Jumps, a Fall, and a Copperhead: My Wild Weekend on the Bike
This past weekend was all about getting out on two wheels to explore some local DFW dirt. The plan was to try something new and then hit an old favorite. The day ended up delivering a full spectrum of experiences: the high of flying through the air, the humbling sting of a crash, and the adrenaline spike of a very close call.
Part 1: The Fun at Dunlop Dirt Park
First on the agenda was a spot I've been meaning to check out: The Woods at Dunlop Park. It's a fantastic dirt park, and I had an absolute blast hitting the jumps and getting a little airtime. It was the perfect, positive start to the day.
Part 2: The Adventure at River Legacy
After getting my fill of the jumps, I headed over to River Legacy Park in Arlington for a proper trail ride.
The trail system there is a local classic with a great mix of fun drops and challenging climbs. It’s a trail that demands your attention, and on this day, it had a couple of lessons for me. On one of the drops, I came in with a little too much caution and not quite enough speed. As I started to climb the other side, I lost all my momentum and traction.
The bike stalled, I started to slide backward, and before I knew it, I was tumbling downhill as my bike did a full backflip in the other direction.
After a short slide, I stopped and did a quick mental inventory. Ankle? Check. Wrists? Check. Pride? A little bruised. I celebrated the fact that I wasn't seriously injured and had only collected a few scrapes.
My new trail tattoo from River Legacy.
After dusting myself off, I got back on the bike. With the fall behind me, I kept pushing the pace, which turned out to be a very good thing.
As I rounded another corner, my eyes caught a familiar pattern on the edge of the singletrack. A copperhead. It was coiled up, and I shot past it before my brain could fully process what I was seeing. It wasn't until I was a few yards down the trail that the reality hit me: its head had been no more than a foot from my own foot as I pedaled by. My heart was pounding.
I have no doubt that if I had been creeping slowly through that section, I would have gotten a bite. It's a wild thought; the one time my "Sense of Urgency" might have literally saved my skin.
It was a ride that had it all. It’s a stark reminder that on any given adventure, you need to be resilient, stay aware of your surroundings, and sometimes, a little extra speed doesn't hurt.
