What Doesn't Jack Do?

Jack forwarded me an article on "The School of (avoiding) Hard Spills." This is of course in regards to his new hobby / passion / obsesion of mountain biking.

The problem for many a novice mountain biker is failure to recognize the technical challenges and intricate skills needed to negotiate a course. That's what led a chastened Jack Paddon of Newcastle to spend a recent Saturday with about 10 other riders honing his mountain-biking skills at an all-day camp run by Total Body Fitness of Rocklin.

Instructor Dan Foster and Total Body Fitness hold instructional camps six times a year (the next is Jan. 30), during which he covers subjects that range from choosing a proper-fitting helmet to executing flawless wheelie drops off a cliff.
"My third time out (on a mountain bike), my buddy got me to the Downieville Classic," Paddon says. "It's 29 miles. I figured, 'Hey, I do 100 miles on a road bike, so I figured it couldn't be that bad. But I got crunched. I finished, but I was so far over my head.

"I'd like to do it next year with some skills."