Perfect Score Winners

I opened the clubhouse around 5:30, and Brian showed up shortly thereafter. Folks started to filter in, and after my patented rider meeting speech (“Don’t crash, dammit.”), we had nine members, and three guests. The guests were friends of mine, and they already knew the route. After all, what kind of crazy person gets up for a ride at 6:15 if they don’t even know where they are going?

We got out almost exactly on time, and made haste toward the Bay Bridge. We danced with the deer gods in the dark on Grizzly Peak, and paused at The Wall to see the twinkling lights of two cities and three bridges. It was warm up there, but we dove back down into the cool of Berkeley and headed to breakfast at Rudy’s Can’t Fail. Turns out, Rudy can fail. One of the two waitresses on duty at 7 AM was late, and judging by the looks of her when she rolled in, she was well hung over. Un-toasted toast and fried poached eggs were eaten, and we headed back out into the great unknown.
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Since we didn’t all ride out together, everyone who attended will have something to add to the story.

I left San Francisco at 7:30 on Saturday morning and met Brian for breakfast in Tracy. After we ate, Brian continued east, while I gassed up and took my time. Traffic wasn’t bad, and the temperature was pleasantly cool.
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105 Years!

After a terrific party last night, we all pulled ourselves out of bed early for a ride this morning. I arrived at the club at 9:30 to a full house and a stack of pancakes. We had about 50 bikes come for the ride, representing clubs like Capitol City MC and Pasadena MC.

Once people had some food, we headed out at exactly 10:15. Up Franklin and out the Golden Gate Bridge, we started the ride in earnest once we got to Lucas Valley Road. The faster crew took off, and the more relaxed riders set out after them. Now out of the fog, we regrouped in Nicasio and made sure nobody was lost.
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First Coffee

We got a little bit of a late start today, 18 bikes leaving the clubhouse at 10:30. Somehow, I wound up on Mike O’s Triumph Scrambler, a gorgeous machine with a great exhaust note. It was like nothing I’ve ever ridden. The posture was a strange combination of a duel sport bike and a standard. I felt a bit out of sorts, and let the fast guys run away from me. It gave me a chance to enjoy the scenery a bit more than usual.
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The Agony of Defeat

At 10:45 this morning, I opened up the clubhouse. Folks filtered in, and at 11:30, the day began. The first part of the Captain’s Run was a race. The goal was to return a receipt for a slice of pizza to the clubhouse from the farthest possible point within a 20 minute window. While there were some valiant efforts, only two teams made it back inside the time limit. Both had gone to Pizza Express at Folsom and Cortland.

After eating some pizza, we rode over to Godspeed in Oakland. They had rearranged the joint in the last six months and it is really a great space. Beer, waffles, and pinball were consumed.
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