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And then there were nine.
Marysville Sunday 9th December 2007.

   The day started ok, with all riders there and getting ready well before the start time. That message seems to be getting through. The long range weather report had promised showers, but they seemed to be a long way off.  I discussed the corner man system  at length and set off pretty much on time, only to find myself 200 metres from the carpark and the only one on the first corner!!!.  With that resolved, and yet another lecture on the cornerman system,  we headed off through the length of the triangle.  There was a bit of dust around, though I didn’t see it ( it is great being in front) , and we were making good time until we had the first problem,  a bike with an electrical problem,  and Paul and a few others went back , to take him back to the cars.    
   We continued up to Gypsy lane and across the bitumen to Narbathong , did a couple of tight loops around  honeypot  track and met Paul on Prospect Road.  Paul had had a puncture coming up the bitumen,  and another puncture  held us up before we had gone another half a mile.  It was going to be one of those days.  Suitably regrouped, we headed up the track that Paul and I had recently cleared . I am pretty pleased with my self, though Paul did most of the work.  My roll seemed to be more the labourer.  All up it is about three km, but more to the point it opens up a more direct link to other tracks in the area.   More waiting, as the tailman tried to sort out a DRZ that was blowing fuses (that sounds familiar).  The track had received the expected vote of approval,  (but!, what else could they say). Time was marching on,  and  I had intended to loop around Spur Track.  I had already sent Brad on to get  a good position for some shots,  so a few of us set out to do the loop while we were waiting for the stragglers to turn up. Unfortunately when I returned I was a bit lonely.  Steve (tailman) had arrived, the DRZ was doubtful, so I sent the rest of the group down to Little Wonder  Track, and myself!! , back around the loop to sort out the confusion.   Sam had hit a log and was complaining of a sore foot, and he and a couple of others, and the extra tail man were heading back along the way they had come.  Spur track was prepared for fire access this time last year, and is still pretty open and fast .  We finally regrouped at the top of Little Wonder for the run to the cake shop.
   Across the bitumen at Gypsy Lane and about 10 riders pulled out, the cake shop was busy and there were a group of road riders receiving tuition in the carpark.  It was getting late in the day, lunch and refuel,  the usual exodus took place with the lunch time whimps disappearing down the bitumen, and we finally set out again with about 12 riders remaining.  There is a long hill over near Dom Dom Saddle, that I havn’t done for a while, almost impossible in the wet, but a great hoot in the dry.  Another hold up, this time I will take responsibility,  as I wasn’t clear in my corner man allocation, but no harm done, I just had to do Wilkes Creek Track twice.  Strickland Spur is blocked with logs,  Strickland link is more fun going up than down, and Granton Road is a bore , but our track was the hoot I knew, and there is another job for the chainsaws in the near future if we want to get out at the other end.
   So it was back the way we had come and on to better pastures,  we passed the hoosa  bog,  no real challenge today,  though there is now two great holes in preparation for next year,  across the bitumen at the road house and on to Rouch Road Track. I had planned  to work our way around past Narbathong and back to the cars.  When I had run out of corner men I suspected something was wrong.  One of the riders finally caught up and reported that Paul had drowned his bike in a puddle, and taken a swim. I backtracked picking up the corners as I went, and returned to find Paul,  wet, and I imagine, quite smelly, with a tide mark half way up his chest.  The bike was refusing to go and my entourage of corner men had somehow evaporated.  I backbacktracked to find them neatly assembled at the bottom of a hill,   “Did you want us to continue following you??”, “Yes !!”.  One or two had left to go back to the cars, and we all finally regrouped at the bog hole. 
   


Paul had tried to scout around the lip of a nasty bog, but managed to drop his front wheel into the hole followed by himself, and bike in a sort of Olympic high dive.  Dennis was a witness to the award winning performance, so a report at the next meeting should be mandatory. We managed to push Pauls bike to the road house with Dennis on the Husaberg and Paul riding Dennis’s bike pushing Dennis on the Husaberg.  Have you got that alright!!.  We left Paul at the road house,  as he was with me anyway,  and I usually stop there for coffee on the way home.   Finally nine of us rode back down the road to complete the ride at about five pm.
   It had been a great day,  good company, great drama, ample personal communication time, good tracks, no injuries  (well! I didn’t think so, until Sam rang me on Monday night to tell me that he had broken two toes),  and a bit of roadside maintenance to keep the grey matter working.
   My thanks to all for your participation and support, and hope to see you all next year.  I will continue to put the rides in on the second Sundays if you all promise to come.
 Happy Xmas to all.
Phil R.

Phil Randall. CRM 250 ( Ride Leader).
Steve Fisher    XR 400(Tailman)       
Marc Lebrun  CRF  450
Chris McCran   TTR 250                           
Marty Keller   WR 450                       
Sam Patterson  WR 426
Peter Ross   Husky  WR 250                   
Paul Smith    FE 650                         
Marc Hogendoom   TTR 250
Alister Parlbury  WR 250                         
Mathew Law  TTR 250                       
Ken Robinson      FE 550
Nigel  Sutherland   WR 450                     
Brad McDarmid  TTR 250                 
Mike Creke     KTM 450
John Dinuzzo    KTM 450                         
Leo Giannini   CRF 250                       
Ian Platt      XR 600
Dominic  Dinuzzo KTM 450                   
Mike Hobley   XR 400                       
 Simon Kermody  WR 450
Keith Cont..     DR 450                             
Luke Watts    WR 250                         
James Kermec   YZ 250
Alan Mason   WR 250                             
Peter Levell   WR 450                         
Rob Celelsa     WR 450
Jeff Roberts   KLX 300                             
Dennis Dorman   WR 450                   
Scott Dorman   WR 450
Rob Copsey   KLX 400                             
Stewart Coulson    KLX 400                 
Mark Edwards   TE 400
Keith Couta    DRZ  400