Smooth Throttle - A Little Trick to Make it Easier

Smoothness, the act of riding smoothly is a topic for a whole host of potential blog posts, maybe even a blog of its own.  Instead of trying to address all that stuff that contributes to riding smoothly, here's a little tip to make it easier to be smooth on the throttle.

Ready for it?  Cover the front brake.  Come again?  Yep, by putting a finger or two of your throttle hand over the front brake lever you provide yourself a kinesthetic reference point that you can then move the throttle in reference to.  By looping a finger or two around there, you make it possible to consistently move the throttle in tiny increments, ever so important when:

• You're in a low traction situation, and you need to manage the throttle carefully
• You've got one of those new-fangled fuel injected bikes that lurches when opening up from a closed throttle
• You're deep into a turn and on the edge of the tire, and you need to feed throttle in smoothly
• You're riding one of those terrible, bumpy goat roads I'm always raving on about, and every time you hit a bump the throttle moves and the motorcycle lurches

Yep, I know that the MSF teaches its students to not cover the front brake, and I understand their pedagogical purpose in taking that out of the mix while on the range with rank beginners.  Are you a rank beginner?  I didn't think so.  Doesn't apply to you.

You're a big kid now.  Try it out if you aren't doing so already, and see how smoothly you can manipulate the throttle.  Keep it up and the next thing you know you'll be able to blip the throttle on a downshift while smoothly braking, astounding your friends and neighbors without the benefit of a slipper clutch.  How cool would that be?

Throttle Like a Rheostat

No, not a throttle like a Linda Ronstadt, or even a Heart Like a Wheel.  A throttle like a rheostat, sort of like the dimmer switch on the wall in your dining room, or the volume knob on your old Pioneer stereo receiver.  Turn it one direction, you get more.  Turn it the other direction, you get less.

Doesn't the throttle on your motorcycle already work that way?  Maybe.  Does it behave in a linear fashion in both directions so that when you roll the throttle on, the bike accelerates, and when you roll it off, it decelerates in a similar fashion?  Always?  Sometimes?  Never?  Is it possible that you're doing something else with the controls of your bike that influences whether your throttle behaves like a rheostat? 

I used to be a little lazy with my gear selection on my BMW R1150R.  It was pretty good at tractoring out of turns when I was a gear too high.  It was easy just to let it pull, even if it shook a bit in the process.  Besides, I didn't need to have it in the meat of the powerband to ride fast enough.  There was no issue.  Kind of freewheel in, managing my entry with the brakes, then tractor out.  Besides, all those guys on the forum said that I shouldn't slow by downshifting, or my bike would wear out, or I'd adversely impact the rotation of the earth, and that would be terrible.

One day I was following some fast, smooth guys, and I noticed their brakelights rarely came on, and that their bikes were always smooth going through turns, and they would accelerate away from me on the exits, so I began to carefully study what they were doing.  What I found was that even though some of them were riding big lazy twins like mine, they were riding them further up the rev band than I was.  Generally, they were riding their bikes with the motor revving in the vicinity of its peak torque, and what they got for their trouble was a bike that would smoothly and quickly accelerate when they opened the throttle.  Not only that, but because they were riding in a RPM range where their bikes generated significant engine braking when they rolled off the throttle, resulting in notable deceleration.  All this without touching the brakes, or in many cases, even the shift lever and clutch. 

So, I tried it.  What a revelation!  Holy smokes, now I didn't feel like the bike was running away on the way into corners.  Now I could accelerate smartly on the way out of corners.  And perhaps most importantly, now I could carefully adjust my line in mid-corner using the throttle as well as other control inputs, and small inputs yielded results.

But wait!  If I'm running near the torque peak so that if I open the throttle a tiny bit, the bike will accelerate, and if I close the throttle a tiny bit, the bike will slow, won't I just be a big, herky-jerky, wobbly mess out there?  Nope, see my earlier post on covering the front brake as a method to smooth throttle inputs, and all will be good.

