Lin
09-05-2001, 03:53 PM
Most of my road routes are not all that busy (a car or truck passes every minute or so). I've discovered a new route with some nice smooth asphalt, convenient to my office and therefore a quick getaway break, but it's unfortunately a heavily traveled 2-lane highway.
I have some jitters when riding this stretch, because it has been the site of nasty accidents, given its usage and size. When riding it today, I found myself tensing up every time I was passed by a "double" (semi truck pulling two trailers) and nearly fighting for control because of tensing up.
I finally realized that I was looking at the vehicles as they were passing. Guess where the bike heads when you're looking at something? Yeah. At the something. I wasn't being "pulled" into the roadway because of the draft from these monsters, I was riding into them!
Here's the tip (and this may be old news to you clever gals out there!): I had much better control over the bike and was easily able to hold my line when I would look up the road and concentrate my gaze off to the edge of the pavement about 30 feet ahead. I'd do this when I heard the big truck rumble (and you all know what that sounds like!) coming up behind me. I don't have a problem with passenger cars, so didn't worry about them. I probably also don't tense up when the passenger cars pass!
This helped me. Maybe it will help someone else out there.
Lin
I have some jitters when riding this stretch, because it has been the site of nasty accidents, given its usage and size. When riding it today, I found myself tensing up every time I was passed by a "double" (semi truck pulling two trailers) and nearly fighting for control because of tensing up.
I finally realized that I was looking at the vehicles as they were passing. Guess where the bike heads when you're looking at something? Yeah. At the something. I wasn't being "pulled" into the roadway because of the draft from these monsters, I was riding into them!
Here's the tip (and this may be old news to you clever gals out there!): I had much better control over the bike and was easily able to hold my line when I would look up the road and concentrate my gaze off to the edge of the pavement about 30 feet ahead. I'd do this when I heard the big truck rumble (and you all know what that sounds like!) coming up behind me. I don't have a problem with passenger cars, so didn't worry about them. I probably also don't tense up when the passenger cars pass!
This helped me. Maybe it will help someone else out there.
Lin