Day Two: The Fun Continues

Day two of the Over the Bars Women’s Mountain Bike Camp in Snowmass, CO was chock full of laughter and good riding. We started the morning with a centering and breathing session taught by martial arts Master Jennifer Gibbons. Using Korean Tao Kuk methods, we learned to focus our intention, expand our lungs, and use our breath to center and ground ourselves. It left me feeling awake and energized in a way that coffee just can’t do. It also provided great techniques we could utilize in our biking skills.

The morning drills and skills session focused on cornering. Separating the body from the bike, having them lean in different directions at different times, was a new concept for many and took some practice to get the hang of. There were several “ah-ha’s” by the end as the girls began to see how much easier the tight switchbacks would become. Once again the trail ride session in the afternoon went beyond the scheduled time. My group rode a Cross Mountain trail-Government trail-Anaerobic Nightmare-Highline combo that was rough and rocky, with lots of killer flowy descents. I dashed back to the hotel to squeeze in a short pool/jacuzzi session before we headed to Aspen for dinner.

I’m sure Aspen has seen a group of adrenaline-filled giddy athletic females before, but you wouldn’t have known it by the commotion we all caused in catching a series of 3 busses to get to our downtown Aspen dinner destination. Luckily for us we left all the onlookers with bigger smiles on their faces than before our paths crossed. We stuffed ourselves on great Mexican cuisine and plenty of margaritas knowing that tomorrow would be a day off the bikes. Despite the festive mood, at the end of the day I was too tired to stay awake for the return 3-bus ride home and was ecstatic to crawl into my bed.

Gale Dahlager
Pro freeride/downhill rider, skills coach