I note with equal measures of amusement and outrage that some members of the “sisterhood” in the USA are demanding the abolition of Father’s Day. They won’t get their way, of course as people with brains will continue to ensure that dads are given the same sort of respect as mums are.
However, what better excuse to go for a ride on a pleasant Sunday morning than Father’s Day. Add to this the fact that yesterday was the warmest day that we have experienced since last Summer, 24 degrees on the second day of Spring and it really was a no-brainer.
There was nothing too fancy about the route. Both Paul and I had lunchtime commitments so we couldn’t go too far from home so “The Lap” seemed ideal. Up on the tops through Robertson the temperature was much lower, of course, and it was 12 degrees by the temp gauge on my bike as we nerdled through Kangaroo Valley. Nevertheless, what was immediately apparent was the almost complete lack of traffic on the road. Even on a mid-week ride of the route I have experienced much more traffic than yesterday morning. It was as if everyone had decided to stay home. Only two bikes were parked in the car park at the Pie Shop, this despite it being a perfect riding day.
So we took advantage of the ideal conditions to enjoy the serenity, stopping at King’s Cafe at Jamberoo for a coffee (above) before heading home and getting ready for the rest of the day’s festivities.
It’s fair to say that I don’t really need a special occasion to get out and enjoy the bike but it does make it a bit more special when you can hang a tag on it.
Speaking of hanging a tag, the Minibago is now registered again, just in time for the warmer weather; can’t wait to go exploring again.
As noted yesterday, Valentino Rossi’s obsession with “training” on a dirt bike has jumped up and bitten him again, breaking thee same two bones in his leg that he broke back in 2010. They have been pinned and he now faces rehab again, and a probable 3-40 days off before he can race again. This will miss him two races and possibly more if the recovery is protracted. Last time he was back in 6 weeks through the use of a hyperbaric chamber to speed up his recovery and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did so again. However, he is already 25 points behind and, missing two races plus having to get back to race fitness probably means that his title aspirations are out the window.
Of course the injustice of all this is that he will now once again be the subject of the press’s attention to the detriment of the performers who are still fighting for the title and it is most likely that the Valeban are already working on their excuses for why he hasn’t yet won his 10th title. Worse than this, they will already be working on ways of denigrating the legitimate title contenders with the usual, “Well, Vale wasn’t there so the title doesn’t mean as much.”
Gotta go and get stuff done. Catch you next time. A happy belated Father’s Day to all my readers who are dads. I hope you enjoyed yours as much as I did.