Karen’s Lockdown Highs And Lows with Karen Ramsay

This entry is part 19 of 21 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #42

Life balance Karen’s lockdown highs and lows.

Sunset at the COVID camp.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll have spent the time during closures, self-isolation and social distancing getting ready for the moment when you can freely ride. Your bike (or bikes) will have been dismantled and reassembled, serviced, cleaned and ready for riding. You’ll have reorganised your parts and tools, washed and polished all your gear and done all the maintenance you don’t have time for when you’re out riding. You’ll also have been doing a rigorous fitness regime putting you in tip-top shape for the moment you can get out on your bike again. Maybe you’ve done some training exercise on the bike within the confines of your garage, like static balances. Plus, you’ll have done hours of research into the best gear for travelling and practised packing your bike with various weight and load distributions to find the optimum travelling configuration. You’ll have meticulously planned tracks and routes.

Actually, if you’re anything like me, you would have thought about all of that and not done most of it.

Eyes up and ready to stand.

Ready

I did spend a couple of hours trying to static balance on my bike.

I was inspired by a friend, Tara, who proudly (and rightly so) proclaimed to have achieved around eight minutes of balancing after two hours practice.

‘How hard could it be?’ I thought to myself.

KARENRAMSAY

I set about watching some video clips for techniques and tips. People made it look easy, giving pointers as they climbed all over their bikes (I’m not sure why any-one would need to mount their bike via the front wheel and over the screen, but it does look cool). They gave the basics, such as walking around your bike first to get the feel of where it’s balanced, having it on the centrestand (or in the case of the DR, on the sidestand) and getting the feel of standing up without pulling on the handlebars, and keeping your weight evenly distributed.

Armed with my new-found knowledge, a goal and a helmet-full of determination I was ready to conquer the skill and become an amazingly more proficient rider in the process. A couple of full lock figure-eights (okay, they were nowhere near full lock. But in my mind I was aiming for full lock), several laps holding and walking around the bike, and I was ready to conquer the skill.

Checking out the slashed tracks.
A big ride. All the way to the front gate.

Result

If I was being kind to myself, I’d make excuses about the DR being a lot bigger and heavier than the little dirt bikes in the video examples on the web. I’d blame the wind and perhaps the moon phase.

The reality was, I sucked.

And I tried. Boy, did I try.

I know balance is not my thing, but this took it to a whole new level of embarrassment. Eventually I coerced Dave into holding the bike so I could at least get up on the ’pegs. I reckon I managed about eight seconds without him holding the bike. At the end of a couple of hours I was exhausted and disheartened. Perhaps when the next pandemic comes along I’ll try again.

On a positive note, I’m more mindful of my weight distribution while riding, especially when riding slowly, which is good.

The Easter bilby found the campers.
Queenslanders Andrea and Hicksy behind their locked border.

Smoko

The other bike-related activity was an Easter camping trip.

Dave thought it’d be fun to put the idea up as a ride event on social media – a ‘covert COVID campout’. The whole idea was for everyone pack their bike and head off for a night or two over Easter and go camping around their own homes and properties, whether it was backyards, back paddocks or back verandahs. Dave did a recce ride for us and even slashed the track. There’s something to be said for turning up at a campsite in the afternoon and not have to light a fire or put up the tent because you already did it earlier in the day! Not to mention the esky full of ice and refreshments.

The pull of the pool noodle. Pic by Bessy.

Living close to the Queensland border provided us with a unique experience.

Once we were free to travel within NSW we organised a border picnic with Dave and Andrea at a ‘hard-road closure’.

There’s no way anyone was sneaking through those crossings!

It was great to get out for a decent ride and even better to catch up with friends.

Scones and egg sandwiches and a nice cup of tea. There’s no doubt that we’re hard-core adventure riders.

Socially distant border picnic.
Who would’ve thought they’d elope?

Wee stop

In other news, we got a phone call from our daughter Tinonee in New Zealand to say she’d got engaged to her partner Jamie! That was exciting news. Who would’ve thought that less than a week later they’d ring us up and tell us they’d eloped?

After six weeks in lockdown they were the first wedding in town. Of course, they didn’t have rings and had to borrow clothes. Now we’ll have to start hoping travel to the UK will be open by September next year so we can head to Scotland for a party.

We might even fit in a wee spot of riding.

What I’ve learned

• Static balancing is hard
• Adventure riders are a resourceful and resilient bunch
• Illicit cross-border picnics could catch on
• Possum-skin coats and colourful jackets make perfect COVID wedding clothes
• We’ll all appreciate catching up with friends again

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