Tahbilk Saturday 24^th May 2008

Ben and Julie Warden	Honda CBR954	Simon Trubiano	Honda CBR929
Pina Garasi & Misho Zrakic	Suzuki GSXR750	Lyn Duncan	Honda 650 Transalp
Rob Zivanovic (2^nd ride)	Honda CBR600	Peter Hill	KTM 950
Ian Handforth (rear)	Honda XLV1000	Randal Leacock	Kawasaki ZX9
Dillon Swaris (1^st ride)	Hyosung 250	Kim Ayles	Kawsaki GPx250
Dennis Lindemann & Bianca Friedeberg	Honda CBR600	Nic Jacka (lead)	Honda CBR600

Although the sun was out on this autumn morning, I could tell it would be a cold ride by the way the helmet visor kept fogging up. And the nose-drip factor… At least this time I had five thermal layers on which made the ride far more enjoyable than the previous “not enough layers” Snake Valley ride.

There was a good mixture of riders today: learner, p-plater, infrequent riders, pillion riders (who earn no points for their attendance as they are not riding, I learned; well Ben, I did lean over and hold the throttle steady for Misho for a few brief moments… does that count?) and some of the usual Sunday riders who were happy to have an extra day’s riding fun. (Pillions earn a point for being there, not an extra point for rear riding, though it is open to interpretation. An important task for the Committee to adjudicate on... Ed.)

The route from Whittlesea to Flowerdale had some great roads for our enjoyment and together with the sunshine gently warming the frosty earth, it got me into the mood.

I was surprised when we turned left at Flowerdale and all of a sudden the sun completely disappeared behind milky clouds, the surrounding hills covered by what looked like a thick band of ‘smoke’. I imagined that the people in their country cottages had all lit up their wooden fireplaces for warmth and the smoke coming out of their abodes was creating this effect. Well, I was mistaken… Not being very familiar with the climatic nuances of the countryside (anything 40 km past Melbourne GPO), I didn’t realise until we rode into it that it was very thick fog. I had never encountered such fog before while riding on a bike so it was all a little strange. At first I found it an interesting experience, but I was quite relieved when we eventually rode out of it as the temperature had dropped even further and it had become quite cold, as well as the fog reducing the visibility.

By now I was REALLY looking forward to a coffee in Broadford to warm up the senses. I “sniffed” out the local choices and selected the coffee shop which looked like it could make a drinkable cafe latte. Having been reassured by a “patron” sitting outside the coffee shop drinking a very large bowl of coffee, that they make a good coffee, I quickly placed my order. I was waiting ever so patiently when the rest of the group came into the cafe and placed their orders. All of a sudden, some of my fellow riders turned around to me with a most alarmed look on their faces and in a most serious tone said “They’ve run out of coffee.” I stood there in utter disbelief saying nothing… then I heard “Would you like a tea instead? Chai perhaps? A soy hot chocolate maybe?”

By this stage the thought of having no coffee was beginning to have a most negative effect on my psyche and I commenced to utter some impolite expletives as I began to approach the coffee-maker (not barista) and asked him with a most concerned expression whether he had run out of coffee. The coffee-maker, who was in fact the “patron” who had been sitting outside having a coffee and had recommended the place to me, in the meantime had run inside the coffee shop when he realized how many other patrons had turned up after me and that he better get to the coffee machine and start “pulling” coffees. He reassured me that he had plenty of coffee beans left.

I looked at my fellow riders with a most cranky look on my face because they had played such a nasty joke on me which almost caused me to put on public display some very ugly side-effects of caffeine deprivation… NOT NICE!

Finally, satisfied with my required intake of “stimulants” (caffeine, nicotine, sugar, speed) as Ben refers them to, the ride continued on through some nice roads finally reaching the Tahbilk winery where I proceeded to add another “stimulant” (alcohol) into the blood stream. Well, what else does one do at a winery? I wasn’t interested in looking at wine barrels. By now the sun was shining nicely and the air was crisp and fresh. We sat on the terrace overlooking a lovely view of the Goulburn River, surrounded by majestic gum trees.

It was all very civilized… almost a little too much of a good thing really, when you consider how accustomed we are to the basic facilities on a Sunday ride. These relaxed Saturday rides are such a contrast to the hard and fast Sunday rides and are a most enjoyable as a change. Although I must say, by the end of the ride, I was thinking how I couldn’t wait till the Sunday ride tomorrow – my adrenaline fix a guarantee! Yeehhh! And, it sure was – the Sunday ride led by Paul Southwell was an absolute treat – wonderful roads with never a dull moment from start to finish. Most satisfying. Thanks, Paul, for putting a smile on my face.

Thanks also to Nic, a man of understated style, for leading the Saturday Pillion ride to a most pleasant destination, with his usual cool, confident and Zen-like calm … well done.

Pina Garasi