FZyLarry
No power slides for me
Ashamed or proud, which should I be?
Well today's ride was a bit more interesting than usual. I was going to take the long way round to meet the wife & her mom for lunch. To make sure I got a nice ride in this weekend I decided that going east then heading up to meet them would be a great idea because it would give me about 120 miles of twisties/country road riding.
I ride the first 60 or so miles of this route relatively frequently so I know it pretty well. When I got to some of the early twisties there was a motorhome pulling a car with two other cars behind it. Needless to say it was going pretty slow and I was kinda bummed but I figured I'd be patient and find a spot to get by. Pretty soon I had a decent opportunity to get by the last car in the parade but not enough to get them all. Around the next bend there is a pretty good straight with decent visibility and I got my chance to blow by the other car and the motorhome. When I look in my mirror after completing the pass I see that the first car I passed is now passing the motohome. I don't think much of this and just continue on at my normal pace (brisk but not blistering by any means)
Well the next time I check my mirror, the car that passed the motorhome is pretty much on my tail (not in a dangerous way, just in that "I could be going faster" way). Normally I stick to my ride and let people go by me but hey, this was a car and I guess I was feeling froggy. I kicked my pace up a knotch but this guy was sticking in there like glue. Up ahead I new there was a really technical part and I was pretty sure I would distance myself from him there.
So begins my ashamed/proud adventure. I am coming up on a corner that is really tight right hander (about 45° included angle and uphill) - I know as I approach my normal braking point I am going in to fast so I get on the break pretty hard and hold it well into the beginning of the turn. Well I guess this really lightened the rear end and it starts sliding out. I start easing off the break and trying to stand it up but that lets me drift over into the on coming lane - like half way into it. The rear tire finally gets some grip and I gas it a bit and get back in my lane.
I take a few breaths and look in my mirror and there is my buddy. I'm sure he got a pretty good laugh out of that one. Well I knew I'd gone over my head so I took a few more breaths and settled back into a more normal pace. However, the guy is still there and I am still to dumb to pull over & let him by so we go through a few more technical areas with no incidents me pulling away and then him pulling back. Pretty soon we are coming up on a nice sweeping 90° right hander. This turn is pretty nice and you could probably really blast through it except, there is a hiking trail head that is entered right from the apex of the turn. So, when people pull out of there they drag sand and gravel onto the road. I know this and usually take it a little slower than necessary just to be safe. Well, not today, I go in there at a reasonable speed and all is going well when I feel the rear end kicking out again. I ease off the throttle and it comes back in just fine so I give it some gas and continue on no problem.
By now I figure I've used up all my luck so at the next scenic overlook I pull over to gather my wits and take a time out. My buddy in the car speeds on by with out so much as a wave.
So, here's where the pole comes in. I have mixed emotions on what happened today, on one hand I am ashamed of myself for riding over my head just because somebody was pushing me (I never let the fast guys in our riding group tempt me like that). On the other hand I am proud that I kept my head and saved it on both occasions. And of course I am thankful that somebody was watching out for me when I got way left of center in that first turn.
Well today's ride was a bit more interesting than usual. I was going to take the long way round to meet the wife & her mom for lunch. To make sure I got a nice ride in this weekend I decided that going east then heading up to meet them would be a great idea because it would give me about 120 miles of twisties/country road riding.
I ride the first 60 or so miles of this route relatively frequently so I know it pretty well. When I got to some of the early twisties there was a motorhome pulling a car with two other cars behind it. Needless to say it was going pretty slow and I was kinda bummed but I figured I'd be patient and find a spot to get by. Pretty soon I had a decent opportunity to get by the last car in the parade but not enough to get them all. Around the next bend there is a pretty good straight with decent visibility and I got my chance to blow by the other car and the motorhome. When I look in my mirror after completing the pass I see that the first car I passed is now passing the motohome. I don't think much of this and just continue on at my normal pace (brisk but not blistering by any means)
Well the next time I check my mirror, the car that passed the motorhome is pretty much on my tail (not in a dangerous way, just in that "I could be going faster" way). Normally I stick to my ride and let people go by me but hey, this was a car and I guess I was feeling froggy. I kicked my pace up a knotch but this guy was sticking in there like glue. Up ahead I new there was a really technical part and I was pretty sure I would distance myself from him there.
So begins my ashamed/proud adventure. I am coming up on a corner that is really tight right hander (about 45° included angle and uphill) - I know as I approach my normal braking point I am going in to fast so I get on the break pretty hard and hold it well into the beginning of the turn. Well I guess this really lightened the rear end and it starts sliding out. I start easing off the break and trying to stand it up but that lets me drift over into the on coming lane - like half way into it. The rear tire finally gets some grip and I gas it a bit and get back in my lane.
I take a few breaths and look in my mirror and there is my buddy. I'm sure he got a pretty good laugh out of that one. Well I knew I'd gone over my head so I took a few more breaths and settled back into a more normal pace. However, the guy is still there and I am still to dumb to pull over & let him by so we go through a few more technical areas with no incidents me pulling away and then him pulling back. Pretty soon we are coming up on a nice sweeping 90° right hander. This turn is pretty nice and you could probably really blast through it except, there is a hiking trail head that is entered right from the apex of the turn. So, when people pull out of there they drag sand and gravel onto the road. I know this and usually take it a little slower than necessary just to be safe. Well, not today, I go in there at a reasonable speed and all is going well when I feel the rear end kicking out again. I ease off the throttle and it comes back in just fine so I give it some gas and continue on no problem.
By now I figure I've used up all my luck so at the next scenic overlook I pull over to gather my wits and take a time out. My buddy in the car speeds on by with out so much as a wave.
So, here's where the pole comes in. I have mixed emotions on what happened today, on one hand I am ashamed of myself for riding over my head just because somebody was pushing me (I never let the fast guys in our riding group tempt me like that). On the other hand I am proud that I kept my head and saved it on both occasions. And of course I am thankful that somebody was watching out for me when I got way left of center in that first turn.
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