To: labiker@ph.ucla.edu Subject: Re: LABiker: squids and other squishy things Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 18:10:41 -0400 From: gayathri Kurt sez: > Uh, that's what I just said. My ride just happened to be slower than all but a few in my "group" (since pack seems to be a verboten word off the track) and faster than just about everyone else that I encountered.< *sigh* No, its not verboten, its just meaningless. But I'll quit trying to beat a dead horse. You weren't _faster_ then everyone else you encountered, Kurt, you were just willing to go faster. There's a difference, subtle as it might be. Passing people on the street, or being 'faster' then your buddy or whatever is still meaningless unless you know for a fact that _every single person_ you rode with or passed is going _as fast as they possibly can_. You can't know that -- unless you are at a racetrack, or all your friends are total squids. And even then, random riders who arent involved in your squidly behaviour, so you still can't say you were 'faster than just about everyone else'. >> while its all pretty words, Kurt, I sincerely hope that your >>friends dont lead you into becoming a dead duck.> > They wouldn't do that, that's why they're my friends. I trust Jorge >implicit ly and he's never, ever given me reason not to. < ...Yet. If he was 'herding you' to the front, or convincing you to ride somewhere other then where you were riding, you weren't 'riding your own ride' anymore. Again, it might be subtle, but I think its important. And I look forward to seeing your friends and you at the track again, Kurt -- I think you'll be surprised at the 'pack' that's developing behind the lead pack in the liteweight classes. Even Blueberry Guy is picking up speed, sending me into a violent depression. Gayathri >-------------------------------------------------------------- gayathri@world.std.com Calamari Club #002, WSMC #98 '88 FZR400 ('gurlzbike') '98 T595 Daytona, "huckleberry" "It is simplicity of intention that gives consistency to life." - William Braithwaite Return-Path: Received: from gholam.ph.ucla.edu (gholam.ph.ucla.edu [128.97.25.2]) by TheWorld.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA20867 for ; Wed, 12 Sep 2001 19:12:56 -0400 Received: (from majordomo@localhost) by gholam.ph.ucla.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) id QAA23671; Wed, 12 Sep 2001 16:12:54 -0700 Received: from TheWorld.com (root@pcls4.std.com [199.172.62.106]) by gholam.ph.ucla.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA23641 for ; Wed, 12 Sep 2001 16:12:42 -0700 Received: from world.std.com (world-f.std.com [199.172.62.5]) by TheWorld.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id TAA20501 for ; Wed, 12 Sep 2001 19:12:38 -0400 Received: from localhost (gayathri@localhost) by world.std.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id TAA18105 for ; Wed, 12 Sep 2001 19:12:36 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200109122312.TAA18105@world.std.com> X-Authentication-Warning: world.std.com: gayathri@localhost didn't use HELO protocol To: labiker@ph.ucla.edu Subject: Re: LABiker: bike related (!) In-reply-to: Your message of "Wed, 12 Sep 2001 13:27:39 EDT." Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 19:12:36 -0400 From: gayathri Sender: owner-labiker@ph.ucla.edu Precedence: list Reply-To: labiker@ph.ucla.edu You know, it took me a long time to figure out where Hiro was wrong in this article. I kinda agree on one level, that the "fast guy" isnt always as fast as he or she thinks they are, or as in control as they think they are... But then I meet someone who just seems to 'see' the road a little differently, who can process details and clues and conditions just faster or more efficiently then I can. Those guys dont need to brag >> The Fast Guy is legendary no matter where one hears of him. Many riders >> believe he possesses such a high level of skill it would be quite >> impossible for him to crash, no matter what the road conditions >> might be. But you see, for _some_ of those "fast guys", they arent riding in above their heads. Their envelope is just a hell of a lot larger then yours or mine. I really thought that when I started racing, that i'd just keep getting faster as I practiced. But I didnt. 'cause I dont process quickly enough is one reason. (fear was another one...) I thought by racing at the amateur level I'd have some comprehension of how Troy Bayliss, or Ben Bostrom, or even some of our local faster club guys do it... I dont. I dont _see_ things the way they do. Just like some of those smooth fast guys on the street. Those guys dont have to brag, and they dont tend to crash, adn they dont talk about 'oh shit' moments, or 'pucker factor', 'cause they are never out there. I dont agree that they are all in denial. Just like some fighter pilots are better then others. Some riders will be better then others. That's why riding your own ride on the street is as important as it is... jmnsho. Gayathri >-------------------------------------------------------------- gayathri@world.std.com Calamari Club #002, WSMC #98 '88 FZR400 ('gurlzbike') '98 T595 Daytona, "huckleberry" "Anger blows out the lamp of the mind." - Robert Ingersoll