Breakfast Run 20222

Breakfast Run 2022

Bill Mantle has sent the following report. Eddy.

Burton Section Breakfast Run 25 September.

I had been looking forward to this year’s breakfast run for a number of reasons. Because I had taken part in the IWKR and other events in August and had family commitments on other days I had missed out on section runs and was pleased to be back. Brian obviously sensed my desire to take part and nudged me with a call a few days before the event when I committed me and daughter Sue to take part. Add to that I recently traded my BMW in for a smaller, lighter Honda CB500 and wanted to put some miles on it and get to know it better.

Counting the time back from “Wheels Away” at 7:30 meant leaving Hopwas between 6:45 and 7:00 which meant getting up at 5:45 to walk the dog, get the bikes out and all other things necessary for a day out. The dog was slightly stunned to be taking his early morning constitutional at 6 a.m. rather than the normal 8 a.m. on a Sunday, but he coped admirably! All suited and booted we set off at 6:30 and arrived at Marston’s at 7:00 where some 10 or so riders had already assembled. More kept arriving until the group was 20 strong. Mick Leach handed out route sheets and Brian gave us all a briefing before we set off. To summarise: “You’ll be riding some roads you know, and some you don’t in Staffordshire and Derbyshire, take care and I’ll see you all back here for breakfast”.

The route took us left out of the car park and then right through (or close to) Anslow, Tutbury, Hatton, Longford, Brailsford, Cross o’th’hands, Belper, Wirksworth, Godfreyhole, Carsington, Kniveton, Ashbourne, Ellaston, Norbury, Waldley, Doveridge, Sudbury, Coton in the Clay, Hanbury Anslow and back to Marston’s at 9:30 for the long awaited and by then very welcome breakfast. According to my records the route was 64 miles long, although some felt this was too short and indulged in a few diversions to extend the mileage. The problem appeared to arise from reading the instructions down the page rather than across with the problem starting as soon as instruction 4. Sue and I didn’t waiver from the instructions and were rewarded by a couple of other riders tagging on behind us for much of the first route sheet.

A number of non-riders joined the gathering at Marston’s for the breakfast swelling the numbers sitting down to around 30. It was good to see them all, in particular John Earp in good spirits following his recent knee replacement.

It was good to see all the familiar faces and more importantly some new ones joining us in having some two wheeled fun, even it was a bit chilly at times. All that remains is to thank Team Slack for organising the event creating 1300 miles of motorcycling pleasure.

Bill Mantle

Photographs below from Brian Slack and Andy Roberts.

Two photographs below from Andy Roberts before the start .