2008 In Retrospect

What another great year it’s been! At this time last year I decided I had blown the budget and should ease up on the K's after having done 30,000 for the year. I didn't do very well though because I've managed nearly 28,000 this year, which is odd because it feels like I've done a lot less riding this year.
 
My highlights for the year were;
 
Going to the Australian Tennis Open in January, which was a good trip even though I’m not really into tennis. I’d probably prefer Melbourne when the Philip Island MotoGP is on but since Ann is right into her tennis, I guess I’ll be settling for January trips henceforth.
 
In February, Ann and I did a day trip to the Art Deco Festival with Steve. (That’s always an interesting event and they seem to get great weather).
 
The Mini's Return in March was awesome. I managed 5,600Kms in 9 days which included two 1,000Km days. The weather was superb, the roads fantastic and I was in good company most of the time, although I did travel alone on 5 of the days.
 
The Kiwibiker Gathering in June was another good weekend away and we were introduced to some interesting Hawkes Bay roads by MSTRS.
 
Completing my 3rd Grand Challenge in October was the most difficult ride and oddly enough, I found it harder than last years ride with the extension. I think it was harder because most of the first half of the ride was on curly roads and the concentration required to push the pace in the first half increased the fatigue factor late in the ride. It didn’t help either when I watched my mate Steve go down in front of me, at about 2am, and breaking his collarbone.
 
November was a big month with another Training Day at Manfield, The Capital 1000K Cruise and my 4th Muscular Dystrophy (MDA) Ride. This month also had the lowest point though as Steve, Trevor and myself were riding with, and witnessed Grub die on the C1KC ride.
 
After having problems obtaining them initially, finally fitting Avon Storm tyres to the bike this year made a huge difference to the handling and my confidence. I now buy them in advance to ensure I can just change them when I'm ready. The year has raced by and once again, I consider that I’ve spent way too much money on riding and should cut back…….but there’s some great rides programmed for 2009!!??