Wow, is it September already? Summer appeared short-lived, and it does seem that when going out for a ride I now reach for the mid-season gloves and Rukka gear, rather than the summer jacket and bike jeans. Yes, Autumn is now officially upon us.
I do hope that many of you were able to get away, relax and enjoy yourselves during this second strange summer we have experienced and perhaps found new parts of the country on your motorcycle. It seems that many have headed north to Scotland to do the North Coast 500 and of course across to Wales to play on arguably some of the best roads in the UK.
August saw a return to St. Crispin’s with a record number of you in attendance and how great it was to be a part of it, seeing so many happy faces, old friends and a whole host of new ones. Over 100 new members have joined in the 17 months since we were last able to meet together in our monthly Club meeting.
Officially there were 315 bikes at St Crispin’s, smashing the previous Club record of 290 in August 2017. What a great job all the teams did to ensure that so many new people were welcomed warmly. A huge thank you to the local teams who arranged rides into St. Crispin’s for new members and Associates, the Meet & Greet Team, Red Badge Zone and others who helped people move around the school to ensure they got to where they were meant to be throughout the morning. What a great job Amanda did of allocating Associates to Observers to enable everyone that wanted an observed ride to get one. I do not think I’ve ever seen the stage so packed. Thank you also to all of our helpers on the tea bar that kept us going throughout the morning. There were people out there that believed St Crispin’s was a myth, yes you Mr Boulter, however that was well and truly put to bed with such a great attendance.
So, as we say goodbye to summer, it doesn’t mean that we must hang up our helmets and gloves just yet. After three previous cancellations, the 40th edition of 7Ws is about to take place. In just a week’s time about 80 members of the Club will be heading to the Commodore Hotel in Llandrindod Wells for this long-awaited event. It’s been two years since the 39th running of the event and it is shaping up to be an amazing weekend for all that attend.
Over the last month we have seen three training runs, organised by CLAMS, RAMS & WOBMOB as well as the return of the Advanced Bike Control course at RAF Odiham. Thanks to everyone that worked to put those events on for the membership.
If any of you are planning a social ride, don’t forget to send it out on Groups.io and contact Salli, our editor, so she can get it into Slipstream to advertise it.
I’m off on my hols now, so won’t be seeing you this month (stop cheering). Have fun and stay safe and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in October.
Barrie Smith
Chairman
