Noob--Went down Hard! Need Advice!
Long story short, I am fairly new to riding Cross-Country or single trail, etc. This morning I went to my local trail after a few days of pretty hard rain. When I dropped in (the trail is faily steep and technical, well by my standards) and I usually control my descent so not to get out of control. Apparently clay mud and pine needles make things insanely slick. I went down and went down hard when my bike literally slipped straight out from under me. I have a softball sized lump on my hip and it is going to be a nasty bruise, but I am fine.
My question is this, how do you guys handle slippery situations like the above. What did I do wrong or what could I do better to avoid this when I go out next weekend? I am really enjoying riding, just need to do it better. I think this is an engine problem, and not tires, etc. I say some guys go after me and they seemed to do fine, so it has to be something I am doing. I really struggled all day in this slop.