You may already do this.  It's a common practice among racers.  However, if you don't already do this, give it a try.  I'll wager it will make you a better, smoother rider (with some practice), and that you'll be unlikely to stall a bike mid-corner because you were in a too high gear.  

Pay Attention - Then Anticipate!

Last week, I read a really great post on LinkedIn in which the author argued that the best advice anyone could get is to pay attention, better even than "wear sunscreen".  As someone who has survived malignant melanoma, that claim doesn't go down without skepticism, yet the author convinced me.  I suggest you take a couple of moments to read the piece.

What has any of this to do with motorcycling?  Well, there's the obvious:

• Pay attention to what other road users are doing
• Pay attention to the road surface
• Pay attention to the vanishing point
• Pay attention to the condition of your machine
• The list goes on....

All great stuff.  All important to riding safely and well.  And yet, not enough.  Necessary but not sufficient.  You can do all these things, and still be surprised.  You can do all these things, and still screw up.  You need to go further.  You need to anticipate.

Paying attention is necessary, and utilizing the information gathered through paying attention, over time and with a little reflection, can anticipate that which has not yet happened, and that which we cannot yet see.

A few stories follow to illustrate the point:

Eight years ago when I had the opportunity to ride with Colin Barlow, one of the things I learned was that if I was going to keep up with Colin and company, I was going to have to pay attention.  Riding an open road TSD rally in the high Alps meant that conditions were demanding and the pace was brisk.  If I was going to hang with the guys doing the navigating and timekeeping for me, it was going to be necessary to know what they were doing before they did it, rather than react to it after the fact.  I would have to anticipate. 

Were they getting ready to overtake a line of traffic?  Were they getting ready to turn at a junction? To do this I had to not only 'ride my own ride', but to ride theirs as well.  Where was Colin, the team leader, in traffic?  Were there cars holding him up?  Was the oncoming lane clear in front of him?  Were David and Dominic keying off Colin?  What gear am I in?  If they go, will there be room and time for me to follow?

Rather than waiting to be surprised by Colin's overtake, by anticipating it I could eliminate my own delayed surprise, and the need to work extra hard to catch back up.  Paying attention to my ride, paying attention to their rides, and projecting into the future. 

Second story, same event, but with another rider, we'll call him riderX.  This rider had many years of experience, and decent bike handling skills.  On the basis of strictly physical capabilities, riderX was well within his depth.  And yet, he wasn't.  RiderX was often caught by surprise by the actions of the rider in front of him even though he was keenly focused on that rider's every move.  What was more dangerous was that riderX could not anticipate the actions of the riders behind him.  When riderX would overtake, he would often linger at the completion of the pass, not realizing that the riders behind had followed him and that he was blocking, leaving those riders needlessly exposed to oncoming traffic.  RiderX certainly could not anticipate in 360 degrees, and he probably didn't think or pay attention in 360 degrees.  No tragedies occurred, but riderX didn't make many friends. 

Third story, different place, different year, different rider, we'll call him riderY.  RiderY has years of experience, and has ridden many places.  He rides a very capable bike, and in many cases his bike manages to do his paying attention and anticipating for him.  Riding narrow, poorly surfaced, technical roads on steep hillsides, when the road you can see going uphill around a corner suddenly disappears, you might reasonably anticipate that you're about to go around an uphill hairpin at a speed well under 20 MPH.  You might further anticipate that no matter how wonderful your bike is, that a gear lower than third could be useful, or failing that, you might cover the clutch to make up for the too high gear.  Conversely, you could hope that your bike might sort it out for you.  Which bet do you want to make?

The moral of the story?  As your skills increase, and your motor skills used for riding become more automatic, use the increased availability of your attention to pay attention to more things, to develop more situational awareness, and then take the next step - you might call it the meta step - and use all that information to anticipate that which will happen.  The objective of this is to avoid being surprised .  Surprise is the enemy of safe motorcycling.  When you can't avoid being surprised, at the very least, put yourself in the position of being able to deal effectively with the surprise.  For instance, by having your motorcycle in an appropriate gear for conditions, not the gear you're in as a habit developed by having a bike that's always bailed your butt out in the past.

