Castlemaine                          Sunday 4th September, 2005

 

Honda CBR929           Ben Warden (lead)                   Suzuki GSXR1000       Lyn Duncan

Honda CBR929           Ian Payne                                 Suzuki Hayabusa          Wayne & Joanne Nimmo

Honda CBR1000         Paul Southwell                          Suzuki Hayabusa          Pearl Manor (1st ride)

Honda CBR900           Shane Hindle                            Suzuki Bandit               Ron Johnston

Honda CBR1100         Martin Hastie    (rear)                Cagiva Raptor 1000     Alex Frieburg (1st ride)

Honda VFR750           Renzo Cunico                           Yamaha R1                  Geoff Jones

13 bikes, 14 people                                                     Yamaha R6                  Joel Haley

 

Rob Langer rang Ben on Friday morning, apologizing for not being able to attend the General Meeting because of surgery on his forehead after slashing it on a sheet of corrugated iron, a renovation mishap. Leading the Sunday ride seemed pretty unlikely also. Rob, I do hope you’re OK. So Ben stepped up to lead this one, throwing in a bit of exploration in the afternoon.

 

When I arrived at Whittlesea, 11 other riders were there already. Shane, who’ll be along on the Towong weekend, Paul, leading our much anticipated Dargo weekend, Joel, of course, Ian (the Godfather), Wayne and Joanne, great to see you back, Ron Johnston, giving the Bandit another try, Geoff, our hilarious lunchtime entertainer, and Martin, on his first ride back after his bike insurance restoration.

 

Another Hayabusa and a Cagiva Raptor were fueling up. It turns out their riders were joining in as well. One of the riders was Pearl who tells me later that she has ridden with the Club before. Alex, on the Cagiva, is a friend of hers. Then Ben and Enzo pull in and that makes the lot for today.

 

With Martin as rear rider we head up the hill through Kinglake West, eventually turning left at Flowerdale towards Strath Creek.

 

Getting close to the left hand turn at Goulburn Valley Highway,  and I’m pretty sure it is a long way back to the rear rider so I’ve got enough time to dash behind that big eucalypt. Paul slows down as I’m hopping off. I signal him all is ok. I realise I’ve picked a bad spot to be quick with because there a lot of broken tree limbs strewn all around with long green grass growing through making it a bit of an obstacle course to get to the tree, so I’m watching each  step - instead of where I’m going. Oh shit! A black snake sunning itself. After living in Flowerdale and Eildon I am used to getting close to them. Other people had been living there all their lives and never see one. Not me. Saw four in just one season in Flowerdale. One of ‘em got as big a fright as I did and couldn’t get away and rolled down the embankment in the backyard towards me.

 

Sorry, got distracted, back to the day. Nobody else had gone past yet, so I’ll be looking for another spot to stop. When I got up to the Goulburn Valley Highway, I just had to stop and tell Paul about the snake. At the next turn to Tallarook, Ian, Joanne and Wayne are there, so I must have miscalculated. Then Ron and Enzo are on the next. Perfect for me.

 

I stopped under the Hume bridge to mark the Pyalong turn off. On my own and in the shade with no chance of snakes here; no long grass and a good few minutes to spare. Shane pulls up and I’m dying to tell someone else my snake story.

 

Meanwhile, eight kilometers ahead Joel is hanging a U turn to assist Alex who has not quite negotiated a left hander onto a narrow bridge with gravel across the entrance, just before the Pyalong Seymour road. (That is, he lost the front end in the gravel and crashed into the armco. …Ed.) Alex is adjusting his mirror when I eventually roll by. He has two other helpers, so I continue on.

 

Heading for Pyalong, Ben appoints corner markers at the marked 45 km/h turnoff to Broadford, which has, in the recent past, split the ride. Having two first timers with us, I guess he thought it a good idea. (It was members who stuffed up the last two times. And with the new signage it could be ambiguous…Ed.) This was probably lucky, twice over. Ian and Wayne pulled up with me. There were also a couple of fluoro-jacket clad corner markers for a push bike race, witches hats and their car, so a pretty happening spot. Ian and Wayne were asked to move their bikes because there was a cop setting up with radar! Some of the group had already gone through, but Ian decided it was a good idea to head back and warn the remainder of the group. Thanks Ian.

 

Ron and Geoff were back at the intersection of Daisyburn Road (Tallarook) and the Seymour–Pyalong Road, waiting for the crash site to clear, while Enzo and I now sat at the Northern Highway 18 km away in Pyalong, with Ian and Wayne in the middle somewhere. It was a long wait with riders trickling through. Finally, Martin arrived, escorting Alex, who headed straight down the highway, a split in the radiator the result of hitting the armco on the bridge, forcing an early retirement. Later reports indicate he made it home without further mishap.

 

We dog-legged onto the Lancefield road, a gem which brings us out a few kilometres north of Lancefield where we refueled and had morning tea. I’m eager to retell my snake story, which lands me with the write up. Ian leaves us here, expecting to have travelled further with us ‘cept for the holdup. He has granddaddy duties to attend to.

 

After a leisurely break, we head north out of Lancefield three kays, then left onto Bourke and Wills track, a notoriously bumpy road. With Joanne reportedly doing fine, it was a hell of a rough first ride back.

 

The leader turned left at Mia Mia just past where Joel had collected a galah, the impact folding his bike’s mirror back, absorbing the shock before hitting his arm in a puff of feathers. The galah then ejected out of the right hand side of his bike, spinning to the ground. We corner marked at Redesdale. No damage, just a lot of white powdery stuff on his jacket.

 

Through Sutton Grange and skip across the Calder to Chewton, then onto Castlemaine where we refuel and then regroup at the bakery. Pearl revealed she was expecting a little better from us – at least a long lunch in a pub - and departs for home, gourmet food and a quiet rest. (Pearl also said she was used to riding in formation with no passing and with general observing of the speed limit. Hence, from her perspective, riding with us with no leader to be seen, and passing going on all the time, it just looked like complete anarchy. I understand Ron Solomon, Pearl a customer of his, had suggested we might not be an appropriate group to ride with. His advice is not to be treated lightly. …Ed.)

 

Maybe just as well Pearl departed with the hilarities of lunchtime and lowering of the tone. Geoff educated us on the new ‘penis fly trap device’, an anti-rape device. You just had to be there!

 

As we mounted up, Paul departed for home along the highway to be part of the crowd watching the first Australian League Soccer in Melbourne.

 

We headed back to Chewton and turned right to Fryerstown. Ben is exploring new roads. We ride around the outskirts of a recent shower which has dampened the roads, just enough to keep the dust down on a couple of kilometers of dirt. Through to Lauriston where the map was consulted followed by an unintentional short loop through Kyneton, skirting around Lauriston Reservoir and back to Lauriston. Back on track to Tylden via the Springhill road, then onto Woodend to regroup.

 

Joel refuels and Shane leaves the ride for home. We headed around a few twisties at the base of Mt Macedon. Geoff continues over the Mt. and on to home. Down the up road, or is it up the down road? It is the famous Straws Lane for those not from the north and western suburbs. We continued on through Hesket, Romsey and Wallan, our final breakup. Wayne and Joanne go their own way, while Joel and Ron still have pleasant roads home ahead of them via Whittlesea. Ben, Martin and I head straight down the Hume Freeway.

 

Another fantastic, fun-filled day. Thanks Ben, who never fails to give us a good ride, and thanks Martin who did the day’s rear riding.

 

 

Lyn Duncan (Suzuki GSXR1000)