Slow and Steady

I once took an advanced riding course from a professional racer - the point of the course was not to turn us into pro's, but to reinforce the lessons learned long ago and improve our skills. We focused a great deal on curves - entering, exiting, apex, lines, etc. - and at one point the instructor talked about the importance of "slow in, fast out" in curves. We watched videos of the best riders, like Ben Spies and Valentino Rossi, and he pointed out over and over again how they entered the turn slowly (relatively speaking!) and exited at a higher rate of speed. As he was talking about the point at which to begin acceleration, I said something to the effect of that being the point to "punch it." The instructor smiled and said, "We never punch anything; all inputs are slow and steady."

I have been thinking about that a lot as I adjust to a new climate in the Northwest. I have spent the last seven years riding in Arizona, with a large number of wide, straight, flat dry roads that are pretty forgiving for sudden inputs of throttle or brake. Now I am experiencing a learning (actually re-learning) curve as I constantly remind myself that on wet, curvy, hilly, leaf cluttered roads you never, ever, never-never-ever, "punch it" if you want to stay upright. All inputs should be slow and steady, with nothing fast or sudden.

As I adjust to my new professional position the same rule applies: slow in, fast out, with no sudden inputs. When you find yourself in a new position there are all kinds of possibilities and folks tend to be very excited. But there is also a certain amount of nervousness as people adjust to one another. There is the tempation to leverage that excitement and "punch it" in order to get things done, but I am not sure that is wise. I think there is far more wisdom in taking time to learn about folks, about their habits and preferences, to discern the difference between local tradition versus simple habit, observe discomfort zones, and then set up your line as you work towards a goal.

Slow in, fast out, with no sudden inputs. I know it works on wet streets and I'll let you know how it works in new jobs.