Crash day finally arrived today, biggest crash in a long time and first decent one on the Mojo HD. It hurt, and taught me a good lesson too. Not that I didn’t get fair warning that I was being stupid…

First I took a berm way too fast, even more so considering it was still fairly fresh and soft. It all got ugly, exited the turn way too high and just missed wiping out into a tree.

Second I took a drop way too fast without paying any attention to the line I’d taken either. Bounced down, ended up in the rocks off to the side.

Third time lucky.

There’s a steep 1.5-2.m pinch not far off vertical that doubles as a jump. With just enough speed you get a little air before dropping down to the other side. I go over it often, it’s good fun. Riding up to it today I decide to step on the gas hard, real hard, no reason, no brain present, no thought of what was meant to happen, just a space man in hyperdrive. Next thing is the familiar dull thwacking sound as your body hits the ground hard,  an unhappy groan followed by gasps for air. My lower right leg looked kinda funky and felt like it was having a major spasm or something. Phew, not broken. Lucky! I guess it got whacked hard by something on the bike or on the ground. By the end of the ride I felt like a second hand punching bag at the rubbish tip — older bodies aren’t as rubbery that’s for sure.

With its handling and geometry the Mojo HD really encourages you to have a red hot go, and provided you ride within your own limits and ride in the moment, thanks largely to the bike there’s usually a fairly large margin for error.

But ride stupid, not in the moment, not plugged into the bike and the terrain, and nothing is going to save your butt. You get what you get — a lesson in thwacking 🙂