Pink Ribbon Ride

It was a warm sticky morning that saw just 3 bikes turn up outside the Wharfshed for the ride to Melbourne to take part in the Pink Ribbon Ride Day. The weather was looking good but we were prepared for the storms that had been predicted later in the day. With pink ribbons fluttering we set off up the highway to meet PJ & friends at the West Gate Services.

As we pulled up at the Westgate Services we saw PJ – you couldn’t really miss him as he stood out in his pink gloves & leg warmers with his bike decorated in pink bows and he’d even brought along a pink teddy for the ride. We were now 9 and it was a brisk ride through the tunnel and out Toorak Rd to the Burvale Hotel. The atmosphere was awesome in that hotel car-park with bikers of all size, creed and race mingling, chatting, taking photos and generally looking pleased that they were there to support this great cause.
Then it happened, the girls came out of the hotel and told us they had seen Tara Moss – our dreams had come true! There was pink everything - I laughed at one hardened biker standing by his Harley having a rollup and wearing a pink skirt & boa – it was one of those days were anything went!

A quick briefing by the Police and we were off led by Tara Moss and her husband. The police bikes were brilliant and did a great job getting us through the traffic junctions and making sure we had right of way at the lights. We passed all types of bikes from beautifully restored Vincents and Norton Commandos to race replica Fireblades. On one part of the road the bikes in front and behind were as far as we could see – just lines of bikes off into the distance.
Pulling up at the Maroondah Dam we were welcomed by a rock band giving us some Led Zeppelin, Sabbath & Whitesnake - real music!. It was true biker comradeship.
Determined to get a photo of Tara Moss the boys headed in her general direction. Paul moved in quickly and with some sweet talking managed to convince her that a photo with the Geelong RATs was an opportunity she couldn’t miss. Mick managed to slip in and get a photo with her on his own! As well as good looking, she’s a beautiful person and showed compassion and commitment to all those around her that had been affected by this terrible ailment. She even had a laugh when Paul told her to get her tongue out of Mick’s ear!
After some lunch we decided it was time to get home before it rained. From Healesville it was a steady ride to Yarra Glen and then a couple of us took off to try the twisties over Christmas Hills and into Diamond Creek for a quick coffee before hitting the Western Ring Road and home. It didn’t stop when we hit Geelong! It was off to the Tannin Bar for some refreshments and after a couple of platters of Turkish bread & dip we finally said good-night.

It was disappointing to see the low turnout from Geelong but hey – such is life! For the ones that took part it was an experience to remember. Meeting & chatting to fellow bikers, sharing stories and seeing the support that the biker community is prepared to give was heart-warming. Check out the MRA Photos.
Anyway, we can’t wait to do it all again next year – hope to see you there.

News Update - Oct 20

Pink Ribbon Ride - Sunday 23rd Oct
A lot of interest is being shown for the Pink Ribbon Ride Day on Sunday. The weather doesn't sound too hot but I'm sure the cause, the company and the laughs on the day should make up for it. I've heard there might be a few boys wearing pink tutus & tights - a bit dodgy in more ways than one!!
Meeting at the Wharfshed @ 8:00am for an 8:15 start.

Loddon Valley Camping Weekend - 5th - 6th November 05
For the would-be Boy Scouts and Girl Guides among us, there's a camping weekend planned for the week-end 5th & 6th of November. This is the week-end after the Melbourne Cup. So if you want to try your hand at tent erecting, fishing or cooking by camp fire this is the trip for you. See Leigh for details of the site etc.

October Monthly Meeting - Thursday 27th October
Remember the monthly meeting is next Thursday 27th Oct.

Monthly Ride Day - October 05

It was the smallest turnout this year for the October Monthly ride with just 3 bikes rolling up to the Wharfshed. Despite the small numbers we were still determined to have a good time and decided that a ride to Lorne for breakfast via Ceres, Moriac & the Otways National Park was well overdue. A brief shower of rain hit us as we passed over the Barrabool Hills but passed quickly. It was fairly dry roads all the way to Deans Marsh and then wet twisties as we descended into Lorne through the Otway Ranges. We pulled up outside the Arab Café and ordered a hearty breakfast.
It was a beautiful day and as we sat in the sunshine we noticed a lot of interest gathering around the Thruxton. Photos were getting taken and Paul was in his element as the interest was clearly with his bike alone! Turned out they were 3 American tourists all the way from the Californian Desert region – great biking country they told us. They were all keen motorcycle enthusiasts and it was good that Leigh was around to answer those technical questions!
It was time to set off again and it was a great ride back along the Ocean Road with very little traffic & dry roads – that was until we hit Torquay – it absolutely poured down. Anyway, we were home by 2pm and quickly dried off. It was a good morning - I reckon there’s a lot to be said for those short morning rides that get you back home early afternoon to finish off all those little jobs before work on Monday – maybe we should do them more often.
Catch you all at the Pink Ribbon Ride Day on Sunday 23rd October – looks like there’s already a lot of interest out there!

Pink Ribbon Ride Day - 23rd October 2005

It looks like one of the biggest events on the motorcycling calendar this month is going to be the Pink Ribbon Ride Day on Sunday 23rd October 05. The event is sponsored by the Cancer Council Australia and Parks Victoria & aims to raise money and awareness to Breast Cancer.

Registration is from 9am at the Burvale Hotel, cnr Burwood Road and Springvale Road with a ride to the Maroondah Dam via Yarra Glen and Healesville.

This should be a great event and for a good cause - lets see if we can get a record turnout from Geelong. We might have a prize for the person that dresses up in the most pink gear (wifes knickers & bra excluded)!

Meet at Wharfshed, Geelong Waterfront at 8:00am for an 8:15am ride to Melbourne stopping at the West Gate Services to meet up with others

See the official Pink Ribbon website for more details including registration form

** Dont forget - Monthly Ride this Sunday 9th October 05

Broadford - Southern Classic Oct 05

**NEW! Check out Mick's photos on Geelong RAT Album
The Southern Classic Motorcycle Racing was the place to be seen last weekend with riders from all over Australia putting on a gutsy performance.
A few RATS travelled up the highway to spend an awesome day watching some great racing. The smell of two stroke filled the air and brought back memories of the good ole days! Most of us had ridden one or many of the bikes in the "forgotten era" races that included RD350, GS1000, 750Four, Z1000 etc.
After signing a form to agree we attended the riders briefing we were allowed into the starting grid area to experience the noise and smell of bikes like Nortons, Trumphs and there was even a restored Vincent.
The biggest thrill was watching those classic sidecars take the corners sideways - a bit like watching speedway on bitumen! Mick (red sprint) took his Canon digital SLR & got some great photos with a telephoto lens - look forward to seeing some of those in print. The local scouts served up lunch and there was good ice cream & real coffee!

The only downside was the flies & dust - the bikes and our gear was covered!

It was a great day and I'm sure everyone would agree that we look forward to next year.