Mental focus

BCKRider · 01-05-2013, 10:19 PM

I think it was my third year of riding (I started in my late 40's) that I became a riding buddy of a guy, similar age, who had ridden dirt bikes but had a year less experience than I on road bikes. Our friendship was confined to riding together - but the two of us did that a lot. The cool thing is that we seemed to have the same "risk tolerance," meaning that on lightly travelled backroads we typically were 5-10 mph above the posted limit. We would take turns leading, the following rider always maybe 5-6 seconds back, and when a straight section opened up there was the other rider. Neither of us felt pushed or slowed up by the other, a common problem on even 2-person group rides.

So we are down on Hwy 21 in eastern Washington. Beautiful day. Almost no traffic. Very little fear of speed enforcement. And my friend, who is leading, is riding under the speed limit. I follow along until he pulls over. "Got something I have to think about. You go ahead." I do. Ride the ride I wanted to, then pull over to the shoulder for maybe 10 minutes until he appears. Our ride resumes at our usual speeds.

Later I learned that it was marital problems which preyed on my friend's mind. I am still impressed that he had the good sense to slow down and then pull over until, for a time, he could dispell these thoughts and again ride competently.

Frankly, I think my friend is ALL of us, though we have different thought distractions. (I'm not thinking about playing with the GPS, cell phone in your ear, or radio, though these are other distractions.) I'm talking about the conversations we have in our heads. Maybe we all need to pull over to the side of the road when these conversations over ride the ones we have with ourselves about real riding concerns.

fallingoff · 01-05-2013, 10:25 PM

yes

that is why imho ridding/running is good for the mind
time to think things through without interruptions
zen etc.
there have been times when i have stopped
and have had the great leap foreward in my thinking.

Don't loose that ridding buddy

cheers

qqq

PhilB · 01-05-2013, 10:44 PM

Good post, OP. Thanks.

PhilB

Wraith Rider · 01-06-2013, 01:41 AM

To me riding is an important way to get rid of such distractions. Sometimes it's best to go faster if your thoughts tend to wander away.

BanjoBoy · 01-06-2013, 06:01 AM

Some of the folks I ride with will be "off the pace" sometimes, 'n when I ask 'em why they tell me they ain't "feel'in it." I recon it's the same thing?
I'm always feel'in it myself.

Fer me the ride is the meditation to get rid of all the distraction in mah twisted mind.

ph0rk · 01-06-2013, 06:11 AM

If the only time you get to really think is when you're on the road, I'd suggest altering your daily routine.

DAKEZ · 01-06-2013, 10:00 AM

Never ride when your head is not in it.

For me this is very infrequent but it does happen. Back when I was a smoker I would pull over... get of the bike, remove helmet and have a smoke. Now instead of the smoke I do a bike inspection.

I am a daily rider. Even if it is just a short 7 mile ride to work if my head is not in the ride I stop and get off the bike.

Mr_Gone · 01-06-2013, 10:19 AM

I can ride and think and work through things, no problem. Heck, on long trips, my philosophical mental ramblings are epic. Now if I could just remember how I solved all the world's problems....

But I learned very quickly that I couldn't (or shouldn't) ride when I was angry. After a fight with the girlfriend, I found that going for a ride was the absolutely wrong thing to do. I went too fast, rode to aggressively, took stupid chances... and I wasn't really solving the problem.

That's just me, though. YMMV.

Dryslick · 01-09-2013, 06:25 PM

Good words of wisdom on this thread. Off-road riding has long been my favorite way shut down the "inner conversation" for a while. But it's easy to get complacent. Case in point, in August of 2010, me and two other guys had ridden an awesome 65 mile loop of single track & four wheeler trail. Nothing too difficult, just kind of tight, rocky and flowing. Really fun stuff. I was scheduled for rotator cuff surgery the next week.

On the way back, about five miles from the truck, I was in the lead, riding up a FS road at a pretty good clip. The other guys were quite a ways back. The terrain was easy, so I wasn't really paying attention...I caught the edge of a rain rut and was down before I knew it. My right ankle hit the ground first, with case of the bike on top of it. Broke my fibula at the ankle. My surgeon was pissed, but he did put in eight screws and a plate to put me back together. Had to hold off on the rotator cuff surgery till October. I guess it was a rebuilding year.

