Ms. Herr On Two Wheels: Heather Goes Dirt Biking Part 1 | Episode 4
Last Updated: March 4th, 2024
Heather fulfills her dream of learning how to ride a dirt bike. While TEAM Arizona DOES NOT offer dirt bike courses, TEAM Arizona owner, Ron Arieli, made a special exception for Ms. Herr.
Watch as Heather comes to grips with riding a motorcycle in an environment with less than perfect traction. She faces the “tired monster” and forges ahead. What a great start to a possible long term love affair with dirt biking and you’re invited!
https://www.facebook.com/callmeMsHerr/
https://www.instagram.com/msherr/
https://twitter.com/msherr/
——————————————————————————————–
So today is kind of a big deal in my world. I’ve wanted to get on a dirt bike for a very long time and today is the day I get to do it. So, I’m going to meet up with TEAM Arizona, I’m sure there will be lots of spills, lots of crazy. They will guide me through it and you get to follow along.
I arrived at TEAM Arizona Headquarters in Gilbert and suited up. I felt like a football player with all that body armor on, but always better to be safe than sorry.
I was giddy with excitement, but also not quite sure that dirt biking would be my jam.
My RiderCoach was Ron Arieli, the owner and founder of TEAM Arizona.
First up, we worked on body position. Ron stressed that traction is at a premium when dirt biking, making it crucial that your body be in the right place in relation to the motorcycle.
After a bit of practice with the bike off, Ron provided a demonstration and then I practiced what he showed me.
Every exercise thereafter followed the same format. It was first stationary coaching, a demonstration, and then I got out and practiced that skill in the pit.
The exhaustion while dirt biking is real.
I just took off my gloves. Whoooo! <breathing heavy>
My friend and RiderCoach Bill told me I was going to be wiped after just two hours. I was skeptical and took that as a challenge. I’ve completed multiple marathons, but dirt biking works your body in a very different way.
I took dance courses in college and was a hip hop dancer for a time afterwards. Every dance session starts the same way; with body isolations.
You move just the neck, bounce the shoulders, shift the torso, and so on. You put it all into combos and then work your way into choreographed moves.
Dirt biking started the same way: with fundamentals. How to sit on the motorcycle, how to steer through a weave, how to turn, how to stand up on the bike, how to weave and corner while standing. Its a building block progression just like in the Basic RiderCourse and every dance class I’ve taken.
Another similarity is how balance works. The way my body responded to traction changes on the dirt bike felt a lot like the constant balance shifts when dancing.
Towards the end of the day I was wiped just like Bill promised. I needed every break between each exercise.
So the last exercise of the day was supposed to be a figure eight. I hit a delirium point and I couldn’t figure out which way I was supposed to be going. So anyway, I’m taking a breather and then Ron is getting back out here for the last bit and we’re just going to play a game of follow the leader.
I didn’t want to stop. On a street bike when I hit that same wall, I’m done. But on a dirt bike, I wanted to keep going. That’s when I knew I was hooked.
So I have a little bit of a confession. I actually thought that after this I might be like, “Eh, I’m good with dirt biking but street biking is my thing.” Because, tell me, the things that other people get buzz on: cornering, going fast, I don’t get a buzz off those things. So, when people tell me I was gonna love dirt biking, I kinda, like, I wanted to do it but I wasn’t sure. I’ve had so much fun today I cannot wait to get back out here. Yes!
There’s definitely going to be a part 2. Next month I’ll share with you my adventures when we go out into the desert for some single track.
Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out other great video content from TEAM Arizona and follow us both on Instagram, because I’ll be sharing sneak peaks of the next episode in Instagram stories.
We’ll link our usernames below. Bye!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE MS. HERR ON TWO WHEELS EPISODES
For the Entire TEAM Arizona Newsletter Content, CLICK HERE
