Sunday 19th September 2010 - Ride!

Spoke to Ed last night and it certainly sounds like an eventful ride, I'm relieved that Ness is relatively ok as ed was quite worried about you and will be relieved to have gotten the phone call to say you were out of hospital. I'm sure Ed will be on here later as he's in L/Pool today and will have internet. Ed said that the rain was hard and persistent most of the day, you went in the wrong direction as although it was blustery with a few light showers there was no heavy rain here. Get well soon Ness and I hope the bike is soon back on the road, shame about the recovery bill but at least you know it's safe. I also hope Rumble bee is o.k as well as ed said he took a dive as well. Oops.

Daryl.

Im ok just a lil sore, bent the risers, smashed my carbon mud gaurd, bent the rear brake lever and snapped the lil bolt connecting the gear lever.

My textiles are fine, just my Bell carbon helmet is smashed up from the hitting my head on the fence post/tree. Better that than my head tho.

Thanks again guys for your help getting my bike out of the ditch. Its been emotional.

thanks for the well wishes guys.. both knees have dings in exactly the same spot on each.. i'm baffled as to how or what they hit.. (crash bungs maybe? handle bars?? ) and at the moment thats the only thing thats a bit sore..

pic of my lid
IMG_0069.jpg

thanks for the offers of help... i'll hopefully be seeing the bike soon and will have to assess what bits i need. (be adding more than the bellypan to my sig below

From the helmet pic and the fact you've got sore knees it looks like you went over the front of the bike, and your knees whacked the handlebars on the way over, it happened to me quite a few years ago when a car pulled out in front of me, glad you are o.k .

Daryl

Crikey just seen this. Glad everyone are not hurt too much.
GWS.

Ste.

[mister c]

Good grief, just read this. I'm glad no one is seriously hurt & send my "get well soons".

What an eventful day it was.... didn't expect some ditch surfing and a major off

I haven't ridden the bike since I got back from France on 6 July and I really wanted to go on the ride, whatever the weather. I don't have net access at home until BT fix the cable, so didn't see the weather discussions. Ian (R6) and I set off at about 8.45, in light rain. The rain gradually eased as we rode north so by Chester it was (relatively) dry, but the M56 was a bit wet. Why do they call Chester Services 'Chester' when they're really at Runcorn????? Ian and I were the first there (that's a first for me!!!), with Ness, Daywalker (Mark) and RumbleBee (Chris) arriving soon after, then Christopher.

Set off about 10.30 down the M56, started raining lightly again. Horrid spray. I know mid Wales very well but not north Wales so the first bit was a mystery trip for me. Through Mold, we arrived at Sam's cafe (opposite A&D in Denbigh - I was surprised to see A&D open) and it had stopped raining, but as we sat having a brew it started to hammer down, and apart from a few brief respites, pretty much stayed like that all day.

Set off in the rain, I can't remember where we went, but we were on a really good twisty road... Christopher, which road was it??? - and Christopher had stopped just past a turn for Colwyn Bay so that everyone could regroup. It was hammering down, we were all drenched He explained that the next bit was very tight twisties (and that was exactly what it was). Anyways we set off again, Christopher in the lead, Ian behind him, then Chris, then Mark, me, and Ness at the back. Was only going a few mins if that when I came round a downhill right hander to see a sharp left in front of me (it was by a farm on the left - can't remember the name but locals will know it), a river of water running down the road, and the back of Chris's bike poking out of a ditch on the right hand side, Chris wandering round looking rather dazed. Stopped just down the road in the farm entrance, ran back to help. It looked like Chris's bike had slipped on the river of water as he went to push the bars, and that he had run out of road as the bike travelled across the wrong side of the road and found the ditch, conveniently with a barbed wire fence on the other side, which he demolished rather nicely

Chris was OK, kit a bit muddy, and his lid has a nice dent in it where his noggin hit the fencepost Ness came round the corner and stopped, I got down into the waterlogged ditch (ick - had left boot vents open) untangled the barbed wire from the pegs and we all lifted the bike back onto the road, no fuel or oil spills and no obvious sign of major damage. Picked the grass and mud off. Damage was offside mirror snapped off, and gear linkage fubared - the pin on the linkage had snapped where it locates into the underside of the lever. Emergency roadside fix with some cable ties and gaffa tape and bike was rideable (just) - didn't know about the bent risers at the time. Still hammering down, rode into Llanrwst, stopped at the closed fuel station and had a better look, but was obvious that the bike really wasn't in a fit state to ride back to Manchester. So we rode on into BYC, and stopped at the Shell garage. Chris called recovery - quoted a 90 minute wait - for him, game over.

