The Sea Otter mountain bike course is fun, as long as you’re not in any hurry.

My front tire buckles on the hard-packed sand as I tightly round a bank. One second I am ducking under branches on the shady trail, the next second the canopy opens to blue sky. Tall snags stand like moai statues on Easter Island.

But there is no time for musing. I barrel past ferns and oaks, trying to catch up to my guide, Jeff McGrath. As I roll over ruts, my front brakes jingle like pocket change. I ignore the unsettling sound; I just want to keep pedaling.

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon, a perfect time to ride the cross-country mountain bike course where pro-riders will be racing at the Sea Otter Classic.

Energized from the downhill, I climb at a steady pace. I look behind me, expecting Jeff to blow past me. (He has competed in the Sea Otter Classic for the past four years, while this is my first time riding the trail.) Yet somehow I’ve got a lead on him. “Heck,” I think to myself, “this course isn’t so tough.”

Suddenly my front brake arm collapses. Washers and screws hit my spokes and scatter. I curse myself for not checking my bike before the ride. Jeff arrives in time to help me gather parts off the dirt, but I am missing a crucial bolt. We slowly backtrack down the trail. Lucky for me, Jeff finds the bolt. After about 15 minutes of experimentation, he has the assembly back together. He also tightens my back brakes, just in case.