Pay attention, anticipate, execute, have fun! 

2014 - So Far, and a Bit About Group Riding

Way back in February I posted about plans for this year.  The BARF spring rally was scheduled for June in Quincy, CA, and it came off as planned.  We ended up with more than 70 riders, and everyone had a pretty great time.  Well, there were one or two people who had mechanical issues, but on the whole it was a fun, safe rally.  No reports of performance awards either.  Good stuff! 

Quincy has a lot to offer as a rally destination, not the least of which is that it's smack in the middle of some of the more spectacular riding roads in California.  Oroville-Quincy Highway has a long section that is as fun to ride as just about anything I've seen.  Very little traffic.  Great road surface, and the ability to see two and three apexes ahead on consecutive corners signed at 25 MPH.  Seriously great riding. 

Its neighbor to the south is a little known sweetheart called LaPorte Road.  LaPorte is one of those roads in the Sierra that could just about convince you that you were in the Alps.  Just about.  Even more lightly trafficked than Oroville-Quincy, and somewhat more technical in its nature, it's a must ride.  Be aware, that it's a road that can bite, and that help will be along way off if it does.  Ride it with a healthy reserve. 

There were a couple more pleasures forthcoming from the rally.  It was my first experience with Lassen National Park.  Starkly beautiful, and largely uncrowded, particularly compared to its more famous neighbor to the south, Yosemite.  Active geysers and mudpots that emulate Yellowstone to boot! We followed my buddy, Andy west from there down Hwy 32 towards Chico, and went off on a goat trail roller coaster that brought us back around to Oroville-Quincy to head back to the motel. 

Then on Sunday we headed back towards Lassen, then on towards the pleasures of the legendary Hwy 36 from Red Bluff to Fortuna, perhaps the greatest single piece of road in Northern California.  36 did not disappoint, though we turned south at Bridgeville on Alderpoint Road, for a goaty romp through the Coast Range.  This is narrow, bumpy, demanding riding, and as a result is wildly entertaining.  Plus it has the added benefit of little traffic.  We joined Hwy 101 at Garberville, and all of us made our own way home from there. 

So a word about group riding, as promised.  All my riding during the rally, except for the last part of 101, was shared with anywhere from one to eight or nine other riders.  No drama.  Lots of joy.  When you hear what some riders say about group riding, you have to wonder how their experiences could have been so different. 

Here are a few things that help:

• Setting expectations about riding The Pace.  Lots of credit to Nick Ienatsch for developing, describing and promoting this approach.
• Letting everyone know what to expect - the route, the stops, where to get fuel, and so on
• Getting alignment on how we treat our fellow riders in our groups so that no one gets sucked in or stuffed
• I hate waiting around for folks to get ready to ride after a stop.  I give a five minute warning prior to departure, then I depart when I say I will.  It's not fair to keep a whole group of riders who are geared up and ready to go waiting in the sun because someone was too busy jawing to actually put fuel in the bike and get ready to go.  
• Make sure everyone knows that we'll hold (briefly) at any place where the route turns so that riders don't go over their heads trying to keep the next rider in sight.  
• Everyone rides his or her own ride - meaning a pace they can safely manage.  The only time there's been a serious crash on one of my rides, the rider who crashed was pushing too hard on an overtake.  We talk about this in advance now.
• While there is no way to guarantee this, it's really, really nice if all riders can keep their heads in the game on a group ride, paying attention to not only what the other riders are doing, but at least as importantly, what they are likely to do.  Is the rider ahead of you looking for an overtaking opportunity?  Anticipate the move.  Is the rider behind you likely to follow on the overtake?  Make sure you leave that rider room to tuck in behind you.  Anticipation is one of the most important skills any rider can develop, and it's particularly important for group rides. 

