Austrian Adventures Part 2

Wednesday's Austrian Adventure was downhill mountain biking in a small town called Kaprun. It was
exhilarating. We only got in one run but it was awesome. Our guide was a young Dutchman named
Martin and our group of four also included my friends Jess and Jeff.

We rode the lift up to the top and then whipped down a fire road to the trail. I don't know how fast
we were going but it was a little scary to be zipping down the road with nothing protecting you from
going over the cliff but your reaction time and concentration.

Eventually we got to a single-track trail. It started off rocky, got muddy, and we even traversed some
streams. I bailed on one hairpin turn and lost the bike. Had to jump off it as I lost my balance, but it
was nothing serious. We finished three quarters of the run without incident until my friend Jeff lost
his balance going down a mini-waterfall.

At that point, I thought we were done as we rejoined regular roads and started back towards the bike
shop. Because we started so late, we only had time for one run before the lift closed for the evening.
However, we decided we'd try and come back in the morning – because our fee included two lift
tickets.

To finish off our ride, we had one more small section to cover in the woods. It was rocky and fast but
I didn't have too many problems with it. As I caught up to the two other riders I looked back for my
friend Jeff but he wasn't behind me. We waited about 10 seconds before we saw his white helmet
come bumping out of the woods.

As it turns out, Jeff suffered a pretty serious wipeout trying to avoid some of the larger rocks. He
scraped up his arm pretty bad and had some bruising on his biceps. Fortunately, he got away with just
minor injuries but it could have been a lot worse. Hopefully he won't be too sore for a repeat ride in
the morning.

My quads and calves were pretty tired from the bike and yesterday's hike. My hands also came close
to cramping up from riding the brake so much. If we go again, I'll do a lot better controlling the bike.

Today's Kickbutt Mindset Tips:
Have courage. Take action today.

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"
- Vincent Van Gogh

"What is not started today is never finished tomorrow."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

And today's Independence Tip:

Powerful post by Bedros Keuilian...very important to know as your business gets bigger, the attacks
will grow stronger...no one is immune, but I think it's great at what he has done here

- http://ptpower.com/2011/08/17/hate-and-hope/

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Certified Turbulence Trainer