# So I took my beginner wife on a trail...



## DBomb (May 19, 2004)

and we had a BLAST!! I was very proud of her. We did a trail that was a good mixture of flat overgrown fireroad, twisty, rocky and rooty singletrack and a good number of obstacles. We made frequent stops before somewhat technical climbs and descents so that I could point out the line to her. Then I would shout out encouragements as she was riding along. It boosted her confidence and I allowed her to ride at her own comfortable pace. I even did a good job of stopping every now and then to make sure I wasn't riding too far ahead of her. I had to constantly think and remind myself of what the trail must look like to her. 

Afterwards she said, "I get it now why this is so much fun. There's this constant feeling of accomplishment with every little challenge that you face. So when can we go again?"

I think I have a keeper.


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

Excellent! I was bracing myself for another "how can I get my wife to like mtb'ing/try harder stuff" post and am pleasantly surprised by the positive report. It's nice to hear about the successes for a change. Keep up what you're doing--it's obviously working for both of you.

Mary Ann


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## formica (Jul 4, 2004)

DBomb said:


> and we had a BLAST!! I was very proud of her. We did a trail that was a good mixture of flat overgrown fireroad, twisty, rocky and rooty singletrack and a good number of obstacles. We made frequent stops before somewhat technical climbs and descents so that I could point out the line to her. Then I would shout out encouragements as she was riding along. It boosted her confidence and I allowed her to ride at her own comfortable pace. I even did a good job of stopping every now and then to make sure I wasn't riding too far ahead of her. I had to constantly think and remind myself of what the trail must look like to her.
> 
> Afterwards she said, "I get it now why this is so much fun. There's this constant feeling of accomplishment with every little challenge that you face. So when can we go again?"
> 
> I think I have a keeper.


I hope you gave her a big hug and a kiss and said, "anytime you want!..."


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## pornstar (Aug 15, 2005)

wow!!!
That`s f..... great.
Now if i could only get a GF that had a MTB


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## Impy (Jan 6, 2004)

DBomb said:


> and we had a BLAST!! .


Yay! Happy trails to the two of you!


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

Well, as a pornstar, the women you meet are riding all day long and are probably just too tired after work 

Glad to see a positive post about 1) a patient husband and 2) a newbie who "gets" it!


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## bob (Jan 14, 2004)

*I did the same.*

I took my wife on her first MTB trip recently and she's hooked. I didn't want to overwhelm her so I took her on the trails I usually ride with my young sons. Nice flowing single track with some ups and downs but nothing technical. At the end of the day I asked what she thought. She said that she wouldn't ride the same trails again, as they were a little boring. She wanted to know if there were trails with more rocks,roots, and steeper hills nearby. Guess I underestimated her just a little.


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## aword4you (Jul 25, 2005)

Hubby and I just got bikes as well. He started riding in about 92, but quit a few years later due to school, lack of money, etc. 

I'm still trying to get the hang of it (had never ridden before), and neither one of us are too familiar with local trails, so we're learning as we go along  We've ridden every weekend for about a month, and have two rides planned this weekend! I'm having a lot of fun.


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## konahottie_311 (May 26, 2005)

That is great....good to see you both had fun.I miss xcountry riding wiht my bf.He only freerides and has this thing against going up the hill..it kind of sucks but at least he rides. Kona


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## DBomb (May 19, 2004)

*We're going again this weekend.*

We're going to try and ride together as much as possible. She's really getting into it, (and she's jealous of how fit I've gotten from riding.)

I don't want anyone to get the impression that this was her first time on a trail. This was just her first time on a trail that was challenging. I had taken her on a simpler trail with tiny sections of rocks before, and she went and recently rode the trail by herself without falling. That's when she asked me to take her to a more challenging trail.

Like I said before, I picked a trail that had stretches of flat fireroad and stretches of classic New England singletrack. She felt challenged but not overwhelmed. And she realized that a lot of it is mental. She did great for facing the trail for the first time. The one thing that I did that made a difference was that I didn't make her ride something that she was uncomfortable with. I just told her how she should ride it, and let her decide if she would do it or not. There were a couple of things that she accomplished that I knew were huge steps for her.

There are several techniques that she needs to learn to ride even better, but I won't stress them now. She's having fun and that's the important thing. I think I'll get her to start shifting gears more. She was grinding it out on climbs and I know she has troublesome knees. She would really benefit from sitting and spinning more, and her knees will thank her.

It's cool to see that she's really excited about riding.

I hope this offered some insight to those who are trying to get others to ride. It takes alot of patience. But if they get hooked, it's well worth it.


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## Mary Ann (Jan 13, 2004)

"There are several techniques that she needs to learn to ride even better, but I won't stress them now. She's having fun and that's the important thing."

You sound like such a natural teacher. She is very lucky because that's a rare quality.

Again, good on ya!
Mary Ann


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## Christine (Feb 11, 2004)

My friend in NC e-mailed me yesterday and mentioned, "I just got a bike and now we go biking as a family."  I was thrilled to hear this! 

She and her husband are just casual riders on the cheapest bikes they can find....until they move to Asheville, that is, and I get them truly hooked 

Meanwhile, their kids might be showing them some of the dirt piles they tried while I was there!


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## pedaling pyrate (Nov 30, 2004)

*Awesome*

It is great to hear you have the patience and while helping her out you are letting her make choices. I was out riding over the weekend and saw the exact opposite and it was so very frustrating. Guy points out the line to the gf/wife (a line I would never try) and she looked at him like "your an idiot". He rode it - poorly - and then was cheering her on from the bottom of the hill. She told me to go ahead as she was going to take her time. I rode to the bottom (with a completely different line) and then I heard her coming down the hill....really I heard him yelling about her coming down the hill. I looked back and it looked like she started taking the recommended line and then switched and that is when the screaming started. She was doing fine until all that noise and she looked up from the line she was scoping out to see what all the noise was about only to endo over a root just as she looked up. The change in her face was one of gaining confidence with each knobby to one of sheer terror. I turned back to see if she was okay and the bf/husband said, "she'll be fine" so I left. I ran into them in the parking area and he was still yelling at her..."you would have had fun if...." (she had left you at home - that was my thought). She was in the back of the truck and just threw the bike down and got in the cab. I have a feeling she won't be back for awhile.

So it is great to hear of someone with a completely different - and correct - approach!


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Sounds like a classic case of testosterone poisening to me. 

I'm the witch that screams right back "if *I* go down this thing, *I* will decide how- in the meantime, *SHUT UP!*"


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## pedaling pyrate (Nov 30, 2004)

*I agree*

and it is too bad she couldn't take a similar approach but he started screwing with her while she was riding it, blew her concentration and she ended up getting hurt - both physically and mentally as her confidence was shot. I hope she goes riding again - with out him or with earplugs.


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## Kallisti (Feb 15, 2005)

*What a cool thread!*



DBomb said:


> I was very proud of her.
> 
> Then I would shout out encouragements as she was riding along. It boosted her confidence and I allowed her to ride at her own comfortable pace.
> 
> I think I have a keeper.


So does she.


Really sweet thread, dude. Sounds like you guys will have a great time riding together.


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## Kallisti (Feb 15, 2005)

*What a cool thread!*



DBomb said:


> I was very proud of her.
> 
> Then I would shout out encouragements as she was riding along. It boosted her confidence and I allowed her to ride at her own comfortable pace.
> 
> I think I have a keeper.


She's got a keeper too.


Really sweet thread, dude. Sounds like you guys will have a great time riding together.

BTW, to all those guys who keep questioning "how do I get my SO into riding?", this is the way.


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