I enjoy competing , so in 2021 my practice schedule was driven solely by event preparation . This meant that most of my practice would lead up to events and it would drop off dramatically after each one . The local trials season has frequent gaps between events , so this led to significant down time . With no events immediately on the horizon , getting the bike out of the garage for self-initiated practice just wasn ’ t happening .
It ’ s widely recognized that there are two key things required for improvement : 1 . Quality Coaching , and 2 . Frequent , Quality Practice . I am fortunate enough to have exposure to quality coaching ; I was lacking that quality practice . While I ’ d never turn down the opportunity to ride with friends , the lack of solo practice came to be a limiting factor for improving my skill .
Sitting in my office about this time last year , I studied my big full-year wall calendar trying to figure out how to fix my dilemma , because I had bigger goals than my current trajectory could meet , which is when I decided that I would ride ten days per month . 120 total days of riding would have to improve my riding , right ?
I decided on 10 because it would require more than just weekend dedication in hopes it could fix my consistency problem . After all , I wouldn ’ t expect my fitness to
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 88