Saddleries should come with a warning, or at least an R18 ticket on the door, for the pull of their seductive powers is totally irresistible.
It is not just the rows of shiny boots, blindingly blingy browbands or the couture clothing that keeps riders going back for more, but it is the promise that they hold. Like some kind of magical store that wouldn’t be out of place in a Harry Potter story.
As you walk through the entrance into these fairy-tale lands, your heartbeat rising and your pupils dilating, you just KNOW there will be a product/gadget/item of clothing/piece of gear that will, without a shadow of a doubt, finally be the item that will turn your horse into a winning machine. Preferably whilst you are sleeping. We all do it. We kid ourselves that we just need a new pair of gloves, or a hoof pick, but really we are looking for a piece of magic that will solve, if not all, some, of our most soul destroying riding experiences and catapult us into the winners’ circle. Oh to be in just one lap of honour.
So now comes my story. 3 years ago, a (used to be) great friend purchased my husband and I as a Wedding gift, tickets to a 47km mountain bike race which went across a mountain range in the south of New Zealand. This was roughly 46km further than I had ever cycled before and I was certain that I needed the best gear available to man to get me over the finish line.
So I went shopping. I got me a brand spanking new bicycle, one with big wheels, loads of gears, suspension forks (sounded necessary), extra special handlebars, drink holder, distance tracker, fancy pedals and a fancy seat. Then I got myself a trendy helmet, gloves, backpack with a water bladder, cycling shorts (ugh), cycling top (has zips for lollies and things) and new shoes. All set.
Hubby and I would cycle at the weekends through some local trails, there were hills and the tracks were sandy so I thought that was a good training ground. Once my butt could manage a few kms without feeling like it had been repeatedly kicked, I figured my preparation was going well, and after all, I had some good kit; I would be fine!
Race day arrived and waiting to start I noticed people doing some sprints on their bikes/riding around so thought I should do the same. Warm up a bit. I had stocked up on lollies so I decided to take on a few in the hope that I would build up a bit of a reserve of energy and I was feeling pretty good.
In hindsight, I am pretty sure I peaked right there in the car park.
The first hill came quite soon out of the start gates and it was the steepest, longest hill I had ever seen. We don’t need to go into details but I kept hubby waiting for about 40 minutes at the top, as my body (cycling abandoned) decided it didn’t even know how to walk anymore. Those big wheels weren’t an iota of help. Once I had crawled my way to the top, willing the rescue people to put me on the back of their truck, I collapsed in a heap and told hubby to ‘go on without me’ . It was not a shiny moment for a newlywed, I think the concern on his face was more about what he had just married rather than for my imminent demise.
The rest of the ride was painful. Painful and seemingly never ending, but we both finished, just about with our bodies and our marriage intact.
And it did make me think.
What I had done was try to give myself an extra 1-2% of performance by buying myself gear and gadgets. What I had failed to do was to give myself the other 98% of performance ability by investing in the core of what was going to see me through the 47km of agony. ME! I had neglected to optimise ME. It was way easier to go out and buy some equipment than it was to invest the time and pain necessary to make myself capable of cycling across a mountain range.
When we talk about riding it is so easy to think that a different saddle/bit/boots/helmet will make the difference in performance. In some cases, a better fitting saddle, or a more comfortable girth is a great idea (I am all for making you and your horse more comfortable) but some of these things will only contribute to 1-2% of your performance and most of them will add nothing.
The bulk of how well you perform is all about YOU. Optimise your skill/technique/fitness/awareness, because you are the CORE of your performance. Riding in the same brand of saddle as your idol will not make you ride like them, especially if you don’t invest in yourself as a rider. Be smart and discerning about the promises marketing gurus make and remember that the best piece of equipment you have is YOU.
I know it’s annoying. I so wanted my magical bike to carry me over the mountain without me even raising a sweat. But it didn’t, and because of that, it didn’t see the light of day for the next 12 months.
