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| Yishun Flat Track for practicing corners |
Apart from having a bike just for transport, I thought, how about having some fun on it too? Besides, off road looked interesting to me, mainly Enduro. I would have done Motocross if I started at a much younger age where if I were to break any bones, they could recover faster without affecting work life. It'll probably affect school life which is good so I don't have to go school hahaha.
So I got my Scott goggles, my AGV full face helmet, my Fox gloves, and that's it!
How incomplete.
But because I wasn't sure if I really liked the sport yet, I decided not to invest so much in gears at the beginning. Got to know a guy who was very nice and introduced me to his group of friends who ride dirt too. So, off I went!
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| Yishun Flat Track |
My first off road experience!
Upon my arrival, I was like, okay! It's...just a piece of land!
Before I know it, it was my very first training ground. You've got to master your fundamentals before even going to the real ground, right?
My friend brought me one round around the track, gave me some advices when I do a cornering, how I should weigh my foot pegs, how important eye point is which determines where you'll head to, elbows and body in upright position etc.
Off I went, really slowly. I wasn't confident without any gear protection, plus being on mud felt really different. It was slippery at some parts and I'd be nervous when I feel my rear washing out. I would pause and hesitate when I approach mud puddles because I was afraid to fall.
"Just go only! Open throttle and go!" shouted my friends.
"Eh! What are you waiting for? Just go only!" shouted another friend.
"When in doubt, just open throttle!" advised another friend.
All didn't make sense to me.
It's a mud pool, or a big puddle of mud, whatever! Confirm slippery! Shouldn't I slow down and slowly paddle through it?
Apparently not.
Eventually, I got so tired of being afraid, I just went. I open throttle and went into the mud pools.
I fell. I was immediately brown in color from head to toe. Everyone laughed but encouraged me to go on. I thought, "hey! Damn it I fell but just get back up and ride! It's fun to play in mud!"
That's how I slowly overcame obstacles with similar mindset.
In life, we all fall down. When we do, we gotta stand back up. That's what makes us stronger.
Getting proper gears
So, I decided I liked the sport and went on to equip myself with the necessary gears:
Thor Carbon Fibre gloves that offers more protection
EVS Elbow guards
Thor Knee guards that works a little like a knee brace
Fox Jersey and pants with padding protection
Roost guards (chest protector)
Alpinestars off road boots
Training ground
That place became my training ground for months. I started to improve, went a little faster. I didn't like to rest. I just rode on and on. My friends got worried that I wasn't getting sufficient breaks in between and wasn't drinking enough water because I would just go round for more than 45 minutes without stopping.
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| Going round and round like a merry go round |
Once, they tried to stop me and I ended up in a high-side (thrown forward from my bike).
" A highside is a type of motorcycle accident characterized by a sudden and violent rotation of the bike around its long axis. This generally happens when the rear wheel loses traction, skids, and then suddenly regains traction, creating a large torque which flips the rider head first off the road "
It was painful. I just lay on the ground for 5 minutes because I landed on my back and I just couldn't move. My friends were worried but thankfully I just escaped with some bruises and mild abrasions.
I recovered and just went on.
Finally, The Playground
After accessing my riding improvements, my friends decided to take me to The Playground.
It was the real thing located in TM. I was so excited!
We started off early at 8:00am, did stretching and warming up. Stretching is VERY IMPORTANT as it helps to prevent unnecessary muscle strains or pulls that may result in a more serious injury during a fall.
My friends always made sure there is at least one rider behind me in case I fell, they could help immediately. So, off we went! I was told by my friend it was a bit scary seeing me ride from behind because I was like gonna fall anytime but somehow managed to get back my balance. Haha.
Soft sand were challenging as it was really slippery. My bike wasn't exactly light so the front of it tend to sink it which causes the front and rear to wash out in all directions. I would be using purely strength just to keep going straight without falling. I will get arm pump from it.
I've yet to master it even till today because it's just so tiring. I just make sure I sail through it slowly without falling down. Hur.
Picking up your own machine
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| Got stuck for at least 45 minutes here |
One thing about off road, you've got to be able to pick up your own bike if you fall down, in case no one is able to help you in time. My DR200 is about 120KG and boy, it was heavy having to pick it up especially with a full tank of fuel.
It's SO important to learn the technique of picking up your bike properly, if not it could result in serious back injuries like slip discs. I pulled my back muscle once pretty badly because I always use the break-your-back method to pick up my bike. It seemed like the only method that could enable me to pick it up :(
The advantage of being a Girl
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| Kittycatz and I @ Nusajaya Trail |
Oh well but as a girl (muahaha), the boys always take care of you when you ride. If you fall down, they'll help me with my bike :) Though sometimes, they treat me like a guy so I can buck up. Actually, everyone is helpful to each other during off road la.
Enduro was always so enjoyable.
I loved it.
