To the uninitiated, the nipples to which I refer are the little...well...nipples...on new tires. You can see them at right. A telltale sign to the Rossi's of the world that you aren't getting into the curves is the appearance of nipples.
So off we went, me and 'Lil Trip, up to Prescott to the best curves that I know of within close proximity, to scrub my nipples.
I was almost giddy with excitement. Such a simple, exciting goal for the day. I had no inhibitions about skipping my run this morning. I could always make that up later. But when you're feelin' right, you just gotta go. I've been looking at those nipples for a couple of days--since I last rode--and I've had this aching feeling that this is something I needed to take care of very soon.
So I left at 6:30. Yep. AM. Had my coffee, fired off a few emails and was on the Black Canyon Freeway fast. (It's easy when you're out of bed at 4:30. Couldn't sleep. Those nipples were calling). Up I went to 74, headed to Wickenburg, then to Nowhere, where the fun begins.
A couple of old-timers admired 'Lil Trip at the gas station. Used to ride their Tiger Cub up the hills, they said. Made it up just fine. They'd never seen a Triumph like mine, and they figured I'd probably never seen one like theirs, but I told them I'd seen pictures. I asked what size the engine was, and they said 250. I told them mine was 675, three cylinder. The triple impressed them, and after thinking for a few seconds, the one fellow asked about the configuration: "two and then one?", he asked. "Inline", I said, and I used my fingers to show him how it was laid out. I don't know if he was impressed that I knew the answer, or about the configuration, or that I used my fingers, but rest assured, he was impressed about something. Said it must be pretty fast, and I said "yeah".
They were worried about me making it up Yarnell Hill, said a motorcycle crashes there every day. I said, "don't worry, he can make it up Yarnell Hill". They both laughed about that and said "just be sure YOU make it up Yarnell Hill". I thanked them as they walked away, and I sure appreciate the possibility that a couple of old fellows got a kick out of me, and maybe thought about a good time or two that they might have had in the past.
Anyway...back to my nipples. I was pretty thankful that the old fellas didn't notice them, but I can assure you, they were on my mind. With (a couple) bathroom breaks and some petrol in the tank, I was ready to scrub these babies!
I minded my MPH through town, but when I got to the curves, there was no slowin' me down. Only little problem I had was that I was cold! Talk about nipples! I looked at the weather, but took off with no undergarments anyway. It would be triple digits when I got back to the valley in a few hours, and I'd appreciate the earlier chill when that happened. It's hard to relax when you're cold, but I did my very best. Relaxation is key, of course, when you're leaning, and flowing, and trying to get yourself over as far as possible. That's the only way you're going to reach those nipples, and I was doing my best.
It was a lot of fun, and I was amazed that I had no cars in front of me as I went up Yarnell Hill (new asphalt that looked a little slick). Nowhere is where it really gets fun, and I still say it's one of the best stretches of twisties within close proximity to Phoenix. Very manageable for a girl with fresh nipples, and challenging to the boys who think they've got what it takes.
I had a nice breakfast in Prescott, and patted myself on the shoulder for finding a different route out of town to avoid some serious road construction I encountered on my way up.
I went right back the way I came, because, well, if it works once, it's probably going to work again. And it did. Not a single car in front of me all the way down to the valley. I was a little fresher after having had some French toast, and I giggled with excitement as I worked the turns. I knew I'd need to lean to scrub these babies, and every time I thought I was getting a little too leaned over in a curve, I just said to myself "nipples nipples nipples", and giggled giddily inside my helmet with glee.
It's actually not a bad cue to tell yourself to use your body to lean the bike in a turn. I started thinking about leaning my nipple toward the ground as I turned, and every time I did it, I laughed a little more. It felt good. I wondered if Rossi ever used the nipple cue when learning to lean his bike, and that made me laugh to myself even more.
In the end, I never even checked to see if my nipples were scrubbed when I got home. I know I felt scrubbed, and that's all that mattered today.
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