Enough for now.  I will post up another time about the recently concluded EuroBARF 2014, and our trip to the Isle of Man.  Stay tuned

Upcoming 2014 Stuff

Nearly two months in, what's 2014 holding in store?  While in the UK at Christmas time, it became clear to me what needed to happen for EuroBARF 2014, details here.   The first 3 stages of the 2014 Tour de France are coming through the UK, and the second stage is going right through the town where my sister-in-law lives.  Then just a few days later, the Southern 100 will be taking place on the Isle of Man.  Brainstorm!  Tour de France and real roads racing, all tied together will several days of riding in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District!  And that's the plan.

Learning to ride on the other side of the road is a great way to build brain plasticity and to broaden road reading and riding skills.  Combine that with some great roads, an introduction to English pubs (after riding, of course), and the fact that the locals speak something we'll mostly understand, as well as the aforementioned events, and it will be a brilliant rally!

Next up will (first on the calendar) was to put a plan together for the BARF Spring Rally.  We looked at several possibilities, but in the end we decided on Quincy, CA as our destination.  We went to Quincy in May, 2011, but got chased out on Saturday by a spring snow storm.  This year we've moved the rally back to early June, and besides that, it's a drought year, so we think we'll be safe.  Actually, I'm more concerned about early season forest fires than last season snow storms. 

Quincy is surrounded by some absolutely wonderful roads, with a little something for everyone, whether it's sightseeing up the Feather River Canyon, or riding the challenging twisties on LaPorte Road.  Everything from race tracks to goat trails will be on offer, details here.

One more thought on road reading.  Last Sunday was a day to be out on some of my favorite Sonoma County goat trails.  While this winter has been painfully dry, many narrow, shaded roads have still attracted a coating of moss on their less trafficked surfaces.  It's not always easily seen, but it's pretty much always slippery.  Don't let the dry weather fool you - lots of the roads are much more greasy than during the summer.  Smooth on the control inputs, and relaxed on the bars, keeping your eyes up is the way to deal with this uncertainty.  Last Sunday everyone had some slides, but none came to tears.

Shiny side up!

It's No Mystery Why I Love the Mystery School

Last weekend was my fourth ever Fun Camp at Rich Oliver’s Mystery School, and my first in a few years.  Why do I keep going back, and why am I already planning next year’s camp?  Two reasons, really.  First, it’s just amazingly good fun.  Second, it makes me a better rider. 

Let’s go with the second reason first.  Rich and his team put campers out on his nicely groomed dirt track complex on a fleet of TTRs with upgraded suspension to give us a good taste of how motorcycles handle at the limit of traction so that we can learn what it feels like and how to deal with it.  While there are some differences, the physics of a motorcycle at the edge of traction are pretty similar whether that motorcycle is a 175 HP liter bike, a 600 pound touring bike, or a 125cc minibike, except that a mistake on the minibike on dirt is much less likely to involve large medical and repair bills than would be the case to the tourer or sportbike. 

Rich takes all campers through a series of skill building drills to accustom us to the limits of traction, how it feels, and the tools to manage the motorcycle right on the edge.  Each drill builds upon those preceding it, and by the end of the weekend you’re doing things you scarcely imagined possible on Saturday morning. 

If I had already done it three times, what could be gained by going back a fourth?   In my case the answer to that question could have been any of a number of things.  When I compare what Rich can do one of these little TTRs to what I can do, the opportunities for continuing improvement look endless.  One really popped up over the course of the camp, and that was what Vince Lombardi might have called “running to daylight”.

One of the realities – benefits, really – of pushing your skills on dirt is that you’re quite likely to spend some time on ground.  Your fellow campers are likely to as well, meaning that there are lots of unanticipated obstacles to contend with – with the added pressure of competition.  Unanticipated obstacles are a reality of goat trail riding – maybe one of the most fun reasons to ride goat trails – and anything that makes me better at dealing with those obstacles is a plus. 

