Ducati 748	Dave Ward (lead)	1100 Guzzi	Graeme Maizey (3rd ride)
ZXR750	Ben Warden	ZZR600	Geoff Jones (rear)
YZF750	Craig Morley	GSXR750	Ray Walker
VFR750	Michael Barnes	ZX6	Patrick Davey
R6	Eric Makin	ZX7	Darren Ford
R6	John Clowes	ZX9	Mark Ayling
R1	Theo Kalkandis	R1	Dwayne (3rd ride)
RF900	Enzo Cunico	900 Diversion	Russell Smart

It has rained for three days straight and looking back on that glorious Sunday seems like it was another world. Memories of five days ago fade quickly but I remember the main thing: I crashed. The bruises are either turning green, blue, and purple, or already fading.

Sunday dawned cloudless and cool. Kicked the tyres and we were away heading for Whittlesea and the first pick-up via the back roads through Kalkalo. The main group had arrived from the city, and not a touring bike to be seen (Graeme on the Guzzi caught up to us later.) Dave detailed the ride activities, Geoff volunteered for rear riding duties, and we were soon on our bikes heading north towards Flowerdale and Yea..

I found myself corner marking in Whittlesea as the group trundled by. I caught most of the group of Kinglake West and then latched onto Dave Ward for the ride down through the steep 60/70 km/h twisties, around the big left hand sweeper and on to Flowerdale, Craig making it a threesome.

We weren’t exactly dawdling but when the SB8 (Suzuki TL1000 motor, Bimota frame, $mega) flew past, a 996 Ducati SP following closely, we heeded the wake up call, and set off in pursuit. I rolled the throttle on, and nothing much happened. Dave, clicking down a gear or two, and SB8 were gone. Craig and I reeled in the 996 slowly, watching. He was cutting the corners early, Fear his pillion passenger. Baulked by a car Craig blitzed by all three of us. I eventually passed under brakes, safely and pleasantly. There’s life left yet in the old dunger.

Craig was now the length of the straight ahead entering the down hill phase of Junction Hill. He doesn’t like it much and I considered passing him by the bottom of it.

Meanwhile Dave had got half way around the outside of SB8man, realised what it was, and was temporarily awestruck with the quality of machinery he was rounding up, but managed to complete the passing manoeuvre, upholding the MTCV tradition. We all cruised into Yea, the foreigners continuing on, the MTCVers stopping for a respite from all this fun.

Mick Barnes, long time member of the Club who married another Club member, volunteered that he was now a proud father of 4 month old Lewis, mother and baby doing fine.

We picked up John, Eric and Dwayne in Yea, having riden directly from Healesville. I collected a couple of membership dues and then back on the road again. Up to Molesworth and around to Alexandra, then up into Fraser National Park.

I found myself following Dave, after the top round-a-bout, past the lookout and around the tight esses, when, negotiating a blind left hand corner, I find myself high-sided off the bike, and spat down the road. I jumped up and ran back to warn the oncoming riders of the gravel on the road, leaving the bike to bleed to death. Thanks to whoever picked it up, as it was vertical when I returned.

A few road-side repairs and hobbled back into Eildon for lunch and more permanent fixes. A lack of right hand side foot pegs and brackets (and mirror and blinker) required swapping a few things around. It was quite rideable, and after lunch we headed for the summit of Mt Pinninger offering a 360 degree view of Lake Eildon (now only holding 30% water capacity) and surrounding hills. Fantastic. Camera!

Back to Taggerty, Buxton, Marysville and across the Black Spur. Having not lost any confidence, I was soon into the swing of it again. Latching onto Dave, we rounded a fast downhill bumpy corner only to be confronted by a nearly stopped stream of cars banked up for 2 km behind two fully laden log trucks travelling at 15 km/h down hills. Gulp. It is surprising how difficult it is to ride without a back brake, steering, braking and stability affected. Let alone having to ride with my foot on the back peg. Ho-hum.

We cruised up the outside of the cars for ages, feeling sorry for them, squeezing in to avoid the oncoming bus, similarly blocking up the traffic from the other way. And then we were in the clear for the final fling to Healesville and break-up. Top ride. Top day. Shame about the crash. Thanks to the rest of the riders who helped out at various times. Roughly 350 km for the day.

Craig, Geoff and I headed home via Yarra Glen, Diamond Creek, and the now completed Ring Road, arriving home at about 3.30 pm, in time to strip the bike down and survey the damage. If it was on the right hand side, it was damaged: blinker, mirror, foot pegs, top and lower fairings, brake levers, foot peg mounting bracket, exhaust muffler, and bent fairing mounting brackets. Plenty of garage time. Clothing also suffered: destroyed boots and pants, jacket scuffed and ripped in elbow. They did their job, the armour working well.

It was a nasty unsign-posted corner with enough gravel to send Lyn Duncan reaching for her poison pen to assassinate some bureaucrat. Dave was on opposite lock until it gripped and ejected him out of the seat, landing on the tank. Ouch! He was lucky in more ways than one.

Handle bar is on back order (hmm), the rest coming together well. Looks like the Dominator will get a run on the Hillclimb at least.

p.s. Theo sent emailed to me Monday to report he slipped on mud while dismounting at the Reefton Pub on the way home from the ride, dropping the bike in the process. $1000 in cracks to repair/replace. Ouch.

A trophy is presented at the Annual General Meeting to the Club Participant of the Year based on the total number of points accrued throughout the year. Referring to the table on the opposite page, points are awarded as follows:

• participating in a ride, or part there of 1 point
• leading a ride additional point
• acting as rear rider additional point
• contributing an article for the magazine 1 point (max. 2 per mag.)
• attending Club functions (Social Sip, General Meeting) 1 point

The Committee has recently decided that those attending abandoned rides will still be awarded points. So far this year we have had three rides cancelled due to poor weather conditions.