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The advanced class @ Penguin!
I was very excited to take the class (even though I could only attend 1 of the 2 days) before the national. I knew I needed the instruction and the 1 on 1 time would be more beneficial than me trying to "teach" myself alone out in practice. I ended up being able to break through the 'wall' that I had been hitting and shave over 3 seconds off of my PB lap time.
My previous personal best felt like I was riding as hard/fast as possible (flaht out).
After the advanced class, I dropped 3 seconds and felt like I was riding slower than before (IE - could mentally pick out places I knew I could easily gain time). Also, I actually feel safer out there now. I was previously blaming things like tires / suspension for either a crash or the bike acting abnormally, but after the class - I learned that those specific things happened because of my input (specifically giving bar-input late in the turn). Having a better feel for what your bike is doing is priceless.
The insight and help with trail-breaking was also super beneficial. So...thanks for the great instruction! I have tons of notes to get me through the rest of the season...