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Post by mrc on Jul 10, 2012 16:56:58 GMT 10
SORRY riders but I can't make it this saturday, have to fly to adelaide on friday to pick up a new ute and drive it back hopefully might pass some SHADOWS on the trip home.. Safe riding all................
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Post by Richo on Jul 10, 2012 18:54:18 GMT 10
That's cool I'll still head to goodna Maccas if everyone else is still keen.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2012 19:00:48 GMT 10
Yep, can still meet all there. 6.50am For a nice and early coffee
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Post by ant on Jul 10, 2012 20:58:53 GMT 10
Richo, I will still meet at Goodna as well. If anything changes my number is 0447245773.
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Post by Aldo on Jul 11, 2012 8:49:25 GMT 10
I'll meet you at Maccas Goodna as well, that nice early coffee sounds like a plan.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2012 20:16:26 GMT 10
Have a good day riders and show our club well .Wanted to make this but still toiling at the new place . Cheers Ray
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Post by Richo on Jul 11, 2012 21:59:32 GMT 10
Represent the club well, roger burnouts will be done TIC lol
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2012 19:43:28 GMT 10
If its raining at 6.30 I will not be there. It's a big effort to get up, get the clean bike out, ride for 5 mins to have a coffee whilst being wet. Then ride home as I won't be attending the ride other than the coffee.
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Post by Richo on Jul 14, 2012 20:09:06 GMT 10
Just a sample of the bikes today Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2012 20:22:50 GMT 10
Looks like it was a good turn up mate. Hope you all had an enjoyable day. Turned out a fine day here in gympie , how was it there. Okay that was a sample now where are the rest . Cheers Ray
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2012 13:51:57 GMT 10
I'm with you Ray, where's the rest of the pics. Anyone know how many riders they got and who went from SRA. Where's the report??? ;D Looks like ya's got a good day for it
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Post by Aldo on Jul 16, 2012 10:40:01 GMT 10
Hey there, It turned out to be a nice day for riding on Saturday. I meet Richo and Ant at McDonald's in Goodna for the ride. Sed was there as well giving us his moral support, which might have been just an excuse to hide his "Maccas Coffee addiction" (just kidding mate, was good to see you). After having a nice morning coffee and a nice chat, Richo, Ant an I made our way to the meeting point in Bowen Hills. Once at the registration desk we got a nice blue bandana (which doesn't make much sense on a Red Ride). There were sausages and coffee for all the riders. Around 9.25, people from Merlo Coffee and Australian Red Cross gave a short but emotive speech, followed by the riding instructions by a cop. According to a comment from one of the organizers, there were 72 bikes parked outside the meeting point plus some other bikes parked around the corner, which of course was a good attendance. The ride was way too short, something around 30km. We took Kingsford Smith Road, merged into the Gateway Motorway, exited at Old Cleveland Road and rode direct to Springood . 4 Police bikes rode with us and they made an amazing job blocking intersections so we didn't have to stop at all during the ride. Once in Springwood we have to register and wait two lifetimes to donate blood. Ant was the first one putting the SRA up high giving blood. I sadly have to say I got bored and desperate after waiting more than 3 hours without any success so I left the place without donating. Bad me but was getting really late for other things I had to do. A former leukemia patient and former bike rider gave a really amazing speech but not many people were hearing it, which was really rude considering the purpose of the ride; but it was caused b the poor "sound system" at the place. It would be good to hear Ant's and Richo's opinion on this ride. I personally think, the ride was super short and the route had nothing 'spectacular' to offer (maybe just seeing too many bikes riding together). I think it was extremely bad organized overall, and it all started at the meeting point in Bowen Hills. There were no signs of where to park (or not to park), around 9am people from Merlo Coffee were looking for the owners of at least 10 bikes among the crowd because they were parked on a zone where they shouldn't (silly Merlo people). The blood donation process was poorly organized (or not organized at all), if they had a registration to the ride they should know how many people would attend and plan something different to put some movement on the queue. There was also nothing to avoid people to get bored to death in Springwood while waiting. During the ride, there were at least three guys riding next to Richo and I that deserved to be pushed out of the road due to their reckless and annoying riding. Anyway, the highlights of Saturday morning: The morning coffee with Ant, Sed and Richo, the nice ride from Goodna to Bowen Hills and the QLD Police who rode with us. It was still a nice ride but to be brutally honest, I will think about 2 or 3 times about doing this ride again. See ya next ride! Cheers,
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Post by ant on Jul 16, 2012 20:47:53 GMT 10
Good write up Aldo. It was great to meet you and Richo.
I thought the police did a fantastic job - it seemed as though they were enjoying what they were doing. As you said, the ride was short but hey, what do you expect when riding from Bowen Hills to Springwood! At least we got to ride in from our meet up at Goodna.
I was talking to one of the women who helped to organise the day, seems that I know one of her family from work (staff member not a client). She told me that this year they made the day a closed event so that it wouldn't take as long as it had in previous years. Being a virgin donor the process leading up to giving the actual donation took time but the staff member who took me in for my interview did a great job of getting through everything as quick as possible. By the time they stuck the needle in my arm it was 1140 - the RN who looked after me was fantastic and had a great sense of humour especially when another virgin sat in the chair to my right and would not stop talking.
Unfortunately for me I had to spend longer at Springwood than I would have liked to - started to feel unwell just as the bag was finally full. By the time the staff let me leave it was after 1300 and there were only about six bikes left in the yard. For the ride home I rode through Logan, Woodridge, Browns Plains and then back on to Ipswich.
When I finally got home I let myself drift off in to the arms of Morpheus and had nice thoughts about how my donation would now be counted for the Emergency Services challenge i9n the hope that our service takes out this years challenge.
Would I do it again? Yes! Despite the short ride I would because one day it could be me who needs to be given some blood.
See you all on the next ride. Stay upright!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2012 21:11:03 GMT 10
Thanks Ant and Aldo for the honest write ups for the day. I have an ulterior motive for asking, I work at the local blood bank here and when I saw this ride posted here it excited me. We have a few bike riders who donate but I could see a whole new market opening up before my eyes!! Not to mention an excuse for a ride .. and hey I may even be able to join the ride in work time if I'm part of the organisation. So to make it short I was thinking of organising a similar thing here in Dubbo. I understand your getting bored waiting Aldo and that's one of the things I was interested to see how Springwood handled the waiting times (I guess they didnt very well ) I'm thinking a better way to organise something like this is to have the riders make a raincheck to donate as part of a normal operating day that suits them. Make the ride special, I'm hoping ours will be a touch longer than that .. or a lot. I'm glad you feel good about your donation Ant, a lot of people react the way you did the first time then it never happens again, I hope it wont stop you from going back for another go in three months time. I'm also happy that you had a good experience with the staff there, it's what we strive to do, eveyone who gives blood is special and they deserve to be treated with special care Good on you SRA guys for going along and having a go, glad you had a good time together
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Post by Richo on Jul 17, 2012 5:46:34 GMT 10
I agree with Aldo and Ants write ups it was a good although short ride there was nothing amazing about it but it was my first big group ride so it was cool to see so many bikes in one pack. Even though Aldo and I were near some complete idiots. The waiting around was what killed it for me. I was one of the first to get the paperwork filled out and one of the last group to go through only to be told that due to my medical history (15yrs ago) I could no longer donate whole blood *sigh* the sound system. They used to announce everything was also less than useful as I couldn't hear a word anybody said and I was seated under designated areas. It was great to meet Ant and Aldo but I might skip this ride next year.
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