Misti

How much effort does it take you to ride fast? What things change when you step up the pace, and why?

Misti

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Baketech

<--- bookmarking this thread just in case I ever ride fast...

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phobe

I ride my fastest when I'm not trying to ride fast.

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jose_jimenez

I ride my fastest when I'm trying to be like Phobe. In fact, when I'm trying to be like him I might even win a spelling contest

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SheepOfBlue

My pace is low but the best way to increase the time in one day is to establish a rhythm then real work at getting in farther on the gas earlier etc (usually time is the same or rises) then back off a notch and poof time drops toward my best times. The other way is to find one area to improve and only one at a time. Of course before you take my advice consider a glacier and grazing sheep as a speed.

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Bikerboy1974

Hard to explain. I seem to do better and "step up the pace" more when I'm having a good time and not worrying so much about what I'm doing and where to save time. In my head, when I was on the track, I would go out first practice of almost every weekend and break down the track, focusing on my entries and exits, my throttle control into and out of every corner, and my placement on my machine (tuck, lean, every little thing). That practice session would always lead to my worst times of the weekend.

I'd go back to the garage, have something to eat and drink, talk with some friends, and I'd go back out. I'd try to make a point that second practice to be out with some buddies of equal or greater experience, we'd dice it up a bit, and without being as "intense" as the first session, I'd bring my times up substantially.

As far as the things that changed when I "tried" to pick up the pace, I found in retrospect that 90% of my on track crashes happened during the "pick up the pace" period.

That's just my humble opinion, I couldn't "work" at getting better or faster. I had to be able to go out, have a good time, surround myself with a "challenging" group of riders, and my times and skills progressed naturally.

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Mojave954

When I try to up the pace it seems the closures on braking points and turn points are way too close. I know that is a DUH statement but that is what is too me. I don't ride fast enough, enough to where it becomes "normal".

Also with that, comes trust in the bike. Laying it over in a turn at 60 I am comfortable. The same turn, 20 miles an hr faster? It is a whole new turn to me and I don't trust the bike not to slide out from under me. IF I wasn't thinking about that, it would most likely not be an issue.

Tried to beat that back at the school you teach, level 3 I think. But could never get over the "hump" so to speak.

Need more track time I guess. To get more trust in the brakes and machine handling.

Okay thanks, now I need a track day BAD!

abtech

Wait for the flag to drop. Beats my best practice times by a second or so every time.

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Heavy-Dee

More effort than riding slowly. I wait for verbal cues to speed up. Usually the problem is petering out too early, so I try to focus not on the job at hand but on something unexciting, like fixing the lawn mower or something.

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bwhip

Riding at my fastest pace requires extra effort, both physically and mentally.

I find that I must be especially sharp and on my game mentally to deal with the shorter reaction times, to remain smooth with my inputs (when the tendency might be to instead stab at the controls).

Physically, as I pick up the pace, I feel more of a need to get my weight off the bike and to the inside of the corner more, to avoid increasing lean angle more than I have to. I know when my toes start to drag that I need to get off the bike more.

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gt702

I'd immediately pick up at least 2 seconds ... which only put me about 3 behind the leader's pace

[quote=bwhip;104704]Riding at my fastest pace requires extra effort, both physically and mentally.

I find that I must be especially sharp and on my game mentally to deal with the shorter reaction times, to remain smooth with my inputs (when the tendency might be to instead stab at the controls).

[quote]

The mental is always the biggest for me, then I realize the physical later after I've done it and can't get off the bike. But while doing it my fastest times seamed easy. It was always the focus of doing things right, and the relaxation that allowed the processing to happen much faster. When it fells difficult to go fast, it is ... mental. Too bad it has only been a few times in my career I've truly been in that groove, but when I was it was fantastic .

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Hammer

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SheepOfBlue

[quote=gt702;104718]I'd immediately pick up at least 2 seconds ... which only put me about 3 behind the leader's pace

[quote=bwhip;104704]Riding at my fastest pace requires extra effort, both physically and mentally.

I find that I must be especially sharp and on my game mentally to deal with the shorter reaction times, to remain smooth with my inputs (when the tendency might be to instead stab at the controls).

On dirt I was that way. I could get so in the zone that after a long ride I would pry my hand off as the arm pump prevented me from opening my hand yet I didn't even notice it while riding. Further if I got to that spot on the short track it was like everything was in slow motion.

Never got that in the zone on pavement yet

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ONEvcs

I'm not fast.
It takes me some physical effort to try to ride fast cause I'm on a "round shape phase" at this point of my life.
Psychologically, if I'm riding faster than I should, I have to make a conscious effort to comply with my braking markers, if not, I really don't need them.
On the street, I really have to concentrate on not to go too far over the speed limit.

CBRVFR

"effort?'

More like judgment, preparation, and courage.

I'm sure each of those can be broken down into 46 separate steps.

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DrHall

Personally, it took no physical effort for me to make a large drop in my lap times. Mentally it did take a little...it was kinda hard to figure out how to replace Kawboy's name with mine on the laptimer...

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TornadoB8

I have to convince myself that the tires WILL stick.

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CBR929RE

I have no hard evidence as in lap times but I feel like I'm faster when I just relax and try not to go as fast as possible. I've always heard the expression "slow down to go fast" but until talking to Linus and following him through the S turns at Grattan I really learned what that meant and feels like. I think its also my problem at the S turns before the straight at Loudon. The more I slow down and just let the turns happen the faster I feel going through and out of them.

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Misti

Interesting answers. A lot of people mention that riding faster does take more effort both physically and mentally, which I agree with. However, a lot of people also mentioned that their fastest lap times feel slower, so how is that? I know it is true, when I TRY to go fast it never seems to work! How come it sometimes feels SLOWER even though we are actually going faster?

Misti

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CBR929RE

its just a mental thing. I bet you feel faster when you do more work so if you don't feel like you've done as much you assume you went slower.

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Hammer

All kidding aside, I agree with you. I have tried to "burn up the track" at times and look at the lap times and want to load up and go home. But a few times I am just out there having fun and look down at thelap timer and think it is broken because I just set a personal best time. I dunno?

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SheepOfBlue

Because speed is worthless without control. If you are on the edge of control (or past) it will feel too fast. However when you are just below the edge things will come into focus without the haze of panic thus it will not feel as fast (really what is felt is fear or adrenaline, not speed). In the more controlled mode your lines are more likely to be where you intend and you will be smoother. Thus more speed.

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SheepOfBlue

Because speed is worthless without control. If you are on the edge of control (or past) it will feel too fast. However when you are just below the edge things will come into focus without the haze of panic thus it will not feel as fast (really what is felt is fear or adrenaline, not speed). In the more controlled mode your lines are more likely to be where you intend and you will be smoother. Thus more speed.

Sheepinion™

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abtech

Sheep . . .

on yourself . . .

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SheepOfBlue

It was such a wise sheepinion™ that I figured it should be repeated

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NorthernRR

Great Q Misti. As always.

I can kind of answer this. Last season I found that I had to concentrate on on or two or three corners at a time. Then string a bunch together. move my braking markers further back and come on to the gas sooner. Worked pretty well at the pace I was keeping.

This was pre-Freddie school... when we all got there Nick asked almost the same Question. VERY similar answers to this thread... He then replied, if it was as easy as going 10 ft deeper into a corner or just coming on the pipe sooner don't you think that they(pro riders) would do it? GOOD POINT I thought.

How do I plan on going faster this year. Using the skills that I have learned from that school, practicing those skills, becoming more consistant and lastly, be SMOOTHER EVERYWHERE...

I am SO PUMPED for this season.

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