So, what did I learn?  A few things weren’t new, but the camp gave the opportunity to knock the rust off old skills and knowledge.  It also provided some new revelations.  Let’s go with the latter.  One thing that was new at Fun Camp this year was a threshold braking drill on dirt, and when I say “dirt” I don’t mean nice tacky stuff, I mean dried out, dusty, slippery stuff. 

The exact content of the drill isn’t what’s important, but the technique is.  Rich had us apply the rear brake slightly before the front to get the back of the bike to squat down prior to applying the front.  This helps manage the weight shift to the front wheel and the subsequent unloading of the rear.  Applying the rear brake once that wheel has already gotten light is an invitation to lock it up.  Sometimes that’s what you want, but for threshold braking, not so much.  I was surprised just how hard I could brake on the dirt.

Right after applying the rear brake it’s time to apply the front.  This is about smoothly applying braking pressure.  You apply them hard, but in a progressive fashion rather than just stabbing at them.  Doing the drill in this fashion shows just how hard you can stop a bike in reduced traction conditions if you’re straight up and down, and you’re smooth.  This is a huge skill for helping deal with obstacles.

Rich also spent a fair amount of time training us on where to put our eyes in various circumstances, which can all be summed up in the longstanding canard, “look where you want to go.”  If you focus on the bike that just crashed in front of you, that’s what you’re going to hit.  If you focus on the gap between that bike and the edge of the track, that’s the “daylight” you’ll run to. 

Other than one notable collision with another bike (ALL my fault) on Saturday morning, I managed to get through the whole weekend without hitting a downed or stopped bike by seeing those gaps and following my eyes through them.  Following your eyes and running to daylight is critically important when you find something unexpected in your path on a goat trail. 

My friends and I have already signed up for another Fun Camp next year.  A big, big thumbs-up!  Try it.

Practice vs. Variety, "Laps" vs. Vanishing Point, and Riding on the Wrong Side of the Road

Ah, long gaps between posts, many distractions, not enough riding (other than commuting), and the demands of a new job are all inter-connected, and make this blog too quiet.  Who knows when I'll post again, but I might as well post today. 

The first half of July, Sue and I went over to the UK to visit family, friends, and the blue Versys.  Riding wasn't the primary focus, but it definitely provided some spice.

When we got to my sister-in-law's home one my first tasks was to roll the Versys out of the garage, check it over, the start it up.  There's a lot to be said for Japanese bikes, and starting at the first touch of the button after sitting for a year (on the trickle charger) is one of them.  Wash off the bike, air up the tires, lube the chain, check the fasteners, and we were ready to rock and roll! 

Our first destination was a overnighter to the Isle of Man.  Neither of us had ever been there, and even though there was no racing happening the date we could slot in to go, I just wanted to see the place I'd seen so many times on DVD's and YouTube.  It didn't disappoint!  It was beautiful, dripping in moto history, and perhaps the friendliest place I've ever been.  It seems that everyone you meet loves motorcycles and motorcycle racing, and they are so pleased you've come to their home to share that love.  Having a license plate from a distant shore helps too. 

GaryJ's widow, Jill, gave me a little vial of Gary's ashes to leave on the island, a place he never got to visit, but like so many us, loved everything about the racing there.  When we arrived on a Wednesday evening we had the good fortune to arrive just before the annual memorial ride for the great Joey Dunlop. If you're reading this and don't know who Joey was, do yourself and favor and Google the man's name.  Not only was he the greatest and most successful racer in the history of the IOM-TT, he was a humanitarian committed to helping less the less fortunate.  The ride was a fundraiser for one of Joey's charities, a house right on the course at Braddan Bridge set up to accommodate disabled race fans. 

We joined up with about 400 other riders to do a lap of the course, passing through towns where the locals lined the roads to wave and cheer our parade lap.  The evening news came out to video the event, and you can even find videos of the ride posted on the web.  Unbelievable!  We managed to honor Joey and give GaryJ a lap to remember. 

