Riding in the Zone

[TTD]

Tony, thank-you. You have no idea what you did, but thanks anyway.

Denno and Manny, eat my shorts.

Awww... come on... don't leave me hangin'

[Degsy]

Awww... come on... don't leave me hangin'

Over a year ago, I was talking to a couple of guys in the garage and used the "Everything slowed down" line. They have never let me forget it since. I'm just glad to get some validation.

FWIW, there is a scientific name for that state of mind and it has been documented with brainwave analysis in F1 drivers and other athletes. It's called "Flow".

When Ayrton Senna crashed and died, his race team said that when they measured his brain activity during his fastest laps in testing, there was very very little measureable going on and Ayrton himself used to say he "forgot" whole sections of races, finding himself 10 laps on with no recollection of the previous 10 laps.

fascinating subject

[TTD]

Yeah, that's true too.

Usually in a race, I was dying for the halfway and white flags to come out because I was working so hard.

These times, I felt like I could have rode 10 more laps with no problem.

[OreoGaborio]

I've found myself in that state once or twice... but it usually doesn't last for more than a couple of corners.

Usually I'm in that state of higher awareness just before you find that "flow" where things still happen fast but you process them faster. This slows things down a little, but not quite to the point that it's happening in slow motion and everything's effortless.

[TTD]

This slows things down a little, but not quite to the point that it's happening in slow motion and everything's effortless.

Yeah... it's definitely not a "slow motion" thing for me.

But it feels like I would feel if I was riding at 90% pace instead of 100%.

[Ken C]

The Zone is illusive. Some people can access it more than others.

I believe the more you are aware of it the more it happens. You can't make it happen, but you can increase the likelihood that it will happen.

Racing is when it happens the most for me, but I feel it frequently even when riding on the street. It happens by tuning into your surroundings and having a sixth sense so yopu can head off possible problems.

[OreoGaborio]

right, right.

Interestingly enough, most of my fastest lap times have come at the END of a race when I'm the most tired & not pushing quite as hard... Maybe I should stay up partying all night so I'm tired at the beginning of the race, too

Or maybe I'll just go slow to go fast

*woooo saaaahhhh*

[Kham]

i think i felt like this all the time.. like you and your bike becomes one... then there's feeling of joy and satisfaction... well until you run into traffic and cant pass. then it's frustration and stress... seriously..

I've now started stocking Large T-shirts too, so no problem there.

As for the book, and particularly the paragraph KHAM pointed out... I have definitely experienced that state a few times... mainly while racing... and it was pretty cool.

Not sure I felt a "deeper appreciation for life" (but that feeling has come to me before on street rides) but I was certainly in another state of mind, so to speak.

Everything slowed down in my mind, and I could simply do no wrong on the bike. Coming upon lappers, I was able to lay out a plan while they were still 2corners ahead of me, and then execute it exactly. It's like the script was written and all the actors were following it... and I was the lead character that was supposed to slice through them.

Point is, much of the time I am riding fast on the track, I am working hard and always feeling a bit "behind". Every once in a while though... something clicks and it all goes very quiet in my helmet. I no longer feel/hear my breathing, and all of my body motions seem to happen effortlessly.

Getting into this state on a nice set of street twisties could be cool too. While it doesn't have to include ludicrous speeds, it could just be a quick pace that seems slow to you, giving you that much more time to predict and act on any outside "surprises"... which won't actually be a surprise to you.

[Kham]

Over a year ago, I was talking to a couple of guys in the garage and used the "Everything slowed down" line. They have never let me forget it since. I'm just glad to get some validation.

FWIW, there is a scientific name for that state of mind and it has been documented with brainwave analysis in F1 drivers and other athletes. It's called "Flow".

When Ayrton Senna crashed and died, his race team said that when they measured his brain activity during his fastest laps in testing, there was very very little measureable going on and Ayrton himself used to say he "forgot" whole sections of races, finding himself 10 laps on with no recollection of the previous 10 laps.

fascinating subject

that's what im talking about. soemtimes you can't remember what just happen from last traffic light to the next. i know i did. could be memory lost.. what's that word?

[Paul_E_D]

I'd like to think I was acheiving flow almost every time I rode in my last season. I was always one or 2 steps ahead of what was happening on the bike/track. If a slide happened, I knew about it before I felt it. The bars folding gently in my hands. I seemed to have time to watch it happen.

I couldn't sustain it the whole session, but I could get there in most every practice and race. My laptimes pretty much only wavered by a half second the entire season. practice, race, dicing, or leading by a mile, it didn't matter. Damn, that's what I miss most about racing.

[Kham]

boy was i "in zone" first time i try the weed.

[Hoss]

Just spotted the book in the Whitehorse catalog this morning as well!

Congrats Ken, can't wait to check it out!