Riding is good for you

[sapaul]

That's why I am going riding this weekend.

It is the 2nd anniversary of the death of the Buccaneer, the guy that got THINK BIKE off the ground here in SA. We are going on a memorial ride to celebrate his life

www.thinkbike.co.za

Have a great weekend your selves and take care.

by 4 now

[sapaul]

Some times it isd just good to get out and ride,

this is what happened this weekend. We organised a get together to celebrate the life of our former chairman who ironically was killed while attending an advanced riding course.

I was close to Brian, known as the Buccaneer or "Bucc" and had him in my thoughts as I set out early Saturday morning.

My trip was to take me into the Free state and the town of Fouriesburg http://www.fouriesburgcountryinn.co.za/
and sister town Clarens
http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsfs/clarens.php

The Fouriesburg Inn is biker friendly and looks after us well.

The usual Saturday traffic was OK and it took me only a half hour to get out of the mayhem and into some of the country roads.

Shamefully, I have to tell you that SA's roads outside of the main cities are in crisis. Our government in it's haste to make ready for the 2010 soccer world cup has neglected the country roads badly.

http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicswe ... &sn=Detail

The route that I took was the quickest there and the roads were potholed badly making riding unpleasant. That however did not deter me from riding in honor of my friend.

The sun was shining an incredible blue African sky, there was very little wind and the mood that this induced was euphoric. I tend to empty my head when I ride, gives me more room for thought instead of panic, so out went the weekday worries and thinking what The Goose would get up to with me not there for the weekend, and this was replaced by the memories of a good friend that died for his belief.

When the roads allowed, I rode like we did when we rode together, smooth and fast, enjoying the full speed sweeps and the quick twisties. There are some good roads here if they are kept maintained properly. Sometimes I manage to find some.

As I got closer to the mountains, I was as serene as I have been in a long time, maybe realising just how precious life is and how important it is to manage your risk and not make stupid mistakes that could be avoided. There was hardly any traffic for the last 100 k's or so and the big GS just loves to chew these up and spit them out.

The weather was great as I pulled up to the Inn and confirmed my booking. I was treated like an old friend, not surprised as I have organised many a run to the Inn before.

The Gs's top box carries everything you need for an overnight so there was no need for me to unpack and I planned to go to Clarens for lunch. There is a stretch of road 36km's that will have any one who has ridden the Tail of the Dragon, begging for more. Just before I got back onto the bike, a voice behind me said "hang a few minutes, some dirt riders are coming in and they are going to be initiated"

The road was calling though and so was lunch, so I declined and went off to Clarens feeling every bit the Brian was around somewhere.

Here in SA we have a practice of putting down our pillion footpegs for the fallen to choose who they want to catch a ride with. I felt that the bugger was always in front of me, just like he used to like to be when he was alive. So it was off on one of my favorite roads and lunch. I will tell you more when I get back from lunch OK.

[Flesher]

That's a great way to remember a friend. Very well done.

[sapaul]

That was a long lunch, ha ha.

The road from Fouriesburg to Clarens is biking heaven. Good tar road with a combo of short tight twisties and long sweeping curves with panoramic views from the top of the mountain as you go ride over the top. 36Kms in all and many times we ride it there and back and back again just for the sheer joy of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gat ... ional_Park

the Golden Gate park also offers some spectacular roads to ride and the scenery is stunning.

Clarens is an artist town that has attracted some real talent and is always busy with tourists both local and from overseas. it is also one of the few places that has 2 micro brewery's that make live beer. I don't drink and ride but can always find place for a couple of bottles for later.

It was sad to sit and reflect that Bucc was not here with us but we know that he had a full life and that he left the Think Bike legacy behind him. Not many people can say that.

Strangely it was in the Golden Gate that he had an accident a couple of years previously with another beemer. On a sharp bend another guy crossed the line and their pots hit each other shearing off and causing both riders to fall. Luckily it was slow speed and both riders walked away with little damage except to their ego's and bikes.

Bucc was one of life's optimists and called a spade a spade often directing his intellect at himself. A lot of people learned a lot from him.

More later

[sapaul]

So, back to Fouriesburg on that great road again, by the time I got back, some of the other crew was there and we parked the bikes ready to party.

As each guys pulled in, we exchanged hugs and words and remembered why we were there. After a few drinks and some banter in the pub, we had supper which strangely was very subdued.

Gathering in the pub, I was asked to say a few words to remember the big guy. This year though was not the sadness that I felt the year before, but rather a celebration of his life and what he achieved, it turned into retelling the funny story's we had and the chirps he made, the good times we had, the rides and before we knew it, the party was on, just like he used to party. We gathered around the bar and passed a bottle of apple sours and "fined" each other, one of Bucc's favorite things we do on rides. I felt his presence strongly then, in each of us. Fran (Bucc's wife) and the kids were with us and she told me she needed this to remember the good times she had and to move on and not "sweat the small stuff" as Bucc would sometimes tell her.

Needless to say, we all had a great time and we laid some ghosts to rest and reestablished the friendships.

As I went to bed, I fell asleep reflecting on how far we had come since his death and what we have achieved. The purpose that he provided and the irony of his death. I now know that I am at peace with what happened and it has strengthened my resolve to continue the fight for road safety in SA.

I got up early next morning, had a great breakfast, called The Goose and let her know I was on my way. I decided to ride home on my own, the same way I had come and The Goose promised me Sunday lunch, with roast beef and Yorkshire puddings as an added incentive to get home safely.

There are some times when riding is good for you and some times when riding on your own is even better. This was one of those times. Not to have to worry about anyone else or plan routes and times or babysit. I knew the route backwards and even took some time to explore a 26km dirt road that I have never ridden before, just to see what it is like. The big GS takes everything in it's stride and I don't have to worry. It's a comfortable capable bike and at 50 000 kms is working better now than when I got it new. I have complete faith in the machine. It took the rough dirt at 10 kmh and the smooth tar at 220kmh with equal ease. I took the time on the way back to appreciate the big beemer and how far and easily it has carried me and The Goose on our travels.

Soon enough I was back into the dirty city traffic and had to come back into survival mode. JHB traffic sucks even in the suburbs. No one cares about the biker, until I hit my strobes and scare the "poo poo" out of them. JHB is just one of those city's where even on a Sunday, everything had to happen yesterday.

The Goose was true to her word( she always is) and was happy to see me back safe and sound, even the dogs came to greet me before going back to bed for their Sunday siesta, so all was well with the world.

Next time some one asks me to help them get into biking, I am going to tell them to not be so stupid, you are born to ride and if you are not there already, you are dicing with an early death for the sake of posing and declaring to the world that you have arrived. If you insist then I will pass on the knowledge I have gained and hope it helps, after all, that is what Bucc was all about.