like 3 years ago when I broke my arm. What makes it tough is that there's a really fine line between being smart enough to know when you're suboptimal and should just say no, or just being a pussy. If you always back down when you're feeling less than 100% certain you'll regress very quickly, especially when you're 40+. But in hindsight I can always tell the difference between just being a little scared vs needing to wait til you're more switched on. Experience and skills aren't much good when your brain isn't quite on board today.
Kram, so true !!!
However there are cases where the opposite is true. Rode Bookwus not long ago and managed a few of the tricky sections quite well, but completely wussed out on a couple of others that sometimes I get. Was putting it up as "one of those off days" Finished up with Ladies and was actually riding quite well (for me that is). Despite perfectly lining it up, I still couldn't get Bart's bridge stepdown part. Was coming up on the elevated ramp around the tree to the drop on lower part and was thinking I should give it a pass. Rode down the rock onto the ramp, hit the drop and was laughing as I don't think I have every hit it so smooth.
Somehow we need to be able to filter out the chatter or indecision that is only holding us back, while letting the "don't even think about it" type thoughts keeping us relatively safe.
I guess this is the same shit even elite riders or pros go through but multiplied by 1000x, when they are sitting up top of a absolutely crazy stunt. I can see it playing out. Hey man, you can back flip this 70 foot canyon gap, followed by are you fkkng nuts!!! No really, lets do this. Woo hoo, oh shit, ahhhhhhhhh!