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Re: [ST] Texas Raid Ralley-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly



Well put Kevin,

When ego overrides prudence, bad things happen.

Cheers to your self control

Evan
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Kevin T. McDonald" <ktmaustin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 10:47 PM
Subject: RE: [ST] Texas Raid Ralley-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


> Well I survived the Bandera ride and I guess I fall into a high risk
> category - so what are my thoughts?
>
> 41 years old.
> Last rode in 1988 - about 15 years ago.
> A new Sprint ST - way more powerful than any other bike I've ever owned.
> 40,000 miles on bikes in the 70's and 80's - but what is that worth now?
>
> I felt a little hesitant about the ride when we left Saturday morning
> as I feared the adrenaline rush and the roads were unfamiliar to me.
> The light mist and drizzle did not help my confidence...
>
> We came on the Bonneville wreck right after it happened and I began
> to feel the creeps set in.
>
> We continued down 337 and I was trying to follow some faster riders
> through some real twisties with decreasing radius turns, guardrails,
> oncoming traffic etc. I was way out of my comfort zone and I could
> almost feel myself getting into a nasty wreck.
>
> We then came up on the 3 bike wreck with the EMT's doing the CPR etc.
> My confidence was shot and I was very jittery - I backtracked and
> stopped
> at a gas station to gather myself.
>
> I met up with Ralf St. Clair and we discussed abandoning the ride and
> going
> back to Bandera. After some thought we decided to continue and Ralf told
> me to take the point, mellow out and stay in my comfort zone.
>
> That was 'excellent' advice. We continued up 336 and I really chilled.
> The weather cleared, my confidence came back and we had a relatively
> speedy and enjoyable ride the rest of the day!
>
> Moral of my story:
>
> If you're in a group and you get out of your comfort zone - back off.
> Make it your own ride - don't make it your last ride.
>
> The corollary:
> If your out on one of these rides and your one of the more experienced
> riders - look for someone that may need some guidance or words of
> wisdom.
>
> Ride safe out there!
> Kevin McDonald
> Austin TX
> 01 Sprint ST
> 70 Bonneville
>
> p.s. the heated grips worked great!
>
>
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