- The CSBA Team for our Shamokin Screamer – Picture courtesy of Team Member Matko -
We give thanks to God for His wisdom and His Blessings….
There are many ways I can open and attempt to describe this day to the reader – but I’ll just simply say -FANTASTIC! The word went out that the CSBA was hosting our “Shamokin Screamer” event and riders came out to support us – and support us they did. We were 46 deep in the ranks at the start of our ride.
With so much to cover, I’m going to give this report a slightly different format. I’ll give my view from the top and then I’m going to poll our ride leaders and let them add their experiences in a section of their own. This way we can capture more of what really happened this day. Along with myself, we had 4 other ride groups: Chris, Rick, Russ and Ana – Hats off to them and everyone that pitched in and help make what was our largest event to date such a success.
- The morning ride meeting with ride leaders -
John’s Update (Group 1):
So, in typical fashion, after everyone was present and accounted for, I presented our Rules for the Road and Ride. Soon thereafter, we split up into 5 groups – and I was especially careful to make sure everyone had a group, knew their leader and sweeper. This later become very important as the day went on. We geared up, and started out – however within 5 miles of the start – we had our first tumble. Our man Shawn was caught by a quick downhill blind left-hander that caused him to high side – to his defense, we’d had many caught at this quick turn that comes up on you quickly – we’re just thankful that he’s ok. Ben stayed with his bud to make sure he was ok – we got word that he later visited the hospital, just to make sure. He hit pretty hard, but thankfully he was fully geared up – his new 636 took a beating though, but that is repairable. A big shout-out goes to Ben for stepping up and staying with Shawn. We missed you both today on the ride.
- Checking in with Shawn after he took a tumble -
- His machine – a little battle scarred, but still running -
During our morning jaunt, I found myself in a little trouble on some bad pavement (I believe Cory caught it on video). I entered a left hander a little too hot, applied brake and my back tire was locking up on gravel – I wrestled the Mothership in that turn and managed to recover and not go off the road. That was a close one for me – just goes to show the Screamer will claim anyone who’s not paying attention. My morning otherwise was uneventful with the exception of Martin running out of gas. He dropped to Rick’s group and he’ll cover that in his section of the report.
- The View at Lunch time -
We got to the lunch spot all at different times. Chris’ group was first, followed by Russ’ and Ana’s, then Myself, and then Rick. We carved out our time to review our message “Comforting Others”, which was very timely for today. In customary fashion I led us out to start the second leg of our ride. We enjoyed the high speed sweepers and then I let Jason and Cory fly as they attacked RT125. We had a super afternoon of bobbing and weaving those twisties until we got about 4-5 miles from the end of the ride. Jason was leading with Cory in quick pursuit – however Jason didn’t know the details of the afternoon route and blew by a left hander. Cory and I got our signals mixed up – and this is where I take blame for this – I was following way too closely on his left side. I misread his signal to turn as a signal to continue straight – so I poured on my present line – which crowded him as he was trying to make the left turn. With that, he got bumped, and boy was he bumped – right into a corn field! I held my line and didn’t go down, but the force of that bump stood him up and pushed him along the rim and later off the bike at speed. Luckily, he was in full gear and his bike was basically stood up by the embankment and corn field. It happened so quickly – but fast reflexes and the Lord’s hand saved us both from what could have been a terrible accident. The Mothership didn’t miss a beat, but Cory’s Triumph took a good little smack. He was able to finish the ride under his own power and ride his bike home.
Chris’s Update (Group 2):
The Shamokin Screamer is perhaps my favorite route out of all of our monthly rides, so I was psyched to be able to attend this one. Prior to meeting the group at the Diner, I stopped at the Shell gas station next door to top off my gas tank. After fueling up, my bike wouldn’t start, so I had to push it down the road to the Diner and promptly notify my fellow ride leaders of the situation, with the hopes that it would start up after sitting for a little bit. Sure enough by ride time, my bike started without hesitation and we were ready to hit the road. There were five riders in the spirited group 2, with me leading and Ron W. sweeping. We left the Diner behind the fast group and were right on their tails hitting some nice curves when suddenly a rider in their group went down right in front of us. One of the rider’s in my group was good friends with the rider that had the tumble, so we pulled over to the side of the road with the other group to check on him and offer our assistance.
Eventually we got back on our way, hot on the tail of the fast group, until John, who was leading the fast group missed a turn, which then put us in the lead position. We kept a brisk pace through the entire morning route, encountering very little traffic and everyone in the group appeared to be comfortable with the pace I had set. We were the first to arrive at the lunch stop and Jason V. was already there waiting for us so that he could join us on the afternoon part of the ride. As the other groups began to trickle in, some of us decided to head into the restaurant to begin ordering, as there were 46 of us coming in to eat and we didn’t want to overwhelm the cooks by having all of us order all at once.
