What's going on with you right now? What do you have in your life that you are avoiding or is keeping you anxious or scared? What are you ignoring right now because it's uncomfortable or scary?
Where do you want to be brave?
Unfortunately, sport bikes, and their riders, often create a bad reputation for doing foolish things and going too fast in traffic. I'm aware of that and try really hard to break that mold. As a 44 year old mom, I'm also not exactly your typical sport bike rider. I love to ride my bike, I'm still a relatively new rider (3rd season, 6000 miles so far), and I also love staying alive!
So here's my goal: I want to learn how to navigate turns and curves and twisting roads better. I can do it now, but it is scary and I go kinda slow and I want more confidence in my bike handling. And did I mention?
I don't like being scared.
So let's talk about riding a motorcycle in the mountains in the springtime in Colorado...
If you've been riding for a while, you know all of this. And maybe you forgot the initial fears of a relatively new rider. If you've never ridden a motorcycle, let's chat:
First, one thing that is different from driving a car is that you LEAN into turns. You don't just turn the handlebars. You should look into the turn (literally turn your head) and then lean into it. Weird, but true. If you don't, it messes up your balance and tends to throw you wide out of the turn.
Second, you not only lean, you also need to look into the turn and to where the turn ends and straightens out again. Pretend we're turning right. Easy enough when you're in an open area where you can turn your head and see the end of the turn. How about on a curving road through a forested area? Not as easy, but you look to the right, you can kind of see the road and the end of the curve through the trees and keep going. Oh, but now how about when you're riding through a canyon? Now you're taking a right turn, but it's blind
because there is a wall of rock that you are going around. You can't see through the turn. NOW WHAT??!! You have to trust and still "look" through the turn. It's a really weird feeling.
Let's add that canyon roads have added hazards: no shoulder, fallen rocks, spring run-off (water on the road can be really bad on a turn), or gravel that is strewn across the road by the runoff (gravel can be a killer for a bike on a turn.) Oh, and how about the herd of deer crossing the road? (I sure hope my mom isn't reading this.) Lots of potential hazards to watch for.
Last weekend, I went on a ride into a canyon around 10 am. The majority of the road was either rock canyon walls or heavily forested with pine trees.
So let's add tree shadows falling across the road. I'm already hyper aware because of all the things I just mentioned. The shadows make it harder and more nerve-wracking. Now I am going from light to dark and light to dark, and, obviously, it harder to see and avoid the hazards.
I went up 10 miles, avoiding potholes and noting gravel patches, slowing down when deer were crossing the road, and being extra wary in the shadowy areas. And then back down. I rested and hung out in the sun for a while and then went back to practice the 20 mile round trip again. Guess what? It was now 1pm and 90% of the shadows were gone! Not only did I know the road better (and it's hazards) by now because of practice, but now I COULD ACTUALLY SEE!
How does this help YOU?
Well, back to the original questions at the top: What's bugging you? What's got you avoiding? What's got you scared? Where are you not being brave?
And
HOW CAN YOU MOVE
T H R O U G H
IT?1)
Call it out. When you call it out and recognize it, you "put light on it." It doesn't stay hidden, in the shadows. I recognized that turns, especially mountainous ones, scare me.
2)
Confront it and step into it. What will you do to practice doing it differently? I made a conscious choice to go practice my turns.
3)
Minimize the shadows - Plan for success. Even though you can't get rid of all the shadows (hazards), look at what you're trying to do and simplify it as much as you can so that it's easier and more successful for you. Example? I picked a lightly-traveled canyon so that I'd have less traffic to deal with and less cars and trucks pressuring me from behind to go faster. Also, even though I gutted my way through the shadowy road in mid-morning, I would have had an easier time had I started at high-noon, where the shadows weren't nearly as thick. Take a baby step, or two, that is doable. Make it easier as you move into the risky areas.
4)
Be grateful for the shadows. Actually, even though I was wary, the dappled sunlight coming through the trees was gorgeous. What beautiful day and a peaceful time to think and be thankful. Ok, no matter what you do, there are always going to be hazards and shadows as you try something new. So be careful and aware - AND still move forward.
5)
Spiritually speaking... There are lessons in the shadows. It's the dark times, full of hazards, that teach us
to be aware. They help us grow. They help us learn something different. The curves and twists help us "lean." They help us to slow down. They help us to look to God and trust "through the turn" even when we're "blind" and we can't see exactly where we're going. They show us our weakness, and allow us to choose whether to turn to God for strength.
I truly believe that these times are where we can upgrade our resilience and life-handling skills. Keep practicing.
Riding through the shadows - Ana-Christina
