Boulder Canyon is an amazing road with over 90 serious curves. Being a neophyte rider, I joined into the experience on the last 6 miles of the lower section where Sugarloaf road intersects the main road. This is a road I've known for four years + via my car and by bus. Some drivers want to go fast, some go 35 mph. You never know but the basic mantra is, there's only one way from here to there, so just deal with who ever is in front of you because that's the speed you are going to go.
And with this knowledge I'm joining, as I said, as a fairly neophyte rider. I've taken the MSF course. I've been practicing on the Peak-to-Peak. I can do 45 mph and curves.
Well. I discover that the lower Boulder Canyon road is very rutted with the years of traffic - the road is not smooth. So the classic 'start on the outside of the curve and cut the corner and back out to the outside' creates an ever changing lean angle that is most disconcerting! I have not encountered this before. And being courteous, after a few curves of this hummocky ride, I pull onto the wide berm and let a small set of 4 cars by.
I re-evaluate the road and decide that keeping a stable line through the curve is probably safer... changing lean angle as one traverses across little humps in the road does not seem to make sense. So after the last set of vehicles goes by, I join back in... and follow the curve in one of the 'grooves' - this feels so much better!
Fast forward 8 hours after work. I'm a little freaked out by my morning ride, and want to take those curves better. I'm headed up hill now through Boulder Canyon. My eyes are dissecting the grooves in the road and I'm doing horribly! What is going on?
Then I realize, I'm fixating on the details of the road! Relax... see the whole curve... see through the curve and suddenly I'm taking the curves more smoothly at the speed of the traffic ahead of me.
So THAT is target fixation! I go through the tunnel and honk my horn. What fun!
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