Strathbogie Ranges MK III Sunday 17^th January 2010

Give me an ‘A’! Give me a ‘C’! Give me an ‘E’! What does that spell? Bloody Ace, mate! All the way through the Myers and Chum Creek roads, the Black Spur, St Andrews road (after the ride was over), and fun, fun, fun on the sweepers to Molesworth. Ah, I dream of the day when I can fly through them all.

I can’t help feeling spoilt roadwise because in Victoria, so close to the city, we have all these amazing and varied roads from bitumen to dirt, wide and smooth to narrow and bumpy, sweeping to tight corners, blind to open corners, and flat to hilly. As for the speed limits, that’s another thing.

They say the New Year is all about reflection on the previous one and blah, blah, blah...Good for those who had a good year, J but not so good if you fall - not literally-into the ‘others’ category. L

Anyway, riding out to the Yarra Glen meeting point brought on a memory for me from when I first joined the Club last year. Yes, it was that long ago. Time flies when you’re having fun, huh? I remember, initially, absolutely dreading any rides that started from Yarra Glen because it took ages before I could get there without taking a wrong turn, which always brought on a bit of panic that I would finally arrive in Yarra Glen and everyone would be gone. It’s always satisfying to be able to look back and see some progression because now I can happily say that Yarra Glen is my favourite meeting point (aside from the Shell Servo purely for the sleep-in factor) because I really get to have some pre-ride fun though the Christmas Hills. How things change J

The weather conditions were just perfect for this ride, unlike the previous disgustingly hot weekend. Occasionally overcast but not hot, not cold, lovely breeze. It couldn’t have been better - and the roads were pretty good too, considering the stormy conditions the night before.

The other thing I reflected upon was the progressively increased ride turnouts over the year, even during the miserable winter months. It’s really great to be able to share fellow members’ passion and enthusiasm, and new riders’ interest.

Having now imparted a few paragraphs of mindless dribble, I will promptly end this with thanks to Rob for leading and Geoff and Ian for sharing the rear riding positions. Heck, being that time of year, I’ll also say thanks to everyone else for coming along.

And lastly, as the Chinese New Year dawns, I’m hoping that the Year of the Tiger will continue to bring smiles and laughs to everyone, and much less crashes for our members. Happy Chinese New Year to me, and happy, fun and safe riding to us all.

Ha Du