Mid-Life Riders Online

The View From My Handlebars

Toys For Tots Ride - 2009

On Sunday, September 13, 2009 the annual Toys for Tots ride is where you could find many of Avalon's motorcycle riders, all doing their part by helping the Salvation Army in providing Christmas toys to children less fortunate than our own. Last year, riders donated more than 900 toys for these children in need. Motorcycle riders are indeed, a special bread.

Riders, please do not loose sight of the ultimate purpose of the annual Toys for Tots ride; that is to help children in need experience the joy of opening a gift on Christmas morning. That should be the end of the story but as you know, there was a motorcycle ride as well. No amount of planning and preparation can eliminate the common problems and pitfalls that are inherent with large group motorcycle riding. You know the issues that I am referring too; speeding, line separation or line breakage, passive riders, aggressive riders and frustrated motorist. The list can be endless but you all get the point that I am trying to make here.

No one in their right mind can truly expect a group of 200 plus motorcycles, travel more than 100 km and not have some or all of the above occur? If you think otherwise, you have unrealistic expectations and should stick to riding solo. The skill level of riders vary, hundreds of intersections and driveways to block, inattentiveness of riders and in some cases lack of respect from the driving public, all contribute to a less than perfect group ride scenario.

"The view from my handlebars" is that if the Toys for Tots motorcycle ride receives 900 toys for children at Christmas and the ride is free from accidents or God forbid, fatalities, it meets the definition of success by rational people 100% of the time. Unfortunately, there is no margin of error for irrational people and they spend life's eternity looking for what went wrong as apposed to what went right. To all you irrational people! If you insist on finding the shortcomings, keep looking, you have not noted them all yet. But trust me; you will have missed the point of it all.

Congrats to the Salvation Army on continuing their good work, the Gold Wing Road Riders Association for their ongoing commitment to the Toys for Tots ride and all the rational and irrational riders who join the ride year after year. Without each and every one of you, these children would have no reason to smile on Christmas morning.

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Mervyn House

MLR Online.