Tammy Smith started riding mountain bikes less than two years ago. In January, she signed up for her first-ever race: the McDowell Meltdown, race #1 in the 2012 Mountain Bike Association of Arizona state championship series. Tammy, who lives in Lake Havasu City, answers questions from Examiner.com about becoming first a mountain biker … and then a racer.
How did you take up mountain biking?
I was one of the last of the generation affected by the “girls don’t do that” era. I have never played a sport or even rode a bike for longer than a few minutes. My husband bought me a very used rigid Diamondback to ride on an asphalt path with some of my girlfriends and our son, a couple of years ago. I rode it for a month before I realized there were 14 more gears controlled by the left hand. Shortly thereafter, I started riding on the dirt trail next to the asphalt and pissing off my riding companions by taking off across the desert. My husband decided it was time to buy me a real bike and take me out to the trails at S.A.R.A park here in Lake Havasu City to teach me how to ride. He would take me out riding after he rode “for reals” (my words, not his) with the boys, and make me redo obstacles until they were mine. I met another new female rider out here, Leonora, and we started going out whenever we could. That was about a year and a half ago. I love the feeling that I get from riding trails; even when I don’t have a great ride, it is better than not riding my bike.
What led you to sign up for a mountain bike race?
Leonora talked me into it, then I talked my husband into it. It was his first race, too, but he registered as a “Rockcrusher”. Leonora and I are part of a four-woman team for the Kona Bike 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo race in February; she reasoned (correctly) that I needed to see what a race was like before then. She is a marathon runner and road bike racer. She had done a couple of MTB races last year and is doing the DNA series this year.
It was totally last-minute. My husband picked me up after work at 10 p.m. on Friday, we drove to McDowell (got there about 1:30 am) and camped in the back of our SUV. Got up the next morning and raced. Not ideal, but fun.
What did you learn from your first race?
Only about a bizzillion things!! Here is just a few that I think would have made for a much better ride. First I will manage my body, pre-race, better. That means not working a 13-hour shift the day or night before, getting a good night sleep and eating right the day prior to race. I will make sure that I hydrate better before and during the race. I will try to pre-ride the course so I have a better idea of what to expect. Most importantly, I will understand next time that yielding to the faster rider does NOT mean that I totally wreck my ride. I came to a complete stop on several occasions to let other riders pass, losing all my momentum and rhythm. Other times, I rode beside the trail in the rocks so I didn’t get in anyone’s way - dumb! I learned when I passed that there is ample room on the course for the passing rider to plan and execute the move with minimal impact to the other rider. Bottom line, yielding means not obstructing. I got it now.
How did you deal with any pre-race nervousness?
I didn’t get nervous until the race started. Then I handled it like everything else that feels yucky: I rode through it.
What’s your impression of the other first-time mountain bike racers?
I didn’t really get a chance to hang with the other FW ladies and since I hold the dubious honor of last place, I would say they all kicked ass. With the exception of one other rider, my impression was that they were mostly road bikers trying out something new. There were 8 riders on the post-race roster and 5 placed on the final results list, I don’t know what that means. Two of the riders were sponsored and had great times. My understanding is that they were all from the area.
How often do you plan to race?
I will race the Old Pueblo in February. The main reason for racing is the experience of riding in new places, and I will do that as often as possible.
What’s your favorite trail?
My husband and I went to Big Bear California with another couple last summer and my favorite trail so far is there. It is Pine Knot Trail. LOVE IT!! Pirates of the Caribbean was cool, too. Okay, so it was all pretty awesome, soft dirt, puddles and creeks, no rocks, big tall things that give shade. I also like riding Trash Can here at home and Monolith Gardens in Kingman.
What’s the most challenging part of mountain biking?
Everything is a challenge because none of it comes naturally to me. Every one of my involuntary instincts negatively affects my ride. I have a horrible tendency to look down at the ground right in front of my tire. My husband is constantly yelling “look up!!” at me. It also took a long time for me to understand that speed is control. I wanted to ride my brake when going down a rocky, washed out or rutted descent, not good. I am also afflicted with what my husband calls the “anti-right or anti-left syndrome”. When riding a steep area or next to a drop off I will tend to lean too far into the solid side, it hurts most of the time.
What’s your best mountain-biking experience so far?
Every time I successfully clear an obstacle I have been working on - with a resemblance of grace - I feel great.
Let’s say you’re taking a friend out for his/her first ride? What’s the first bit of advice you’d offer?
First, keep your pedals level and keep your butt back further than you think you need to when you go downhill. Then, look up, let off your brakes and stand up when you try to pump into a climb.
What other activities do you do?
I don’t do any other sports; this is my first athletic endeavor, better late than never. Wow, that rhymes! Anyways, I work full-time as a nurse in an emergency room and take care of my awesome family. My husband and son both race BMX and I am their pack mule/support crew.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your experience at the McDowell Meltdown? If it’s less than “10,” how could it get to “10”?
I would say my experience at Mcdowell Meltdown was an 8. Everything that made the experience less than a 10 was my own fault. I did just about everything wrong before and during my ride. Live and learn. I had a great time and I look forward to the next event.
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