About 25-30 bikes showed up for the Cowgirl Roundup Ride yesterday. We had 3 groups & more than 6 women who had volunteered to be road captains or sweeps. For this reason, my group, 1st one out, had 2 sweeps. Right away, we had a bike with trouble. She was right in front of me & started looking down to the back right side of her bike. "You go where you look" is the riders' rule she forgot. She veered to the right & I just KNEW she was going into the bar ditch! She caught it in time, but slowed & motioned me on. The 2nd sweep stopped with her, & I kept going with the group.
We made all our turns, then it began to rain. We pulled over onto the shoulder of Hwy 21 & put on our rain gear. I left off my gaiters (boot covers) but did don my jacket & pants. Then we all saddled up & went on our way. The roads were wet but manageable, but we had slowed enough that group 2 caught up with us. We reached the gas stop & that's where trouble hit. A trike was right in front of me so I didn't see the crash, but I heard it. A new rider, less than 600 miles under her belt, was making the turn into the gas stop, hit a slick spot with gravel, & down she went! She bounced up fast, which was a relief, and I pulled over close to her to check on her. She was okay, & she & I and another woman picked her bike up. It's a Honda Shadow & pretty light. She bent her right-side mirror, broke off her right blinker, dented the pipes, & REALLY bent the pedal for the rear brake. We coasted her bike to the front of the station where I found a guy in a pickup with a tool box, explained the accident, & asked if he could help. He bent it out with a huge wrench, the rider started it & rode it around the parking lot. She decided it wasn't braking properly, though, & called for a tow truck. The rear brake on a bike gives you at least 30% of your braking power, & it isn't safe to ride without one. As the sweep, I told the others to go on & I would stay with her. The rain had stopped & it was sunny & steamy.
Just about this time the 2nd sweep & the gal she stayed with caught up with us. The sweep was a little ticked, because the gal she stayed with stopped in a dangerous spot to put her cell phone in another place! WTF!? There are no cell phones on a motorcycle!! She didn't have trouble with her bike, just wanted her cell phone on her person rather than in her saddle bag. What a ridiculous reason to make somebody else stop on a narrow, winding, heavy-traffic road! At least I missed half the ride (& lunch) for a GOOD reason.
We waited about 2 hours for the tow truck (we were in east BFE), 45 minutes of this time spent with Cami listening to dead air while on hold. At last the guy got there & they drove off. I got back on Caprica (my lovely purple Harley) & rode north on a road I hadn't traveled before. I intersected Hwy 21 & eventually got back to the starting point. I waited there another 30-40 minutes before the 1st group got back in. Just as the 2nd group arrived it started raining again. So back on with the rain gear & out into the rain for the 30-mile ride home. The day didn't go as planned for me or Cami, but she wasn't hurt & I still got to put 172 miles on my bike & travel a road I hadn't been on before.
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