Today we had arranged to meet with Ron again and go out to a quiet local road to do a proper run. I rode over again, but this time with Dave on his low-racer for company. Once there we loaded up, and with Ron, Lori and their friend Tracy leading the way we headed off. Bike out, rider in, top on, taped up, deep breath and pedal….. The start was very easy and smooth, then off I went. I had forgotten just how long these bikes take to accelerate, but eventually 40mph came up and then it seemed to take off. I was feeling decidely nervous – not helped by the occasional traffic on the road, including a cement truck coming the other way halfway down! I freewheeled a few times, but with the addrenaline pumping my leg started shaking and that doesn’t help control! The bike was cruising at 48mph with a light effort, but I actually didn’t want to go any faster. Hopefully once I am on a closed track I’ll feel more willing to give it full gas and see what she will do! The four mile run was over very quickly. The single front brake is not very effective, so I started slowing down as soon as I could just make out Ron standing in the road in the distance. He did a good catch and I was able to climb out. I didn’t feel like doing another full test run, but Tracy suggested just riding back with the top off, which was a good idea, so I did. The bike is still pretty fast even without the lid; I was riding at 25 to 29mph, but it still seemed to take an age to get back up the stretch! Still, I was able to make some effort for training. We convoyed back to Ron and Lori’s where I grabbed a quick shower before we all went out to breakfast. The rest of the day was spent mostly dozing on the bed – I was still feeling pretty rubbish, just had to hope I got over the worst of it before the weekend.
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Thursday 29th June
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