Utterly OT - 220mph bike ride

On 2006-02-15, Matthew Maddock <[email protected]> wrote:

> I slowed to 80 - thought any less would make me look really guilty!
> He sat behind me for a minute then overtook and gave me a stern
> finger waving! No doubt if I'd been younger and on my own I'd have
> been pulled.

I drove in formation with four cop cars once, they were driving in
convoy along the motorway, M4 or M3 IIRC, at about 80. I drove past
them at 85 reasoning that they were going somewhere and weren't likely
to bother me, but they surrounded me, one in front, one behind and two
on either side and we tootled along at 85 for a few miles before they
pulled off the motorway! I was in a tatty old Audi 90 and was about
28 or so at the time. Very odd.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

....and Ian Rawlings spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...


> On 2006-02-15, Matthew Maddock
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I slowed to 80 - thought any less would make me look really guilty!
>> He sat behind me for a minute then overtook and gave me a stern
>> finger waving! No doubt if I'd been younger and on my own I'd have
>> been pulled.
>
> I drove in formation with four cop cars once, they were driving in
> convoy along the motorway, M4 or M3 IIRC, at about 80. I drove past
> them at 85 reasoning that they were going somewhere and weren't likely
> to bother me, but they surrounded me, one in front, one behind and two
> on either side and we tootled along at 85 for a few miles before they
> pulled off the motorway! I was in a tatty old Audi 90 and was about
> 28 or so at the time. Very odd.

One of the best experiences of my life was to be called on, as a member of
the local IAM motorcycling group, to assist in marshalling a cycle road race
one Sunday a few years back. The deal was to stand at a junction or hazard,
see the riders safely through, then leapfrog the riders and cane it like
buggery to be at the next checkpoint before the cyclists got there. There
were a couple of cop bikes as well, mainly to stop other traffic and ride in
front of and behind the main group with lights on etc. They told us, in
effect, you're riding under police rules, just keep it sensible and safe.

I can remember coming up on the main group, with my next checkpoint about a
mile away down a straight A-road. All other traffic was stopped, so I took
the brow of a hill, and creamed about 60 cyclists and two police bikes,
wrong side of the road, at about 80. Bliss! They didn't pay us. Didn't
have to!

--
Rich
==============================

There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary
and those who don't.

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:10:14 -0000, "Richard Brookman"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>They told us, in
>effect, you're riding under police rules, just keep it sensible and safe.

I rather doubt they'd admit to giving that advice if anything went
wrong...


--
"We have gone from a world of concentrated knowledge and wisdom to one
of distributed ignorance. And we know and understand less while being
increasingly capable." Prof. Peter Cochrane, formerly of BT Labs
In memory of Brian {Hamilton Kelly} who logged off 15th September 2005

....and Mother" <"@ {mother} @ spake unto the tribes of Usenet, saying...


> On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:10:14 -0000, "Richard Brookman"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> They told us, in
>> effect, you're riding under police rules, just keep it sensible and
>> safe.
>
> I rather doubt they'd admit to giving that advice if anything went
> wrong...

Oh sure, I wasn't born yesterday, or anything like it. But it did mean you
could fly around at decent speeds without expecting to have your collar felt
every five minutes. In effect, we did keep it sensible and safe, no
incidents occurred, and the event went off very well. If anyone had had a
mishap, I don't think he would have expected any special favours. Nice
while it lasted.

That was, of course, in the days when the roads were policed by policemen.

--
Rich
==============================

There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary
and those who don't.

Once upon an ancient time many years ago I ascended Edge hill on my even
older scooter involuntarily wheelying because of the weight of the illegal
passenger on the back, gotta say the follies of youth, the inadequacies of
ancient lambretta scooters but it was fun.


--
Larry
Series 3 rust and holes




"Danny" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Richard Brookman wrote:
>
>
> I once pulled a wheelie on the A40 on a glorious sunny very quiet
> sunday morning. Dropped it at the next (red) lights only to find a
> police bike next to me, signalling me over. I thought I was in big
> trouble until he raised his visor and said "sometimes you just have to
> do it" and rode off...
>
>
> --
> Regards,
> Danny
>
> http://www.gaggia-espresso.com (a purely hobby site)
> http://www.dannyscoffee.com (UK advert for my mobile espresso service)
> http://www.malabargold.co.uk (UK/European online ordering for Malabar
> Gold blend)
> swap Z for above characters in email address to reply
>