Zero to Hero: (Re)Learning How to Ride Off-Road

It all started at the point of impact. Wind escaped my lungs with a force I’d never felt before. The crash happened fast. I barely had time to react before the damage to my diaphragm (as I’d later realize) had been done. In a split second, a preventable off-bike incident changed my trajectory—literally and figuratively—from a perpetual novice to a determined student.

My mindset switched from a victim to aggressor. There would be no more wondering why I can’t. Instead, I would focus on how I can. I intended to actively seek training and stop blaming everything but myself for the lack of skill which I’d excused for years. I wanted to feel like a fearless captain, rather than a helpless passenger, on my own motorcycle.

Rotating Wheels in the Right Direction

With a hectic schedule ahead, I needed to make the most of any seat time once I could ride again. I took those next steps carefully.