On the South Coast of England, where I live, there is a well supported bike community. It's therefore understandable to expect that groups of people will get together and head out for a ride. I'm mainly a solitary rider, but will go out with a mate every now and again to enjoy their company and talk about bikes and life. That was until today. This morning I hooked up with a local rideout heading West across some pretty decent biking roads.
I didn't know what to expect if I'm honest, but part of me expected it to be a bit slow and ponderous. I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried.
What I saw today beggars belief. Look, I'm no angel on the bike and will go quick when the moment allows it, but its a case of when and where.  Some of the riding I saw today sent shivers down my spine and I'm truly amazed that everybody made it there in one piece. Passing over solid white lines, on blind bends, carving through traffic and too many risky overtakes to mention, some with pillions for good measure. 
Everybody recons they can ride, but riding isn't about pinning it or taking unnecessary risks. Nobody should head out for fun on a Sunday morning and not come back. 
Did I enjoy my ride? Yes, but then I was just out for a gentle bimble, I wasn't trying to ride the Dorset TT through holiday traffic nor carrying a passenger. Maybe I found myself too close to the front and maybe I'm better suited to the back, taking it easy.
The people on the ride seem a good bunch. I know a few of them through other bike meets and I'm not going to tell them how to ride as its not my place to. Its their bike, their life and their choice.
In my eyes a group rideout should be a casual affair, not a balls out thrash. If you want to race and prove how good you are, book a trackday. That way if you do come off, its not a headline in the local paper.

​These last few weeks, its been a little quiet on the biking front. This is mainly due to work and needing to use the car to transport documents and what not. I will admit, on a few of those days last week, I was glad as the weather was, in a word, torrid. 
Normal service resumed this week and the ride yesterday was the first really sweaty ride of the year. You know the ones; the rides where you're hot when you get on the bike, are fine when out riding, but as soon as you stop, your body temperature just goes through the roof. 
I know these hot and, often uncomfortably rides are a consequence of wearing full leathers, but I really wouldn't have it any other way. The benefits to full kit so out weigh any potential or perceived advantages, that given the choice, I'll always turn to the Alpinestars.

As you know, this blog is predominantly about me, my riding and my life as a UK based motorcyclist, but just for today I want to turn my attention to a recent tragedy. With the untimely passing of Nicky Hayden yesterday, the motorcycle world lost one of its most genuine, charismatic and talented riders it has even seen. I was never lucky enough to meet the man, but I did see him ride a few times and everything I've read from inside the racing world, portrayed Hayden as one of the nicest men in the world, let alone in bike racing. 
When I started riding and watching racing in 2007, I was drawn to Hayden, probably because of his demeanour, his talent on the bike and I'll be honest, his accent. I know that may sound strange, but there was something fascinating about the Kentucky Kid and for me, he was the coolest rider out there. The only rider who ever came close was Marco Simoncelli and Hayden clearly loved racing motorbikes professionally.
After Honda arguably mistreated him at the end of his Repsol days, as a Ducati fan, I was so pleased to see him on the big Desmo. With really high profile teammates, Hayden seemed 'forgotten' by the media, but his role for the Italian factory shouldn't be understated. The Desmo had the ability to nearly end careers and for evidence of that just look at Marco Milandri and Valentino Rossi. Rossi couldn't get on with the big red animal and spent a lot of time making his feelings known, but not Hayden. There has been lots written about the two years that Rossi spent on the Ducati and it was clearly six of one and half a dozen of the other, but Nicky just seemed to get down to business and gave 100% all of the time and rarely, if ever, publicly dismiss the bike. Sadly his riding career would never reach its 2006 peak again and for the last couple of seasons, he was fighting it out in World Superbike. With the new Fireblade Nicky had the potential and the bike to be the first rider to be crowned MotoGP and World Superbike champion, but sadly, this was not to be.
Thirty five is no age to die and in a strange twist of fate, his accident happened by the Misano circuit named after Marco Simoncelli, which itself is on Via Daijiro Kato, a road named after the Japanese rider killed in 2003 at Suzuka, Japan.
The world was a better place with Nicky Hayden in it and the motorcycle community and the world has lost one of its brightest lights. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Nicky, my thoughts and prayers go out to your family and friends at this darkest time.

It funny where you end up sometimes, especially when your life revolves around two wheels. 
I left work before 16:30 today and the weather was lovely. Very little wind, warmish temperatures and a cloudless sky meant that a longer route home was called for.
On this route when I found the level crossing down, I headed off in a totally different direction and found myself at a local beauty spot, the lovely Lulworth Cove, but in reality, I really didn't know why I was there.
After about a minute, I just got back on the bike and headed back home. I hadn't planned on heading over to a local bike meet and in reality, quite fancied getting home and eating my dinner in front of a good movie, but as I approached the location of the meet, I thought it wouldn't hurt just to pop in. I may even take a few pictures of the bike by the river.
So there I was sat at a bench with a snack and an orange juice, when Miranda, a local rider, sat down and we started chatting about life.
Two and half hours later I finally head off home after looking over a varied selection of bikes and chatting with a variety of riders. From clubs members to leaners, from sportsbike riders to classics, it was all there and was in fact a nice way to wind down after a fairly stressful day. As I said, its funny where you end up sometimes.