The Pacesetters


Anyone who has ever wanted to make a good time on a long distance road trip must have encountered the “Pacesetter Companion”. This is that one car which speeds up behind you when you are in the fastest lane, possibly tail-gates you, and if you maintain speed, accompanies you until your next rest stop. You make way for them, but you keep pace behind them. And as you both maneuver the highway traffic, sometimes you stay ahead, sometimes they catch-up and overtake. Both have the same goal, possibly the same destination. Total strangers, they keep you company and help you set pace until you part ways.

 This past February, I was faced with a challenge. In the middle of winter, I was to drive my daughter’s car 1200 miles, from Iowa to Boston. There would be two of us driving, but I was looking at myself as the primary driver, as my daughter was a reasonably new driver. For many people it is like “meh”. For me it was a challenge! We had done many road trips before, but I had never been the primary driver on long distance trips like this. There was a sense of adventure, a little bit of excitement. And though I wasn’t entirely sure about my teenage daughter’s take on being cooped up in the car with me for twenty hours, I was excited at the prospect.
When we first discussed the possibility of me accompanying my daughter back home, I had a fleeting moment of self-doubt. In times like these, I look to real life Pacesetters. Recently, a friend and seven co-drivers took on a cross-country road trip called XPD Beyond Asia, from Bangalore to Saint Petersburg, with an objective of driving the Trans Siberian Highway. The trip was adventurous, and dangerous, covering over 20,182 km (~12540 miles) in around 55 days. I had followed my friend’s trip on facebook with awe and wonder, always very proud of her. Suddenly, my 1200 miles looked very easy, and kind of exciting.



The trip ended up being a lot of fun! My daughter had plans to stop and meet her friends on the way. It made planning stops easier, and I could catch up with my friends and family as well. We broke the journey in four legs, with a couple of night stays and one longish rest stop. I started off being the primary driver, and towards the middle of the trip my daughter took over, driving through a light snow storm, proving to me what a capable driver she had become. We bonded over Bollywood music, and at times over her teenager playlist in which I recognized Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and learned about Harry Styles and Maggie Rogers. And we kept pace, and made time with some interesting Pacesetter Companions.





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