Outside Super Sausage Two. I suppose only two club members going out for a ride still counts as a club run.
We arranged it at the clubnight.
and we had tried unsuccessfully to generate more interest but no one else wanted to come.
We put this down to the cold and the mist that covered most of Northamptonshire and that they were all being wimps.
As arranged Trevor turned up at our house at the appointed time. It was cold and it was a little foggy so we were in no rush to leave and Matt had said he might come so we hung on.
After fifteen minutes of lurking in the warmth indoors we set off without him. Naturally five minutes later Matt did arrive only to discover we had gone.
I led on my Triumph Legend with Trevor mounted on his Honda trail bike on a back lane indirect route to Silverstone race circuit via Stony Stratford for fuel.
It wasn't a race day at Silverstone but I had read that we the Northamptonshire council tax payers were helping fund a visitors centre and cafe located there. Inspired by this, I felt we were obliged to pay it a visit.
We managed to find the cafe fairly easily by going through the main gates and then following the Visitors Centre signs. The Visitors Centre consists of two rooms, one a shop and tourist information point and the other the cafe. The shop sold mainly tee shirts and baseball caps and had no customers. The cafe in the adjoining room was reasonably busy but I think we were the only genuine visitors, It seems my tax is paying for the canteen facility for the various and numerous companies located near by.
The facilities were clean and fresh with Trev finding the toilets particularly welcoming. The cafes coffee was very good but not cheap, as for the food, we decided to give a miss. What was available seemed to consist of wrapped sandwiches and baguettes brought in from some industrial sandwich maker located elsewhere with nothing being produced on the premises.
We decided that this inadequate food situation could be rectified by stopping at a greasy spoon cafe in Northampton on the way home.
We headed out through Towcester and turned onto the road towards Stoke Bruerne within a few hundred yards on a double bend I found myself in serious trouble. Riding the first curve whilst still leaned over the bikes rear end broke away and seemed to be trying to pass me. To complicate matters a large yellow bus with Country Tours written on it comes around the bend towards me right in the space that I was currently sliding towards. Some how I managed to straighten the bike up and missed the bus running down the side of it but a vital few inches away.
I cant quite explain what happened but the road had been repaired and there was extensive overbanding running along the surface. The road was also wet and covered with a film of mud, slime or other agricultural waste. To make matters worse I am still unsure if I initiated the skid by braking when I saw the bus or did the bus appear by coincidence as I started to skid. Its good that I managed to avoid coming off or actually hitting the bus but I didn't escape totally unscathed. I did in fact hurt my hip presumably whilst trying to steer the bike with my body as well as the handlebars way from the bus.
At least it all gave Trevor something to look at.
Back in Northampton we called at our cafe as planned. this was the Super Sausage Two where we met Linn who had with her the note from Matt saying he had called just a few minutes after the the arranged time. Here we had mugs of tea and some very substantial and good quality bacon sarnies.
The Super Sausage Two is not to be confused with those other well known local cafes the Super Sausage on the Market Harbrough Road or the Giggling Sausage on London road or that Encmcc favourite Super Sausage Cafe in Potterspury Northamptonshire..
As you can guess the conversation over tea and sandwiches centred on the state of my rear end and that of the bike too.
Once at home I checked my tyres and found they were under inflated which could be a contributory factor to the incident.
What I have learned from this ride is :
1: Check your bike before riding.
2: Remember the wimps might be right.
3: Wear clean underwear when going out on a bike ride.
Just two photos on gallery 2.
We arranged it at the clubnight.
and we had tried unsuccessfully to generate more interest but no one else wanted to come.
We put this down to the cold and the mist that covered most of Northamptonshire and that they were all being wimps.
As arranged Trevor turned up at our house at the appointed time. It was cold and it was a little foggy so we were in no rush to leave and Matt had said he might come so we hung on.
After fifteen minutes of lurking in the warmth indoors we set off without him. Naturally five minutes later Matt did arrive only to discover we had gone.
I led on my Triumph Legend with Trevor mounted on his Honda trail bike on a back lane indirect route to Silverstone race circuit via Stony Stratford for fuel.
It wasn't a race day at Silverstone but I had read that we the Northamptonshire council tax payers were helping fund a visitors centre and cafe located there. Inspired by this, I felt we were obliged to pay it a visit.
We managed to find the cafe fairly easily by going through the main gates and then following the Visitors Centre signs. The Visitors Centre consists of two rooms, one a shop and tourist information point and the other the cafe. The shop sold mainly tee shirts and baseball caps and had no customers. The cafe in the adjoining room was reasonably busy but I think we were the only genuine visitors, It seems my tax is paying for the canteen facility for the various and numerous companies located near by.
The facilities were clean and fresh with Trev finding the toilets particularly welcoming. The cafes coffee was very good but not cheap, as for the food, we decided to give a miss. What was available seemed to consist of wrapped sandwiches and baguettes brought in from some industrial sandwich maker located elsewhere with nothing being produced on the premises.
We decided that this inadequate food situation could be rectified by stopping at a greasy spoon cafe in Northampton on the way home.
We headed out through Towcester and turned onto the road towards Stoke Bruerne within a few hundred yards on a double bend I found myself in serious trouble. Riding the first curve whilst still leaned over the bikes rear end broke away and seemed to be trying to pass me. To complicate matters a large yellow bus with Country Tours written on it comes around the bend towards me right in the space that I was currently sliding towards. Some how I managed to straighten the bike up and missed the bus running down the side of it but a vital few inches away.
I cant quite explain what happened but the road had been repaired and there was extensive overbanding running along the surface. The road was also wet and covered with a film of mud, slime or other agricultural waste. To make matters worse I am still unsure if I initiated the skid by braking when I saw the bus or did the bus appear by coincidence as I started to skid. Its good that I managed to avoid coming off or actually hitting the bus but I didn't escape totally unscathed. I did in fact hurt my hip presumably whilst trying to steer the bike with my body as well as the handlebars way from the bus.
At least it all gave Trevor something to look at.
Back in Northampton we called at our cafe as planned. this was the Super Sausage Two where we met Linn who had with her the note from Matt saying he had called just a few minutes after the the arranged time. Here we had mugs of tea and some very substantial and good quality bacon sarnies.
The Super Sausage Two is not to be confused with those other well known local cafes the Super Sausage on the Market Harbrough Road or the Giggling Sausage on London road or that Encmcc favourite Super Sausage Cafe in Potterspury Northamptonshire..
As you can guess the conversation over tea and sandwiches centred on the state of my rear end and that of the bike too.
Once at home I checked my tyres and found they were under inflated which could be a contributory factor to the incident.
What I have learned from this ride is :
1: Check your bike before riding.
2: Remember the wimps might be right.
3: Wear clean underwear when going out on a bike ride.
Just two photos on gallery 2.
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