The following morning we toured other parts of the island, were greeted by hospitable locals, and even met a podium finisher from the 1955 TT who told us where to find the best motorcycle museum on the island.  In the afternoon, after enjoying a lunch at the legendary Creg-ny-Baa pub, we set off to do one more lap and to find a place to leave Gary's ashes. 

We pretty much toured the lower portions of the island, but once we began climbing up from Ramsey on to the mountain we could pick up the pace to "sporting" (no speed limits on the mountain).  As we rode the lap the question of where to leave Gary answered itself when we stopped to pay our respects at the Joey Dunlop memorial above The Verandah.  It has a great view of the course, a beautiful statue of Joey, and is covered with wildflowers. It was a perfect spot to spread some of Gary's ashes, and I hope he enjoys being there. 

What does all of this have to do with riding goat trails?  None of the roads we covered could really be called goat trails, but there were a couple of interesting revelations from the roads we did ride.  First, the roads are NOT smooth.  Not terrible, but bumps and ridges are an important factor, and riders can't just blithely assume that the road is perfect. 

Second, despite this being home of one of the world's most famous races, these are public roads maintained out of the public treasury, and any money spent on the roads is money that can't be spent elsewhere.  With that recognition in mind, the local road authority was chip sealing significant portions of the course when we were there.  Right.   Chip seal.  One of the largest causes of whining on BARF.  Sure, it will all be swept before the Manx GP
/ Classic TT begin in August, it's still chip seal.  The next time somebody on BARF goes off about how the local government is acting with intent to kill motorcyclists, I'm likely to go off.  Think of Guy Martin, McGuinness, and Michael Dunlop whining about such silliness.  Chip seal is a road condition, and it's one we all need to be prepared to deal with.  /whining

My next big day out was with my friend, Dominic Gill.  Dominic and I met during the 2006 Centopassi when he was part of Team UK, led by our great friend, Colin Barlow.  I've written at length before about Colin.  It's clear that Colin had a huge impact on many of the people who rode with him, and Dominic shares the same regard of Colin as I have.  Dominic laid out a great day of riding in the Yorkshire Dales on a perfect, sunny day.  We zig-zagged north and south, east and west, visiting some of the famous motorcycle destination towns, such as Hawes, but never really lingering anywhere for long. We were too busy riding. 

When we stopped for lunch, we caught up, talked about other friends who were unable to join us, recounted stories of Colin's feats, and drank a toast to the man.  Dominic told me about trips to the continent with our crazy Dutch friend, Peter, and his well crafted tours of Spain. 

He also told me about another rider who often accompanies them on these tours, and who always keeps them waiting anytime they're on unfamiliar roads.  The funny thing is, apparently this fellow is pretty quick on familiar roads.  Yep, if he knows a road, he can go fast.  If he doesn't, he's bog slow.  Why is this worth writing about?  Why, yes, you're right!  It is another of Kurt's pet peeve rants!

Rant?  Rant about what?  Simple, the rant about "practicing" a road by doing "laps".  That is, developing the belief that one can out-ride one's sightlines due to "knowing" a public road.  This flawed belief often comes up that if a rider only knows the road, the rider can go more quickly.  That means rather than leave margin for the unknown, the rider assumes that all important information about the road ahead is already known.  This is a belief system that sows the seeds for an early exit from motorcycling. 

Okay, if I believe this, shouldn't I be criticizing Dominic and Peter and the others for leaving their slow friend behind?  That kind of depends.  If Dominic and Peter and the others ride to the vanishing point on unfamiliar roads, and leave themselves adequate margin to effectively respond to the unexpected, there is no problem.  Okay, if they're doing that, why is the other guy still so much slower?  My guess - and that's all it can be without riding with the buddy in question - is that the slower rider is riding within the sightlines that result from looking too close to the front of his bike.  If he doesn't lift his eyes and stretch his sightline toward the vanishing point, then he can't possibly see what Dominic and Peter are seeing as far in advance as they see it. 

