Black Dog Ride 2016......."The Pirate Run"

The title says it all.......really.

Today was the day for the annual Black Dog Ride to raise money and awareness for mental health and depression. No more of a worthy cause for a bike rally. 

This year the ride was somewhat of a mystery - organised by a new ride leader who was keeping rather quiet during the event lead up. 

Upon arrival at the start point at a well known, and somewhat polarising, Melbourne bike seller in Ringwood - it was announced that the ride was being led and marshalled by a 'Hog' club. 

AKA: Pirates........

All jokes aside, the ride is for a good cause - but this style of riding in not my cup of tea. 

I am a firm believer that a motorcycle should be able to corner with relative proficiency. 

Pirates do not corner - they vaguely navigate port or starboard.

End result - a very slow paced ride on very boring roads.......

I will say no more and just leave this here.....

\BitSar

.....Arrr me hearty

Black dog ride - 2015

Sunday March 22nd marked the day for the Annual Black Dog ride - a ride I participate in each year, this year was no different.

The Black Dog ride provides awareness for depression and mental health and raises money to support integral services such as Lifeline. No more worthy a cause to pull on the boots, stuff my head into a helmet and throw a leg over the Ape......game on.

Like years in the past - I am riding as a corner maker to assist in the marshalling of the main bunch - this means the day starts early.

By the time I hit the road the sun is just up, the low-level fog is refusing to shift. The roads are damp. The tyres are cold. It's 9c and I have nearly an hour slab at free-way speed. Great!

The solution - base layers, thermal layers, wind-stopper layers and heated grips cranked. Slab done and done.

We meet at the official start point in Pakenham -  standard affair, corner marker briefing, then main bunch briefing, then go.

The corner markers head off, hitting the black stuff - most of the riders manage to follow most of the marshals, most of the time - most being the operative word.....

I'm dropped on a corner as we head into Yarra Glen - a marker-mate is dropped on the entry corner and I am on the exit. We're going to be here a while.

Ample time for me to remove my base layers and wind-stopper.

I get busy on the side of the road redressing myself.

I also take the opportunity to let some air out of the tyres - I'd been a little too generous with my set-up adding too much air when cold. The Ape was chattering around from both the front end and the rear - taking some air out, adds more give to the hoops, making her nice and compliant.

Done and done....




My marker-mate standing stoically - waiting for riders to marshal. The seriousness of it all is overwhelming. :))

And here comes a component of the main bunch - it did get quite spaced out this year......

We continue into Yarra Glen for a mid-ride regroup allowing any stragglers to catch up. A quick "splash and dash" for bikes with limited range and we're off again.

We point the bikes towards Toolangi then King Lake. Beautiful roads out this way - up the front, in the corner marker bunch we get a clear run through some pearler roads.

I'm dropped on another corner or two before the ride finishes up back in Pakenham - the local Lions club putting on a BBQ lunch with many hungry and deserving riders to feed.

All in all, another great run for a great cause.

See you all next year.
\BitSar
--getting redressed by the side of a road, marking his corner.

Black Dog RIde - 2014

It's on again - the Annual Black Dog ride to raise money and awareness for Mental Health and Depression........and what better way to help out..........with a motorcycle rally - of course!

On the back of the Chocolate Mill run, some two weeks earlier, the day had come to put that fundraiser moola to good use - and what a cracker ride it was. Approximately 5,000 riders nation wide participated in the Black Dog one-dayer.....with approximately 400 riders on the Victoria leg.....a leg I rode and corner marked for.

Corner marking is a great way to get involved in a large ride such as this - essentially you are in a fast bunch of riders ahead of the main pack - in this case ride leader plus ~10 corner markers ahead of  ~390 participants + TEC.

As the route plays out, large group rides tend to get spaced out quite significantly due to the different skill levels, riding styles, type of bikes involved - this is where corner markers become critically important.

The ride leader will "drop" a corner marker at an intersection or key turn-off of the ride.....your job is to do a funky chicken dance and direct the main bunch through the corner......fair enough........the FUN part is when you are swept up by TEC (tail-end-Charlie).......as a corner marker this means.......GTFO - hammer time back to the group!

The first leg of the ride started in Pakenham - some 60 kms from home......another boring slab was in order.

A riding mate of mine arrived at my place at 8am - we hit the black stuff immediately, engaging "cracking on mode"...........
done and done.

This leg took us out through East Gippsland - it was getting very cold - but the scenery was amazing.......that said, I was happy to be dropped on a corner just before the Inverloch turn-off.....I was frozen, my hands were like blocks of wood - time for a corner marking chicken dance........

The second leg tracked along the coast near Cape Patterson, thankfully the temperature started to rise.



In defrost mode - and having been dropped on a corner I applied liberal use of throttle to catch the main bunch.....fun times..






All said and done - another great run this year. A great turn out for a fantastic cause.
We pulled into Warragul and the ride is over - now I've just got another 120kms to get through before I'm home......

I wrangle up a crew of 3 other experienced riders who are of the same mind, fuel, helmet, GO! We convoy home, making good time.

By 5pm I've got my head out of the lid, I'm on the couch with a beer and some ~400kms complete......and all for charity.......not a bad way to give something back I should think.

The main bunch at the regroup point between leg1 and leg2

Well done to all riders who participated.....see you again next year.....I'll be the one doing the chicken dance on the corners.....

\BitSar

----brakkkkarrrk