Why I Ride Alone

I sometimes like to watch videos on You Tube about motorcycles, since I own and ride them. There are lots of videos of people getting into wrecks on their bikes and it’s not unusual for the wreck to have been the result of riding with others. This is particularly common when sport bike riders ride together. Testosterone gets up – but abilities vary.

Ever ride with someone who is faster than you are?

If you don’t ride, you might think that means someone who has a faster bike than yours – or who is willing to ride at a higher speed than you are wanting to go. But that’s not it exactly. In the context of riding a motorcycle, faster means someone with more skill than you posses, especially in the curves. Try to follow him and there’s a good chance you’ll wreck. But it’s tempting to try to follow your buddy who’s faster than you are because that’s what guys often do. And – yes – it is chiefly guys who are vulnerable to testosterone-fueled stupid one-upmanship. It is not easy – for a guy – to recognize his limits (in the moment) and let the faster guy go on his way.

The thing about riding is it’s a highly individualistic thing, which is of course a big part of the appeal. It is something like going for a run in that everyone has their own pace and it always entails a compromise to run at someone else’s pace. One of you will be running slower or faster than you would run if you were running by yourself, to accommodate the other runner’s pace. This does not mean it cannot be enjoyable to run at someone else’s pace; of course it can be. But it’s not a run – in the sense that it would be if you were by yourself and running at your pace. There is no better or worse here. It just is. You can increase or decrease your pace according to your inclinations as well as your own knowledge of your capabilities and limitations. You can push yourself – but only so far as you know it’s probably not going to kill you to push it.

If you run with someone who is faster than you are – who can handle running at a pace that’s pushing it for you – trying to keep up with him is likely to lead to you hurting yourself. Possibly, you might heat stroke. This is a why I run by myself, too. I don’t want to be pushed by anyone other than myself – and I don’t want to be the reason why someone else pushed themselves. It’s very similar on a bike. Every group ride is – at best – a compromise ride. This would be ok if the compromise is within the abilities of everyone in the group, but the problem is that’s almost impossible because everyone in the group not only has different riding abilities but also different riding wants. It is always bridling to have to slow down – or speed up – to keep pace with the pack and you never know whether the guy ahead of you will react to the deer that bounds suddenly onto the road as you would and you can never anticipate whether his reaction will result in you going down (or crashing into him).

There are too many variables that cannot be effectively mitigated. Track days are different because it’s a controlled environment and also because – usually – there are skill groups. The experts (the fast riders) ride with other fast riders. The beginners and those in between ride with people closer to their own skill level. But even then, it is not the same skill level and there will always be some who push it.

Follow them at your own risk.

Another bit of advice I’ll offer up is to avoid known motorcycle roads – because they are often crowded. One of the best examples east of the Rockies being the Tail of the Dragon, which is a road near Dollywood in Tennessee. It is a wonderful motorcycle road, scenic and challenging to ride. Hairpin curves and blind corners – around which you may encounter a “fast” rider who took the curve at a speed beyond his capabilities and he overcorrected to avoid riding off the road into the woods – and down a precipice – but he’s now in your lane and there’s only room for one of you. There are also lots of cars on such roads, compounding the problem.

I find it’s a better ride when I can focus on my riding than on what other riders (and drivers) are doing. Never mind what you can’t even imagine they might do.

  . .  .

If you like what you’ve found here please consider supporting EPautos.