The Deckers Route~Experienced Riders Discussion

[bornwildnfree]

Awesome.

And for those of you who interpreted Christi's "can't run from the Reaper" comment as meaning there's nothing we can do, I didn't read it that way. I read it more along the lines of my statement that you can't make the risk in riding zero (except in the uninteresting case of not riding at all). There are situations that can come up that you can't predict or avoid but fortunately they are very rare.

That's exactly what I meant. Thanks for putting it way better than I could :-).

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

All that CAN be done to mitigate risk SHOULD be done (mental and physical health/state, gear, street experience, riders class, trackdays), but the only way to eliminate it entirely is to not ride.....and that simply isn't an option, at least for me. The question is simply, what level of risk are you willing to and SHOULD you take? If the road is more hazardous/dirty and/or you're not feeling right, dial it down. The more experience you have the better you are at determining those factors and how much you should slow. It's far better to ride slower at 40% of your max pace than slightly faster at 80% of your max pace.

For instance, I'm feeling pretty sick now with a bad sinus infection/cold, and I'm not even feeling up to riding from a strength/balance/fatigue standpoint right now. IF I make it out this weekend, it'll be for a very mild putt around town or MAYBE in the mtn's, but I'll have it dialed way back because I don't feel right (dizzy/weak).