Another Indian summer weekend
Am I still in Indiana? That was the question I was asking myself last weekend here in the Midwest in the middle of November. After our little lesson about the origins of the term “Indian summer” last week here at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com, I figured it would be snowing by this past weekend. To my surprise, central Indiana was once again blessed with a spectacular two days of fall temperatures and clear blue skies this past weekend. Several more weeks ago I shared with you all “A day in the life of a business traveler” going to Calgary, Alberta, so this week I thought I’d share a day in the life of a motorcycle enthusiast with yet another Indian summer weekend.
7:30 a.m.: Rise and shine. The sun is up, the sky is clear, the thermometer is approaching a favorable level, so it’s time to ride! Darn, all the bikes are back in cozy winter storage, so I’ve got to roll one up from the family room to the garage. It’s still a bit chilly, but I’ve got room for an extra layer under the leathers so I should be fine for a couple hours until it warms up.
8:30 a.m.: I’m suited up and ready to ride. I stopped by my riding mate Mike’s house to see if I can get him out of bed early on a Saturday morning to join the day’s ride. To my surprise, he’s already up and raking leaves in his yard and cleaning out gutters. Yikes, that’s really what I should be doing today!
9 a.m.: My temptations for Mike to join the morning’s ride apparently didn’t work, so I swung by Shapiro’s Delicatessen and met up with the local BMW riders club for breakfast. I’m the lone Ducati in a sea of BMWs, but we all share the same passion of two-wheeled adventures. Shortly after settling in to a piping hot cup of java and a plate full of eggs, bacon and toast, Mike comes zooming into the parking lot on his German steed. I guess those leaves and gutters will have to wait for another day.
11 a.m.: After a breakfast like that, my leathers seemed a bit tighter. But now that I’ve got Mike peeled away from yard work, we head up to Ducati Indianapolis on the far north side of town for a piping hot espresso. Now the table has turned, and Mike’s BMW is surrounded by a sea of Ducatis. After a couple shots of espresso and a pastry or two, it’s time to head off to the monthly meeting of the Motorcycle Sport Touring Association (MSTA).
1 p.m.: Dreyer Motorsports, on the west side of Indianapolis, had graciously offered their MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) training room to host the MSTA meeting this month. Dwayne Dreyer was hanging out in the main showroom welcoming the arriving MSTA members and pointing us in the direction of the meeting room. After solving all the world’s problems, trading a few big fish stories and munching on chips and soft drinks, Mike and I suited back up once again to continue our Indian summer ride.
3 p.m.: With almost six hours since our last full meal, we head off to the far south side of town to grab a late lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Fireside Brewhouse. Hey, wait a minute, didn’t we just have snacks at Dreyer Motorsports and more treats at Ducati Indianapolis earlier in the day? This Indian summer riding is a very strenuous activity that consumes a lot of fuel for both the motorcycles and their riders.
5 p.m.: With the sun settling low in the November sky and the zipper on my leathers mysteriously getting tighter and tighter, Mike and I head over to another riding buddy’s place on the near south side of Indianapolis. To both our surprise, we find Craig finishing up a full day of yard work and chores around the house with his Italian and German two-wheeled steeds setting idle in the garage. I guess Craig is lucky I didn’t swing by his place earlier in the morning on my way to rescue Mike from the same late Indian summer fate.
7 p.m.: After a full day of eating my way around the City of Indianapolis, I finally roll up the driveway of my house, checking out my yard full of leaves, and wondering if Sunday will be a day of yard work and chores or if the siren song of a two-wheeled Italian steed tempts me to avoid it for yet another week.
Well, I’ve got to confess. Sunday dawned just as Saturday had. The crew from Ducati Indianapolis successfully rescued me from my home duties yet again with a full-day ride down through the twisty roads of southern Indiana. I guess the fall duties will have to wait for another weekend, and maybe I can persuade Mike and Craig to join me for a day of raking leaves!
I’ll see you all here next week at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Indy GP chat is going strong
It’s now been almost two months since the inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. In gatherings all over, enthusiasts who experienced this event are sharing stories that will be keeping our enthusiasm charged up as we count down to next year’s event in August 2009.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend a local BMW Riders Club gathering at the home of Dr. Dallas Peak. As it turns out, Dallas also played an important role during the inaugural running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP as part of the medical teams stationed around the course. I’ve used some of the photos he took during the weekend of the Moto Taxi team in this week’s installment of The Experience.
The BMW Riders Club “meeting” at the Peak’s home was a great opportunity to share some stories and experiences from the Indy GP with another group of enthusiasts. I was given the chance to talk to the group about my experiences working with the folks out on West 16th Street with the Moto Taxi team and some of the promotional activities leading up to the event.
As you might gather from a couple of these photos, the BMW Riders Club isn’t too much different than the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA) group you’ve seen me hanging out with. We all love the motorcycling lifestyle, but we do take our gastronomic delights quite seriously. The Peak’s and the BMW folks laid out one serious spread of delicacies that would have made any one of the HSTA folks salivate with delight!
The weather here in central Indiana is finally going into winter mode. To you folks in more mild climates, that means it is getting COLD! I did manage to get a few more morning commutes to the office last week, but 39 degrees F in perforated leathers is a bit on the chilly side. Several of the BMW Riders Club members at the “meeting” this past Sunday did show up on two wheels, and I understand Dr. Peak commutes up to Indianapolis every day on his BMW.
Anyway, keep up the chat, sharing your Indy GP experiences, and I’ll see you all in a couple weeks at www.redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg