This month's message will just be a few random
thoughts strung together as I sit at an education conference,
thinking about the nice weather outside, and planning my bike
prep for the Rhody Enduro this weekend.
1) Be sure to take care of yourself. NETRA, like almost every other racing organizations, has had some tragedy in the past. We've sadly seen some of our favorite fellow riders pass away at events - both competitive and non-competitive. We've got the full spectrum of ages at our events - and none of us is getting any younger. The summer heat and humidity is coming on hard and heavy now. Be sure that you've seen your health provider, you're fit for the challenge, and that you're hydrating at least 24 hours in advance. Listen to your body and don't be a hero out there.
2) I'm having a ton of fun this season. I've done all of the enduros so far, a handful of hare scrambles, and a couple turkey runs. I'm constantly so thankful for the high quality of trail, scoring, and organization that I find. It's a marvel to me that this is all done for the love of the sport and not for someone's profit...just to give us all an opportunity to ride. As always, thanks to the club and especially the trailbosses who give up so much time away from family and friends in order to give us these great opportunities to ride.
3) We're still growing. Thanks to our webmaster, Jim Blais, I got a big data download of our MotoTally data for this year and last year. Compared to this point last year, we're seeing a growth for total event entries and also unique riders in our events. Membership is up. Ridership is up. Thanks for being part of the NETRA Family.
4) Our bikes have never been better. I'm currently on a Husqvara FX 350 and I'm impressed with it with every time I ride. The cool thing is, when I talk to my riding buddies, they say the same things about their bikes. Whether you're on a Japanese or European bike, the level of the bikes' capacity is simply amazing today. I can confidently state that in the rider/bike equation, I am certainly the limiting factor. My bike is much more capable than I am and that makes the ride a ton of fun.
See you at the next event,
President's Message
Tony