Having already passed the three score years and ten it has occurred to me several times of late that I have much more on which to look back than I have on which to look forward. I was reminded of this again today when I posted a picture on Facebook from the second road closure and it was from November 1979! Over 40 years ago.
However, far from being maudlin about this fact, it is reminding me that, though there is so much of interest in the PAST, there is potentially much more of interest in the FUTURE. I’m not sure what it IS (nobody can be) but I do know that, in my household at least, planning for future events continues apace and hopefully will continue to do so.
But this post is not all about memories and prospects. It is actually about looking forward when it is applied to riding. This is illustrated best in the photo above that I pinched off Getty Images. While Lorenzo’s bike is clearly heading into a left had corner, the rider’s eyes are already looking right towards the next corner. The concept of not looking at the corner that you are presently negotiating is one that is not familiar to a lot of riders. The trouble with doing that is that it limits your scope of the road. I have always struggled with this concept and, since my accident, I have found it even harder to do this, especially in right hand corners, the corner in which I crashed.
The trouble with just looking at the corner you are IN is that, if you do, that is all you end up looking at. In right handers your prospect straight ahead can often be an armco fence or a drop-off into the bush, both daunting. In left handers, looking at the corner also means that you end up looking at the traffic coming the other way rather than where you are going.
If there is a quick fix for this I haven’t yet discovered it. Yes, I know that you need to look THROUGH the corner, but KNOWING it and putting it into practise are two entirely different things, at least it seems to be to me.
However, it doesn’t put me off riding and it’s just something else to which I can look forward.
