And so it begins...

We had just covered about 90 miles on the mountain bikes, the sun was shining, and the legs weren't really hurting. It has been a good ride, and we were just finishing off with a little play in the woods. Rolled up to a short, but slightly sharp descent...and I froze. I can't ride that! I told my riding partner I couldn't do it. No sympathy was forthcoming, so I struggled down, foot dragging, looking like a limping puppy. Dean's comments implied my style of riding had a sexuality, and that of a minority, and suggested his mum could do it better. He was right, to be honest. Despite completing the Kielder 100 last year in a respectable time, and putting in some half average times in the Thetford races, I still was shocking on the technical stuff. This played on my mind for a while. Finally, I decided that I need to confront it, get some coaching and banish the demons. It's all down hill from here....