People who are late for trail rides –A series of unfortunate events.

[F5 Dave]

From Wellington we have to travel some distance to get to events but we always make it on time, but it surprises me the amount of people who are late. On Sunday I was one of them.

Woke up after a bad nights sleep but surprisingly was not hungover. Seems this occurs when you don’t drink the night before which is usual prep for a ride the next day. However it took a while to reassemble the oven I’d promised to so I’d get a roast that night so I arrived at John’s house 5-10min late. No biggie.

Except he is holding a front wheel. Flat. OK put back in bike so we can move it into the van & back to mine (up the road) to get all the changing gear & find (oh joy) a spare tube. To the Gas station & fill up & buy a new tube of patch glue just in case (remembered to check & sure enough the old one was toast).

Off to ride at Laws Hill. You may remember that this ride had been postponed for all the rain earlier in the month. I’ve missed this ride before as it clashed & about 3 yrs back we turned back when in sight (or lack of) of the area because of rain.

Ok so everyone is going slow but we make ok time. Where’s the turn off? Arrowing between Sanson & something I think it had said? Drive Drive. Hmm, isn’t Laws hill supposed to be over there?
Drive Drive Arrrgh! Maybe it is a northern approach; heck neither of us know Manuatu. Ok we’re at the Woodville turn off, this is officially wrong & we’re now seriously late.

Turn around & drive 25 k further back & spot a sign down a left side road that we had no chance of seeing travelling north. Get there & park up & try to sign in.

Did you hear the briefing? 'Just' sez John (just missed it). OK then, just hurry.

So run to van knowing we have a tube still to change. Sterling work, pull old tube (valve ripped so no chance of a fix) fit spare tube & use slightly risky lever method to get tyre in place in a hurry but checking with fingers that no pinch before levering.

Back together in no time. Forgot airline for bottle so foot pump. And more, and more. Think it’s getting harder. No it isn’t. Crap!!! Was spare tube already punctured or did we do it? (reckon we did).

So John sez just go for a ride he’ll go help out at the kids track. Reluctantly I agree & get going. Except the choke won’t hold up so the bike doesn’t want to start. Grab a handful in the area & the fuel line comes off & starts bleeding. Was getting this ominous feeling that perhaps I wasn’t meant to go on this ride.
Get off, fix that & head off. To find the gate is closed & not allowing any more out.

Some days it just pays to give up & go back to bed. Long drive back.

The club were good about it & gave us back most of entry fees. I understand they have problems with Transit over signage. The Pricks steal club event signs if on side of road. Officious bastards.

[Quicker_with_age]

God that was painful just to read mate, I sympathise with you guys I really do, we have all had days like that trust me.
Just think of it this way I wish they had shut the gate on me the last time I did a trail ride because on the 2nd corner I crashed and shattered my wrist lol.
Better luck next ride huh. Qwa

[mazz1972]

F5 Dave....I spoke to you I think - I suggested to give me a ring next time a few days before the ride if you can't understand the directions?

When it's a loop ride it's not a problem but with this one being a led ride, we have to close it off as tail enders need to get going. Tail enders invariably get held up with breakdowns, injuries etc, and we needed them back at the carpark before we could start the afternoon ride as part of it was 2-way and they had to co-ordinate plans so it all went smoothly.

We can't always put signs out on the highway, which is why we say "signposted or arrowed", and we put up orange arrows and give street names where we can.

A series of unfortunate events - seems you just weren't meant to be on that ride eh!!

Better luck next time, hopefully we will see you at the next ride!!

[barty5]

sounds like me last year drive way down south get there late get bike going catch end of the pack start makin my way through and the bottom end goes 4hours of pushing ( mostly up hill stinking hot day) get to road so it can be picked up 2 hr drive home should just pour the $100 in gas down the drain.
I feel for yah

[CaMo]

sounds similar to me on christmas eve.

Boys arrive, load my bike on with flat back tyre. Another mate also has a flat but nevermind kimmys has a shop with spares etc if we need em.

Arrive at kimmies. Attempt to fix mates bike, buy new tube, tyre keeps going down, lost the rear wheel bush so thats a no go!

Try fix mine, buy new tube, somehow we munt the shit out of the tube (rushing I spose), go buy a new tube and stick that in and get up and running. The other two guys are out there having fun and one biker already off due to the flat.