In true Org style we all decided to ride on, so off we went towards Blaenau Ffestiniog. Course, you're quite high up there, low cloud, swirling mist, p1ssing down, and very dark... I was glad that Mark was in front of me, yes I know you shouldn't follow tail lights, but... I was thinking 'whose bright idea was this then' and suddenly remembered - it was mine

Quick regroup, then down the A470 to refuel at Trawsfynydd, where the GOS (Grumpy Old Sod) who runs the fuel station there was true to form, if not even worse - the rain was washing out his normal Sunday afternoon biker fuel sales. Was it me, or was the rain easing?? The business is up for sale and has been for ages but with no takers, the GOS would put anyone off. Set off down the A4212 headed for Bala, the intention was then to turn left up to Corwen and stop at the cafe at Rhug.

Christopher in the lead, Ian behind him, Chris out by this stage of course, then me a little way behind (but still could see the leader), then Ness, then Mark. Not going fast because it had started to chuck it down again. Just before the lovely bend round the top of Celyn, a caravan pulled out from a layby, right in front of me. Much cursing cos it spoiled the fabbo right hander Even in the lashing rain that bend is good for 50 - 60, in the dry it's er faster, but we went round it at 30

Followed the van for a few miles, the rain coming down like stair rods. Anyway on the straight just past the white water centre I went to overtake, but just as I started to pull out a blue van appeared oncoming over the rise so I eased off and started to pull back in. Next thing, a sharp bump on the back wheel and the bike wobbled a bit. I checked the offside mirror and saw Ness's blue SV go down, it fell heavily on its right side. I have replayed this so many times in my mind, I knew it was going to be serious. My bike stayed upright, I stopped as quickly as I could and ran back to find Ness's bike lying on the right hand side, on the nearside lane, facing oncoming traffic. Then I saw Ness lying motionless on the other side of the road with Mark crouched over her, I went over, she was conscious, breathing. She smiled and held up a very bloodied left hand, and said a few words but she was obviously in some pain.

The guys in the blue van were going to the water centre, and one of them somehow arranged for a paramedic from the centre to come and help. Lots of traffic stopped, including another van from the centre, which had been following. Only 3 miles from Bala and no bloody phone signal, and Christopher and Ian would be waiting in Bala, I couldn't call them.

The police arrived after about 10 mins I spose, the ambo came after about 25 - 30 mins. Not impressive, Welsh Ambo Service!!!!!! I gave a statement to the police. I was expecting them to be arsey and difficult but not at all, the bloke was really nice and sympathetic, checked on the progress of the ambo, sorted the traffic, and kept everyone calm. Mark and I picked up Ness's bike with help from the water centre guys and parked it up in a feld entrance. Surprisingly little damage given a 50mph drop. Nose cone wrecked but lights OK, front wheel a bit marked, offside indies, brake lever ground down and clutch lever snapped, offside bar end, peg bent, zorst badly scraped. The crash bung had come out but not before it took the impact - there was no damage to the tank, frame or forks.

After Ness was put on a spine board and into the ambo off to Wrexham-Maelor, we set off to Bala, by this time absolutely drenched. Decided to go home from Bala but not over the tops, would have been very nasty, so took a left for Corwen. We were too late for the cafe at Rhug. Waved goodbye to Christopher and Mark at the junction, and rode home - as soon as we got to Llangollen it stopped raining, by the time we got to the roundabout at Chirk the had come out and we had a dry ride home. My hands were blue with the cold as gloves were soaked, and feeling the controls was a bit difficult, so slow ride.

Ness - I can't tell you how I felt - to see you in the road was horrible, just horrible. I'm so glad that you're OK, when Christopher called me to say you were out the 'ozzie I nearly cried

Did I have a good day? well the offs put a major downer on it but everyone needs to ride in the rain as rain is a fact of life. That apart it was a great day, I like riding in the wet

[christopher]

The "really good twisty" road(s) were the A544 and A548 from Ruthin to Llanrwst. We stopped on the left here before those tight bits. Doesn't look like much on the map, a bit different when riding them.

[Daywalker]

Black sunday, think its stamped in my mind for ever after yesterday a big thanks for waiting up for me i did'nt wont to hold you guy's up.
One minute alls ok then chaos begins following Ed & Ness it all happend so dam fast i dont recall any brake lights going on as we all had our lights on so Ness's bike went down to the the n/s throwing ness head over heels & rolling over like a rag doll to the o/s grass verge i had to haul on my brakes pdq to avoid colliding with the bike and eventually stoping & running over to ness who was consious.There was a first aider there holding her head still omg,some people came over to help but all seemed in hand we had no signal so radio was used the ambos were busy hence the fire brigede unit turning up as Ed's posted thats how it went cant really add any more, the bikes fixable peeps take a bit longer to heal hope your up & about very soon ness

could someone help me to pinpoint on the map where i kissed the ground? i'm thinking its on the A4212??