Great Ocean Road – Sunday 25^th October 2009

I always look forward to the Great Ocean Road ride, but once I’m there, I can’t seem to fully absorb the breathtaking scenery. It’s all too fleeting and my attention is diverted by having to negotiate cars and being on alert for speed detectors. It is amazing that we even stopped at the Twelve Apostles as this club is always on the move. But even then I was distracted with too much blah-blah and forgot to contemplate the beauty surrounding me. Ah… such is life when you want it all.

Well, for those who wanted all the road variety they could get, today they got it. Cliffy knows this area well and took us on a great adventure. 650 kilometres from start to finish, up at 8.00am and home at 8.00pm - very stuffed. I don’t look too fresh when I turn up at work on Mondays, but I do feel very satisfied at having completed such a long ride which at times was difficult. In particular, I found quite scary that very narrow bitumen “goat track” called Turton’s Track that Ron Johnston feels very proud to have discovered but which I’ll be happy to never see again.

As usual, an interesting mix of people who live out in the “West” turned up, including Corbin – Hyabusa “wild” man with a 2-dimensional, inappropriately-dressed pillion on the back, hanging onto the duck-tail held together with cable ties – a very wobbly ride. I was a bit confused though when Corbin kept asking if anyone had seen his training wheels… Che?

A great day’s ride was had by all - thanks for leading it Cliffy and to our third-time Club rider, Adam who performed the rear-riding duty with poise and patience – most appreciated.

Pina Garasi

Confused? Corbin has number plate “WILD”. His pillion was really a nude playing card poked under a cable tie where the pillion would normally sit. He had only put his bike back together the day before including welding up a new rear subframe with the duct tail cable tied in place. The whole lot shook horribly but amazingly didn’t fall apart…Ed.