Left, The Colorado backcountry boasts endless groves of Aspen trees. Above, minutes from asphalt, Colorado’s Paradise Basin is virtually untouched by man.


playing on his face. “I don’t know man. I think I’m in over my head here.” “You know what? I think we can fix this.”


I pointed over his shoulder at a nearby field. “What say you and I work on your off-road riding technique? Just a few lessons to get you ready for the weekend, okay?” John agreed. Collecting our bikes, we


headed toward the field and got to it. He picked up on the lessons quickly; after only a few minutes his skill far outweighed his confidence. He came up and stopped beside me. “How ya feeling, John?” “Good!” he wiggled the machine from


side to side. “The bike feels a hundred pounds lighter!” “Excellent! You’ve got


this in the bag,


John. Keep riding like that, and this week- end will be a breeze.” John looked doubtful, but nodded in agreement. We returned to the group, where the first


element of competition was in process. A challenge course had been assembled, a


labyrinth of cones, bumps and logs. Specta- tors yelled words of encouragement as rid- ers maneuvered the course, struggling to maintain verticality through the winding terrain. I queued up in line and waited. I’ve never


done well in competition. The scrutiny and pressure to perform flawlessly never seem to find harmony, and I struggle with the contention. “It’s just for fun,” I said aloud, repeating


to set the mantra. “Just go and have fun.” I made it to the front of the line, and


waited. The rider in front of me had man- aged a spectacular dismount, and specta- tors were hoisting him and his bike upright. The course official came over to prepare me. “You are free to go when the flag drops. There’s an easy route and a hard route, so stay left if you want easy, okay?” Instinctively I nodded and gave a


thumbs-up. As he turned to leave, I realized I had a whole gaggle of unanswered ques-


tions. “Whoa wait, I--” Too late. An official pointed at me,


dropped the flag, and I was off. The course was soft and bumpy, with turns so tight the steering head locked with each maneuver. I struggled through, opting (like an idiot) for the hard route. Concrete blocks scraped the skid plate as I approached mid-course, the bike snaking and drifting toward the exit. The final obstacle—a fallen log, loosely placed across my path—required finesse of the clutch and throttle in order to loft suc- cessfully over. I dumped the throttle as I approached, compressing the front end before throttling up and over the log. My R 1200 GS Adventure roared as we flew, catch- ing spectacular air before landing gracefully and carving through the exit. “Good job! You cleared it!” an official


said, patting me on the back. “How do you feel?” “That was AWESOME! Can I do it


again??” October 2015 BMW OWNERS NEWS 53


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