I had a strange experience today

[Fordulike]

Getting ever more impressed with the climbing abilities of my BBS02, I climbed a monster of a grassy bank today.
It was about 70 metres long, but deceptively steep. Only when I had got 5 metres into the climb, did I realise I had to commit, as stopping was not an option.

The bike powered up the bank and over the top, much to the surprise of some bloke walking his dog

Feeling dead proud of myself and a big grin on my face, I turned around, ready to descend. After spending 5 minutes trying to build up the courage to go back down, I bottled it and ended up using a less steep route to return.

I thought that descending would be much easier, psychologically, than ascending, but it looked frightening from the top

Has anyone else been in the same situation?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It's the same with diving off the top board at the swimming baths. Climbing the ladder is the easy bit.

 

[Fordulike]

It's the same with diving off the top board at the swimming baths. Climbing the ladder is the easy bit.

Lol, yes indeed.

Maybe my fear comes from remembering as a kid, careering out of control down a steep grassy bank, with my rear wheel locked, and coming a cropper at the bottom.

Yeah, stupidly that was on a racing bike. Those were the days

 

[flecc]

I thought that descending would be much easier, psychologically, than ascending, but it looked frightening from the top

Has anyone else been in the same situation?

Yes, the downhill can be far worse. And not just bikes, climbing a snow covered or icy hill with a good 4 x 4 can be childs play, but coming back down even very cautiously can be scary since there's nothing like the same control.
.

 

[jerrysimon]

It's the same with diving off the top board at the swimming baths. Climbing the ladder is the easy bit.

Yes but once you have done it once and had the thrill, the lower boards seem positively mundain and boring

Jerry

 

[Geebee]

I used to spend a lot of time at our local mountain bike park, decending involved having your rear behind the seat and almost scraping the rear tyre, going up was leaning fully over the handle bars and balancing pedaling with lifting the front wheel too high in the air.
It was exhausting but great fun and yes it took a lot of mental effort the first time you head down something that steep

 

[VictoryV]

I thought that descending would be much easier, psychologically, than ascending, but it looked frightening from the top

Has anyone else been in the same situation?[/QUOTE]
Going up gravity is working against you, so you can stop at any time you want, going down gravity is working with you so stopping and control is that much more difficult, our subconscious recognises that fact as part of our natural survival mechanism