“Rider Insurance Policy” Not the Stuff You Pay For

All riders have a “rider insurance policy” whether they pay attention to it or not, let alone know how to use it.

I first heard of this “rider insurance policy” from my good friend and rider coach, Dusty Wessels. Here is how it works.

A “rider insurance policy” is about self reflection and being honest about what you see and feel. The max percentage that we can ride at is 100%. The only time a person should be going 100% is if they are racing or competing. Think of it like working out at the gym, you don’t go 100% all the time every time. You’d be beat. Riding is the same.

You will have to decide what ranges work well for you and your style of riding. Figure out where 100% is. You might already know because you’ve experienced it, and if you haven’t, you might be able to imagine it. Take that 100% and dial back to 50% and imagine what the riding would be like then. The percentages needed can also be influenced by the challenge of the road or trail you are on. You might want to ride at 50% but the road demands more of you, so you’ll need to go to 70% for a bit.

Learning to dial your “rider insurance policy” up and down, helps to conserve energy, can mitigate risk, and helps you get through tougher sections. For example, if the road or trail your are on becomes narrow, and vision decreases, slow down. This dials your percentage back and allows percentages to be on reserve when you need them. Another example is when you don’t feel confident you could stop quickly safely, so you should dial your percentage back on your “rider insurance policy” for something like this as well. Of course when the road or trail demands more skill you’ll need to tap in on some of those extra percentages. The trick is also understanding that your “rider insurance policy” is attached to your energy level. As your energy depletes, your 100% range also depletes. The opposite is true too. The higher the percentage you ride at, the more physically and mentally demanding you’ll be riding which in turn depletes your energy level.

Another reason to dial that percentage back is if you are riding alone. It’s best to stay in a safe and comfortable percentage range so if anything goes wrong you have wiggle room to work with. Personally, when I ride alone, I set my “rider insurance policy” to 40% - 60% max.

To increase your skill, you’ll need to dial your “rider insurance policy” up. Do so in a safe and controlled manner. I highly encourage 70% - 90% range be used for training. Riding at those levels on a leisurely ride does’t give you anything more to tap into when your situation escalates.

However, you might need to ride at a higher pecentage within your “rider insurance policy” on certain sections of a ride. A good example is a long and rocky hill climb if you’re riding off-road. You’ll need to use more of your skill which naturally turns your policy up. Dial it back down when you can.

Take note that each rider and each day is going to be different. My 100% looks and feels different than your 100%. Today’s 100% is also going to look and feel different from yesterday’s and tomorrow’s 100%. The point is to honor where you are in the moment and to work within that range. Get comfortable with checking in with yourself and being honest. Personally, I want to ride another day and I will dial back typically before dialing up. However, before I became more aware of my own “rider insurance policy” I would dial up because I felt like I had to muster through instead of slow down, stop, or turn around.

The beauty behind your “rider insurance policy” is that you’ll have the opportunity to get to know yourself better. You’ll start listening to your body, your energy, and the situation, which will help you make better decisions for yourself. So go collect on that policy you never knew you had, it’s worth it.