- Another shot of the bikes outside the lunch stop at Masser's Restaurant -
- John (right) sharing this month's scripture readings with the group as Russ (left) listens on -
After lunch, John shared the word and then we geared up to complete the afternoon half of the ride. For the afternoon leg of the ride, I picked up three additional riders that wanted to switch to a quicker group, bringing the group to seven riders. We encountered a little more traffic on the afternoon route, but we were still able to hit most of the exciting sections of the route at pace. During this half of the ride, Joseph V. found that his exhaust was loose, so we had to pull over twice while he made some adjustments to it to make sure that it would not fall off. While we were pulled over, Rick’s group went past us and we gave them the thumbs up so that they knew everything was o.k. Once we got back on the road we caught up to the tail end of Rick’s group and Allan waved us on to pass, but I decided to keep the group back to prevent the two groups from getting intertwined as we were about to head into a long stretch of twisties. So we stayed behind Allan and Queen Bee through the rest of the twisties on that particular road. At the next stop sign, Rick’s group and my group essentially became one group for the last few miles of the ride, that is until they missed a left turn right by where John and Cory were getting back on the road after their incident. We were the first to arrive at the Speedway gas station, which was the final stop of the ride because the fast group also accidently missed a turn and ended up taking a slightly longer route to get to the gas station. We fueled up, hung out for a while talking about the ride, and then everyone began to part ways to go home. Most chose to blast down the highway because they needed to get home for other commitments, but Russ, Cory, John, Dan, Rick, and I decided to take the back roads home. All in all it was a great day of riding and I am thankful for sharing the moments with both new and old friends. I hope to see many of you back for the October ride.
Rick’s Update (Group 3):
The day started with a thrill, and a spill! We had gathered the 3rd group of 7 and were riding tight on Chris’s sweeper who was just as close to John’s sweeper and we started getting into a pace as I watched John’s group blow around a double FedEx TT and knowing the road, and it’s apexes, figured we’d have to wait at the next stop to clear the rig, but then we stopped and.., well the rest is documented above. When we got started again we picked 4 more from another group. Our group appeared initially to be very capable riders, but as we got to pace we basically became two groups, 4-5 riders hanging tight with me then a bit of a lull for the 2nd bunch. Alan, working sweep, was keeping me informed at our stops how we were doing, but we would lose contact between stops, meaning there was about ½ mile spread. It always concerns me when we get these large groupings and try to sort out where everyone fits in. On one hand you want to provide the experience for the capable folks to run a spirited pace while allowing the other folks to figure out if they want to ‘push’ or potentially drop back to another group. As things turned out, we had a couple of minor mishaps that were not serious but rattled the riders enough so that they decided to leave as we got to lunch or drop back to a more relaxed pace. While running around PA 339, we came across ‘Spiderman’ on the side of the road. His Busa was having intake manifold issues and running super rich, such that he’d run out of gas. We stopped for aid, figured out how to get him to a good place, then Alan who also had the route in his GPS, stayed to help locate some resources; ultimately a friendly neighbor stepped up and got him back on the road. I must advise, pushing a Busa down the road a few hundred yards in riding boots is a good workout! All in all we had some nice runs but we lost allot of time on the way to lunch.
The second half, we regrouped with some new and some old and it worked out much better, we rode the Screamer as she was meant to be called, more thrills than a roller coaster! All seemed to enjoy the pace and there were no events, other than my occasional re-route/turnaround from missing a turn. I really appreciate the patience and determination it takes to be a sweeper. I’ve led many more times than swept, and the sweeper really deserves an attaboy for taking care of the flock. As the lead, your primary responsibility is to set a good/safe pace and to navigate. The sweeper manages the ride. So, my hat’s off to Alan with a Big Thanks!
Russ’s Update (Group 4):
During the Pre-Ride Meeting, I strongly suggested that anyone who hadn’t been on this ride before, or is unfamiliar with the roads on this route, that they join me in the “Chase” group or Ana in the “Scenic” group. There are many “opportunities” to have a real problem with misjudging a corner, or not even being able to see it until it’s too late. I made it clear that 15-20 bikes in my group will not be a problem, and so 16-18 bikes promptly joined in our group for most of the day. I also took the opportunity to supply an example for everyone: when you see the huge windmills, it’s time to slow down because the end of that straight is a real widow-maker.
- The Famous Wind Turbines of Mahoney City - View at the top of the mountain -
I employed a strategy to try to give everyone in my group the opportunity to stretch their bike’s “legs” when the route allows, but also to collect everyone back together in advance of the trickier and more dangerous blind curves. This can be a little trying, when sacrificing some of the fun the roads offer in exchange for the safety of the group. It also can tax the patience of those at the front when such a large group gets strung out and has to regroup before proceeding. I thank everyone for their good attitude and hope that you got a chance to appreciate the beautiful scenery while recollecting the group.
I don’t think it can be overstated just how beautiful the day was, weather-wise. And we were also fortunate with the schedule, in that a massive detour for a bridge rebuild just so happened to finish the week before this ride. This meant that the overall road quality for the route, despite several minor issues, was the best it’s been in years.
