We’re new at this mountain thing, going up and down. Like I said, we’re flatlanders, and I was trying to determine…  if I brake going down the mountain will my rims overheat? If they do, what happens? Do they warp, and then I crash, or is it just that the brake pads become ineffective, or melt, and then I crash. 

As we left the Scenic Overlook and started coasting down toward Trinidad I was torn between my two very unappealing options:  

a)  I could slow my bike down by braking and end up crashing when, according to my flowering imagination, my rims would actually CATCH ON FIRE from the continuous braking,
or
b) I could NOT brake and end up crashing, albeit more spectacularly because of the higher velocity, as a result of not braking.

Obviously, I opted for B.  I was 23.

I didn’t brake, nor did I blink (I didn’t wear any type of eye protection back then). The tears streamed from the corners of my eyes, only to be dried or blown away by the wind before reaching my ears. 

I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but an interesting thing happened… I didn’t die. 

I’ve never actually taken physics, but screaming down the side of a mountain I learned, at least on a subconscious level, about “terminal velocity.” Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “the limiting uniform velocity attained by a falling body when the resistance of the air has become equal to the force of gravity.”  Fortunately for me, that meant that I wouldn’t simply continue gaining speed, only to spontaneously combust from the friction of the wind. Instead, I reached a steady speed, then maintained it. I could even decrease that speed a little if I just created more wind resistance by sitting up taller in the saddle instead of leaning over in the aerodynamic “tuck” position. 

But really, why would I want to do that??

A sign flashed by as we were coasting down that said cyclists MUST ride on the shoulder. However, with all of the debris there, it would’ve meant certain death. Certain death, I tell you.

I’ve never been a thrill seeker, but I do enjoy coasting down the other side of a mountain. There’s a fine line between being in control and out of control, and if you know where that line is and never cross it, then it’s an experience that’s hard to beat.

And, it’s EARNED fun. When you just spent several hours, or days, inching your way up one side, there’s a certain satisfaction that the fun you’re having is more deserved.