The story of “Marlene and cycling” hasn't exactly been a success story in recent years. Quite the opposite. I don't feel comfortable in the saddle. But I recently visited the bike park in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis. I went in with a knot in my stomach and came home with a small sense of achievement. Maybe all hope isn't lost after all.
My personal armor
I enter the bike rental shop. Already, my heart is beating faster than usual. My breathing is uneven. I'm nervous. Meanwhile, an expert equips me with the necessary protective gear. A full-face helmet, shin guards and a vest with back, chest and shoulder protection become my personal armor. The bike guide also tries to put me at ease: “You can do all of this.” Well. He hasn't seen me on a bike yet.
I slip my sweaty hands into the cycling gloves. Then I wrap them around the handlebars of the rental bike, lift my head, give myself a pep talk and wheel the mountain bike outside. Get on. And off we go. Luckily, though, we don't head straight down the mountain. Instead, we stay on the flat, a few meters away in the parking lot behind the building.
Here I'm supposed to learn the correct position on the bike. Standing up the whole time. Legs as straight as possible. Upper body leaning forward, elbows bent. I follow the guide's instructions, trying to copy his position. Not so easy. Then comes the first braking test. The exercise is to pick up speed and stop at a line. I don't pick up much speed. I start braking early, using both brakes at once. And I stop. Just right. Maybe I can go a little faster after all.
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The first turns
Then things get serious. A conveyor lift takes us up the first few meters to the beginner section of the bike park. There are about 10 turns to tackle on the way down. The kind of turns you'd expect to find in a bike park. Steeply sculpted. They're called berms. The trick is to enter them as high as possible and then ride out in a smooth arc.
So I, who can't even ride downhill on a gravel road, am supposed to race through these turns?! This should be interesting. Very slowly and very tensely, I fight my way down. But I make it through every turn. The guide says I did well. Ha ha. There's plenty of room for improvement, and I can feel it myself. But that's exactly what we're going to work on now. We're going to test just how much room there really is. And so, a little later, I find myself in the gondola with my bike. We're going all the way to the top. To a real trail.
An easy trail, no problem?
And then there I am, at the start of a trail. I can barely make out Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis below me. That's how high up we are. A child, about 10 years old, whizzes past me. They even pick up speed to charge straight onto the trail. I silently tip my hat. If only I were that brave.
I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
So I swing onto my bike. I get into the position I learned, keep my fingers on the brakes and cautiously make my way forward. I'm certainly not setting any speed records here, but I make it through the first turns. Okay. This is actually going pretty well. I start to feel a little more confident. Maybe I can make it without pushing. That's the emergency plan: if I can't go on, I'll just push the bike.
But so far, I keep going. I stop regularly to let faster riders pass. Then I focus on myself and the trail again. It's almost meditative. After all, I have to keep my mind completely on what I'm doing. All the other little problems and worries of everyday life quickly fade into the background.
Concentration takes energy
But concentration also takes energy. It is exhausting to stay so focused. My position on the bike isn't relaxed either. Turns keep coming up that make me start thinking. Can I make this turn? What was I supposed to remember again? The result is a tense posture. And that's exhausting too.
So I'm pretty happy when I finally reach the bottom. Happy that I made it. And proud. Yes, I'm proud of myself too. I didn't push. I rode. Maybe not well, maybe a little too anxiously. But I rode. And in the end, that's what counts.
Then I even have to admit: it wasn't so bad after all. Until now, cycling and I have never really gotten along. Maybe we've buried the hatchet? Maybe I'll keep at it? Maybe one day it'll even be fun? Who knows …
Also of interest:
5 amazing mountain experiences in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis>
Otherwise, I enjoy all the other activities you can do in the mountains. And I saw and did quite a bit in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis this time too. Besides mountain biking, I went hiking. I enjoyed a feast at the Crystal Cube and saw the region from above while paragliding.