Lastly, I would like to give a big shout-out to my buddy Brendan and his girlfriend Jackie for a great job as a sweeper team. Riding 2-up and watching out for such a large group is not easy, so I thank them for their great attitude and eagerness to help!
Ana’s Update (Group 5):
Cruising/Scenic group is the best group!!! .....I mean how else would you be able to capture the true beauty our roads in PA offer, as they show off our mountains and great views while at the same time enjoying the twists and turns at a pleasurable pace?
After waving good bye to our previous 4 groups, we headed on our fun filled adventure in a party of 5. Within minutes of heading down the scenic roads, sadly we ran into the groups due to a tumble from one of the riders. We were waved to pass and continue because the show must go on. Our lead on the route was shortly lived as the spirited group caught on to us shortly after and right before we saw the famous windmills....gorgeous by the way and could only be appreciated at our pace. Right before reaching our 1st destination we waved passed our spirited group again. Just when I thought “wow this will be the 1st time we hit the lunch spot before everyone else”.....oops, well I totally missed that turn. Hey it wouldn’t be an amazing ride without throwing in some over due Pink Barbie ride bloopers at this point. Thanks to our amazing sweeper John, who got us right back on track. We met up at the Sunoco with group 4 to pump gas when both my ball and chain's bike, along with mine, died due to battery issues. Rusty escorted the group along with his for the last 2 miles down the road to the lunch stop. We were up and running within minutes, thanks to a caged driver and his family that gave us a jump. After lunch our group reduced to 3, so we merged with group 4 and stepped it up a little for the afternoon.
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We ended the day at the normal Speedway gas stop and exchanged our many stories from the ride. Wow - such a full day! As I always do, I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone for your continued participation, involvement, and giving attitudes on our rides and events. I give thanks that all involved in accidents (total of 4) went home ok. Whether you come out to ride or just break bread with us – we welcome your participation. These rides are designed for you, our riders, to enjoy the roads and have fellowship with us. We’re promoting a fellowship and an environment in which we want you to come and enjoy your love with others that share your passion of riding.
Visit our CSBA Day @ the Races Event page (https://www.facebook.com/CSBA.Day.at.the.Races) for additional information or our next street event “October’s Dive Into Delaware Ride” visit the event page here: [ https://www.facebook.com/events/399330040962838/ ]. All our rides are great – so try to arrange to make one of them if you can. For more great pictures and videos of today’s event, visit the face book event page for our “Shamokin Screamer” Ride here: [ https://www.facebook.com/events/388111628488906/ ] or visit us on our website at www.pacsba.org.
On behalf of the CSBA and our chapter, we give thanks to you for coming and enjoying the day with us. See you again soon and don’t hesitate to reach out to me (or any CSBA member) with any and all questions you may have about our rides or the CSBA Organization. Blessings to you all!
- Shawn and Ben (with Dan) walking it off after Shawn went down -
- On2’s in the house -
- NYC Represented -
- CMA Representation at the event -
Comforting Others…
“Comfort each other and edify one another …”
1 THESSALONIANS 5:11
It is an undeniable fact that usually those who have suffered most are best able to comfort others who are suffering. They know what it is to suffer, and they understand more than others what a suffering person is experiencing – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They are able to empathize as well as sympathize with the afflictions of others because of what they have experienced in their own lives.
Our sufferings may be rough and hard to bear, but they teach us lessons that in turn equip and enable us to help others. Our attitude toward suffering should not be “Grit your teeth and bear it,” hoping it will pass as quickly as possible. Rather, our goal should be to learn all we can from what we are called upon to endure, so that we in turn can “comfort each other and edify one another” as it spells out in THESSALONIANS.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:4 NLT states this: “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us…”
With that, let our gatherings be a place where you can release that stress & receive comfort for the things that are plaguing your spirit. You are not alone. Allow yourself the privilege to fall back in the arms of a loved one; and trust in the Lord to give you comfort. His presence is all around you and wants to see you come through the challenge.
As Christians, our true banner and motto is “Choice, Change and Challenge”
1: We must make a Choice to choose between good and evil
2: We must make a Change in bad ways and enhance good ways
3: We must accept the Challenge to deny selfishness as our primary goals and increase of selfless pursuits in helping others. There will we see the true spirit of fellowship flourish.
If we can master these characteristics, providing comfort to others you’ll find will come very easily. I too have worked on this within myself, and I’m happy to report this surely works. Take some time and practice this concept with someone you know that could use a shoulder to lean on. Better yet, bend a knee and spend a moment with your heavenly Father; he’s always there to listen. Learning how to listen is the first step of acceptance.
If you don’t know the Lord and want to learn more about him (or this topic), please don’t hesitate to talk with me, or your friends here. The CSBA serves as your Godly guide and as a light to help guide you, not only for your riding, but for your spirit too. Don’t be afraid to ask – that is why we are here. Blessings!
