Learner Ride to Taupo (Saturday 11 Feb 2012)

[blue rider]

to scorpio girl...

you where in front of us (maakz, 3leaves, +1 and my self) for quite some time, i think you did well.

the point is to have fun on these rides and get home safely, you did that, so mission accomplished.

[Grant`]

Thank you to Sabine for arranging for car break in and also the chocolate I had a few pieces of, was very nice

[blue rider]

Thank you to Sabine for arranging for car break in and also the chocolate I had a few pieces of, was very nice

t'was ma pleasure

[Gremlin]

That's because number 3 was me, and try as I might I just could not keep up... it's the corners that slow me down as I'm not confident yet doing them at speed and didn't want to push myself, although having said that I learned HEAPS this weekend so am feeling more confident now... on the straights the wee scorpio was full throttle trying to gain some ground lol

Ah, OK, explains that then. One of the two commented we kept losing people, but I said, I'd rather have it at 3, than at 10, as I can keep a better eye on it.

You just need to get out there and practise

[Maha]

That's because number 3 was me, and try as I might I just could not keep up... it's the corners that slow me down as I'm not confident yet doing them at speed and didn't want to push myself, although having said that I learned HEAPS this weekend so am feeling more confident now... on the straights the wee scorpio was full throttle trying to gain some ground lol

And that all that is expected...I was behind you on the Ohinewai road (as were three others) and I really enjoyed that part of the ride.

[scorpio girl]

to scorpio girl...

you where in front of us (maakz, 3leaves, +1 and my self) for quite some time, i think you did well.

the point is to have fun on these rides and get home safely, you did that, so mission accomplished.

Thanks Sabine, yep, mission definitely accomplished Thanks for your tips, they were much appreciated and have really helped me already

Ah, OK, explains that then. One of the two commented we kept losing people, but I said, I'd rather have it at 3, than at 10, as I can keep a better eye on it.

You just need to get out there and practise

That's the plan!

And that all that is expected...I was behind you on the Ohinewai road (as were three others) and I really enjoyed that part of the ride.

Thanks Mark, this weekend has been fantastic for me, I have learnt so much and am feeling a lot more confident. One of the biggest things for me was riding in the rain, I had been avoiding that because I was scared, having spent a lot of the afternoon riding in it yesterday I'm feeling way better about that.
So again, HUGE thanks to you and Anne for organising such a great event!

[blue rider]

pictures to prove it happened

[blue rider]

this happened also

[blue rider]

and more happenings

[Rehab]

I will lead the next ride (thats me and my group of pace setters)
I personally made a wrong call in letting someone lead a group that had never done that before...my fail on that.

I think that's a bit unfair on the leader of that group. What happened with passing the truck wasn't his fault and over the course of the weekend I don't recall him doing anything that struck me as dangerous. Learner or not, someone in charge of a vehicle is an adult and should be able to make their own decisions. I was concerned a couple of times during the ride on both days that there was a serious amount of sheep activity going on, where the job of choosing the corner speed/entry point/line etc etc was not being made individually, but rather by the person ahead. By person ahead I don't mean the leader, I mean the person immediatly ahead - who could also be a learner.

Given that was happening, I believe Scott did a stellar job of keeping the speed etc safe and the only thing that needs changing is reminding people that they MUST be making their own choices at all times. Yeah, they're there to learn, but that doesn't mean copying exactly what the person in front of you is doing. I wouldn't want to lead if I thought that anything I did would result in someone else crashing because they were copying me rather than thinking for themselves.

The corner decision thing is a bit subjective since my mind reading skills aren't what they used to be when I was a Jedi. However, you don't get a better example than watching a line of bikes pass a truck over a blind crest when only the first two could do it safely. Well, that and I did shake my head a couple of times when someone near the front would start doing tyre warm-ups because they were bored and the action spread back through the pack like they were chained together.

We are all responsible for our own actions out there. While the more experienced have the added responsibility of being watched and copied and listened to (whether they want or even deserve to be) at the end of the day if you pass a truck or ride through gravel on a corner and end up a mushy paste, you can only blame the person who made the desicion to do it.

[OCD Legend]

my camera obviously has a mind of it's own

[Mom]

It was great catching up with friends, old and new, on Saturday night.
Thanks for your hospitality people.

Hugs lovely! Was so yummy to see you, its been far too, far too...

Said 'problem' occured that a slow truck was going up a hill, which was fine as there was room for 1-3 bikes maybe to get past safely at the given passing point, but the whole group apart from the TEC went past this truck...

And there was a ride rule broken right there.

Never mind, this was a good learning curve for all of us, lessons have been learned, good times have been had, and we all got home safely. The last one to arrive would be DICK, I reckon she should be just about there now

At a little bit of an awkward point in my life, I felt the need to be with friends, and I do feel that I have just inherited a whole bunch of simply awesome friends - beyond that even, there is a sense of family bonding the whole group, including others talked about lovingly even though they were not there.

I like my new family :-) I simply can't wait for the next ride - Is it time yet?

Cheers
Virgil (the no-longer virgin)

You know you have done it now though eh? No friggen hope for you at all
Was lovely to meet you, next time you bring cookies make sure I actually take one would you mind, I simply wandered off and forgot. Sorry about that I was focussed on breakfast

my camera obviously has a mind of it's own

Nice pics

Brings to mind 3leaves at Rangariri, now that really was funny shit

[nzspokes]

Lol did I get the delivery address for my new fairings wrong?

No. LOL.

This...

[Grant`]

No. LOL.

This...

Awesome another bike to the collection, I would love another bike but so can't condone spending money on 2 rego/warrants

[nzspokes]

I take those comments onboard...
I will lead the next ride (thats me and my group of pace setters)
I personally made a wrong call in letting someone lead a group that had never done that before...my fail on that.

I respectfully wish to disagree. I strongly believe my group was very well lead. But this I will PM you about later.

Having recently been a poorly lead ride that was plain dangerous I feel I know a bit about it.

Scott did a very good job apart from one small error in GPS reading. I doubt I could have done as well. That is the last I will say publicly on it.

The corner marking situation does need work if big groups are used. When I marked the turn off 27 I stopped well short of the turning bay to give riders room to turn. But no body stopped after. I had to wait for the TEC (maha) to come through before I could carry on.

And maybe in future we use per printed maps. GPS may seem like a good idea but maybe not.