I gave myself a good briefing on how to ride safely. Apparent you forget this sort of stuff from ride-to-ride, so you need a reminder every time you go riding. I listened intently and nodded wisely at my words, but the customers at the servo gave me some quizzical looks when they saw me talking loudly to myself. I had Kipper (the wonder dog) with me, and he was anxious to get going, so I quickly went through the remaining formalities. I decided that I would be Ride Leader. It seemed to be an obvious choice given that I was the only one there. I didn’t discuss corner marking, an oversight that would generate mass confusion later on. Kipper was unanimously elected as Tail-end-Charlie (Tail-end-Kipper?) because (a) He sits behind me, and (b) He actually has a tail.
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| Ride leader and tail end charlie! |
Briefing over, Ride Leader and Tail-end-Kipper prepared ourselves for riding and departed the scene on the cherry-red Victory Cross Country. The departure was a sight to behold as the bike streamed out of the service station and headed towards Yass. It was easy to maintain a good formation, but I sometimes felt that Tail-end-Kipper was sitting a little too close to me and wasn’t maintaining the correct three-second gap. Never mind, he would be sternly spoken to at the first stop. The weather appeared to be clearing, so perhaps the cyclonic change wouldn’t arrive as forecast.
I chose to take a detour along Nanima road, thinking that I might keep the ride fairly local but still cover some interesting country. It would also give the group of one the opportunity to scamper home if the forecast cyclone happened to strike. Unfortunately, my failure as Ride Leader to discuss corner marking identified a small chink in the ride plan. I realised that there was no corner marker behind me as I took the Nanima road turn-off, so I pulled over to mark the corner myself. It was when I turned around and spotted Tail-end-Kipper right behind me that I realised this system just wasn’t going to work! A brief discussion ensued and I, as Ride Leader, in consultation with Tail-end-Kipper, decided to dispense with corner marking altogether. For the rest of the ride I simply maintained close formation with Tail-end-Kipper. Or he maintained close formation with me. Or I lead, and he tailed.
We wound our way along some pleasant back roads and strangely ended up at Gundagai for fuel and a rest stop. So much for keeping it local. The entire group held a tight formation to get there, and all agreed that the obscure roads chosen had been good fun, but perhaps a bit long between coffees. Tail-end-Kipper was particularly pleased with the Ride Leader’s choice of route, smooth riding style, and supply of free dog treats that he always seemed to carry. It was at that stage that I, as Ride Leader, assembled the group and advised them that I would take the group to Wagga via Wantabadgery so that I could visit my daughter for lunch. Expecting cries of ‘boo’ and ‘hiss’ and ‘ripped-off’ from the participants, I was pleasantly surprised that there was not a single word of dissention from the now hijacked party of one Tail-end-Kipper.
So we went to Wagga for lunch, found a venue suitably large enough to cater for such a diverse group, and had a very pleasant lunch. Following lunch, I suggested that the ride should formally be ended and that all riders should make their own way home via whatever route they felt was most appropriate. Tail-end-Kipper opted to stay with me and follow me home. That was a really good choice on his part. The trip home was uneventful and the ride was deemed a success, except for the problematic issue of corner marking. This is a matter that needs some serious thought and well-documented planning for future rides of this sort.
And thus ends another Ride Report. A most enjoyable outing was had by all participants and a special thanks to Tail-end-Kipper for the company. Cheers all. M & K.
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| Kipper - tail end charlie |
