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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Island Lake Alberta Canada
Posts: 1,904
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
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Been a While
so I've been away from here for a while (OK a long while) but just wanted to let some of you know I'm still kicking (literally and figuratively). Much has evolved and it has been a bit of a roller coaster ride since my off last fall. The healing went well on my broken bones, and the bike repairs went pretty well too. I'm no body mechanic so a close look shows the flaws in my technique at fiberglass repair but unless you're right up close it's not all that shabby. I may try and smooth out some of the rough spots over the winter but I have a fork rebuild that's 1st on the list and maybe some brake upgrades.
My father-in-law passed this spring and at about the same time I was diagnosed with melanoma. Double whammy there but the pathology turned out well (so far) after the surgical removal procedure and I do a follow-up in October.
My first weekend back at the track was not unexpected, but I was hoping for less nerves. But I discovered the lack of confidence level was a detriment to both myself and the other riders so I dialed it back from intermediate to novice again. The closing speeds of the other riders in group 2 was way more than I was capable of handling and would be for a good while to come, so I chose the better part of valor. But as the season progressed things began to fall back into place and by the end of August I was running faster and cleaner than I was before the crash. With one more session before season's end I was eagerly looking forward to the September's meet.
Then tragedy struck. A good friend (excellent racer and one of our control team riders) perished in a crash on Labor Day Weekend. Without going into details it was something that shouldn't have happened but it may spell the end of track activity if the owners don't step up and make some (now obvious) safety changes. The whole racing and recreational track community was devastated and left reeling in the aftermath of losing Sean. We all know that there are risks in what we do be it on the street or the track, but we can't dwell on it or it will eat us. If you push the envelope, sooner or later s**t happens. Thankfully not always to the extreme, but it will happen in some shape or form.
So that's the update guys. Sean's memorial sticket with his race team logo and number,in the first pic. Last track day in August #2. I'll leave you with a friend's words: "Do the fun things, do the sometimes dangerous things, but live your life and keep on living it to the fullest" thanks for that Kevin)

Duct tape can't fix stupid...but it sure helps muffle the sound
'03 SP2, '09 GL1800
Last edited by budoka; 09-25-2018 at 12:00 PM.