The next part to my rehabilitation is understanding what the problem is, accepting and acknowledging I have a problem. It’s a bit like being an alcoholic or a compulsive gambler. You can’t put it right until you except what the problem is. I’m not talking about sitting in a circle, holding hands and crying in public.
From the table in my last Blog you can see I have a problem with speed. Not straight line speed, I do like straight line speed and it is out of this world travelling at 185mph. My problem is I love corners, the faster the better, long sweepers or tight sharp ones, I love them all. It’s like me and my machine against the corners. A corner has been designed by a technician to be as safe as possible at a certain speed for all road users. That’s not the way I see it, I enter the corner as fast as I possibly can, late on the brakes to carry as much speed as possible. My exit is just as important, powering on as smooth as I can as I hit the apex to squirt me out as fast as possible. The feeling of my ankle and knee on the tarmac and leaning as far off the machine as I can is like nothing else. Looking as far down the road as I can to plan my next move as soon as I can, I’ve already got the next corner in my head before I’ve exited the corner I’m on.
Some corners deserve a rerun or two, I like those. The corner has beaten me, mentally or I just messed it up so I have to do it again until I get it right. Not all corners are the same and some deserve your respect more than others. Being in the right gear is so important and can make or break a corner.
As you can see, for me it’s all about cornering. There’s a lot more to it and my ethos for each corner is different. The feeling I get from achieving the perfect line or carrying as much speed as possible is just indescribable. It’s about knowing your machine, knowing what your tyres are doing, your suspension, knowing how much brake to use and linking them all together to get the most from your machine. I could go on and on, I love corners and I truly believe that’s why bikes were invented. “ To master the true art of cornering”. Anyone can go fast in a straight line but corners, corners are a different beast altogether.
I could write a Blog on corners, maybe later !! “ To master the true art of cornering”
So what’s next in my rehabilitation ?
I’ve sat down and had a chat with coach over a cup of tea. I need to find a trigger word. A word that will bring me back to reality, wake me from my zone or just make me behave. It needs to be a strong enough word for me not to ignore. More about the trigger word later.
The next stage in my training is Mental Visualisation, this is probably the most important part of the whole process. I need to sit down quietly in my room and go for a ride on my bike. As strange as that sounds, I’ve used this method before, to get the perfect lap or learn a new track. It really does work and I can’t recommend it enough. Even for the open road, it will improve your riding and understanding of what is going on all around you. You can be on your bike and looking over the screen or looking down on yourself, a bit like from a helicopter. Whatever works for you and I suggest you try each one. I use both at the same time, sometimes, it changes your whole look at the way you ride. It takes practise to get it right, the best way I can describe it is it’s like watching a DVD of on board action from the IOM.
If you’re just starting out on Mental Visualisation it might be a good idea to right a very quick script about where you’re going and how you feel. It’s important to get in the zone, so you can feel the bike vibration, how your hands feel in your gloves. You need to feel your boots on the foot pegs, to the point where you feel the rear sets need adjusting. When you have closed your eyes, started the engine and put your helmet on, nothing else matters. Keep it short to start with and increase your rides as you get used to it. It want be long before you have mastered the art of Visualisation and conquered Silverstone.
At this point I need to explain my Trigger Word, mine is “Junior”. Who is Jnr ? He’s my youngest son and just starting out on his first road bike. (A lovely little Aprilia) I have a responsibility to him, I don’t want him thinking that the way I ride is normal, I want him to ride for the next 40+ years. To a certain degree I’ve been lucky and my number hasn’t come up. I want him to ride responsibly and safely. What kind of an example am I setting a young, eager to please boy. So my son is my “Trigger Word”.
Script.
It’s a great day for a ride, the sun is shining and my GSXR is calling me to go out on her. This is the day for a run up to Loch Lomond and on to Fort William the road conditions are awesome today, round all those long sweeping bends with a good surface, great for a blast. Going down the garage, I can feel the power that is underneath me and I know it’s only a twist of a wrist that will unleash it. While filling up I can feel myself getting exited, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I have to contain my urge to give it some, after the last disaster I had, when I broke my collar bone doing something stupid which could have cost me my job and even my life. Well I am keeping my urge to open her up to full power in check and feeling a bit bored, in front I can see another bike in the distance, it looks like a sports bike and I know I can catch it if I twist the throttle. I can feel the excitement building up, you’re mine, I’m having you, the throttle feels nice and easy in my hand, I can feel my speed increasing, the engine noise is just how I love it, my heels come in and I drop below the screen, the wind dissipates over my helmet and it all goes quiet, it all adds to my thrill, looking in front I can see the line I need to take to catch this bike in front, that thinks he is faster than me. I’m getting in the zone, I can feel the red mist creeping up on me, but now I can recognise it and now “Junior” springs to mind. My trigger word that puts it all into perspective for me, does it matter that I catch the bike in front? Not really, when it comes down to it, I ease off and feel the power subside, I feel good about myself, this is the first time that I have conquered my urge, and I feel ace.
A very short script but I think you get the picture. I can ride all the way to Fort William when I’m on my bed but this is the first time I have used a trigger word. I’ve been out 3 times now in my mind and I will use “Jnr“ 4 or 5 times in a ride. Like I said earlier, it takes practise and you should aim to do it as often as possible.
It’s not going to be easy, I woke up the other day in a foul mood, I’d been out on the machine and I don’t know often I used “Jnr” but I never caught up with any bikes or tore off after a pack of bikes that just passed me. It’s going to take some getting used to but the process has started.
"All men die, not all men really live"
Ed.
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