Not all group rides are the same which is perfect because there are as many different riding styles as there are riders. But if you’ve ridden with the Alliance, I think it is safe to say that our rides are unique. Not because we are special but because we are always willing to hold out some loving arms.
Loving Arms are like the secret hand shake of the Alliance, or at least they have become to appear that way. And not only are they a way to show our support for whomever is attempting to clean an obstacle they are uncomfortable with, but they have been proven multiple times to magically propel riders up moves they felt were impossible for them to even attempt.
The photo above is Kenny demonstrating, not only perfect form of Loving Arms, but also the propulsion they provide. They are kind of like a tractor beam. We’re not entirely sure how the physics work out, we just know that they do.
This last Saturday, the Alliance hosted the Goose with the Moose because riding Gooseberry Mesa with the Mooseknuckler Alliance is the most legal fun you can have in Southern Utah. I feel comfortable speaking for the group when I say that Saturday’s ride was the definition of fun.
As group rides go, I believe the most important ingredient for success is keeping the stoke level high. This can be achieved through the use of the Loving Arms or dropping back to ride and pace with a friend who can’t quite keep up or showing your favorite move to your riding buddies and watching as they all figure it out. Whatever the method, keeping the stoke level high improves everyone’s riding skills by exactly 37.82%. Trust me, I’ve amassed years of empirical data to support that number.
One thing I’ve been taught as my years as a Yogi (please read that with an intense level of sarcasm) is that the mind will first see a difficult pose as impossible, but the more one witnesses a pose or attempts to accomplish it, the more the mind is opened to the possibility. Once the mind let goes of the idea that it is an impossibility, the body will find a way to achieve the posture.
The same applies to riding a bicycle.
Letting your brain go from “there’s no fucking way” to “how do you do that” is pretty much the first step to cleaning a move you find difficult. Asking how is the first step past something being impossible and pretty soon you find yourself on top of a rock you thought was outside of the realm of your reality.
It was a day of firsts.
For a few, it was the first time they had ever experience the Mesa with the Alliance. For others, there were first ascents. There were first times up the North Rim and figuring out every move on the trail. There was Wilding’s first time on top of the rock in the video above and Kenny’s first attempt and successful flight off of the Point Drop. And Kathleen’s rolling of the Arch. Whatever it was, I believe everyone had a first on Saturday.
And of course no ride with the Mooseknuckler Cycling Alliance on the Goose is complete without the riding of Sir Prattipuss’s Wall of Death which Kenny and Jason nailed.
And most notably, this is the first time I have realized how much I sound like a sheep.
If you missed out on the Moose with the Goose, come ride with us this coming Saturday on Zen.
P. L. and R.