I go out do a lap and then one of the others come in with a flat as well. Thinks stuff this and loads his bike back on the trailer aswell. Only two left so we head out do one more lap then another around the mx track. Other rider smokes himself over end jump. Not too bad just a sore shoulder (turned out to be ligament damage and he needs surgery now).

I continue for ONE LAST lap and end up smoking myself on the step up thing. Breaking my left wrist and dislocating right shoulder. Spend rest of day at hospital.

All in all we had three flat tyres and two injuries in the space of a couple of hours. Had 4 bikes and only two ever out at once .

I know your feeling haha

Just wasn't meant to be right from the start

[F5 Dave]

Hi mazz1972 I was wondering if one of the people I talked to was you as I drove home. This post is in part an explanation to club staff of the things that can go wrong to the drongos standing in front of you with some ridiculous story.

I have a friend who is perpetually late & prone to issues, most of it self imposed through no planning, never learns.

Have to say I felt like a bit of a twit turning up late but have never done it before. Well. . actually that's not true either. About 10 years ago when I first started this trail riding lark I went to a event 'signposted from Masterton servo'.

Well I drove around trying to find it & ended up asking at the bike shop (hmm, must have been a sat ride, that's queer). Turns out it was over 1/2 an hours drive & well past Wainuiaru(sp).

Since then I've always left enough time to get there & comfortably unpack, visit the portaloos or whatever. Johns puncture was not on the plan. Getting lost was several straws too far. Oh well, gotta laugh I guess.

[F5 Dave]

OK CaMo, you win. Hands down.

I did turn up at an event having got a new (old) bike & had sanded some glazed clutch plates. Seemed ok on quick test but got to the ride (long trip) & the clutch slipped too bad to continue much past the gate. Plates were in wear spec but the combination was less than the clutch basket thickness, so another steel would have fixed it. That was a dreary wait for my mate to get back.

[mazz1972]

Hi mazz1972 I was wondering if one of the people I talked to was you as I drove home.

I was probably wearing the dorky faded old hat. I'm the ride steward so always there at sign in, at the gate checking gear and wristbands etc, and usually milling around in the carpark/pit tent/club trailer area all day.

This post is in part an explanation to club staff of the things that can go wrong to the drongos standing in front of you with some ridiculous story.

LOL...believe me we've heard ALL those stories, and while I am quite sure most of them are genuine, we've also caught a few people out telling porkies too!

Yesterday was a loooooong day! Arrived home just on 7pm.

Come up to the Otairi View Ride (Hunterville), it's a really good day!

Cheers, Maree

[Fryin Finn]

Dave - Just as a favor, I could describe the course for you. Last year it was wet and misty and you couldn't see 10m in front of you. This year it was dry and dusty and you couldn't see 10m in front of you.

[FROSTY:Me]

Man that was not a good day.
Mind you 10pm at night with a van making I dont wanna go type noises aint much fun either

[CRF119]

I had that happen to me went all the way down to rotorua got on the right road drove for ages no signs or arrows at all thought we were way lost by that time it was 12 so we gave up. Later on we looked at a map at home and relised we were 5km away from the ride. Dam it!!

I sure most of what happens to you guys is due to lack of being ready, bike maintainence etc. oh buy the ultra heavy duty tubes and you will never get flat tyres and if you keep ripping valves make sure you have the correct size rim lock. My mate killed tubes like they were free any easy to replace, found out he was sold the wrong size rim lock. With new rim lock problem solved

It shows every body has gotten lost or had a bad day at a ride sum time in there life!

[F5 Dave]

Yeah I dispatched him to go get heavy duty inner tubes before the next ride. Poor lad did check the bike the night before & had even put on a couple of new cables during the week & bought some spare cl & br levers so he was trying.

What I hate is the time I have to check the bike is the sat before, if you find a duff wheel bearing you have to rush around hoping shops still open & have stock. Sometimes Repco surprise you with bearings.

Good idea to make a check & a list when you clean the bike after the ride.

[CRF119]

For me after a ride my bike is normaly spotless within the next 2 days once clean i cheek chain, tube valves to see if any have moved around from the tyre slipping, normaly a oil and oil filter change. i always have a pre oiled air filter around to throw on. if you keep up with the small things its easy but if you leave it all for 1 day it takes ages to do. Basicly my bike is sitting in the sheed ready for a ride at any time so if i get a txt i just throw it in the van and go.