|
|
Challenge Rides?
|
Anyone ever hear of a challenge ride? Recently, someone I used to ride
with mentioned a new thing (to me) called a "challenge ride". I guess
the challenge ride is a route outlined by the "host" and there is a
section that is considered a "challenge" and the challenge is who can
get to the end of this section first. In other words, a street race.
Sound like fun?
|
Every ride is a challenge. We don't 'race' as such, but anyone who
thinks they are good enough can step up to the mark and try and be first
to a set destination. Luckily it doesn't take long for people to find
like minded souls that ride at a speed comfortable to them.......
|
At first I was stunned to hear this, but then, I realized that maybe it
isn't really all that unusual and maybe it's kind of a common thing in
the more spirited sport bike world. I'm kind of naive about some
things. So, I ask you, great riders of all of the far corners of the
Internet, from every country and state and style of ridng there might
be, how common is "the challenge ride"?
|
Well , I wouldn't call myself a 'great rider', but you can... :)
A couple of us went up to see some guys from out of town at the Te Anga
pub. These guys called it 'The Te Anga GP' and when it was home time
they did a Le Mans start where you run across the road to your bike and
go for it.
|
Is it a pretty common practice? Have you ever done it? Is it becoming a
more common thing? I just seem to be in the dark about all of this. I'm
not sure if this is just a one shot thing or is it something that is a
common, or maybe not too common but not unheard of practice. It might
even just be all talk, on-line and not really happening at all. I'm not
an eye witness and the guy that told me isn't either, so maybe it's just
lots of on-line chest pounding. I don't know, but I can't help but
wonder. Seems pretty far out to me, could it really be?
|
I like spirited riding, but the only time I would call it a 'race' was
when the 'blue'n'reds' come on and the slowest guy gets the ticket!
|
|
We used to do this in Southern California clear back in the early 1960s, but
we called it a "rally" because calling it a street race didn't seem like a
good idea at the time. Some of these events were organized and advertised
well in advance, with posters, handbills, entry fees, and Etc. The idea lost
a lot of it's popularity after a few riders went down hard and were badly
injured.
So far as I know, there's nobody doing anything similar in our area right
now, but of course informal road races still take place every weekend on our
local mountain twisties.
|
I guess this is more of an "informal" roiad race, but with the Internet
pre-cursor thrown in to up the bragging rights.
|
|
|
|