That's the goat road lesson here; push your point of focus relentlessly up the road.  Let your eyes flow over the road and you'll flow over it with equal smoothness.  Practice it.

Another goat road lesson from this trip is that when roads are busy, and there's strict enforcement, goat roads can offer a respite.  Britain is a crowded island, and even though the north is less crowded than the south, on a beautiful summer day lots of traffic clogs the roads.  Not where Dominic took me.  The roads were often more crowded with open range sheep than with other motorists.  Less traffic, less police, no speed cameras.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?

My last big ride was with Stuart, a friend of Colin's who joined us in the Alps in 2010.  Stuart possesses Colin's famous battlestar BMW, but the day we rode he chose to bring his Kaw-Strom, a bike we didn't see in the US.  It's a DL1000 badged up as a Kawasaki.  Stuart was a student of Colin in an advanced riding course, then Stuart advanced to be an instructor too.  He joined Colin on many of their late summer blasts through France to attend the Bol d'Or.  Yeah, you could say Stuart's a disciple too. 

When planning the trip, Stuart asked where I wanted to go, and the answer came quickly - take me to the Lake District, particularly to ride Wrynose and Hardknott passes.  The ever-hospitable Stuart was only too quick to agree, and he set us off on a big day in some of England's most spectacular scenery.  A brisk ride across the top of England from Yorkshire to Lancashire and up into Cumbria started our day.  Stuart thoughtfully pointed out the speed cameras en route, wove us through the traffic along Windermere and through Ambleside on our way to coffee an scones at Coniston Water, a spectacular lake in one of the many glacial valleys that give the Lake District its name.

He was letting me re-gather my strength before hurling us up a road known as "The Struggle" on our approach to the 1 in 3 grades (yes) of Wrynose and Hardknott.  These roads have been in use since the Romans built them 2000 years ago.  They're about as wide as a Roman cart track, and not quite as smoothly paved.  I think I can say that Hardknott is the most challenging paved rode I've ever ridden.  I LOVED IT!  Stunning views, not much traffic, and a never ending mental and physical challenge to ride our bikes smoothly and safely through ruts, ditches, potholes, oncoming traffic, loose sheep, gravel, sand - all the fun! 

The day went on like that.  Great roads.  A leisurely stream side pub lunch.  A toast to Colin.  A blistering ride on A-roads to get to the other side of England in time for dinner.  Definitely on my list of all-time-great riding days. 

What's the point beyond telling the story?  Here's the point.  I came home riding better than I was riding when I left.  This almost always happens to me in the Alps too.  The key to this improvement can be associated with two key characteristics of these rides:

• Riding unfamiliar roads.  Don't ride the same stuff over and over because you've fooled yourself into thinking you "know" them.  Deal with the variety and uncertainty and use them to improve your skills - all your skills.  Your road reading skills.  Your physical skills of providing inputs to the bike and dealing with its responses.  Your ability to remain calm, focused and centered.  You will only develop the ability to do this anywhere by doing it everywhere.  Stop doing laps.
• Ride behind skilled riders.  If you don't know any, go looking for them.  They're out there.  They are not always the flashiest, or the loudest.  They're the ones you see who are smooth, who are quick without apparent effort, who don't bobble or make obvious mistakes.  That describes Dominic and Stuart, and it was a great luxury to be able to follow them, keying off their lines and their actions, learning more about what's possible, even if I didn't choose to always follow their approach exactly.  Thanks, guys.  

There was one more factor that can't be easily re-created here, but which was certainly a helpful tool for developing riding resilience; riding on the wrong side of the road.  What?  Yep, seriously.  Having to set aside the familiar and learn new places to look, new places to be, new responses to other traffic and road conditions, and having to do it with while following a quick rider is a great exercise in developing flexibility in your riding.  I had not expected this at all, and it explains why the Brits who frequently cross over to the continent to ride, thus having the mirror experience of this, are often such impressively capable riders.

Okay, if that wall of text was too much for you, here's a summary: variety, variety and more variety, all while following someone better than you.   Try it.