ROAD PRO RIDER NEWS
talented riders , in all the disciplines , who do epic stuff that the rest of us think is totally nuts - cool - but crazy - and make it look like a stroll to the dairy . Look behind the curtains and you ’ ll see the flip-side to these freakishly talented people – a goal and a strategy . Rather than simply being loose units , the top riders , any of them , be it road racing , motocross , FMX , whatever , the top flight riders study , break things down into nuts and bolts and design a process . They use data , video , other people looking at things from different angles . Without that strategy in place , they are well aware that their chances of pulling it off are simply non-existent . With it , sure , they are risk takers , but don ’ t for an instant think they are only that . You cannot be a topflight FMX rider without a calculating mind . And you ’ ll never win a road race on Bluff . So , what is my point ? Do you have any idea how many road racers , motocross riders etc . don ’ t ride on the road because they think it is a sketchy , dangerous environment and one that is too difficult to control the risks in ? Seriously . Yet many of us road riders happily head out without a second thought about the risk , how to cope with the hazard lurking just past the vanishing point that we haven ’ t thought about and what , if anything , we can do when things are not proceeding as anticipated . And we think they ’ re nuts ... They are , in fact , intelligent , ballsy and calculating . And ... maybe just a little nuts . I recall a guy coming up to me years ago in between races at the sadly defunct Battle Of The Streets in Paeroa . He thought we were nuts . “ The speed you guys go through the kink in the Main Street is crazy ” he said , showing a GoPro clip to reinforce his point , complete with the recorded nervous laugh and nearly dropping it as he jumped back when the windblast of the bikes almost , literally , scared the crap out of him . When I pointed out that there was no way in the world would I stand where he obviously was , reaching his arm through the fencing wire to capture a scrappy , blurry clip of uselessness , while bikes shot past at his claimed ‘ crazy speed ’ he was taken aback . My theory was I had the controls , I had a strategy to navigate that bend and I had practised it . I even trusted the riders around me . It was still , umm , exciting , for sure but not as scary as standing behind some flimsy chicken-wire fence while someone I did not know hurtled towards me at high speed on a 200kg missile . The kinetic energy of those bikes , at those speeds , is likely to match the speed of a car travelling in the opposite direction at normal open road speed , give or take a few calories . Not having steps in place when riding out in the environment that is our roads is a bit like that guy . No thought about the effect others can have on your day . No Plan B . No margin for error - his or ours . So , being honest with yourself , do you have any strategies when out riding or are you hoping ( praying ) that everyone else has your arse covered ? Have you considered what might be around the bend or hoping it is the same as the last one , or worse , like the last time you rode that stretch ? If so , why not just have a crack at a double backflip . I mean , Levi and co make it look easy as . Or maybe you ’ ve seen Marquez save a crash by using his elbow - a simple enough theory ( not possible for us mere mortals though ). Do you think they might have drawn a million schematics , calculated a few crucial elements and maybe practised in a foam pit or some low-speed corner first ? If strategising is good enough for those freakishly talented ones , maybe , just maybe , there is something to it . No dodging . Do you actually have an actual strategy for coming out of the bend ? If you do , come along on a Ride Forever course and explain it . If not , come along and see if we can help you come up with some . Hey , we might all learn something .
Kevin Kinghan Pro Rider www . prorider . co . nz NZTA CBTA Licence Assessor ACC Ride Forever Course Instructor
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