About riding on auto-pilot

[Lunch Box]

I wouldn't be too upset, NB0tt. It seems like a compliment to you and Rod and an insult to TTTom.

 

[TTTom]

I think like TTTom, I don't think like You, or NBOtt does .... And I think it is safe to say, You don't know what I'm talkin about, when I'm talkin.

It's what all the sports psychologists push, getting into a state where you're focused and aware but not engaging in internal dialogue. When you start talking to yourself you can't do shit... can't find the strike zone, can't hit a free throw, can't get your serve in, whatever.

 

[rodr]

It's what all the sports psychologists push, getting into a state where you're focused and aware but not engaging in internal dialogue. When you start talking to yourself you can't do shit... can't find the strike zone, can't hit a free throw, can't get your serve in, whatever.

Interesting. I guess "talking to yourself" means consciously evaluating a situation and taking appropriate action.

The way I see it, riding can be an athletic sport or not. At one end it's like driving a car, you are just getting from one place to another but perhaps enjoying it more. At the other end is racing, trials etc. that require extreme skills and experience. And everything in between.

I'm not about to tell the pro racer how to think. For them perhaps doing the right thing is automatic and staying in the zone is all that matters. But I believe that most of us should work hard at staying mentally engaged while riding.

 

[eworthington]

I think it depends on *what* you're thinking about while riding. Thinking about currently-important things, like traffic conditions, how fast you're going in traffic, whether that left-turning car up ahead is likely to cut you off and possible avoidance techniques, etc., all seem like good things to have flowing in your head.

But thinking about last weekend's game while riding, or any of a gazillion other things that don't relate to the task at hand, are not good things to think about.

Of course it also matters just how busy things are at the moment on how much your attention can be diverted.

Re riding being a "sport", it absolutely is a sport for racers and super-fast backroad riders (hey, slow down and enjoy the ride)--intense focus on the task at hand, lots of physical exertion, etc. But those who just putt the luxo-barge from one coffee shop to the next tho, prolly not much of a sport.