It only takes a split second...

corndog67 · 01-09-2013, 08:41 PM

That's something I agree with. If I'm not very, very focused on what I'm doing, (riding), I either slow down considerably or park it and go back home. I believe focus is what's kept me alive riding like the idiot I am all these years (35+).

slartidbartfast · 01-10-2013, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Gone

I can ride and think and work through things, no problem. Heck, on long trips, my philosophical mental ramblings are epic. Now if I could just remember how I solved all the world's problems....

But I learned very quickly that I couldn't (or shouldn't) ride when I was angry. After a fight with the girlfriend, I found that going for a ride was the absolutely wrong thing to do. I went too fast, rode to aggressively, took stupid chances... and I wasn't really solving the problem.

That's just me, though. YMMV.

I very quickly realized the therapeutic effects of riding - i.e. the effect riding has on my mental state.

Developing the ability to recognize when my mental state is affecting my riding took a lot longer.

The two are totally different concepts but interconnected. When you have something on your mind, going for a ride can be a great thing to do or it can be a stupid thing to do - perhaps sometimes both

I have a sort of mental checklist I run through whenever I'm thinking of going out on the bike. If anything comes up "No!" I usually stay home or take the car.

Mr_Gone · 01-10-2013, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slartidbartfast

i very quickly realized the therapeutic effects of riding - i.e. The effect riding has on my mental state.

Developing the ability to recognize when my mental state is affecting my riding took a lot longer.

The two are totally different concepts but interconnected. When you have something on your mind, going for a ride can be a great thing to do or it can be a stupid thing to do - perhaps sometimes both

i have a sort of mental checklist i run through whenever i'm thinking of going out on the bike. If anything comes up "no!" i usually stay home or take the car.

+1

SkiFastBadly · 01-11-2013, 07:12 PM

When I ride I think about the marital problems caused by my riding so much.

Mr_Gone · 01-11-2013, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkiFastBadly

When I ride I think about the marital problems caused by my riding so much.

Isn't that the definition of a Catch-22? Or a feedback loop?

DAKEZ · 01-11-2013, 07:49 PM

01-05-2013, 10:19 PM	#1
BCKRider ^OP Adventurer Joined: Dec 2012 Oddometer: 32	Mental focus I think it was my third year of riding (I started in my late 40's) that I became a riding buddy of a guy, similar age, who had ridden dirt bikes but had a year less experience than I on road bikes. Our friendship was confined to riding together - but the two of us did that a lot. The cool thing is that we seemed to have the same "risk tolerance," meaning that on lightly travelled backroads we typically were 5-10 mph above the posted limit. We would take turns leading, the following rider always maybe 5-6 seconds back, and when a straight section opened up there was the other rider. Neither of us felt pushed or slowed up by the other, a common problem on even 2-person group rides. So we are down on Hwy 21 in eastern Washington. Beautiful day. Almost no traffic. Very little fear of speed enforcement. And my friend, who is leading, is riding under the speed limit. I follow along until he pulls over. "Got something I have to think about. You go ahead." I do. Ride the ride I wanted to, then pull over to the shoulder for maybe 10 minutes until he appears. Our ride resumes at our usual speeds. Later I learned that it was marital problems which preyed on my friend's mind. I am still impressed that he had the good sense to slow down and then pull over until, for a time, he could dispell these thoughts and again ride competently. Frankly, I think my friend is ALL of us, though we have different thought distractions. (I'm not thinking about playing with the GPS, cell phone in your ear, or radio, though these are other distractions.) I'm talking about the conversations we have in our heads. Maybe we all need to pull over to the side of the road when these conversations over ride the ones we have with ourselves about real riding concerns.

01-05-2013, 10:44 PM	#3
PhilB Beastly Adventurer Joined: Sep 2012 Location: New Hampshire Oddometer: 1,312	Good post, OP. Thanks. PhilB __________________ 1993 Ducati M900 Monster "Patina" (208,000 miles, so far) -- 1995 Ducati M900 (wife's bike) -- 1972 Honda CB450 (daughter's bike) -- 1979 Vespa P200 (daughter's scoot) -- 1967 Alfa Romeo GT Jr. (1300cc) -- 1964 Vespa GS160 (160cc 2-stroke) -- 1962 Maicoletta scooter (275cc 2-stroke) -- 1960 Heinkel Tourist 103A1 scooter "Elroy" (175cc 4-stroke)

01-06-2013, 01:41 AM	#4
Wraith Rider Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Feb 2012 Location: Germany Oddometer: 249	To me riding is an important way to get rid of such distractions. Sometimes it's best to go faster if your thoughts tend to wander away. __________________ Into the dark side of our nature to look we all need. The energy, the passion there is. Afraid of that people are. Pieces of us it holds busy denying we are.

