Take what no else wants

Often, when you read the official biographies, unofficial exposes, and/or autobiographies of famous people, the thing that stands out is the same. They had the vision to adopt/propose/do something that others wouldn't. In there lies a lesson in gaining time and speed in traffic. Oh yes, I can see that expression on your face and hear the wet slap sound of your palm striking your forehead... I'm like that only.

No, seriously. There's a lesson to be learnt. If you can figure out a way to use what no else wants – like say the gym early on Sunday morning – you suddenly gain space and time. No more waiting for a queue to the treadmill... you get the picture, right? It's the reason why in the days of CLI dial-up connections, 0200 to 0300 was considered the golden hour.

In traffic terms, especially in the rains, it means riding where no one else will. Like the potholed stretches, or submerged stretches where you know the road intimately. Or even through some muck that no one else wants splattered on themselves.

When traffic backs up trying to avoid a two lane wide, 200 metre long stretch of broken road, you will find yourself going faster than them no matter how slowly you take the stretch. Me? I stand on the pegs and ensure that I accelerate through the stretch. Acceleration keeps the front fork travel available and the bump-steering to the minimum, standing on the pegs reduces the bodily shock. And usually, if you go fast enough, you'll skim over the surface and not feel a thing.

Be careful though. When you get good at this, you will be travelling way, way faster than the slower crawling people – who won't be expecting you to fly through.

Also, if a auto rickshaw is in the broken stretch, be double, extra careful. Once inside, they seem to totally forget they have mirrors and are still in the middle of traffic. The idiots seem to totally focus on keeping their wheels out of holes, no matter how dire a direction change that means.