Some days feel like a ride. Others feel like a mission. Today was definitely the second one. But I mean that in the most positive sense.
Today was all about getting things right for the Peaks and Dales Bikers charity ride supporting SUPERGOOD BIKERS FOR AUTISM (SGBFA). Not just a casual run out, this was preparation day. The kind where you don’t just ride the route, you work the route.
We met at 10 o’clock at the Tea Junction, Hulme End. Thirteen of us. A solid number, and more importantly the right mix of riders. Experience, awareness, and that shared understanding that this isn’t about us, it’s about delivering something safe, smooth and professional for everyone who turns up on the day.
Before we even rolled out, we talked through the marshalling system. Properly talked it through. Not just who goes where, but why we do it the way we do.
Because here’s the reality. A charity ride of this size cannot safely run on a simple drop off system where every rider just follows the bike in front or second bike drops off. It doesn’t take much for that to unravel. One missed junction, one hesitation, one rider out of position, and the whole thing starts to stretch and fragment.
So we don’t leave it to chance.
We’ve got fixed marshals in place, including those managing the 125 group. That role is critical. Holding a consistent pace, creating space at the front, and making sure returning marshals have somewhere safe to slot back in, it’s absolutely essential.
Then we’ve got the working marshals. The ones dropping off to secure junctions, holding position, and then moving again. Some stay towards the rear to keep things together. Others leapfrog forward, filtering safely past the group to get back into position ahead. That only works if the riders doing it are switched on, decisive, and smooth. Which they were.
What stood out today wasn’t just the system. It was how well everyone executed it.
We rode the full route, stopping at key points. Not just ticking boxes, but properly looking. Sight lines. Approach speeds. Where riders might bunch up. Where confusion could creep in. Every junction became a conversation. Every pause an opportunity to tighten things up.
And it paid off.
No hitches. No drama. Just a really well run progression through the route, with small refinements being made all the way round.
Midway through we pulled into Darley Moor race circuit and stopped at the Checkered Flag café. Proper breather, good food, and a chance to debrief while it was all still fresh. Big credit to them for looking after us, and the same goes for the Tea Junction where we started and finished. It makes a difference when places welcome a group like that without fuss.
The roads helped today. Dry, flowing, and kind. The weather played its part too. But more than anything, it was the company. Everyone there understood the job. No egos, no shortcuts, just a shared focus on doing it properly.
There’s still more to do.
We’ll get another ride in next week with some of the group to double check a few sections. Then I’m sure Mick will be back out on it again about 24 hours before the event. Final pass. Fresh eyes. Making sure nothing has changed and nothing is going to catch us out on the day.
Because that’s the bit people don’t always see. The work that goes in before anyone turns a wheel on the actual charity ride.
This year we’ll have the sidecar there, which adds something special in itself. And we’ll have Freya with us as our champion to send things off. That’s what this is all about. Real people. Real purpose.
It’s shaping up to be a cracking day.
Now we just make sure it stays that way.
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