OUTRIDERS END OF SEASON PARTY WEEKEND.

Sept 1^st - 3^rd

Well this was a strange and bizarre weekend for all concerned and that’s no mistake!

 With Sarah & Leigh off to celebrate their birthday(s) in Amsterdam’s red light district I was left to my own devices, (dangerous) so it was either a quite night in with a glass of wine or ride 250 miles to go and celebrate Julie's (of Russ & Julie) 40^th birthday in Lancashire, or was it Lanacshire or Yorkshire I didn’t know and anyway I was following Nick who is good with a map (thanks for leading Nick). So it was out of work early, down to the M40 to meet with Anne & Nick (Anne still fuming from the conversation with the Travel Lodge who had cancelled their Saturday night room…) and then the 250 wet miles up to near Blackpool… An arduous journey ensued, M40 M42, M6 Toll and all mega congested. We held the Toll booth up sufficiently long to make them think about not charging bikers… We never had more than a few feet between us all the way and it was a great stress free ride, that is until someone pulled over into me, a team effort here as I braked and swerved & Anne tooted for me, anyway it worked and I’m still here in one piece, phew! Anyway we arrived safely at 7:00’ish and

booked in at the Travel Lodge.                                          Julie's party was great fun, and Anne & I showed them how we dance down south…we couldn’t get anyone to do our e-e-e-excellent dances and eventually decided to have party popper fights, float balloon suspended boxes at head height an booked in at the Travel Lodge.

 Julie's party was great fun, and Anne & I showed them how we dance down south…we couldn’t get anyone to do our e-e-e-excellent dances and eventually decided to have party popper fights, float balloon suspended boxes at head height and breathe in helium… Russ gave us a good show on the guitar and again we had the dance floor to ourselves, safest for everyone really, and RockBoots are not the best dancing shoes! Anne my toe will heal up, honest it will. Maybe. (Judging by the amount of Rockboots sold at the BMF to VSOC girls this will be a common occurrence in 2005)

Midnight and my mobile rings as we are walking back, with a very happy/merry/tired Sarah saying that a rather high profile group of bikers in Amsterdam had adopted them and were showing them the sites and treating them like the perfect ladies that they are, they had seen a sex show and would be in bed by dawn, possibly…

Saturday we took the scenic route to Buxton along the famous Cat & Fiddle stopping for a cream tea. Mine turned out to be a selection of crumbs. Nick knocked over a basket of cutlery, I threw my cream laden knife at a ladies foot and Anne just laughed, it was all a bit surreal really.

Next was the M1 and with 20 odd junctions to do it was head down and go, on and on and on…

Woohoo! Junction 9, next stop 4 Star luxury awaits us at the Moat House Hotel. On arrival we are met by a very loud welcoming committee drawn from the hardcore of Vultures and Rejects.

Fff Pete let the whole place know about buxom ladies in the Jacuzzi and what a great place he had found for us, a glance around the luxurious reception confirmed this and yes you did us proud matey.

This is where things get a bit mad. Anne, Nick & myself decide to eat in the restaurant which was all very nice and we spoke in hushed voices as perusing the menu. While outside a singles night was coming together…the men in black tie the ladies in evening dress and in the middle the bikers from hell, room numbers given & condoms bought (and that was just the girls) things got interesting as they all fancied the rough leather clad bikers and not the starched gathered singletons. It was hilarious and we all had such a laugh. I had an odd discussion with a bloke with braces on his teeth who claimed to be a “biker” although his Triumph Sprint only has 800 miles on the clock in a year, I said with some glee that we would have ridden 550 miles this weekend alone…his female “friend” wandered off while I was talking to him...... to check out Dutch Fred I think. It made me smile. It made him realize he was a Light Weight who had braces and he grimaced metallically back at me.

V proud of them…Until I was called forward to take responsibility for my rogue members, apologies made, yellow cards issued and boobs back in bra’s I was enjoying a quiet chat when I was picked off the floor by Solent's “Bill Bear” and hoisted through the pub to have my head kicked in I thought. I grabbed passing friends by the eye sockets and screamed for help as more & more people came to see what the fuss was. Anyway “Bear” just didn’t believe I was 38 (it’s the hair I think). Not sure who set me up but think it was a fellow rep, not too far away who had a front row seat…

In the morning to cap it all our good pal Brr Brr lips made an appearance and all was right with the world. After a delicious Brunch we left the hotel and I just had to out accelerate Fff Pete on my VFR, only to have him take me on the inside and my bike splutter and die as the b*stards turned my fuel off! Anyhow we dropped in to the Packhorse to thank Geoff for another good night, who informed me with some glee and a glint in his eye that Sarah and Leigh were in jail in Amsterdam along with their chaperones. I believed him of course, gullible fool that I am.

Sarah and Leigh flew back in to Heathrow at 12:30 and looked exhausted but a little too smart and happy for 4 hours sleep in 3 days, but that’s another story…

Dave K                                                                       

(From the loud centre…)