While we were waiting for the kick-off we got the unpleasant news that one of our regulars had had a mishap on the way to the ride. Luckily, Flynn was on the scene straight away as the accident happened outside his house (!) and had the emergency services on the way ASAP. Even luckier is that Sparkles spent just the one night in hospital and is now at home recuperating. Hopefully this is the last incident of this type for him and preferably all who attend our great weekly wind-down rides...
Back to the ride, after a bit of a delay while Flynn attended to Sparkles, about ten of us headed out the Pohangina Valley to take in one of my favourite little rides - the Apiti Loop.
This ride takes in some great scenery as you work your way around the valley but also demands a bit of respect as the road does tend to be littered with dirt and metal etc from slips and other damage. Stock can also be a concern.
After a nice ride around as far as Apiti we stopped and popped into the Apiti pub for refreshments and conversation. By the time we left the light was starting to fade and on my little blast through to Kimbolton I had to avoid mowing down a couple of bunnies - no ducks out though.
From Kimbolton it was just a quiet cruise home with the Friday night wind-down complete for another week.
Is Sparkles his real name or did you all give that to him?
ReplyDeleteWe have a couple of male instructors who somehow got stuck with the nicknames of Twinkle Toes and Snowflake. What a cruel lot we are!
Hope Sparkles is recovering quickly.
Our Friday night rides are organised via a bike forum (kiwibiker.co.nz) and everyone has interesting handles. I think Sparkles is still a bit sore (although his bike may be worse) but I'd say he'll be bouncing around in no time.
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