Sharpening my Tools
Feb 12, 2022 by Adam Miller
Winter is dragging on this year in Colorado but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Every day I’m stuck inside without the option of getting on the bike is another day for training, planning, and general contemplation. The training is coming along quite nicely. My body is a little more difficult to whip into shape than it used to be, but I’m at about 90% of my physical targets and, if I do say so, it’s starting to show.
Winter Training Starting to Bear Fruit, The Miller Garage 2022
To test my fitness and to remember the sensation of speed properly, I watched the weather very closely for alteast a month and, the day I saw an opportunity, I made my way out to IMI in Dacono, CO. They have an asphalt track there about a mile long that’s a real test of the body on a full size bike. It’s also quite inexpensive compared to a trackday, you can choose which direction you run the track in, the atmosphere is very relaxed, the staff very friendly, and I’ve always had an abundant amount of track time every time I’ve gone. In other words, it’s a great place for me to train and have a little fun while doing it. When I arrived, I took in the view for a few minutes.
IMI Asphalt Track, 2022
The mountains on the horizon are always a lovely backdrop to the track and a reminder of the beauty of Colorado. The other thing that was obvious was the snow… not a welcome sight for an asphalt racer. My first thought was that I needed to avoid running off the track which sometimes happens when you push hard. Keep it at 90%. Check. The second thought was about tire temperature. I got out my IR thermometer and took a reading: 65 F on the surface with a 55 F ambient temp; not ideal but warm enough to give it a go. Generator on, tire warmers on, give the bike a check and let the engine warm up while I suit up and do some stretching. 30 minutes after pulling in and I’m on the track trying to remember the right sensations while being a little more cautious than usual on account of the lowest asphalt temp I think I’ve ever ridden on at speed. Pit in, check things over, get a snack, drink some water, second time out I started pushing a little. My main focus of the day was my biggest weakness from last year: push back the braking markers. I found some points on the track for every turn as baseline markers for braking zones and started moving them back with each passing lap. Repeat the same pit in dance, back out again for session 3.
When running counterclockwise, IMI has a tricky hairpin turn on the back straight. If you drive out of the prior turn well you get pretty decent speed on the straight and getting that tight hairpin right can be tricky. On about the 3rd or 4th lap of my 3rd session, I absolutely nailed the hairpin because, just as I suspected, I needed to wait until I saw God before grabbing the brake lever, and see him I did. After seeing God himself, I eagerly grabbed a handful of the right lever. Under hard braking I could feel the rear tire lightly skipping around over the pavement. As the apex inched closer I trailed off the lever just enough to settle the back down and started leaning. I continued to trail the brakes, lean the bike, and walk along the circle of traction on the front tire until I was at the apex which was properly just a moment in time. Once completely off the brakes I briefly kissed the inside curb with my knee slider and immediately got back on the throttle. The rear suspension squatted, the exit line tightened, and I was wide open on the throttle well before being completely upright. That was it! That’s the sensation I’ve been missing!! Entry, apex, and exit all seamlessly linked together with the limits of each direction of acceleration flowing into one another. Say what you will about Jorge Lorenzo as a person (as a die in the wool Rossi fan I can think of a few things that might be said), but the way he executed turns was prototypical. If ever there was a perfect rider to emulate, he’s the guy. Mantequilla, indeed, Jorge.
Session 4 was a confirmation of some of the riding in session 3 combined with a long enough stint at a race pace to replicate the endurance requirement of a round of AMA club racing. I got back in touch with some of the higher cornering speeds Duc Prime is capable of, got into a good rhythm, and stayed out long enough to replicate a full race distance. I left the track with a full belly, but also with an almost immediate desire to head back out again soon to marry the higher cornering speed in session 4 to that perfect hairpin execution and then do that on every turn of the track. I’ll be back again soon to continue sharpening my tools.
IMI Turn 1 CCW Direction, Photo by Chris M. (thanks again!!), 2022
As I write this, now in the contemplation state, I’m thinking about a common thread from some of the reading and viewing I’ve been doing. Meru, The Alpinist, The Last Dance, Relentless, and Hitting the Apex have all been inspirational inputs over the break and I think I can take a stab at what makes the people in them so outstanding:
Everyone in them is saturated with ambition AND a vision of how that ambition can materialize
Even for someone as naturally gifted as Michael Jordan, achieving an ambitious goal is a process
Everyone fails before they succeed, what allows the success is how you respond to failure
Work work work work work. Oh, I’m sorry, you’re tired and you need a break? Get your ass up and keep working
You have to be willing to do what others won’t or can’t
As I continue putting in the work over the winter, I keep hearing the late Micah Harbour’s jovial voice egging me on, “Never Lift”.
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Cheers,
Adam Miller
