Centennial Trail

naugabike@tomwinfield.com

Centennial Trail

Black Hills Fat Tire Festival

After 2 days on the Mickelson, it was time for some singletrack. I was told that the easy ride for me was on the Centennial Trail near Pactola Reservoir. A ride for beginners, mostly downhill with a couple of short climbs. So, I signed up for that ride on Sunday afternoon. With the BBQ, awards, and raffle, the scheduled 2pm departure was moved up to 1pm. Got started loading the trailer about 12:30 (using the bike trailer to shuttle us and the bikes).

There were 8 of us Festival riders and 3 guides.

Yes, there were some nice downhill sections. On the first downhill, I seemed to have forgotten about watching up the trail, not my front tire. After a break, I got myself back on track. With that, I started riding better and enjoying the ride.

Then came the next climb. Once again, I was "hike-a-bike" time. I was getting frustrated with the climb. When I got back to a downhill section, I had problems ride any kind of line. I was losing my confidence. Worst, I was getting frustrated with myself - to the tune of thinking singletrack in the Black Hills is something I should give up on - stay on the River Trail or the Mickelson.

Then, one of the other riders told me that he felt I was going very well - handling the bike well. Don't give up. That encouragement helped me.