01-06-2013, 06:01 AM	#5
BanjoBoy Studly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2009 Location: Northern CA Oddometer: 664	Some of the folks I ride with will be "off the pace" sometimes, 'n when I ask 'em why they tell me they ain't "feel'in it." I recon it's the same thing? I'm always feel'in it myself. Fer me the ride is the meditation to get rid of all the distraction in mah twisted mind. __________________ 2007 FJR1300 2007 FZ6 (Dirt bike)

01-06-2013, 06:11 AM	#6
ph0rk Doesn't Care Joined: Dec 2009 Location: The blue island in NC Oddometer: 1,519	If the only time you get to really think is when you're on the road, I'd suggest altering your daily routine. __________________ --Semantics are everything.

01-05-2013, 10:25 PM	#2
fallingoff Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2011 Location: syd oz Oddometer: 1,104	yes that is why imho ridding/running is good for the mind time to think things through without interruptions zen etc. there have been times when i have stopped and have had the great leap foreward in my thinking. Don't loose that ridding buddy cheers qqq

01-06-2013, 10:00 AM	#7
DAKEZ Beastly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2007 Location: U-gene, OR. Oddometer: 18,067	Never ride when your head is not in it. For me this is very infrequent but it does happen. Back when I was a smoker I would pull over... get of the bike, remove helmet and have a smoke. Now instead of the smoke I do a bike inspection. I am a daily rider. Even if it is just a short 7 mile ride to work if my head is not in the ride I stop and get off the bike. __________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss “Watch out for everything bigger than you, they have the "right of weight" Bib

01-06-2013, 10:19 AM	#8
Mr_Gone Innocent Culprit Joined: Jul 2010 Location: Mountain Home, Arkansas Oddometer: 2,548	I can ride and think and work through things, no problem. Heck, on long trips, my philosophical mental ramblings are epic. Now if I could just remember how I solved all the world's problems.... But I learned very quickly that I couldn't (or shouldn't) ride when I was angry. After a fight with the girlfriend, I found that going for a ride was the absolutely wrong thing to do. I went too fast, rode to aggressively, took stupid chances... and I wasn't really solving the problem. That's just me, though. YMMV. __________________ “There are only three sports: mountain climbing, bull fighting, and motor racing. All the rest are merely games.” — Ernest Hemingway

01-09-2013, 06:25 PM	#9
Dryslick Adventurer Joined: Feb 2011 Location: Lake Berkely, Montana Oddometer: 34	Good words of wisdom on this thread. Off-road riding has long been my favorite way shut down the "inner conversation" for a while. But it's easy to get complacent. Case in point, in August of 2010, me and two other guys had ridden an awesome 65 mile loop of single track & four wheeler trail. Nothing too difficult, just kind of tight, rocky and flowing. Really fun stuff. I was scheduled for rotator cuff surgery the next week. On the way back, about five miles from the truck, I was in the lead, riding up a FS road at a pretty good clip. The other guys were quite a ways back. The terrain was easy, so I wasn't really paying attention...I caught the edge of a rain rut and was down before I knew it. My right ankle hit the ground first, with case of the bike on top of it. Broke my fibula at the ankle. My surgeon was pissed, but he did put in eight screws and a plate to put me back together. Had to hold off on the rotator cuff surgery till October. I guess it was a rebuilding year. It only takes a split second... __________________ '07 450 XC & 2Moto '08 990 Adventure

01-09-2013, 08:41 PM	#10
corndog67 Studly Adventurer Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Santa Maria, CA Oddometer: 971	That's something I agree with. If I'm not very, very focused on what I'm doing, (riding), I either slow down considerably or park it and go back home. I believe focus is what's kept me alive riding like the idiot I am all these years (35+). __________________ KTM 950 SM, my main squeeze now. 1970 CT-70 And now, an XR75, more motorcycle than many here can handle. All my bikes have 13/71 gearing. Top speed, 8mph.

01-11-2013, 07:12 PM	#13
SkiFastBadly A beer? Yes, please Joined: Mar 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA Oddometer: 1,391	When I ride I think about the marital problems caused by my riding so much. __________________ "A Washington Terrace man was shot and killed by Weber County a sheriff’s deputy early Saturday while police were trying to talk the man out of taking his own life" -Salt Lake Tribune 5/25/13

01-11-2013, 07:49 PM	#15
DAKEZ Beastly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2007 Location: U-gene, OR. Oddometer: 18,067	__________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss “Watch out for everything bigger than you, they have the "right of weight" Bib

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