The forecast was for 17 degrees and fine, sunny weather. Judging by the number of bikes in Whittlesea service station itching for a ride, this sort of weather had been a long time coming. The week before had been dismally cold and windy, and now, glorious blue sky and bright sunshine.

Though arriving right on the knocker, a number of riders continued to arrive well after the scheduled leaving time. Given the number of times I have arrived late and the Club has left, this is a risky occupation. Nevertheless, Wayne called us together, identified that there was no-one unfamiliar with the corner marking system, outlined the route, and we were away.

Heading north out of Whittlesea Lyn and I corner marked immediately at the Wallan turn-off to ensure everyone was in no doubt. Ian and Sherry, self-nominated rear riders, arrived soon enough, Lyn blasting away and getting a good break in the traffic through Whittlesea township. It took quite some time for me to regain the tail of the group heading out of Kinglake West and down the 70 km/h sweepers, remembering that only a couple of weeks before Joe Cook had come to grief. Indeed, there was a wreath of flowers commemorating the exact spot.

At some stage you have to make a decision about how you are going to ride: either sit placidly behind fellow riders, or hustle past. The tyres were warmed up, the roads dry, the head right, familiar road, time to go. Not long after Flowerdale I came across Dave Ward and friends dawdling, Wayne not far ahead. Given Junction Hill and clear road ahead I opted to go ahead and enjoy the clear run. I’m sure Wayne meant to say pass the leader if so inclined.

I enjoyed a fabulous controlled blast through Junction Hill, being careful to limit the speed, if not to something sensible, then at least controllable. The Honda is deceptively and effortlessly fast. When the road straightened out I dropped back to 80 km/h and cruised until Wayne came sweeping by. I ended up corner marking with Dave Skitt in Yea. Unbeknownst to us the group was having a pit stop while we waited for Peter and the rear rider. Peter’s bike had nearly rolled off the side stand in Whittlesea, and having let all the air out of the rear shock in search of a more compliant ride, was sitting quite low at the back. Kawasaki, like other manufacturers, changed the rear shock linkages every couple of years until they finally got it sorted out sometime around 1998. As Peter said, time to update.

Wayne was itching to go, so Rhys and I corner-marked the Flowerdale turnoff — back the way we had come — and continued our conversation re a weekend ride away leaving Friday (Bairnesdale), riding around Saturday in southern NSW staying at Orbost that night, and making our way home on Sunday. Good plan, now to find a date, possibly Friday 14^th September, missing school holidays, and six weeks before the usual epic Cup Day Weekend.

Back on the bike again, it is always a pleasure to repeat good roads, the first time effectively a sighting lap. Junction Hill came and went and we peeled right at Flowerdale heading for Strath Creek. Road work gravel still surround one of the mid-corner erased pimples and must be treated with care. At Strath creek we picked up the Parrot Creek Rd to the highway, turning left to Trawool and beyond. Now following Craig, I wondered why he was travelling relatively sedately (for Craig). Eventually he tucked in behind me, figuring he had better have a good time, despite fearing Mr Plod. I think he thought we were stopping at Trawool Resort, but given that it is in the middle of a magnificently fast sweeper, it was obvious that I wasn’t! Craig ended up corner marking the Tallarook turnoff while I followed Wayne to Tallarook over this bumpy section, now considerable improved with the addition of Ohlin equipment. Interestingly there were at least 3 other Ohlins' suspended bikes on the ride. Dave Skitt and I corner marked.

John (GPX) arrived, on reserve, and looking for petrol. I suggested he check the Tallarook township. In the interim, rear riders Ian and Sherry arrived, and I sent them onwards, not wanting to delay the ride any more, knowing that leader Wayne was now under time pressure. Given the amount of time John was taking, I figured he must have found an open service station. I was wrong! Nothing for it but try and make Pyalong, some 20 km way. I went ahead, waiting at a couple of corners to check Dave and John were still following, and eventually caught the rear rider as we entered Pyalong I was about to grab the syphon from the emergency kit and backtrack towards Broadford when Dave and John rolled in.

Three of the thirstier bikes filled up. Wayne was helmeted and ready to go. The plan was to ride back exactly the way we had come toTallarook to reach Trawool by 1 pm, our scheduled lunch and booking time. I roused everyone up — Wayne had gone — and off we went again. The sun still shone brightly, the sky deep blue, perfect for riding. Lyn and Eddie departed for Melbourne at this stage.

The trip back to Trawool Resort was uneventful and we made it a few minutes before 1 pm, all 20 of us. As per last year, the management put us in the garden bistro, a glassed-in area offering uninterrupted views across the river flood plains. Sensational. There was plenty of room to dump our helmets and masses of bike clothing as we shed layers of clothing. It was quite warm and humid, effectively a glass house environment, and it wasn’t long before a few of us were feeling the effects of the heat.

Julie arrived at 1.25pm, after driving the 100 km from Melbourne to be with the group. Having missed the first round of orders, which were already starting to arrive, she negotiated with the attractive waitress for fast fish and chips. Meanwhile conversation turned to steaks and definitions of well done, medium and rare. There was some consensus that the medium was a little rare for most tastes.

With time marching on Wayne marshalled us once more at the bikes. The Suzuki riders were fretting over whether they would have enough fuel to reach Strath Creek, some 14 km away. Dave Nimmo rode conservatively and made it. Ray rode his usual flat out and ran out. He eventually acquired some petrol from a farmer who sloshed in 5 litres or so, gratis, for a like minded Kangaroo supporter. The rest of us regrouped at Strath Creek. I managed to get 204 km from the tank before the reserve light came on, some 30 km less than "normal". Clearly an indication of the amount of fun we were all having.

Off again along the Strath Creek Rd to Flowerdale, this time forgetting about the gravel strip near the road works, resulting in an unexpected slide and grip. Ray slotted in behind me and we battled our way through the traffic, mainly cars, to Kinglake West. I half expected Wayne to stop there but he pushed on to Whitlesea for breakup. Heading out of Kinglake West we encountered a group of sports bikes we had seen at Strath Creek, then a group of patch Harley riders and a couple of 250’s. It was general mayhem as our group worked its way through the plethora of bikes and cars, Craig leading the charge. Many the tall story was recounted at Whittlesea. And the 4WD flashing its lights on the outskirts of Whittlesea just added to the excitement.

Home by 4.20 pm, 340 km for the day. Thanks Wayne for leading and Ian and Sherry for rear riding and all the other members for making the day a memorable one.