Vol Rider Fun Ride - Huge Fun - Big Weather

The Fun Ride hosted by the Volunteer Riders turned out to be a huge success, without a doubt it was the best attended non-race events the club has had in several years. We didn't get a final count, but we know that we had over 40 riders. People heard about the event by word of mouth, the Vol Rider website (www.volunteerrider.com), East Tenn Riders forum, Adv Riders Forum, Craigs list, and of course Cycleblend.com

After a brief riders meeting where we covered some basic rules of the ride, and stressed that it was for fun, and that no one would be left in the woods, we divided into an "Experienced Group" and a "Lesser Experienced" group. The first group later split again to speed things along.

Things were going great, and everyone seemed to be having a good time by all accounts, and then the lights went out. Seriously, it got so dark that you could see your shadow in the headlights of the bike behind you! Never a good sign.

The picture above (Jake)  was taken around 12:00 NOON! Not midnight.  I'm talking sideways rain, lightning so close it had me wondering how many dirt bike riders get struck each year, and trails literally turning into creeks where the water was running down them so hard. But you know what, everyone seemed to be enjoying the adventure. What else is there to do? You're 10 miles from the truck, nobody's coming to get you. So you just ride! And Ride we did! As everyone began gathering back at the parking area there was no cussing and grumbling, mostly laughter and jokes about how wet can you possibly get. I think that the first two groups got in about 25 miles, and the 3rd group about 15. So everyone got in some riding. I can tell you that 5 miles in a downpour feels like 10 in the dry. Those hard packed dirt trails turn to grease with a little H2O.

Other than one bike breaking down about a mile form the truck the event went without a hitch. The Volunteer Riders Club is already planning on doing a similar event again. Hopefully without the epic weather. We'll post it on Cycleblend when it happens. If you would like to join the Volunteer Riders their meetings are the third Thursday of each month.