BACKROADS • NOVEMBER 2021
F R E E W H EEL I N ’ BRIAN RATHJEN
FORWARD AND BEHIND II If this month’s Free Wheelin’s title sounds a bit familiar that is because I stole, err – borrowed it from Shira’s Whatchathinkin’ column from last month. In this, she said that she was once told “What’s in the mirrors no longer matters. It’s what is in front of you that makes a difference.” I think she first saw this in the movie, The Gumball Rally, when Franco (Raul Julia) said to his co-driver Steve Smith, played by Tim McIntire (Sorry not our Steve Smith), in an overly-acted Italian accent… “Nowa my friend, da first a rule of Italian driving….”, as he tears the rear-view mirror off the Ferrari Daytona and tosses it behind the car, “Whatsa behinda me, is not important!” I beg to differ. I think what is behind us is always of some import. Although I usually stick to riding or places to go and things to see – this month’s article can be used metaphorically if you wish, as so many things that are common to riding can be swung into our day-to-day lives as well. Basic riding skills can be twisted conveniently into real-life situations. On the corkboard above my desk, which always looks like an F4 tornado had just blown through, I have Reg Pridmore’s Recurrency Checklist. Here I glance, regularly, at his 12 points on riding consistently well. Much like a 12-step program – but for more proficient riding. Let me point out a few: Make a plan – Joe Jackson sang, “You can’t get what you want, till you know what you want.”
Page 3 I have followed this mantra for decades. But, still with great maps, GPS and intentions, even the best riders and pilots can get off-course and a bit lost. My friend Frank Bama once said, “the best navigators are not quite sure where they’re going until they get there...and then they’re still not sure.” That certainly has been the case recently – well, at least for me. I have a tee-shirt that says “Often Wrong, Always Confident.” Sometimes it works. Other times… not so much. But sometimes you have to fake till you make it. Reg also states that the need for a clear mind and a positive attitude changes everything. This is also true. As is Reg’s statement that we need to be “distraction proof!” In the book ‘The Upper Half of the Motorcycle’, author Bernt Spiegel made the point of using a push-button counter on his bike. ANY mistake or error or miscue – no matter how trivial - Spiegel would click off another digit. At the end of the day, he could look and see how many times he was not “perfect.” And, by perfect, I mean something he felt he could do even a little bit better. Some days are better than others – but none were ever perfect. This brings me back to the mirrors. We all make errors when we ride and live. Most are minor faux pas’…Misreading a turn, blowing a gear-shift change, or slipping a touch on gravel when putting your foot down. Eye-opening certainly, but fairly easy and barely an inconvenience. But other incidents can ruin not only your day but that of the people wth which you are riding. A bad, ill-conceived or poorly executed move might do an excellent job of shaking up other riders who normally considered you rock-steady. No one is Superman - well, Kal-El, but he is him. When you look in your mirror, perhaps you see that bad and upsetting Continued on Page 10
