Toyrun feedback

Hmmmmmmmmm - this is a hard post, cos it's almost bragging. I did it. the planning paid off and the run WORKED.

Couldn't have done it without all the marshalls, and the committee, and metro and even the riders, who for the most part worked with us.

Bu i'm sitting here, reflecting, and the e-mails are going round full of congratulations. I want to include them, maybe i shouldn't. 

I made a plan, and it worked. The small bikes as a group in front, the trikes and sidecars following, and then the masses of bikes. Keeping them apart, giving the smaller bikes pride of place, having ride leaders who kept the speed at a friendly pace for the smaller guys. Like a puzzle i've been playing with pieces for months, and it worked. My responsibility was to get everyone there safely and we did.

Ok, i do need to include these small quotes, because i had an axe to grind and i ground it PROPER. South African bikers are generally a bunch over over testosteroned children, who haven't got anything more to say about biking than BIGGER IS BETTER. They're also arrogant fools a lot of the time, and truly do look down on small bikes. A scooter, or 250cc motorcycle is not a bike, and the rider not a biker, and frankly they must just BE out the way of their MEN'S MACHINES. I however, disagree, of course. 

The smaller bikes are either one of the following:

New rider - teenagers and ladies, they are still nervous, inadequately trained and more likely to panic. 

Poor rider - those who buy a motorbike because it is all they can afford, they have no passion for it, yet, and it's a utilitarian matter. They do no research, buy no gear, and often dislike the bike.

Normal guy - These are your average Vespa riders, they are trained, enthusiastic and capable, yet still face being "run over" by the big bike hooligans.

Again, the economics would show that smaller bike riders are less likely to spend money on training or gear. While they fall at slower speeds, they fall a lot more often.

SO ... we need to look after our smaller brothers and sisters, isn't that part of the BIKER CODE? Something that all these fucking hooligans claim to OWN, and respect and pay lip service to, yet plainly don't. I digress, These 2 little quotes are to me, worth more than everything else (someone even called me a bulldog in a bear fight !!!) but 1 from a small bike rider, the other from a big bike rider, and it worked great. Not as many small bikes as last year (typical) but i'm hoping next year they bring their friends :)

"... for the first time actually felt that being on a smaller bike was not frowned upon ... "

" ... it was a really good idea keeping the smaller bikes out front where they were less at risk from the big bikes ... "