Ar 2015

Originally Posted by JamesMio

It never fails to amuse me when folks complain about having to ride their motorbikes somewhere, to then ride their motorbikes.

Same reason I don't run to football.

[NTECUK]

All sorts of reasons why someone might not like a long haul trip ..
Carrying gear .. Range of the bike
Just getting old ..
(B

[JamesMio]

Originally Posted by Spank86

Same reason I don't run to football.

And why gyms always have massive car-parks and titchy cycle-stands.

[kaivalagi]

The regional sections could arrange interesting routes to the AR location to make it more interesting,vmaybe adding a stop over enroute somewhere if far...I'd be up for making it more of an adventure like that

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by kaivalagi

The regional sections could arrange interesting routes to the AR location to make it more interesting,vmaybe adding a stop over enroute somewhere if far...I'd be up for making it more of an adventure like that

i have just had a great idea. how about each region makes a fixed date/place event for themselves and then each year the AR is picked out a hat form those events.

with the region events being fixed then there would be no need for organising the AR as we just turn up to the one that has been chosen to hold the event.

Originally Posted by Bibio

i have just had a great idea. how about each region makes a fixed date/place event for themselves and then each year the AR is picked out a hat form those events.

with the region events being fixed then there would be no need for organising the AR as we just turn up to the one that has been chosen to hold the event.

Good idea in principal, but how would you go about arranging venues etc based on not knowing numbers that are attending?

What I mean is, a region might find a cracking venue which can accommodate the numbers that normally attend that regions event, but chuck in the extra numbers that might go if it suddenly becomes an AR then the venue might not then be suitable.

[Bibio]

good point, i suppose that each region would have to make sure that it has a large enough venue to accommodate the AR as well if needs be.

another thought is that say someone has a spare weekend then they could go and visit said region event if they wished.

[Littlepeahead]

Now someone on here made the very good point about 'life getting in the way' of the organising. People can moan, argue and pontificate about where the AR should be held every year, and you can discuss the accommodation, beer prices, roads and quality of livestock all you like, but the number one factor for any AR is having a few people willing to organise it.

For those of us that have, it's not just a case of ring a venue, throw together a route of roads you usually ride at a weekend, post up a date : job done.

You have to plan a route suitable for all bikes and abilities with greater numbers than you would normally ride with. Before AR and TOGMIE, Supervox, Mr LPH and I will ride a route several times over to decide if it is suitable in fair weather and bad. Each junction is looked at to work out if it's safe for markers, or will we get horribly split up at a particular junction, and can we manage a 160 mile route with no fixed cameras. Then we always ride it the weekend before to ensure no roads are closed or other diversions, resurfacing etc. that could affect the ride on the day. And you have to organise your markers or ensure 2nd man drop will work on a route.

Then there's the lunch and tea stops. Does it suit all budgets, is service quick enough, do our dates clash with any other major events locally, is there enough free bike parking, can we all fit inside if it rains?

And the accommodation - if people don't want to camp is there a B&B or motel nearby, how far is the nearest petrol station, can we bring our own booze, is there a pub, showers, proper toilet, can we have a fire, how far to the nearest cafe for Sunday breakfast?

So before you all say it should be here, it should be there, have a think about whether you might like to take on the organisation yourself, and all the work that goes with it to give everyone else a good weekend.

[Bibio]

precisely LPH and having fixed venues would go a long way to taking away some of the headache of it all. once all the leg work has been done for holding an AR in each region then there is a plan set in place and posted up in each section so even if the organiser/s have left the org we can still hold the event, all it would take is for someone in the region to ride the route a few weekends before and point out possible problems which i'm sure with the help of TMO everyone could sort out for the event.

if a region does not post up a venue then obviously they will not get a chance of holding the AR.

once a region has held an AR then its out for the next two years to give other regions a chance, that way we are not going to the same old AR's every cppl years.

holding an AR is not rocket science.

[Littlepeahead]

Sadly as we have seen, some of the venues have changed since we last held AR's there. So the leg work having been done is then of no use in future years.

The brilliant place in Wales that Cheryl found got sold, another place has become holiday cottages. Even this year we had planned to have dinner and drinks in the pub at TOGMIE for a fairly small number of us, then a week before the event the owner of the pub decided to book the whole place out for a birthday party so we were forced to change our plans to a chip shop and supermarket run - luckily the weather was good and we had 2 cars but had it been raining it wouldn't have been great sat in wet tents with no pub to go to.