"Use The Force, Luke"
For me, any aprehension or uncertainty is durectly related to one of 2 things:
[*] My current state of mind.
[*] How well I've tested the ability of my bike with me on it.
I am a huge fan of using a worm track figure out, and develope, the (me + my bike) equation. I will find a relatively flat area and use traffic cones to set up a course with as much of a mix up of hair-pin & sweeper turns(and everything in between) as I can manage. Starting out at a sane pace, I will work my way around the course making a point to swap between inside and outside lines.
Play around with it and have fun. Take a note of how long it takes to get around it 10 times. Play around some more, be unconventional, try stuff you don't normally try, and push yourself HARD(thats what all the body armor is for).
Take a breather, check your bike, review the course, then to another 10 lap time trial. Repeat.
As your worm-track rutts up, life will get more interesting and you will get exposed to more and more adverse riding situations. The harder you push yourself, the better an understanding you will develope regarding performance of you and your bike as a team. The better your understanding, the more comfortable you will feel on your bike.
Where's Your Focus?
Ever do any cross-county/trail running?
Do you stare at your feet?
Are you glaring at every tree because you're worried about hitting them?
When I'm on a race track, I focus on nothing. The thoughts running through my head are much like those when I'm running/sprinting through a woods trail: Head up, eyes forward, acknowledge obstacles(but don't stare at them), and use peripheral vision to find/evaluate moving targets.
Heck... If the rider in front of me was one of my own brothers, I most likely wouldn't even know it. I couldn't care less if it was Carmichael himself. The only thing about him being there, to me, is that he is just a dynamic part of the course(moving, non-stationary object) and my objective is to get past it. Period. If I'm taking the time to worry about exactly who is where, I'm out of my 'zone' and probably getting tired.
Like most have already said... ride, ride, ride, ride. Adrenaline is your friend. Use it to your advantage... :D
-=Mark=-
1st New England Race of 2001
....Southwick, March 25th....
... :D...!! BE THERE !!... :D...
[This message has been edited by KloudKicker (edited 01-19-2001).]