TNR Report

For years we rode around on Tuesday nights in unsullied Edenic bliss. We negotiated potholes, staggering drunks, and angry motorists without incident. But fate dramatically snatched that innocence away from us on May 13, 2008. That was the day Luc and Jonny M got their teenaged horns locked up on the way back from the corkscrew parking garage race and Jonny ended up leaving his knuckles on Portage Ave. after a stunning couple hundred foot body skid. It settled down for a while after that fateful day. But over the past month and a half, we've endured a steady litany of incidents, the frequency of which is getting rather disturbing. First it was Craig, the Cricket, who got tangled up during the miss and out race at the formal gardens. The following week, Matt struck a curb in mid-conversation, tumbled, and came crashing down with a heavy thud in the middle of the road. Are you still out there Matt? We haven't heard from you since you left us at the Sargeant Park skatepark. The week after that, Luc struck a curb on the way back from the klubhaus. But with his superior bike handling skills, somehow he managed to stay upright. James hit the deck a couple weeks ago after he decided to keep riding rather than join us at the klubhaus. But that's probably not so much an accident as justice being doled out. Last week, it was Bill A's turn. Just metres from home at the end of the night, he was caught off guard by some fresh landscaping work. The soft soil swallowed his front wheel in a single gulp, and he caromed along a white picket fence for a while before bouncing up and retreating to the safety of home. Yesterday, Lady Luck turned her embittered gaze on Colin. She placed a tire width-sized crack right in front of our unsuspecting friend and brazenly took him down. He smacked his head on the ground and ripped his jacket. But happily Colin was able to continue the ride. Here he is, with Luc, inspecting his helmet after the crash:


Who will get taken down next week? Show up to my place at 9:30 pm to find out.

As for the ride itself, it was another relaxed and aimlessly meandering one. We headed over to the poosher's place to check out the progress of The Pinedale Project. It doesn't quite look like this yet, but there is evidence that the work has begun. At that point, the Secretary experienced a hunger pang. So we headed up Main St. to VJ's. We haven't been there yet this year. So it seemed like we were overdue for a burger. And of course this occasioned a series of reminiscences about last year's Burger Cat race. And then Colin had his wreck. Between that and the light rain that began to fall, by the time we got to VJ's we weren't so hungry any more. So we went straight to the klubhaus for another early arrival. There was a good turnout. The Secretary, Juan Eppstein, Vic, Craig, Colin, Luc, the Impaler, KK, Jonny M, and me were all there. Cousin Bill showed up for his first ever Tuesday Night Ride. We hope that he will be back. And Bill A and Jonny G showed up later at the klubhaus. One of the bike racks, however, was missing.