Breakfast and a Ride

Heading out to Bartlett Lake.

Low Speed, High Concentration

Those are the words I would use to describe working an Ironman event on a motorcycle. Regardless if your duty was to carry a judge, a cameraman or even a tripod the task is one that requires 100% concentration, all day long.

The day starts simple enough with the end of the water race for the athletes and the beginning on the bike race. The pros exit the water, change over to their bikes and we begin the chase. For the first lap things are pretty easy, but that all changes quickly as the amateurs flood the streets and congest the narrow bike lanes as the pros start their second lap.

The tasks are low speed so advanced though must be given to the simplest of details and although you may be moving slowly sometimes bike riders make quick moves that require a solid decision on your part.

Three laps later the pro begin to exit the course but getting all of the athletes off of the course happens somewhere around 5 o'clock. By that time almost 200 miles get clocked on the ride and for some the task of filming the foot race begins.

If you want to challenge yourself and grow your concentration skill as a rider the Ironman is possible the ultimate challenge. A hard days work, but very rewarding. Ask anyone who has ever ridden one, it is something you must experience.

Ironman Motos Ready to Roll

Here we are in downtown Tempe. Look for possible updates during the
day and a final report tonight.

Accumulating New Stuff

I've been accumulating a bunch of stuff to put on my bike. Sometimes I wonder if it is just the way I approach things or if other are the same way, but I wait until I get a few items to add to my bike and then I do them all at once.

Never before a big trip however as I've learned that you have to learn gadgets and new things on short trips. A long trip is no place to discover that something you've added is annoying.

I'm kind of excited to put this stuff on, of course it will be after this weekend as before the Ironman event is not an "upgrade" kind of time.

Martin's View

I've always held the belief that regardless of the brand of bike or style of rider, all riders are cool and I respect at a basic level all of them equally. Now, some excel in the area of riding and others are on a bike to enjoy the many things on the road that I do, such as the sites and smells.

Martin, who can be found online as MBonadio has always been a leisure rider and a really great guy. OK, then there is the fact that for a while he seemed to trade for a new bike every 6 months. Anyway, Martin just recently went on a 3-day trip to the Grand Canyon. He took his time, enjoyed the ride and then came back and shared his adventure in a way that many do, by posting pictures. You can find his report here - Click!

But, today Martin posted probably one of the best reports of a trip I've ever seen. You probably already watched it because it was posted at the top. I've seen a gazillion ride video's some really good and some really bad, but this representation of a ride really strikes a chord with me and makes me smile.

Thanks for sharing Martin, and please don't stop making videos!

To comment on this video - Click here.

Weekday Rides Rock

A weekday ride in my mind is a great stress reliever. Nothing like a
lunch run to put anyone in great spirits.

Today I was invited to head to the top of South Mountain. It is very
technical ride and the view is awe inspiring.

Along for the ride were MBondio, Clark and Stefan from the AZRatPack.

Thanks for having me guys!

A Brand New Look!

Well, it is evolving, but the front page of South West Rides has been replaced with a more interactive and informative one.

If you are a member you'll notice some personalized touches including your avatar and buddy list right off the start. New Rides and Events that were posted with RSVP's are listed at top and down in the middle you will find all of the Scheduled, Requested and Listed Motorcycle Events.

Add your zip code to your profile and you'll see weather displayed, not to mention a much better weather.com interface.

Look for more tweaks to this interface and if you have suggestion drop a note in the Forum Operation Questions section.