In Which Unity Triumphs

A couple of weeks ago I threw the proverbial cat into the pidgeon cage by suggesting that our Thursday rides were in danger of becoming a survival of the fittest scenerio at the expense of encouraging new and slower riders to join in. In particular I suggested that the section of the trail from Woori Yallock to Millgrove should be regarded as our “core” ride and should be ridden at such a speed that would enable all riders to stay together.

While a couple of riders did not take well to this idea and strongly defended their independence to ride at any speed they wanted, I was encouraged by the widespread support I received from within the group. I feel that most of our riders believed that the Thursday ride should remain faithful to our grass root beginnings and always be regarded as a social event that we should feel comfortable to invite friends along to.

With this in mind I was interested to see what would happen on this ride. After all this was the first opportunity to get out on the trail since the matter had been aired. I arrived at Woori Yallock at 12 noon and quickly met up with Terry and Geoff. The three of us rode up to COGS at a respectable pace, arriving at about 12.45. We found a sizeable group of Ghostriders already gathering there,along with a much larger group of teenage student riders who were also getting ready to ride the trail.

When the time came for our start we had about a dozen or so starters. A few decided to wait back a few minutes and catch up to us along the way. Soon after passing through Wandin the group was reunited and we stayed together all the way to Woori Yallock, where we arrived right on time at 1.40 pm. We even picked up an unexpected passenger in Hooters along the way.

I was pleased to find that from Woori Yallock right through to Millgrove the group was happy to ride together. No one attempted to ride away from the group and everyone chatted away happily. So far so good I thought. Because we all managed to arrive at Millgrove together I even suggested that we should continue up to Warburton, but this was not possible since some had already placed orders with the Millgrove Bakery. Those that wanted to continue up the hill did so , while the rest stopped at Millgrove.

When the entire group had rejoined together at Millgrove an open discussion was held about riding etiquette and some of the points that had been under vigorous discussion during the week. It was good to see people air their views openly. I am sure that we all want to retain the spirit of mutal respect and friendship that has so long been the hallmark of our group.

The return ride was also a most enjoyable affair. The weather had remained fine and warm and I am sure that everybody was just glad to be able to take a few hours off from the week to be able to enjoy fun and fellowship in such beautiful surroundings.