The Bandit and I left early with the sky still misting but after the bulk of the lightening show had spent itself and moved on. The roads were slick and puddle-ridden for most of our morning ride out towards the river valley. We stay on the side roads and parkways as much as possible, and take the major eastbound highway only in the final stretch, since the Dunn Bros I am looking for hangs off it.
The road is slick and I skid around a bit and bounce off a few puddle-covered road defects. Only so much you can handle at speed, though. There is a LOT of information to take in when riding in weather, from cars to intersections to road conditions and other potential hazards, all while looking through a rain-speckled visor that doesn't clean itself. So I quiet my noisy mind and let my intuition tell me what to watch out for and the ride smoothes out.
I did notice, as soon as I let my gut guide me, that my riding location changed a bit. Instinct took me towards the lane center and kept me maximally inside on speedy wet curves. I was hugging the inside of turns without really knowing why other than it felt better to be there than anywhere else.
Then my mind starting making noise again (well really, it never stopped :), and I connected the dots...
We nearly lost it on a slick oiled-and-pebbled road the other day. The road is slick everywhere now between the water and floating oil spots and rain-hidden surprises, but it's especially slick at the painted line edging the roadway. Keeping the Bandit to the inside of the turns for as long as possible is giving me the most asphalt to deal with traction issues before inertia and I run out of room. Staying mid-lane does the same on the straightaways.
The lesson? Trust your gut, quiet your mind, and you'd be surprised what comes of it.
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