Gravity Check Read Online Free

a face-plant into a pile of deer turds. “Your brakes don’t work in midair. Doesn’t matter how hard you squeeze ’em. But keep the rubber down , now.” He nods. “You’ll be all right.”
    He waits until the last of our laughter dies away and we’re all sitting forward, waiting to hear his next story. Suddenly he’s all business. “I’ve got some news for you guys. Tomorrow, we’re going to be joined for the day by Mitch Woodgrove.”
    My jaw drops. “Mitch Woodgrove?”
    â€œ The Mitch Woodgrove?” Nolan squeaks.
    Chase nods.
    â€œAs in, Canadian freeride biking champion Mitch Woodgrove?” says Seth.
    Another nod.
    â€œNo way!” Nolan hollers. “No freaking way !”
    â€œHow did you swing that?” Rico wants to know. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Did the program staff arrange it as a surprise?” He’s lying on his back, head propped on his water bag, hands linked behind his head.
    Chase shakes his head. “Nah. He’s a friend of a friend. I met him at a party a couple of months ago. I asked whether he’d come to camp one day and share some tips for handling jumps and bumpy terrain. Ordered him up special just for you guys.”
    â€œRight on,” I say. “Thanks, Chase.” I tie the top of my trail-mix bag into a knot and stuff it back in my bag. “That’s definitely something to look forward to.”
    â€œShould be,” says Chase. “They don’t come much better than Mitch. And he was only too happy to come all the way up here, which kind of surprised me. But I guess he’s pretty keen on sharing his expertise with younger riders.”
    â€œWow,” says Nolan. “I can’t believe we’re going to get to meet Mitch Woodgrove. That’s just the coolest thing ever.”
    â€œUh, correction,” says Rico. “That’d be me. Mitch Woodgrove is the second-coolest thing ever.”
    We laugh, and Chase gets to his feet. “All right, boys. Tea party’s over. We came here to ride. Let’s get at it!”

chapter six
    The hardpack under my tires feels great as we hammer off into the bush. Every so often, there’s a little section that climbs or drops through the trees. We have fun with it, whooping and shouting as we hammer over the little bumps, looking for air anywhere we can.
    It’s a beautiful day, and I’m so stoked that Mitch is coming that my issues with Seth have taken a backseat. I dip my head down and peek under my arm. Seth’s right behind me. He’s having a good time too. He sees me and grins, pushing hard off his pedals and exploding his bike straight up into the air. Bunny hop! He hoots when I give him one in return.
    Things are definitely okay between us today.
    After a particularly jangly section of roots, we come to the lip of a stairlike spread of rock that heads downhill. It’s weird how nature comes up with this stuff. The pitch looks exciting. But I’ve never run a long flight of stairs before. And these ones are all different lengths and heights. It’s pretty technical. I wonder how Nolan will handle it.
    We’re all feeling pretty tapped out after that last section. But it’s not far to our campsite now, so we decide to keep going instead of stopping for a rest. Chase gives me the okay to go ahead and scout the rock stairs before the others come down.
    I push off the lip and bump down, keeping my weight far back on the seat and riding easy on my brakes. It’s a challenging section, not like any stairs I’ve ever done. I have to be on my game the whole way down, thinking and staying loose on the pedals. I’m careful to only use the littlest bit of pressure on my front brakes. If I squeeze too hard, my front tire will stop dead—and my downward momentum will flip my bike over my head. I rely on my rear brakes instead.
    At the bottom, I ease to a stop